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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.

Modifying my Sun Cat’s Rigging

April 22, 2010 By Tom 2 Comments

Attention Catboat Sailors Catboat sailors of all kinds can download and enjoy this Catboat Sailing Manual, filled with information about catboat sailing techniques and specifics about certain Com-Pac and Marshall catboats: Catboat Sailing Manual … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Boat Repairs & Upgrades Tagged With: Sun Cat, rigging

Modifying And Upgrading My Boston Whaler Super Sport 15

April 21, 2010 By Tom 16 Comments

Molded fiberglass stub cleats, painted white and ready for installation. The port side cleat installed on the deck. Starboard side cleat installed on the deck. The perfect boat seats Fuel tank set in place in the Whaler with … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Boat Repairs & Upgrades Tagged With: bow rail, boat seats, Boston Whaler, SuperSport, storage, fuel tank, wood refinishing, console

Watching a Fishing Boat Sink While Sailing My Kayak

April 20, 2010 By Tom Leave a Comment

Fishermen throw up roostertails as they head out for the Redfish Tournament The fishing boat promptly began sinking They turned back up into shallow water. As they approached the dock, I yelled to them that I might have the plug … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Boating Fun, Kayaking Tagged With: fishing boat, kayaking, sinking

Deep V, Shallow V, or Variable Deadrise Hull Performance

April 20, 2010 By Tom 2 Comments

Hulls with a steep deadrise angle (above), slice through the waves, providing a smoother ride. How does your boat ride in a chop, or in large waves? The answer will largely depend on hull deadrise angle. Hulls with a steep deadrise angle, as in … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Powerboating Tagged With: hull, deep v, shallow v, deadrise

Choosing the Right Propeller For Your Boat

April 19, 2010 By Tom 3 Comments

3-blade stainless steel prop on a Mercury 70hp outboard lasts for years despite numerous groundings. Buying a different propeller can dramatically change the performance of your boat. You can select a propeller for the pickup or hole shot it … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Powerboating, Boat Repairs & Upgrades, Boating Equipment Tagged With: propeller, powerboating

A Little Morning Project Spirals Out of Control

April 19, 2010 By Tom Leave a Comment

A "little morning project" to replace a bracket for the outboard steering arm ended up involving complete disassembly and revarnishing of the mahogany console on my Boston Whaler. We had some problems with the 70 hp Mercury that came with our old … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Boat Repairs & Upgrades Tagged With: Boston Whaler, repairs, outboard, Mercury, steering

Tilt and Trim Fun With My Boston Whaler

April 19, 2010 By Tom Leave a Comment

My old fifteen-foot Boston Whaler was a teenager's dream boat — but it didn't have hydraulic tilt and trim.When I was a teenager, we had a 15' Boston Whaler aptly named the Flying Shingle. The engine was a 70 hp Johnson, and the boat was fantastic. … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Boating Fun, Boat Handling Tagged With: Boston Whaler, outboard, water skiing, tilt & trim

Soft Inflatable Dinghies

April 19, 2010 By Tom Leave a Comment

Soft inflatable dinghies have impressive stability and carrying capacity for their size, but tying them to barnacle-encrusted pilings is bad news. A recent overnight trip on a new Catalina 309 reminded me of all the compromises involved in … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Dinghies Tagged With: dinghies, inflatables, outboard

Paddling in the Florida Keys in a Clear-Bottom Kayak

April 19, 2010 By Tom Leave a Comment

My buddy getting his clear kayak ready for me to take out.Off in the background you can see the dock I paddled to, with the little artificial reef Finally, just because it's so cool, these are the tarpon at Robbie's on Islamorada. We always stop … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Boating Fun, Kayaking Tagged With: kayaking, keys

Hydraulic Outboard Engine Jack Plates

April 19, 2010 By Tom Leave a Comment

Flats boats benefit from the use of jack plates to allow them to move the engine vertically upwards to get into shallow water. In addition to the power tilt and trim system that swings the engine around a pivot point on the mounting bracket, … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Boating Equipment, Powerboating Tagged With: small boats, outboard, jack plates

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Recent

  • BOTE Aero Rover Inflatable SUP MicroSkiffs!
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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 …]

Popular Posts

  • The Perfect Solo Mast-Raising System for Small Sailboats 132.9k views
  • Small Outboard Engine Tilt and Trim: Theory and Practice 57.8k views
  • How to Dock an Outboard or Sterndrive Powerboat in 3 Easy Pictures 57.3k views
  • Tying Boats to Docks Using Springlines 55.8k views
  • Deep V, Shallow V, or Variable Deadrise Hull Performance 52.3k views
  • The Com-Pac Sun Cat: A Review 46k views
  • Building a Live Bait Well For A Small Boat 40.3k views
  • Choosing the Right Propeller For Your Boat 36.5k views
  • Rebuilding Whaleboat Tenders Part 5: Boat Parts Shopping Day 36.3k views
  • More Boston Whaler Modifications 35.4k views

Topics

  • Boat Building (5)
  • Boat Handling (10)
  • Boat Repairs & Upgrades (50)
  • Boating Equipment (27)
    • Dinghies (4)
  • Boating Fun (30)
  • Boating Safety (7)
  • Buying & Selling Boats (5)
  • Classic Boating Tales (25)
  • Fishing (16)
  • General (37)
    • Drone Stuff (3)
    • Trail Camera Pictures (18)
    • Tropical Fruiting (1)
  • Kayaking (22)
  • Powerboating (18)
  • Sailing (71)
    • Races & Regattas (14)
    • Sailboat Cruising (15)
    • Sailboat Reviews (7)

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