Thursday, July 27, 2006

Picnic Boat goes 433 Miles


I was lucky(?) enough to take a Hinckley boat up the north side of the east coast this spring and it is fully documented online at Barton & Gray's website. The boat really is a beauty and while not intended for long range cruising, we faired well. Pretty much like cruising in a small sail boat, just alot faster. The best part about cruising for hours and hours with autopilot is you get a chance to really get to know your GPS/Chartplotter/Fishfinder/radar system. We have a RayMarine unit that we think is great. Hinckley Picnic Boats and the larger Talaria series boats are unmatched in class, in their class.

Tuesday, July 25, 2006

Suicide Machine


Individualized and localized boat design is what seperates boats from most every other manufactured goods. If you live and fish in the southeastern backwaters or in the Gulf of Mexico, then Hewes, Mavericks and Pathfinders are perfect. For those of us who are in the Northeast where if the lighting (wind) don't get you, then the thunder (tides) will, these boats make very little sense. There are flats here in NE and there are fish on the flats and there are even fishermen with flats boats, fishing for the fish on the flats - but you have to traverse some snot-filled, choptastic salt water hell-hole in order to get there. When is someone going to build a 35 foot Center Console that launches a 17 Hewes Tailfisher from the bow so I can play with one of those boats, they look like a lot of fun.

Wednesday, July 19, 2006

Invisible Red


My wife caught a monster Red Snapper in the Pacific Ocean off of Costa Rica a few years back - pretty incredible. The waters down there are are crystal clear, you can see whales swimming 100 feet down. The Snapper are born in the rivers of the rain forests and when large enough, venture out to sea - really cool. You can sit in the the river mouths and fish for the snook waiting for the pre-teen reds to go salty - super incredible. Anyway, I was wondering why a fish so tasty would be red, and I remembered 2 things: more and more fire trucks are being painted chartruese and The Fisherman's Ocean by David A. Ross. He explained how the color red diffuses and disappears in the water as you get deeper. This explains Cajun Line - a new red line that is magical - I have just spooled some on my spinning rod and it looks cool, in a new and evil way.

St Croix Rods


Every fisherman's rod arsenal has some dogs and some real gems, and to be real honest, I have yet to see the difference in basic spinning rod performance. I have an Ugly Stick and a hand-made beauty, both about 7 feet, medium action and the really do behave about the same - only time will tell if the eyes and handles hold up better then the other. But there are some nice rods out there that really do feel nice and have specific uses - like a 3 peice Saltwater spinning rod from St. Croix. This is a great travel or keep in the car rod to go with a nice reel and a bag of must have plugs. It has a great case and holds together under intense casting - that you cannot find in Walmart.

Thursday, July 13, 2006

Intrepid


Intrepid Boats look pretty incredible. A colleague of mine owns one in Florida and he and his wife regularly run it over to the Abacos - which is not something your average boat or boater might take on. He loves the boat. I cannot wait until he invites me for a ride, I have known him for over 75 years and I know he is going to ask soon, I just know it. The fit and finish on these boats seem to be second to none; Hullside Doors, the battery switches, the rod storage and even the oil caps are polished. That kind of thoughtfulness is so neglected in the boat industry, there are a handful of builders who really care about boats, the rest kinda stink. I think Intrepids are fishing machines that are safe and a joy to own I'm told.

Another Expensive Thing: Pliers


My guess is the average fisherman owns over 23,000 pairs of pliers over the course of one season on the water. Given that fact perhaps it makes even less sense to own a pair of these fancy titanium jobs, they will also just end up in the drink or your buddy's pocket. Nevertheless, I really want a pair. The Donmar Checkpoints are pretty slick, and will not rust or fail which is what seems to happen to all the lovely pliers I have purchased at gas stations and needle-point shops . . . Anyone out there recommend taking the leap into ridiculously - overpriced plier land?

Tuesday, July 11, 2006

Top/Dock Sider


We mentioned a few weeks back we would profile boat shoes after bashing Crocs. We have been looking at shoes for the nautically-oriented and found there are quite a few - most confusing is docksider and topsider - which came first? Sebego makes docksiders and Sperry makes top-siders . . . We also have Harken Shoes which I like. Rugged Shark I have never even heard of until today but look cool and anything with the word shark in it works for us. For flip flops. I think I will give the folks at Scott Hawaii the title, really nice shoes and ever since Reef put beer-openers in their shoes, it became clear to me they are not catering to my demographic, I drink beer out of a can thank you very much.

Volvo Penta IPS


It is too bad that Volvo Penta is a sub division of Volvo, which is a subdivision of Ford - because a breakthrough product like the Volvo IPS might actually affect their stock price and overall value. Essentially the IPS drive is a prop-forward, turbo-charged 6 cylinder common rail diesel engine that awards her owners with great speed, performance and efficiency. Would you run your boat full speed with the props faced forward - does it make a difference? Certainly the company and those who have operated the IPS system have good to great things to say about it, but only time will tell if folks start buying them. I think the Marine industry has no choice when it comes to innovation on the efficiency front - last time I checked OPEC and Al Queda's sympathy for boat owners was running at an all time low. Word has it that the new Toyota Hybrids are turbo-charged and all about speed - that is exactly how this is going to work, speed - the strange thrill we get in hurtling across earth's surface in something heavy must not be ignored. If it was about saving fuel, we would be sailing.

Thursday, July 06, 2006

Chris Craft



I always think of Henry Fonda falling off his boat in On Golden Pond when I think of Chris Craft. I also tend to associate On Golden Pond with Chris Craft, boring, old, gone, and hugely annoying. However I was in Long Island Sound and saw a few at a Dealership and was sort of impressed. I have no clue as to their quality or handling and they are still sort of like cars on the water and not that fishable, but nonetheless, some folks like that sort of thing, and when I have all the boats I need, I might get a few for laughs and a Chris Craft might be on that list.

Charter Decisions



We mentioned Luxist in an earlier post, they are really great bloggers and seem to be morbidly fascinated with monster yachts. They assembled the Top 10 Charter Yachts recently and it is apparent that the extremely fortunate are faced with some terribly difficult decisions when it comes to boating. I like the way super-yachts have massive doors that open up and discharge all kinds of little toys - it is like the antithesis to the Marines attacking Guadalcanal - however it would be cool if we sent super yachts to the shores of North Korea and sent thousands of jet skis and windsurfers ashore to frolic on the beach.

Rapala Lures


Rapala once ruled the roost. There are so many lures available today, but not many have such a storied history, continue to use wood and have a place in most fisherman's childhood memories. I still use big Rapalas for trolling, I like the Skitter-Pop popper and broken backs can be deadly for bonito. But I never saw the LC Long Casting Minnow until today when I was browsing their site. One might think a plug designed for casting may not be prioritized correctly, but the bluefish are here in New England and I would cast a Barbie Doll if it could cast farther then a Gibbs, because those fish are 3 french fries short of a happy meal and simply hit whatever is not water.

Tackle Storage


Whether it be photography, fishing, computers, or weaponry, the bag and storage of goodies is almost more important than the goody. Fishing tackle has seen a cycle of preference when it comes to tackle storage, bags, boxes, small, large, etc. It seems as though the bag is the perferred method these days. I have used many, but just found Albackore storage solutions and they look great - has anyone used these products? Are there any others you recommend?

Wednesday, July 05, 2006

World's Finest Queen Bed


The Hinckley Talaria 55 - it is almost creepy the emotional response one has to this boat. Unmistakably Hinckley, every inch of her flawless, classic and original, and so decadent that there should be a device aboard that shoots poison darts at anyone possessing an ounce of selflessness nearby. The stateroom is the size of a stateroom aboard a ship 3 times her size, almost to a fault - you could sleep 8 on a 55 footer, but not on this egocart - there is only room for the extremely fortunate. Powered and operated almost identically to the Picnic Boat and all the other Talarias - you can spin around the marina to the chagrin of all your dockmates.

Poppers


We are not even sure if we would be sportfisherman if there no poppers in this world. Fish only seem to hit poppers in the most ideal conditions, the event is incredible when they do, and retrieving a popper is amusing on its own. It seems to us that the options and quality of poppers is not what it used to be. If you look at the popping products for freshwater fishing one would begin to think that every member on the entire saltwater species list are bottom-dwellers. Rebel makes a few poppers that are great, Yo Zuri dedicates a small percentage of their portfolio to splash makers, there are a handful of decent wooden plugs, and others - does anyone have a favorite popper in their box?

Stur-Dee Budget


If your boat requires a large truck to be trailered, or too big to ever be trailered, you have left the land of affordable boating. Certainly there are boats in the 18-24 range that can be less expensive than a healthy golfing habit, but for the most part - you are pouring money overboard. We know a few who trailer a Stur-Dee Dory behind their Hondas, catch loads of fish in big water and also maintain a healthy golfing habit (Nautics Blog does not endorse, recommend or understand the use of Golf Clubs, balls, or Clubs.). Thanks to the high gunwales, flaired bow, comfortable seating and excellent use of 25 4-stroke horses, these boats are no-brainers. Next time you are fishing to the sound of 8 gallons per hour at idle and a Stur Dee Dory rolls by - honestly evaluate your boating requirements and investment - Stur Dee and other Dories make a ton of sense.

Sunday, July 02, 2006

Islander Reels


While we are discussing reels, there is one Flyfishing reel in our opinion that has no counterpart, the Islander Reel. Even the name is the best. There is too much Pomp and Circumstance surrounding Fly Fishing in our opinion, but the Islander reel pays no attention to this, it is merely an incredibly well manufactured piece of machinery. Only when an experienced fisherman, and a storybook fish are attached to an Islander reel does it operate properly. For this reason I am somewhat sympathetic for the reel when I cast somewhat desperately at small fish with mine.

Saturday, July 01, 2006

Shimano Metamorphosis


As a dyed in the wool Penn Loyalist since birth the love affair with my Shimano reel has been a guilt-ridden raunt through the good waters of New England for the past few years. But today I face a new problem - I need a new reel, not because a Penn or my Shimano has failed, I just need a new reel, I can't explain it really, certainly my wife cannot - it's primal. I think I am going to accept the fact that like my car, the Japanese seem to understand some things better than others. I am going to buy another Stradic.