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Boating Articles by Tom

Starting with the little two-person inflatable raft I had as my very first boat, I have always loved the freedom and the feeling of being out on the water. With my father's help, I added a hard plywood floor to that little inflatable, and that was the beginning of a long chain of boats I have owned, loved, maintained, modified, fixed, enjoyed, and scared myself to death on over the past few decades.
A lot of boating time is spent fixing boats, maintaining boats, and upgrading boats with new boating equipment to suit our specific tastes and needs. Lots of salespeople at stores that sell marine boating supplies and boating accessories have learned to recognize me over the years. I have spent my share of time and money working on just about anything you could name on a boat, and made plenty of mistakes. I'm here to share the lessons learned.

Swimming With Humpback Whales – Day 1

April 27, 2011 By Tom Leave a Comment

Welcome to the Silver Bank! The journey, the adventure, and our first day with the Humpback Whales For ten years now, my friend Gene has told me about his annual pilgrimage to the Silver Bank to swim with the Humpback Whales in the Marine Mammal … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Boating Fun Tagged With: whale watching, Conscious Breath Adventures, Silver Bank

Swimming With Humpback Whales On The Silver Bank

April 27, 2011 By Tom Leave a Comment

Marine Mammal Sanctuary Silver Bank, Dominican Republic Swimming with Humpback Whales on the Silver Bank Our trip to the Silver Bank off the Dominican Republic to swim with the Humpback Whales with Conscious Breath Adventures! … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Boating Fun Tagged With: whale watching, Conscious Breath Adventures

Watertribe Everglades Challenge 2011 Start

April 18, 2011 By Tom 1 Comment

Kayak and sailing fleets depart from Fort Desoto Park beach Sunshine Skyway Bridge at Dawn The Everglades Challenge is an annual event in which kayaks, canoes and small sailboats race from Fort Desoto Park at the mouth of Tampa Bay down to Key … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Kayaking, Races & Regattas Tagged With: small boats, Adventure Island, multihull, racing, catamaran, trimaran, Everglades, Watertribe, Singlehanding

Selecting and Installing a Fishfinder

March 22, 2011 By Tom Leave a Comment

We decided to install a fishfinder on our 15' Boston Whaler and use the boat for more fishing trips around Charlotte Harbor. My last experience with fishfinder/depthfinder technology was long ago, and I had no idea of the current state of technology … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Boating Equipment, Boat Repairs & Upgrades, Fishing Tagged With: fishing, fishfinder, Humminbird, electronics, Boston Whaler

Remote-Control Sailing

March 22, 2011 By Tom Leave a Comment

What Sailors Do When They Can't Sail A Real Boat You can see the hole the keel is digging in the water as the boat tries to accelerate on her side. Lots of wasted energy. The sailboat is funny going downwind Here the boat is trimmed in … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Boating Fun, Sailing Tagged With: RC sailing, pond yachts

Buy the Right Kayak Paddle

March 21, 2011 By Tom Leave a Comment

Having the right kayak paddle is nearly as important as having the right kayak. If you kayak a lot, and paddle long distances, the benefits of a really great paddle become obvious. Buying A Kayak Paddle The first time I bought a kayak … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Kayaking Tagged With: kayaking, kayak paddle

Charlotte Harbor Regatta 2011: Multihull Fleet Racing

March 16, 2011 By Tom Leave a Comment

Dawdling through swarms of multihull sailboats in a slow catboat Fleets of multihulls in the race starting area Went out with a friend on his Com-Pac Sun Cat to watch Friday's sailing action in the 2011 Charlotte Harbor regatta, and typical of … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Races & Regattas Tagged With: Hobie, Charlotte Harbor, regatta, multihull, racing, catamaran

Charlotte Harbor Regatta 2011: Small Sailboat Fleets

March 16, 2011 By Tom Leave a Comment

Class Races with Flying Scots, Lasers, Sunfish and more! Small Sailboat Fleets I volunteered to help out on the water for the 2011 Charlotte Harbor Regatta, where we had quite a flotilla of signal boats, mark set boats, and safety boats organized … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Races & Regattas Tagged With: dinghies, small boats, regatta, racing

Useppa Catboat Rendezvous Regatta 2010: Sailing on Island Time

February 8, 2011 By Tom Leave a Comment

Herding catboats and relaxing island style Catboats tacking near the starting line buoy. As owners of a Com-Pac Sun Cat catboat, we wanted to participate in the 2010 Useppa Catboat Rendezvous, a biennial gathering of catboats and owners … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Races & Regattas Tagged With: Useppa, Charlotte Harbor, regatta, catboats

A Sun Shade for my Com-Pac Sun Cat Sailboat

December 29, 2010 By Tom Leave a Comment

I dug the 6 holes, each one a fair amount bigger than the concrete block that would fill it. I want to build a pole barn to house my boat collection. I like to keep them all out of the sun and covered, but our Com-Pac Sun Cat had no shelter while … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Boat Repairs & Upgrades Tagged With: Sun Cat, sun shade, protecting

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Popular

  • The Perfect Solo Mast-Raising System for Small Sailboats
  • How to Dock an Outboard or Sterndrive Powerboat in 3 Easy Pictures
  • Small Outboard Engine Tilt and Trim: Theory and Practice
  • Tying Boats to Docks Using Springlines
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About Tom

Starting with the little two-person inflatable raft I had as my very first boat, I have always loved the freedom and the feeling of being out on the water. With my father's help, I added a hard plywood floor to that little inflatable, and that was the beginning of a long chain of boats I have owned, loved, maintained, modified, fixed, enjoyed, and scared myself to death on over the past few decades. [Read More …]

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    • Handheld GPS Units
    • Handheld VHF Radios
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