Table of contents for August/September 2025 in Boating

MANUAL PUMP WUYASTA DOUBLE-CYLINDER FOOT AIR PUMP THE FILL: While intended primarily for bicycle tires, a foot pump can do the trick in an emergency situation. All it takes is a little manpower; step on the pedal repeatedly to deliver up to 160 psi of inflating capability. An analog gauge displays the tire’s psi as you pump. It’s foldable, so it’s easy to store in an SUV or pickup-truck bed. THE CHILL: It requires effort and for a full-on flat—especially on your tow vehicle or a trailer carrying a heavy boat—it could take a lot of time to provide enough air to make it road-ready. PRICE: $27.99; amazon.com AEROSOL FIX-A-FLAT TIRE INFLATOR AND SEALANT THE FILL: The 24-ounce spray can will fit in any size tow vehicle without taking up…

Why spend $75 to $100 more than a conventional galvanized-steel trailer winch? After testing thisone. we can gjve you several reasons Ou r out-of- the- box i inspection revealed several superior features. The cast-aluminum housing andoveisizeS-inch cast-aluminum crank handle are powder -coated, not thinly galvanized. Under that housing is a durable steel chassis and gear system, also powder -coated for cor&; rosion resistance. The chassis sconcealed woiking geai and the loading gear have a powerful. easy- to- turn -1.75-to-1 gea r ratio. In stead of an exposed, finger-pinchingratchet latch lever, the ratchet reveisal mech&; anic isconcealcd within the hcusii, just like the rest of the woiking parts. An easily operated twist knob rotates from forward to reverse to free-spool, and it has a grease fitting to keep it simple to…

The 39-foot-7-inch Scout 400 LXF Li-Ion is a widebeam luxury centerconsole equipped with the Fathom M7000-X+ Series, currently the premier e-power system offered by Navico Group, the technology division of Brunswick Corporation. Scout is one of the first boatbuilders outside the Brunswick portfolio to offer Fathom. “We think that the 400 LXF is an ideal platform for this Fathom system,” says Scout product specialist Capt. Josh Slayton. “This model is often used for entertaining and comes standard with power-hungry features including air conditioning, a gyrostabilizer, a powerful audio system, heated seats, a galley and a water heater. A silent e-power system in place of a genset offers the level of sophistication our customers expect from a Scout S-Class model, our highest level of luxury.” Regulator Boats is also offering an…

The types of emergencies that can occur aboard boats are as numerous as the types of boats and types of boaters. Naturally, our boats should be properly equipped with lif ets for everyone, distress signals, a VHF radio, and more. We should also gain knowledge of the waters we are cruising and check the weather before heading out. That’s all good, but general, advice. What should you do first in a specific situation? Here are five emergencies, and ways they might be handled, for your consideration. SUDDEN STORM CON-DITIONS Don life jackets, then secure loose gear, close hatches/windows, and reduce speed while maintaining headway and steerage. Choose a safe shelter, and head there immediately. Turn on your nav lights. Have your crew sit close to the centerline, and on the…

SCAN ME To see a photo gallery of the Boston Whaler 365 Conquest, scan this tag or go to boating mag.com/3455. Multipurpose boats sometimes have a weak link in their design where a token effort is given to one area to check a box. But the design team of the Boston Whaler 365 Conquest—led by Kristin McGinnis—managed to create a boat that’s as serious about fishing as it is cruising or entertaining. Boating’s Editor-in-Chief, Kevin Falvey, and I were part of a Boating Writers International judging panel for the NMMA Innovation Awards in 2024, which awarded the 365 Conquest the top prize in the cruiser category, and we were impressed with its versatility and user-friendly design. My day aboard on the water further confirmed our decision. One of the benefits…

Bayliner was founded in 1957 to bring seaworthy family boats to the water with an attractive bundled package, including boat, motor and trailer at a budget price. Today, this brand, now under the Brunswick umbrella, is one of the largest recreational-boat builders, and its newly redesigned V20 bowrider replaces one of its most popular models. Bayliner didn’t just move the cup holders around in the original long-in-the-tooth 20-footer. Instead, it redesigned the boat from keel to windshield, transom to forepeak, to meet the expectations of today’s boaters. Bayliner offers the V20 in both sterndrive and outboard configurations. We tested the outboard version on the salty Indian River near Edgewater, Florida. SCAN ME To see our online photo gallery of the Bayliner V20, scan this tag or go to boatingmag.com/3458. Both…

It’s no secret that boats are, in today’s parlance, hella expensive. You can spend well over $50,000, $100,000, even $150,000 on a medium-size runabout, fishing boat or wakeboard boat. So, if you want to get on the water and you don’t want to dump all that scratch into a boat at once or take out a mega-loan on what’s basically a seasonal-use toy, what to do? Would you consider restoring an old boat? Recently, I spent the weekend at the annual boat show held in Tavares, Florida, by the Sunnyland chapter of the Antique & Classic Boat Society. I last visited this show a dozen years ago, and wow, things have changed—for the better. The show has improved and the participants prove much more interesting, simply because… times have changed.…

Launching formally at this October’s Fort Lauderdale Boat Show, the Four Winns H33 offers unparalleled water access and entertaining, thanks to not one, but two, foldout cockpit terraces that expand space aboard exponentially. The H33 features a distinctive upright stem, cross-curved windshield and reverse sheer. It also stands out for offering a choice of either twin outboard or single sterndrive power. Considerations include the unobstructed transom platform on the sterndrive version, while an optional Seakeeper gyrostabilizer is available for the outboard version. The L-shaped cockpit lounge with sun pad and electric backrest boasts premium stitching and soft textures. An optional hardtop, with electric awning, creates shaded comfort. Enjoy a fully equipped galley (grill, sink and fridge). Find two private bow lounges, and in the starboard-side cabin, you’ll discover an area…

The same properties that help provide grip for a boater’s feet can allow dirt and grime to cling to nonskid surface with tenacity. There are myriad patterns of molded-in nonskid, as well as the “sand” or grit type of nonskid. The latter can prove trickier to get squeaky clean. Let’s look at techniques for cleaning nonskid surfaces. If the deck or cockpit sole is soiled mostly by the grime from foot traffic and, perhaps, the randomly dropped pretzel, a boat brush with medium bristles combined with soapy water usually gets the job done on nonskid. For grit-type nonskid, you might want to use a stiff brush. Some nonskid cleaning jobs prove tougher. Maybe your boat has been left to the ravages of seabirds. Or perhaps your berth is next to…

Internet analytics reveal that “environmentally safe boat soap” is a wildly common search term entered into Google. The keystrokes reveal a plethora of bits and advice from forums, magazines and websites pointing toward food ingredients for cleaning. After all, if you can eat it, it can’t be bad for the environment, right? Not so fast. Just as many medicines are poison when improperly dosed, many food products can also be destructive pollutants in the environment. And nearly all food ingredients selected by “homegrown” boaters are chosen for caustic or abrasive properties destructive to the protective attributes of a boat’s gelcoat. We spoke to Charles Martin, regional manager for Polynt Composites USA, one of the largest providers of gelcoat compounds in the US boating market. He reveals that the three enemies…

The Riptide Instinct Quest from Minn Kota is more than the sum of its parts. Intuitive controls, multiple points of operation, and complete networking capabilities with other Johnson Outdoors marine products such as Humminbird Apex and Solix multifunction displays and Minn Kota Raptor shallow-water anchors give handy integration to the entire system of boat control. First, the auto-deploy system on this saltwater-grade trolling motor is sturdier and more reliable than past models. I’ve run Ulterra motors for six years without a failure but have had to use the awkward manual retract and resetting process to pull up the motor after jamming it on the bottom during deployment. That’s not an easy on-the-water job. This new motor’s mounting and deployment system is far more robust and forgiving of impact. I have—ahem—proved…

All it takes is a few clicks on your mobile phone to get an update on your boat’s vital signs, and most will immediately alert you through the app should a sensor—such as a motion detector or a high-bilge-water sensor—be triggered, giving you time to get to your boat or call someone close by to check it out. Systems can also send you a reminder about scheduled maintenance to keep your boat in top working order. Not only are prices decreasing, but hardware is increasingly compact and uses wireless sensors that are easy to install. Here are examples such systems. SKYHAWK OVERSEA Practical aboard just about any size boat, the Skyhawk Oversea system is affordable and simple to install because all of the components are battery powered. At the heart…

(Answers on page 20) 1. Your trailer lights operate, but they occasionally blink on and off, and often are not bright—they dim when plugged into your tow vehicle. What can you do to troubleshoot? A. Install a new trailer-light kit with LED lights and new wiring. Don’t waste time messing with an old system with old wires. B. Check the ground for all trailer lights first—this is a very common trouble spot. C. Install a ground wire (white wire in the trailer harness) directly to the trailer frame with a screw, locknut and washers. Often the white ground wire is not connected at all, and the trailer-hitch ball is used as the ground connection to the tow vehicle. This causes intermittent and poor connection. D. All of the above E. A…

Instead of abruptly terminating aft, as do those of most outboard boats, this big bowrider’s attractive lines seem to carry on to infinity, implying unlimited adventure and fun. Good boat design bespeaks its mission. Practically speaking, the boat’s wide-open transom provides unfettered water access. Whether it’s tubing, skiing, foiling or just lounging about, a big platform is hard to beat. Plus, Chaparral offers its standard, patented Infinity Power Step—a deployable step that extends into the water, making boarding easy, even for pets. (Infinity Power Step also makes a great semisubmerged seat.) This platform enhances dockside entertaining as well. Inside, we applaud Chaparral for inventing the most convenient helm seat controls. These allow for easy adjustment of swivel and foreand-aft movement. Besides, the upholstery overall is luxurious and high-quality. The cockpit…

PAINT THE SKEG Q: DearBoat Doctor, we took some paint off the skeg of our sterndrive while visiting a local sandbar. It’s not that we ran aground hard; we just rubbed it in the sand coming in. Should we repaint it? Will our lower unit corrode without paint on the skeg? A: Sounds Jackson and Vera Osgood Via internet like the damage is merely cosmetic. While the paint does provide some level of protection for the aluminum, your drive isn’t going to corrode away because of this. Still, I recommend repainting it when you have the chance. Your engine-maker, as well as companies such as Pettit Paint, offer what you need to get the job done. An epoxy primer, such as Pettit Protect, makes an excellent foundation for recoating aluminum.…

You don’t see a tremendous number of trailer boaters using electrically powered winches. But boaters who use power winches wouldn’t have it any other way. There are a number of reasons why these systems might be the best choice for loading a boat on trailer, says Matthew Quinn, director of product and engineering for Powerwinch (powerwinch.com), which offers a wide choice of electric trailer winches and components for boaters. An electric power winch may well be a worthy consideration if you regularly face one or more of these five trailer-boating scenarios. POWER LOADING RESTRIC-TIONS In some regions such as Michigan, Minnesota and elsewhere, power loading—using the propulsion system to power a boat up on to a trailer—is prohibited. This is because power loading can dig holes at the base of the…

Carrying as much fuel as possible ranked for many years as one of my most devoted beliefs, especially in the days of two-stroke outboards and heavy, overbuilt offshore hulls. But a recent fuel-tank retrofit pr has led to an epiphany and a reevaluation of that belief. Allow me to explain. The old aluminum fuel tank in my 22-foot centerconsole fiberglass boat had begun to leak, and so last year, my youngest son and I drained and tore out the old 88-gallon tank. True to form, I wanted to go big, but I discovered that the new design, once built, actually held less to the tune of 10 gallons, or 11 percent. A tad disappointed but otherwise pleased with the outcome, we put the 22-footer back to work, and an odd…

How can you not love a yacht with a 23-bottle wine cooler in the owner’s stateroom? Especially a yacht like the new Cruisers Yachts 57 Fly, which has enormous windows in every stateroom, so you could sip a little plonk snuggled in bed while enjoying the view of Nantucket or Catalina or even… Positano. But I’m getting ahead of myself. I dislike saying that the 57 Fly replaces the Cruisers Yachts Cantius 60 Fly because the new 57 Fly is simply incomparable. The 57 provides three staterooms and two heads, and features an owner’s suite that spans the full beam amidships, allowing a walk-around queen berth, a large bureau, and a built-in table under a large window for light and watching the world. SCAN ME To see our online photo…

Vexus Boats’ VXs21 is a full-size bass hunter aimed squarely at serious anglers. This boat is a pure fishing machine designed for running on big water and chasing big bass. When rigged, like our test boat, with Mercury’s 250 Pro XS V-8, performance proved strong and powerful. It tops out at 70 mph and accelerates on plane in just under 5 seconds, hitting 30 mph in 6.5 seconds. The big 250-horse Mercury outboard is not even the maximum power that this near-22-footer can handle either. The VXs21 is rated for 300 hp and, in my opinion, would likely approach 80 mph with that many ponies pushing it. The Vexus pad-V hull rides clean at speeds above 30 mph. We noted that its best mileage of 4.6 mpg was achieved at…

Mike Provost was boating with his family one day when they saw a disintegrating boat tied up to a tree on the shore of Long Creek, one of the hundreds of creeks threading through the Virginia Beach area and feeding into Chesapeake Bay. Long Creek is part of a waterway in which Provost frequently boats with his wife, Ashley, and their kids. The 30-foot cabin cruiser looked abandoned. It was floating, but weeds were growing through the hull, and debris and broken boat components littered its decks. “We’re going by this suspicious craft, and my kids asked what was going on with that boat,” Provost explains. “I said, ‘Well, I think somebody just left it there.’ They asked, ‘Well, Daddy, who’s going to clean it up?’ I said, ‘I will.’…