Category: May 2025
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Installing LED Spreader Lights
Installing LED Spreader Lights Once the installation is complete, turn on the power and switch on the light to make sure it works. Then adjust the angle to provide the best possible illumination of the deck area. Jim Hatch The first spreaders—aka marine floodlights—that I installed on my boat 30 years ago were ITT Jabsco…
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Marine Electronics That Make Boating Safer
Marine Electronics That Make Boating Safer When used properly by experienced captains, electronics can make you safer. Courtesy Grundéns They had guts, those great mariners from the Age of Discovery. Though some are viewed today with a degree of controversy, the likes of Columbus, Vespucci, Cortés and Magellan still hold reputations as bastions of courage…
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Tips for Inspecting Your Safety Gear
Tips for Inspecting Your Safety Gear An annual inspection will ensure proper operation of your safety gear. Courtesy Mustang Survival, West Marine, Weems and Plath, ACR Electronics Some boaters treat safety gear and anchors the same way: They have it all buried in a locker and will get it out when and if they need…
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Simrad NSS 4
Simrad NSS 4 Simrad NSS 4 models offer built-in dual-channel 1 kW chirp sonar, as well as support for Active Imaging HD sonar. Courtesy Simrad BUY NOW Multifunction displays continue to advance in processing speed, system integration, enhanced control capabilities, and ease of use. The latest to emerge in this marine-tech revolution is the Simrad NSS 4…
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Flux Marine’s Electric Outboard Advances Propulsion Innovation
Flux Marine’s Electric Outboard Advances Propulsion Innovation The Flux-powered Highfield 660 offered a smooth, silent ride. Courtesy Flux Marine Flux Marine co-founders Ben Sorkin, Daylin Frantin and Jon Lord say that they began developing an electric outboard motor in a garage. That’s a startup plan that worked out for Bill Harley and Arthur Davidson, and…
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Refitting Coast Guard Motor Lifeboats to Continue Saving Lives
Refitting Coast Guard Motor Lifeboats to Continue Saving Lives Crews from US Coast Guard Station Barnegat Light train in surf aboard newly refit 47-foot Motor Lifeboats. Scott Nevins While Coast Guard air crews often grab headlines, sometimes flying hundreds of miles offshore into unimaginable conditions to save mariners in peril, boaters in trouble closer to…
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Four Emergency Locator Beacons for Boaters
Four Emergency Locator Beacons for Boaters Emergency locator beacons, like Spot’s Gen4, can aid rescuers in an emergency. Courtesy Spot BUY NOW William Marshall ventured 20 miles offshore on November 15, 2024, and never expected to have catastrophic engine failure at sea. Worse yet, threatening storms forming ahead of weather reports loomed over them. He…
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Most Dangerous Inlets in the United States for Boaters
Most Dangerous Inlets in the United States for Boaters U.S.C.G. Surf Stations are served by special boats and people. Courtesy U.S. Coast Guard The title of my article makes a bold statement. I’m basing it on the US Coast Guard requirements for establishing what’s called a Surf Station. Surf Stations are required at locations where…
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The Importance of Having a Co-Captain
The Importance of Having a Co-Captain A co-captain can manage and monitor critical navigational electronics. Courtesy SiriusXM Military fighter pilots can suffer from a condition called information overload, which can be brought about by overwhelming amounts of technology in the cockpit that distract from the primary mission of flying the aircraft. This phenomenon has led…
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Boat Test: 2025 Sea Ray SDX 250 OB
Boat Test: 2025 Sea Ray SDX 250 OB The SDX 250 is incredibly maneuverable. Courtesy Sea Ray Boats Visit Sea Ray Build Your Sea Ray Find a Sea Ray Dealer Overview The SDX 250 Outboard incorporates Sea Ray’s new design language, including a defined “jawline,” S sheerline, updated logo and a curved windshield. Though no…
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Sunglass Lens Color Comparison
Sunglass Lens Color Comparison No matter what type of boater you are, you should consider a quality pair of polarized sunglasses to be essential safety gear. Not just for how they reduce glare, but for how they protect your eyes from the sun’s harmful UV rays as well. Sunglasses-makers now offer myriad lens colors to choose…
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On Board With: Tracy Nowacki
On Board With: Tracy Nowacki Tracy Nowacki helps protect waterways from invasive species. Charles Plueddeman Launch a boat in Green Lake, Wisconsin, and you may run into Tracy Nowacki, a friendly woman with a clip board. We met Nowacki on duty at the Horner’s Landing ramp, dressed in her bright blue “Clean Boats/Clean Waters” shirt…
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Boat Test: 2025 Scout 261 XSS
Boat Test: 2025 Scout 261 XSS The 261 XSS combines sleek looks with top-notch performance. Courtesy Scout Boats Visit Scout Build Your Scout Find a Scout Dealer Overview Scout’s 261 XSS is a 26-foot crossover offshore/bay boat that’s as well-suited for bay-hopping as it is for afternoon sandbar gathering, family watersports outings and, of course,…
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Boat Test: 2025 Pursuit S 328 Sport
Boat Test: 2025 Pursuit S 328 Sport The S 328 Sport is capable of handling a variety of conditions. Courtesy Pursuit Boats Visit Pursuit Build Your Pursuit Find a Pursuit Dealer Overview On our outing aboard the newly revamped Pursuit S 328 Sport, I realized why Pursuit is the perfect name for this builder. Fishermen…
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Boat Test: 2025 Mako 18 Pro Skiff Backwater Edition
Boat Test: 2025 Mako 18 Pro Skiff Backwater Edition Visit Mako Build Your Mako Find a Mako Dealer Overview The newly redesigned Mako 18 Pro Skiff Backwater Edition is a light-tackle angler’s dream. It’s a skinny-water boat that’s packed with standard features that will help you find and chase fish. The 18 Pro Skiff Backwater…
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Boat Test: 2025 Ranger RB210
Boat Test: 2025 Ranger RB210 Visit Ranger Build Your Ranger Find a Ranger Dealer Overview Ranger Boats has built top-shelf fiberglass bass boats for 60 years and tank-tough aluminum craft for more than 10. The new center-console RB210 bay boat is long and broad but boasts a shallow-draft hull rivaling flats boats while bringing more…
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Boat Test: 2025 Grady-White Freedom 345
Boat Test: 2025 Grady-White Freedom 345 Visit Grady-White Build Your Grady-White Find a Grady-White Dealer Overview It is Grady-White’s consistent adherence to its style points that tells all other boaters that they are looking at a Grady, even when the nameplate is not visible. So it is with the new Freedom 345 dual-console. Its high…
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Boat Test: 2025 Tiara Yachts 43 LE
Boat Test: 2025 Tiara Yachts 43 LE Visit Tiara Yachts Find a Tiara Yachts Dealer Overview The Tiara 43 LE is a luxury sport yacht with a rugged boatbuilding DNA that belies its opulence, ready to take on the snottiest of bluewater days outside the inlet yet equally suited to entertain at anchor or keep…