For most of the summer, boat thieves in South Florida have been hard at work. Statewide reports say that close to 500 vessels were reported stolen between April and June alone - a substantial increase over the same period last year.

Scrape the bottom a few too many times?
Don’t let skeg damage keep you off the water.

Photos courtesy Blackfin Skeg

Don’t feel ashamed or embarrassed. We’ve all done it. At one time or another, every boater has scraped the bottom or accidentally damaged the motor’s skeg by unintentionally hitting submerged debris. Maybe years of hard use and abuse have taken their toll and simply worn down the skeg to the point where it no longer provides directional stability.

Since we're not all professional marine mechanics, in order for us to really evaluate the benefits of fuel stabilizers, we must first understand the characteristics of fuel.

Fuel is actually an organic material which begins to deteriorate the moment it leaves the refinery. By the time you pump "fresh" fuel into your tank from your local marina or corner gas station, the fuel has already aged considerably. Fuel continues to age and degrade as it sits in your tank, but worse yet; the aging and deterioration process is accelerated during combustion.

As avid fishermen and boaters, we often get so caught up in the action that we sometimes neglect one of the most important aspects of what gets us to and from our angling destinations- our outboard engine. Too often, we don’t invest the necessary time to properly care for the needs our vulnerable engine has, especially its lower unit. Whether you are running wide open running & gunning the deep blue sea for dolphin or spending your time flying across shallow backcountry bays to reach your next honey-hole, one thing is for sure; your lower unit is hard at work. And regardless if you are a professional guide or a weekend warrior, you have to maintain and service your lower unit on a regular basis. If you don’t, it will cost you dearly.

Every so often, a new product or system is unveiled which I am confident will revolutionize the fishing and boating industry. The latest such product is a new navigation solution that is about to unlock a world of possibilities for operators of high-end vessels - a world that puts advanced charting, radar, three-dimensional bottom imaging, video security and entertainment right before their eyes on up to 12 glass monitors, all with complete control no more than a fingertip away. My intention for sharing this information is to provide readers who appreciate such sophisticated equipment, with a sneak peak into the exciting future of fully-integrated PC-based helm solutions.