On the Water

Over the weekend at the Pasadena fishing show, I bumped into a buddy who needed some fishfinder help. Seems that when he pulled his boat this fall, he knocked the transducer out of whack. He might have been upset, except that it needed an adjustment anyway because whenever he broke a plane, the fishfinder screen [...] …Read More

MasterCraft's X-25 took home the National Marine Manufacturers Association Innovation Award in the Runabouts & Fishing Craft to 24' category. One of the reasons it's innovative is that it basically takes some of the best features of other models, and combines them all into one strong and versatile package. From the fantastic wakeboarding and wakesurfing hull of the CSX crossover model, to the cockpit of a V-drive ski boat, MasterCraft has looked to what works, what is popular with their customers, and produced a greatest hits package in a very popular size range. …Read More

All of the pre-race litigation may have shown its value in creating a level playing field yesterday when observers helped the presiding race officer start the final race over the objections of most of his crew, who were representatives of the defending yacht club. …Read More

Friday I mentioned that Standard-Horizon’s Matrix AIS radio won the Innovation Award for Electronics – quite an honor. Now that I have a real internet connection and can post pictures, let’s take a closer look at this unit. The Matrix AIS impressed us for a couple of reasons: the Class A and B receiver shows AIS targets [...] …Read More

I've heard an interesting rumor from several different sources over the course of the past few weeks — and that rumor is that Watercraft World magazine may be making a return. …Read More

Remember that Yamaha sweepstakes I mentioned a while back, the one that was intended to boost interest in Yamaha's mobile phone services? Evidently it worked. According to an interview with Yamaha National Marketing Manager Bryan Seti in the recent edition of Mobile Marketer, the promotion brought 6,000 people onboard the program over a period of 10 weeks. Looking at the calendar, that's 10 of the slowest weeks you'll find for generating interest in a watersport. …Read More

Photo by Guilain Grenier/BOR The struggling Defender crossed the finish line flying a protest flag—5 minutes 26 seconds in arrears in a graying twilight, temperatures dropping (what, you forgot gloves?) —but the second and final race of the 33rd America’s Cup match will be remembered as a second drubbing by the high-tech challenger of a team [...] …Read More

Powered by an international crew and a technologically advanced wing sail, Larry Ellison's BMW Oracle put on the afterburners on the second leg of the second race and left Alinghi in the dust. …Read More

It wouldn’t be fair to say the mood was gloomy as Alinghi 5 docked out on Sunday morning to face match point in America’s Cup 33. It would, however, be fair to say that the crowd was thin. The resolve of the team and the cheers of family did not match the restrained ebullience in [...] …Read More

Closing at 40 knots (or thereabouts), USA (BMW Oracle) and Alinghi 5 nearly had a head-on collision in the pre-start. Things got even more interesting after that, but the advanced wing technology aboard the American trimaran proved superior. …Read More