January 8, 2015

Hunting Dogs on Boats: What you Need to Know

My retriever is a golden. Okay, stop laughing. Please. I know most of the breed leans towards the life of a lap-dog, but there are some strains (raised in Maine and Michigan, mostly) which have been maintained […]

December 30, 2014

Strange Outboard Problems (And how to fix them)

Today’s outboard motor is a completely different beast than those of yesteryear. And it’s no wonder – remember the days when you could fix a car with a set of wrenches, a screw driver, and pliers? […]

December 23, 2014

Super Cheap Boats: $2,500 or Less? Yes!

Let me take a moment to make the case for the super cheap boat. And by super cheap, yes, I mean a boat-motor-trailer package that you can buy for $2,500 or less. You think it’s not […]

December 2, 2014

5 Indispensible Items You Need Aboard Your Boat

Every boat has a hull, a power source (even if it’s you, with a paddle) and some form of deck. Beyond that, there’s no common denominator. All boats are different, some radically so. But no matter […]

November 25, 2014

The Boys First Boat

This was a great year for firsts, with me and my sons: they caught their first marlin, they experienced their first over-nighter offshore, and they got their first boat. Yes, their first boat. Now, some folks […]

November 18, 2014

Winter is Coming – Is Your Boat Ready?

There’s a chill in the air these days, and although most of us probably won’t have to deal with snow and ice, freeze damage can still be an issue for boaters. The very nature of boats […]

November 11, 2014

News from the Fort Lauderdale Boat Show

As usual this year, my benefactors at boats.com sent me to the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show. And also as usual, it was a crazy scene full of uber-expensive yachts, luxury machines, and watercraft as varied […]

September 30, 2014

Is Your Boat Big Enough for Offshore?

I get this question all the time: I want to take my boat offshore, maybe even far enough to encounter pelagics like marlin, but I’m not sure it’s big enough. What do you think is the […]

August 26, 2014

Most Efficient Cruise: Save Fuel By Running the Boat Right

Do you know your boat’s most efficient cruise? It’s surprising how few boaters can tell you, off the top of their head, what cruising speed is the best on their own boat. Truth be told, most […]

July 29, 2014

Radar: Do You Really Need Open Array?

When it comes to radar systems, the most common question I hear is “do I need an open array?” And there’s a lot of misinformation out there, about this topic. Let me try to put one […]

The National News of Texas