Powerboating Know how

The Hartford Courant (CT)--  Harry Ruppenicker, a longtime marina owner in Westbrook, began this year's boating season with an ultimatum for his customers: Go green or get out.  His edicts went beyond recycling paint cans and used oil. Ruppenicker required boaters in the 76-slip marina to use a copper-free, eco-friendly paint on the hull of their vessels. The effort, he said, would help protect aquatic life and fight pollution, and possibly lower the cost of cleaning contaminated sediment.  It was a business gamble, said Ruppenicker, who has run Harry's Marine Repair for 43 years. One customer ended up leaving the marina. But the majority of boaters responded the way Ronald Klattenberg did -- he willingly bought a can of nontoxic Epaint, and coated the bottom of his 27-foot Albin trawler.  "The few people that were reluctant, eventually converted," Klattenberg said. "I thought Harry should be commended for making such a bold move."

What does this mean for boaters in hurricane states?

Based on 40 years of hurricane-related insurance claims files and speaking to countless boaters and marina operators about their hurricane plans, "We have learned that although it is difficult to prevent all damage from occurring, there are far more opportunities for hurricane damage to be lessened," says Bob Adriance, director of the BoatU.S. Damage Avoidance Program. "We are talking about the difference between some gel coat scratches or a dinged rub rail, and the total destruction or sinking of a boat," he added.

TIP 1: Have a checklist. Many towing problems can be avoided if you take a couple of minutes to inspect a few key items before ever pulling out of your driveway. Compile a checklist of these items, and go through it before you leave. Your checklist should include such things as making sure all lights work properly, the hitchball is secure, all wheel nuts are tight, tire pressure is adequate (including the spare), the coupler is secure (running a bolt through the coupler hole will ensure it won’t pop open), the trailer jack is raised and locked in place, the trailer’s emergency brake cable (or breakaway cable) is connected to the tow vehicle, the safety chains are hooked up in a crisscross fashion, and the boat’s drive is tilted up and locked

Sportfishing Magazine-- Ever notice the power and telephone wires where people fish from bridges? They're loaded with so much line, so many bobbers, weights and plugs, that whoever cleans them off could start a new tackle shop. Common sense suggests that the cable stringers should have placed the wires out of anglers' reach, right? If you follow that logic, boat owners should employ the same common sense when mounting onboard electronics. A robust suite of modern marine electronics requires installation of an impressive array of overhead antennas, radomes, receivers, lights and even cameras. Every one of these devices seems deviously designed to tangle with a rod tip, unless you plan your installation to facilitate fishing. On occasion, I hire out to guide anglers on their own boats. When I step aboard a boat I haven't skippered before, I carefully consider certain items. Of course, I want to know about the safety equipment, electrical system, electronics and fishing systems. But the very first thing I look at when walking down the dock is the layout of any overhead obstructions. This tells me whether a non-fishing marine electrician or one who understands and serves the needs of fisherfolk designed the T-top or hardtop layout.

With boaters facing record high fuel prices this summer Boat Owners Association of The United States (BoatU.S.) has a few tips that could help stretch their fuel dollars: 1. Leave the extra 'junk' home: Don't load the boat up with weight you don't need. Do a little spring cleaning - unused equipment that has been collecting mildew in the bottom of lockers for years should be taken home. 2. Water weight: At 8.33 pounds per gallon, why keep the water in the tank topped off if you're only going out for the afternoon? 3. Tune her up: An engine tune-up is an excellent investment and should easily pay for itself over the summer. 4. Tune your prop: If your boat goes 30 mph with a like-new prop and only 27 mph with a prop that's dinged and out of pitch, that's a 10% loss in fuel economy, or, you're wasting one out of every ten gallons you put in your tank. 5. Paint the boat's bottom: When boating in salt or brackish waters a fouled bottom is like a dull knife. It takes a lot more fuel to push your boat through the water. 6. Keep the boat in trim: Using trim tabs or distributing weight evenly will help move your boat through the water with less effort - and less fuel.