Author: Lenny Rudow

Suzuki introduces a completely new line of multi-function displays that offer connectivity between your powerplants and your electronics, amazing versatility, and glass-bridge looks. Most of you know that when you’re dealing with hot new outboards like the Suzuki DF350A or the new Suzuki V6 line up, your electronics and your outboards can talk to one another. But most digital outboard displays are quite limited in their capabilities. Sure, they can deliver engine data. But wouldn’t it be cool if they were able to communicate with all of the electronics onboard your boat, ranging from fishfinders to digital switching systems? Delivering…

Just how sharp are your seamanship skills? From beginners to old salts, these 10 tips will give you a leg up. Okay Ahab, you know the red marker stays on the right when returning, you know what boat safety equipment is needed, and you can tell the difference between a shoal and a shipwreck when you look at the chart. Maybe you’re even a licensed captain. But do you truly qualify as an advanced seaman? Few boaters do. Those who know these 10 seamanship tips, however, are well on their way. Document Everything – A good captain knows his boat…

Does anchoring your boat safely, easily, and quickly each and every time you drop the hook sound like a piece of cake? Then the chances are you simply don’t anchor very often. Anchoring a boat seems like it should be easy (especially if you’ve already studied up on the topic buy reading things like our article on Anchoring Tips From Sea Tow Captains), but different conditions, depths, and bottom surfaces often conspire to turn this seemingly simple maneuver into a disaster on a regular basis. To make matters even worse, certain types of activities — wreck fishing, for example —…

The Sea Hunt Gamefish 27 has teeth. Big, sharp, shiny teeth. Item number five on the list of must-haves in our Best Center Console Fishing Boats article is livewell capacity and quality, and talking about livewells is a great place to start when you’re focused on the Sea Hunt Gamefish 27. On a boat of this size you’d hope for 40-gallons of livewell capacity, expect 30-gallons, and consider 20 minimal but perhaps acceptable. But this boat blows those expectations out of the water with a 40-gallon well in the leaning post and a second 30-gallon well in the transom. And…

What ever happened to good old American ingenuity? It’s alive and well, in the world of boats – and these inventive boat repairs will keep your fishing machine running strong. Each and every time you leave the dock there’s a pretty good chance something unexpected will happen, whether it’s an issue with your boat fuel system, problematic electrical connections, or bait tank troubles. The question is, will you be ready to resolve the issue on the spot? You will – just as long as you use a little creative thinking, and keep weird boat repair fix-its like these in the…

There will come a day when you merely press a button to dock your boat – and that day is a lot closer than you might think. Whether you’re talking about the newest generation of marine radar, the latest in outboard engine two-stroke technology, modern virtual anchoring systems, or today’s options for remotely monitoring a “connected” boat, one thing is for sure: tech is having a huge impact on our boats and how we use them. And since we now have enough technology to create auto-parking cars, it shouldn’t shock anyone that some folks in the marine industry have been…

Nautic Star Boats appeared on the scene early this century and quickly establishing a name for itself as a builder of relatively small but high-quality boats, appropriate for all sorts of saltwater fishing. Before long they expanded their line adding more diversity and size, but NauticStar never broke through the 30-foot barrier. Until now. At this year’s Miami International Boat Show, they announced the existence of a new flagship for their fleet: the 32 XS. Like NauticStar’s previous models, the 32 XS is built with a sharp eye on quality. The boat has a one-piece, molded, foam-filled stringer grid, voids…

If you’re heading down the highway with your pride and joy in tow, these 10 boat trailering tips will help make the ride copasetic. In Boat Trailering Disasters – Don’t Do This! we took a look at some of the things trailer boaters do that can lead to horror on the highway. On the flip side of the coin, there are, of course, many things that we all should do when we trailer our boats to make sure the trip is a smooth one. Whether you’re an experienced trailer boater or you just purchased your first mobile rig, these 10…

We checked out the crop of hot new fishing boats introduced at the Miami International Boat Show. Here are three you’ve just got to know about: the Regulator 26XO, Scout 530 LXF, and Valhalla From Viking. Every year major manufacturers plan the introduction of their hottest, newest models for the Miami International Boat Show, and as we walked the docks and checked out all the center console fishing boats, convertible sportfishing machines, and express fishing boats, we weeded through row after row of gleaming fiberglass to spot the stand-outs. Truth be told there were dozens upon dozens of sweet new hulls…

Whether you love your cell phone or hate having it aboard your boat, there are some cell phone apps for boaters that can be incredibly helpful. Having a cell phone aboard a boat can be a mixed blessing, boosting convenience and taking on a role as important boating safety equipment, but also becoming a serious irritant at times. Who doesn’t hate to hear that ring, when the rod’s bent over with a fish on the end of the line? Still, love it or hate it a cell phone can be an incredibly handy tool to have aboard – especially if…

When you want an outboard boat with a cabin, it will come down to choosing between a pilothouse, cuddy cabin, or walkaround. Let’s say the bluefin bite is going off around San Clemente Island, and you get an invite from three buddies who have fishing boats of an identical size. One’s a pilothouse, another is a cuddy cabin, and the third is a walkaround. All other things being equal, which one would you rather be on? Is any one of these designs better than the others? And if you’re looking at a new fishing boat for yourself, how would you…

The Jarrett Bay 46 Grander delivers the ultimate in one angler’s desires. Once you get into a certain size and price range all boats are, to one degree or another, custom creations – as exemplified by boats like the HCB 65 Estrella – whether they have molded fiberglass hulls and decks or not. But some people would draw a distinction between those which are built from molds and those which are built with other construction techniques. Because when you get right down to the bottom line, the hull and deck of a molded boat are what they are. You can’t…

On the Cape Horn 27 function comes first – and that function is killing fish. One of the things that makes the Freeman 42 LR so utterly awesome is the fact that it has rod holders lining the gunwales, the back of the hard top, and the transom – this boat clearly takes its fishing seriously. Not everyone can afford a quad-engine 42-footer like this, of course, but there are certainly smaller and more affordable boats on the water which have the same fishing-first attitude. One is the Cape Horn 27 XS, and after spending an afternoon aboard this boat its…

Yamaha’s in-line-four outboard engine line is one of the most popular selections of outboards in existence. Yamaha made big news with its new F425 XTO Offshoreame outboard and has been known for years for its line of V6 4.2 liter four-strokes, but when smaller powerplants are in order, it’s their line of in-line-four outboards that come into play. Available in F200, F175, and F150 models, the in-line-four models are more than merely popular. In fact, Yamaha says that the F150 is actually the most popular 150 horse four-stroke outboard in the world, period. Yamaha F200 The most powerful engine in…

Should you get a trailer with greased bearings, or oil filled hubs? You’re running down the highway at 65-mph with your boat in tow, it’s zero-dark-early in the morning, and the last thing you need right now is a boat trailering disaster.  Suddenly, there’s a strange vibration in the steering wheel. Then the grinding sound of metal on metal drowns out the pre-fishing tunes on your truck radio. You move your foot from the gas pedal to the brake, glance in the sideview mirror, and see a cloud of smoke so thick you’d think you were in SoCal during peak…

If you want a fishing boat that can do it all, the Crevalle 26 Bay will be tough to beat. The Crevalle 26 Bay was one of our five picks for Bay Boats That Can Handle Bluewater, and after spending some time aboard this boat, it’ll be little wonder why. True, at its core this is an inshore fishing machine which draws a mere foot of water and has a moderate 16-degree transom deadrise. But when running the boat, we found it was built as rugged as they come, provided a surprisingly comfortable cruise, and with an 83-gallon fuel capacity…

The Cobia 220CC is a well-rounded fishing platform that will leave you feeling satisfied. The best center console fishing boats have some commonalities, like solid construction, good seakeeping abilities, and a long list of prerequisite fishing accouterments, but when you look at a boat like the Cobia 220CC you also look for something more. Truth be told there are a million and one 21- to 22-foot center consoles out there. It’s a very large and competitive part of the fishing boat marketplace, and if a boat doesn’t have something special to offer, it blends right into mediocrity. In this case, that’s…

Which fishing boat hull design is the best choice, for you? There’s no such thing as the “perfect” fishing boat hull design since we all have different priorities, but whether you’re interested in anything from finding the best center console for your needs, to choosing among different convertible fishing boats, having a firm grasp on the different aspects of hull designs and how they affect a boat’s performance and comfort is incredibly important. Just in case you’re not an old salt who already understands the difference between transom deadrise and variable-degree deadrise, knows exactly how steps work, and comprehends why a…

The Robalo R180 is one of the smallest boats in Robalo’s stable, but it looks, feels, and rides like a bigger boat. A few months back we introduced you to the Robalo R272, the newest and most modern model from this manufacturer. But it’s a shame that hot new models always get the limelight, because some builders have older boats that are so good, they simply don’t need replacing. Cast in point: the Robalo R180. The first item of note about this boat is its MSRP. At the time of this publication, Robalo was listing the R180 at $32,495, rigged…

Looking to get a truck you can use to tow a boat? These five picks are top tow vehicles. If you want to trailer a boat, choosing the right truck to tow it with is incredibly important – you want a vehicle that’s reliable, keeps you comfortable, and has all the towing features necessary to prevent boat trailering disasters at all cost. But there’s no hard and fast rule as to which truck will be “best.” Choosing a truck to tow a boat is every bit as much a personal decision as choosing the boat you bought in the first place…

We’ve run all of these bay boats through the inlet and out into the open ocean in search of sailfish, kingfish, mahi-mahi, and more. Center console fishing boats may rule the roost for overall fishability, and convertible fishing boats and expresses might be the first choice of dedicated oceanic anglers, but when it comes to light tackle fishing nothing can beat the bay boat design. This is born out by their popularity; a genre born on the Gulf Coast and Florida’s southern waters to cast for reds, specks, and other inshore species, the average bay boat has distinct features including low-slung gunwales,…

New Outboard Engine – Best Outboard Motor 2019 If you have a new outboard engine, you’ll want to do everything you can to ensure it lasts for as long and runs as smooth as possible. There are a number of basic chores you can do to make your new outboard engine last longer and run smoother, ranging from outboard boat motor flushing to properly dealing with ethanol troubles. If you want to keep that outboard in tip-top shape – and we’re pretty certain you do – then make good use of this guide. We’ll go through the engines’ systems one by…

The Parker 2120 SC is one of the smallest boats around to offer a full stand-up pilothouse with 360-degree protection and the potential to fish anywhere, anytime. If you haul a big crew over long distances and have a huge tow vehicle, a boat like the Parker 2820 Sport Cabin – the largest offering from this builder – makes a lot of sense. And if you need a scaled-down fishing machine, their 2320 Sport Cabin is going to be a contender. But what about those of us who have limitations that impose further size constraints, be it due to finances, storage…

The smallest model in the Grady White fleet, the Fisherman 180 is a classic for small boat anglers. Go through the Grady-White Fisherman 180 with a fine-tooth comb, and you’ll find signs of top-notch boat construction from stem to stern. True, this isn’t a boat for spendthrifts and there aren’t all that many 18-footers out there that break the $50K barrier fully rigged and ready to fish. But when it comes to tip-top quality and performance in a pocket-sized fishing machine, this boat will be very difficult to beat. The very first thing to note about the Fisherman 180 is that…