Boating August/September 2023

LIGHT IT UP! Check out Randy Vance’s BoatingLAB comparison of handheld spotlights on page 38. It’s summer. Boating is in full swing almost everywhere our readers and audience ply the waters. (Apologies to our friends Down Under. Feel free to stick it to us during our winter.) The old Johnny Cochran song wailed about the summertime blues. Although Johnny played a mean guitar, he probably didn’t own a boat. I say look forward to the summertime blues! Check out these examples. BLUE WATER Man, it’s something to see. I’ve cruised and fished in water that looked damn near purple in some tropical and semi-tropical climes. In that water, boaters find a wide variety of spectacular sea life, the likes of which our boatless brethren must settle for seeing on TV.…

As a kid, Mark Gomez would fashion a stand-up Jet Ski from his dad’s workout bench and a broom and pretend he was riding a stand-up personal watercraft alongside videos of his favorite freestyle riders. Years later Gomez would get the opportunity to be on that TV himself, backflipping his ski in a pool while doubling for Hangover star Ken Jeong in an Adidas commercial. What followed was a surreal decade where Gomez got picked for the opening scene of the Michael Bay and Steven Spielberg film I Am Number Four, doubled for actors in TNT’s Animal Kingdom, starred in music videos, and earned no fewer than seven Freeride and Freestyle world championships. His latest role lands him directly in the path of a speeding rally car driven by Travis…

Helicopters, photographers, cruisers, ‘toons and chase boats: every issue of Boating is a major production, and Icom helps the team communicate during the controlled chaos of a big shoot. Join us for a behind-the-scenes look at the making of the magazine, and tips on how to optimize your Icom marine radio like the Boating team does. SCAN ME Scan the QR code below to gain access to each new episode that includes advice/tips from our editors on maximizing use of your marine communication. MADE POSSIBLE BY…

GRUNDÉNS SEAKNIT BOAT SHOE Cool comfort, stability and quick-drying attributes make this a great deck shoe. The Seaknit might be our favorite thanks to its stretchy nylon upper and shockabsorbing sole that flares from the foot to the floor, adding as much as an inch more surface contact of the razor-siped, shallow-lugged soles. Like the Chukka model, this shoe won’t pick up rocks and mar the deck. It slipped on without unlacing and stayed snug for stability and traction. PROS: These shoes aren’t water-resistant, but they do shed some amount of water thanks to the tongueless design. With short socks, they provide a desert-dry experience; without socks, they manage to breathe nearly as well for all-day comfort. CONS: We found the sides of the gray soles would mark the inwales…

1. How often should you check your boat’s fuel? What are you looking for when you do? A. Every week, looking for performance-boosting additives. B. Every month, looking for alcohol. C. Every few months, looking for phase separation, water and contaminants (dirt). D. None of the above 2. Your boat doesn’t have a water-separating fuel filter. Is it worth it to add one? A. Yes, the cost is minimal (less than $50 plus installation), and it is invaluable in catching water and dirt before they reach your engine. B. No, it’s another scam per petrated by marine dealers and too hard to install. C. Yes, it’s easy to install, and replacement filters are less than $20. D. A and C E. None of the above 3. You’ve purchased an older…

In our June/July issue, the What to Look For article on page 38 contained an error regarding the conversion of buoyancy from newtons to pounds. The correct statement is that one newton (N) equals 0.225 pounds. 35,000 Maximum towing capacity (in pounds) of the Ford F-750. TRAILERING This month we focus on trailering. What better way to learn trailering tips than from revisiting the time we went to a Crash-a-Rama? Go to boatingmag.com/how-to/trailering-tips-crash-rama.…