Nautical Humor

View Enlarged Cartoon

Stupid Human Boating Tricks

Key things to listen for when buying a used boat

A couple of years ago, I was interested in buying a boat. The grandfather of one of my kids friends caught wind of this and said that he had a boat to sell. Now don't get me wrong, he is a very nice guy and I don't think that he was intentionally trying to unload a hunk of junk, but here is how this played out. This was a 17 foot Fiberglass Ozark F/S from what I can remember.

Choosing the appropriate system for your boat can sometimes be confusing because of the variety of steering systems available. There are 3 basic steering types: Mechanical Rotary, Mechanical Rack and Hydraulic that cover most of the styles of recreational powerboats. The Mechanical Rotary and Mechanical Rack are available in standard or Zerotorque Feedback versions.

Selecting among these options is dependent upon the speed and handling characteristics of your particular boat. If your boat is an outboard or if it has a sterndrive without power steering, you need to consider steering systems that reduce the rudder torque feedback that you feel while driving your boat.

You’ve shopped for months and finally found the boat of your dreams, now, how do you finance it? You’ve seen many finance companies advertised in boating magazines and through searches on the Internet. So how do you pick the right one for you, and are they all the same? The answer to the latter is a resounding NO!

A whirling cutting machine, spinning at 3200 rpm, able to inflict 160 impacts in a second. Sound like the diabolical weapon of a movie villain? Think again – it's the three-blade propeller on your boat.

Propeller injuries can be easily prevented. Although injuries from boat propellers are uncommon, the results of a prop strike are so horrific that it's worth setting some strict rules for passengers and operators alike.

Now’s the time to grab new gear, get out on the water, and . . . let’er rip! Safely, or course; after all, May is National Safe Boating Month. With all the extra savings you’ll find on over 16,000 products during our May Let’er Rip Extra Savings Sale, there’s every excuse to be geared-up now, and be geared-up for the big, upcoming Memorial Day boating weekend.

It was always a thrill to twist the key on Sunshine III and have the Suzuki DF70 spring to life instantly and settle into a barely audible hummm. We cocooned ourselves in Frogg Toggs, idled out of the Marina and set out to the northeast. We surfed the waves and braved the spray for about 15 miles, then bore to starboard behind a forested island.

Here it was rather quiet and felt a lot warmer than out in the breeze. There was a cluster of small, mostly rocky, islands in the sheltered area. We shed the Frogg Toggs, deployed the troller and selected rods and lures.

Welcome to our new Humor feature and enjoy a few select “unbelievable” images from our I Love Boating Facebook page!

Daily iboats.com boating cartoons can be found on our website, follow this link for more cartoons.

Copyright Notice:
All materials contained on the iboats.com site and on this Review publication are protected by United States copyright law and may not be reproduced, distributed (except for use of the iboats.com "Email to a Friend"), transmitted, displayed, published or broadcast without the prior written permission of iboats.com or in the case of third party materials, the owner of that content. You may not alter or remove any trademark, copyright or other notice from copies of the content.

Photo Credits:
Header photo courtesy of Tom King Photography.