- You are here:
-
Home
-
DIY & How To
- Upgrades
This bag does more than hold your anchor and rode in one tidy little pile. After you’ve anchored you can dunk the whole thing – anchor, rode and bag – into the drink for a rinse, and then let it air dry before toting it back (in organized fashion) aboard the mother ship.
I’ve learned that boat owners may not know what a mechanic needs to know in order to look up parts. I hope that this issue will put the tools in your hands to speak the same language with your mechanic, while also enabling you to research your needs and price-shop effectively.
This time of year, great deals abound. That boat with the ‘for sale’ sign looks quite attractive. The asking price is less than expected – the paint and varnish look great, with a bit of a polish and clean you can already feel the wind in your hair as you make way down the lake.
For less than US$2,500, Jim Leshaw, a lawyer who lives and works in Key Biscayne, Florida, installed an onboard wireless network that allows him to work from many remote locations.
A propeller is only as effective as the rest of the drive system. This is a bold statement; but the two experts I talked with while researching...
This article is the first of 2 parts. Part 1 deals propellers for displacement boats and Part 2 will cover the rest of the drive train...
Absolutely and without a doubt, the biggest advance in boating in recent memory has been the introduction of joystick docking. With these new systems, first pioneered in recreational boating by Volvo Penta in their IPS pod drive systems, docking a large boat in tight quarters, windy conditions, or in strong current was transformed from a task that would challenge the most experienced captain to something a child could do. Children took to it almost immediately because joystick docking was so similar to their videogame controls and so intuitive to use; point the joystick in the direction you want the boat to go and it responds.
There are two kinds of people; those who have thrusters and those who want them! Recently, I was having a conversation with Jon Moles from Toronto Yacht Services and he mentioned how much consumer interest there was around installing bow or stern thrusters. He added that there are often attractive deals at the winter boat shows for smart shoppers who want to save a little money and also be ready to go at the start of the season. So, we set up a time when I could interview Jon and ask what consumers have been looking for from his perspective as the man who actually installs thruster systems.
Investing in a reusable winter cover is a sound environmental choice and a practical way to facilitate winter maintenance on your boat. Over the past few decades, more and more boats in Canada have been put away for the winter under shrink wrap. Properly applied, shrink wrap seals the boat from water and intrusion by creatures, its slippery surface sheds snow (when we get it), and it resists wind and sun all winter. Shrink wrap can also be recycled quite effectively, and some shrink wrap suppliers have created programs to gather used wrap to ensure that it’s recycled and not disposed of in a landfill site.
We all know what a fresh coat of paint can do for a room. The same holds true for the interiors of boats except instead of paint, you can introduce a new swatch of fabric that can do amazing things to a dining area, the salon and even a sleeping cabin. Not everyone can buy a new boat, but a relatively small investment and some taste can provide a fresh new look and feel…and it's not that hard to do.
Read more: Is It Time to Give Your Boat's Interior a Fresh...
Page 1 of 2
Boat Reviews
CY Virtual Video Boat Tours
We all love boats and nothing can break us up! So, what better way to spend our time than looking at interesting boats and going aboard in a virtual ride or tour. We have asked our friends at various dealers and manufacturers to help us assemble a one-stop online resource to experience some of the most interesting boats on the market today. Where the CY Team has done a review, we connect you to that expert viewpoint. If you can’t go boating, you can almost experience the thrill via your screen. Not quite the same, but we hope you enjoy our fine tour collection.
Read more about the CY Virtual Boat Tours....................
AXOPAR 37 XC
Whole new ball game…
Set aside your assumptions and expectations for a few minutes while we try to describe the new Axopar 37 XC that made its American debut at the 2020 Miami International Boat Show. This boat represents a whole new ball game in terms of design, performance, seakeeping and functionality. In fact, I’d say it takes a ‘clean sheet of paper’ approach to boating – it’s that different.
Read More about the Axopar 37 XC..................
Destinations
The Rideau: Living the Past today
By John Morris
History: right after gym and just before chemistry class. Fifty minutes of naming the prime ministers by date and looking out the window. Who knew it was actually interesting.
And in some ways it hardly matters because the Rideau Waterway is just so amazingly beautiful. Driving your boat through the locks is wonderful fun for kids of all ages (adult kids, too) and the scenery is sensational. The history is a huge bonus however, and worth understanding from both as a political lesson and from an engineering perspective.
Read more about The Rideau...........
Lifestyle
Our boat: A beauty – the 1967 Trojan 42 Motor Yacht
By David and Barb Gamblin
Unknown to us at the time, the quest for VIA-MARA started in 1973 when I saved the back cover of a boating magazine with the advertisement for the Trojan 42 Motor Yacht.
Four boats, and eight years later we went shopping for a Trojan 42 built prior to 1972 (that year the house and binnacle became fiberglass and the bridge window framing changed to (ugh) black anodized aluminum.)
Marine Products
Rayplex Gel Kits
Rayplex makes gel coat repair and colour matching easy. Minor gel coat repairs are easy to get professional results.
Available in white, black-gray-white, red and clear (for metal flake) in various sizes and colours. Rayplex gelcoat can be used for repairs above and below the waterline.
Read more about Rayplex Gel Kits..............
