The Ships Logg

Once again, it's that time of year where the weather is cooling off and many of us are putting our boats away for the season.  Is it just me or does it seem like summer went by too quickly?  If you are like me, you really don't want to put your favorite floating toy up until spring.  Do we really need to do that? Let's think about this for a bit.  There are plenty of things we can still do with our boats over the winter months.  Don't misunderstand me.  I know that if you live in upstate New York and you keep your boat on a trailer in your back yard, you are going to have to winterize. But do you really have to leave it there until spring?  Here are some things that you can do to enjoy the boating lifestyle during the winter months and make the boating off season on season. Fall Foliage Cruise Fall is an awesome time to cruise local rivers and lakes to check out the colorful showcase that nature presents.  The air is cool and crisp but...

Maintenance on you boat is important.   We all know that.   Sometimes, we don’t know all of the items that we need to take care of though.   Even a non-boater can tell you that you need to change the oil, but do they know about impellers or outdrives?   Here are some important maintenance items that are commonly ignored on boats, what they do and why you should pay attention to them. Impellers What they do:   They are responsible for drawing water into the engine’s cooling system to keep the engine operating within proper temperature range.   Depending on your boat’s propulsion system, they can be located in the outdrive, on the front of the engine or in a separate housing.   Maintenance:   They should be replaced every two years.   If you use your boat extensively, you may need to replace them every year.   Don’t forget that if your boat has a generator, it will have an impeller also. What happens if you ignore them: ...

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Boats are getting pricey.  This pontoon lists for $185,000. There is an old saying that says nothing is guaranteed except death and taxes.   I’d like to add one more thing to that list:   The price of new boats rises faster than the price of anything else.   Yes, we all know that it’s a fact of life that prices generally go up.   A loaf of bread today costs more than a loaf of bread when I was a kid.   It should then be no surprise that a new boat today costs more than a new boat did 10 years ago.   If you have been around boats for as long as I have (or even just a few years), you know that to be true.   Is it just me or does it seem that the price of new boats is rising exponentially?   Sure, the newest floating toy does have technology that older boats do not but prices seem to be getting a bit out of hand.   This cannot be more true than when looking at some of the newest pontoon boats on the market today.   The fir...

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Well, here we are again.   It’s the middle of summer and hurricane season is ramping up.   This is the time of year when we start to wonder what this year’s storm season will bring.   If you have a boat within a couple hundred miles of the coast, it’s always in the back of your mind.   The high winds and large waves that come along with these storms can damage your boat.  If your boat is on the coast, the storm surge can capsize it or smash it into docks, other boats or the shore.   So what should you do if one of these storms starts heading towards your boat?   Here are some suggestions on how you can make your boat storm ready. 1.          Check Your Insurance – After you have suffered a loss is not the time to discover that you did not have adequate insurance.   Make sure you review your insurance policy to see what it does and does not cover.   If it is lacking, make the changes now.   D...