Boat Propellers – Should you choose a 3 blade or 4 blade

July 19th, 2011 | Posted by Loren in Product Reviews | Tips & Resources - (Comments Off)

Making the decision between a 3 blade propeller and a 4 blade propeller comes down to a few basic features and the performance you need from your boat prop.

Solas Amita 3 aluminum 3-blade boat propellerBenefits of a 3 Blade Propeller

- Slightly more top end speed (compared to a 4 blade)

- More styles and pitch options typically available

- Often less expensive than a similar 4 bladed prop

 

Benefits of a 4 Blade Propeller

Solas Amita 4 4-blade aluminum boat propeller - Lifts the stern of the boat

- Helps you get out of the hole faster

- Smoother operation and more efficient at mid-range engine speeds

 

While 3 bladed boat propellers are the most common, boaters often switch to a 4 bladed prop if they are looking for smoother acceleration and a faster hole shot to improve performance as a water sports tow boat.  Since 4 blade propellers have more blade surface than a similar 3 blade propeller, they will move more water, but they will also have more drag and be harder for the motor to turn.  The drag can impact top end speed, lowering it by a few miles per hour.

If you’ve done a Wide Open Throttle Test with a 3 blade propeller and your RPMs are in the recommended operating range, you will probably want to drop your pitch by 1″ to 2″ to keep the engine turning in the same RPM range.  Since the engine has to push more blade surface through the water, RPMs will be reduced, but by lowering the pitch, RPMs will be gained, offsetting the difference.

To learn more, see our article Boat Propellers | 3 blade or 4 blade? in our Boat Propeller Resource Center.

We offer a great selection of 3 and 4 blade models of boat propellers for outboards as well as propellers for stern drives.   We feature Solas Propellers, PowerTech and Mercury QuickSilver props.  Email or call us at 866-560-1330 if you have questions or need help selecting your next boat prop. We’re always happy to help.

 

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What are the Hottest Places for Pontoon Boaters?

July 18th, 2011 | Posted by Loren in Boating Locations | General Interest Boating - (1 Comments)
Fun on a Florida Pontoon Boat in Crystal River Florida

Fun on a Florida Pontoon Boat in Crystal River, Florida

What are the hottest places for pontoon boaters?  According to recent research by Statistical Surveys, they stack up as follows:

  1. Atlanta, Georgia with a 350% increase in pontoon boat sales
  2. Houston, Texas with 215% growth in pontoon boat sales
  3. Springfield, Missouri
  4. Detroit, Michigan
  5. St. Paul – Minneapolis, Minnesota

SavvyBoater is popular with boaters in these areas and others because we offer a wide selection of the best pontoon boat products on the market.  With every product we offer, we do the research and our buyers select the most innovative and best values available.

Pontoon Boat Covers

When it comes to Pontoon boat covers, We’ve focused on Carver covers because they offer the best selection of patterns, are made by American craftsmen and use a superior fabric.  Despite these distinct advantages, they don’t cost much more than many of the inferior products on the market.  Many of the pontoon boat covers on the market are just that, a rectangular “toaster cover” made to work on any pontoon boat.  As pontoon boat owners know, despite many similarities, pontoon boats are not all identical.  Why settle for “one size fits all” when Carver has developed covers to fit each of the distinctive styles including:

We also offer the Taylor Made Pontoon Playpen cover, designed to leave the front deck uncovered for easy covering at the dock or lift.   Taylor offers a nice selection of sizes to fit most partially enclosed pontoon boats.

Pontoon Boat Bimini Tops

We’ve selected Carver as our primary square tube Pontoon Boat Bimini Top provider as well.  They offer extremely durable tops in a wide range of colors in both Premium Sunbrella fabric and coming soon in Performance Polyguard, a very nice budget alternative.  In addition to the traditional square tube pontoon bimini tops, Carver offers a stylish buggy style Pontoon bimini and an innovative self supporting pontoon bimini top.  We’ve also put together special packages for double bimini tops, allowing our customers to get bimini lengths of 16’, 18’ and 20’ while saving 10% in the process.

Pontoon Boat Ladders

As part of our large selection of boat ladders, we’ve pulled together a great selection of pontoon boat ladders.  One of the most popular is the Crone’s ‘A step Up” Pontoon boat ladder which slides out of the way on rails under your pontoon’s deck when not in use.  The DivenDog Boarding Staircase makes for very easy entry, with up to 6 wide steps, easy hand rails and a gentle angle, perfect for the young, elderly or anyone with difficulties boarding.  Garelick’s “Swinger” pontoon ladder offers nice width for a side gate mounted ladder and quickly flip and rotates to store out of the way along the fence.   Boater Sport ladders provide an excellent selection of pontoon boat ladders for the boater on a budget, from flip-up fixed mount ladders to removable folding ladders that virtually disappear when not in use.

Be sure to visit us at SavvyBoater.com and see why savvy pontoon boaters from Florida to California shop at Savvyboater.com

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Would you miss GPS if it were gone?

July 15th, 2011 | Posted by Loren in Boating News & Events | General Interest Boating - (1 Comments)

Ever use GPS when you’re boating (or driving or hiking… )? I do. I have a DeLorme Earthmate that gives me accurate speed and location when I’m trolling, helps me find driving destinations, pin-points potential huckleberry and mushroom patches, and goes geocaching with me. I’d really miss it if it was gone, and I’m only using it for recreation. How many lives and businesses rely on GPS in the United States?

The FCC recently granted LightSquared Subsidiary LLC a waiver allowing them to utilize satellite spectrum adjacent to the GPS frequencies to provide a national broadband internet network. A number of reliable sources have raised serious concerns that this could disrupt GPS services across the country.

While I’m a fan of the internet and my lively hood relies on people having easy access, it seems like there ought to be ways to accomplish expanded broadband access without putting GPS at risk. While the uses I mentioned are recreational, there are critical functions across the nation that also rely on GPS, ranging from 911 responders to aviation, from delivery companies to agriculture, from marine navigation to resource management. Any way you slice it, GPS is a critical utility for US businesses and citizens.
You can learn more (a lot more) about the importance of GPS and threats to the system at teh Save Our GPS Coalition – http://www.saveourgps.org. The site provides resources to help you make your views known to your representatives in Washington. There is currently a bipartisan letter to the FCC signed by 66 Congressmen and another signed by 33 Senators urging the FCC to exercise caution in moving forward with anything

that would endanger our nation’s GPS system.

The FCC issued the public notice on June 30, 2011 and comments will close in about 2 weeks, on July 30, 2011.

take action to help protect our nations GPS system which is critical to boater safety and maritime commerce

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New Yacht Mooring Gear Including Yacht Fenders, Yacht Fender Covers, Chafing Gear and fender Hooks –

July 14th, 2011 | Posted by Loren in Boating News & Events | Product Reviews - (Comments Off)

Stern view of a yacht mooring in FloridaWhile SavvyBoater has always offered a broad selection of larger boat fenders suitable for commercial or yachting uses, we are pleased to announce that we’ve broadened our selection of yacht mooring products.  In addition to a great selection of yacht fenders including Polyform, MegaFend and Taylor Made, we’ve added chafing gear, fender hooks sized for yacht rails and fender covers for Polyform and MegaFend fenders.

Chafe Gear:   Protect your gel coat and lines with chaffing gear from MegaFend.  Our selection includes their heavy duty and ultra-duty ballistic nylon wraps in a variety of sizes for mooring lines from ¾” to 1 ½” in diameter.  We also offer great prices on MegaFend’s popular fluffy sheep’s wool chafe gear that wraps on and secures with Velcro.

Yacht Fender Hooks:  We offer MegaFend brand fender hooks for yachts.  These durable yet attractive hooks feature an aluminum core for strength, covered in stylish leather that has been treated to withstand the elements and is guaranteed against mold and mildew growth.  The inside of each hook is finished with plush sheep’s wool to protect rails and varnish from damage.  MegaFend fender hooks are sized to fit rails from 1” to 4” covering the most popular sizes on the market.  Easily hang your fenders exactly where you need them with these handy hooks.

Fender Covers:  Fender covers provide added protection for your boat’s finish, help eliminate fender squeaks and add a bit of polish to your mooring.

We are offering fender covYacht Fender and fender hooks in Floridaers for the larger Polyform A series buoy / fender, the F Series twin eye fender and the largerHTM and G series fenders.  These are the newer FF style FenderFit fender covers.  They are designed with improved styling and are available in navy blue, forest green or black acrylic for long-lasting wear.

We also have Sunbrella acrylic fender covers for the MegaFend Inflatable MN Series yacht fenders and the Mega Solid Core yacht fenders.   We offer the popular black color, but they can be produced in a vast array of Sunbrella colors.  Give us a call at 866-560-1330 if you need a custom color.

 

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Extreme Summer Weather Makes For Challenging Boating Conditions Around the US.

July 12th, 2011 | Posted by Loren in Boating Locations | Boating News & Events - (Comments Off)
Flooding at Lake Wappapello in Missouri

Flooding at Missouri's Lake Wappapello

It’s been a weird summer as far as boating weather is concerned.  Here in Oregon, it is still feeling like April, and I see a lot of boats still covered and tucked away.  In the mean time, we’re talking with customers in the Mid-west and dams are over flowing and in some places most of the boating seems to be getting from house to house.  Fort Peck Dam on the Missouri River in Montana is releasing water at record rates of 60,000 cfs in attempts to avoid a failure that could cascade down the Missouri river system.  Further east in the stat of Missouri, one of our customers shared a photo of the dam breaching on his local favorite Lake Wappapello, with views of the highway below washed out.

If you’re feeling too soggy where you are, you could try Texas.   Lakes Travis and Buchanan are drawn down to 50%-60% of capacity leaving dry land where the fuel dock used to be and the levels are still dropping at around 1.4’ per week.  According to the American Statesman this has led to shallows, rocks and other unexpected debris are being exposed causing a number of boating accidents.

Severe drought in Texas leaves boaters high and dry

Severe drought in Texas leaves boaters high and dry

“There’s still a lot of water” in Lake Travis, said Don Brent, LCRA chief of public safety. “But this place is constantly changing.”

Boats in Lake Travis are running aground more than usual, he said, and accidents are more common at night when shallow areas are practically invisible. Most damage is minor and to the hull, propeller or motor.

Brent urged boaters to wear personal flotation devices and to take note of mile markers on the lake, so they can give a location if they do get in an accident.

Those are the kind of conditions that lead to dinged props and worse.  While we can’t help you with hull damage, we can assist you in replacing a boat prop.  We’re currently offering free shipping specials on Solas and QuickSilver stainless steel propellers and we have unbeatable prices on aluminum props.

 

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Tips for Getting the Right Boat Cover

July 11th, 2011 | Posted by denise in Tips & Resources - (Comments Off)

We all know that a boat cover is an important investment for a boat owner to make but finding the right boat cover is even more important. One key step to finding the right boat cover is to determine your boat’s actual length and beam width.

Sounds easy enough, right? Most people’s first instinct is to turn to their owner’s manual. And normally we would say that’s a good place to start but over the years we have learned that what is stated in your owner’s manual doesn’t always match up with your actual measurements.  For example, one of our co-workers just purchased a 12′ aluminum fishing boat but an actual measurement of his boat turned up to be 13’2″.

The moral of the story here? Don’t always rely on the literature. Incorrect measurements can lead to unsightly bagging and gaps in the cover, and may end up costing you more (time and money) in the long run.

So how can you ensure that you are correctly measuring your boat? Follow these tips and guidelines:

#1. Measure from the point of the bow to the center of the transom. If you have an O/B motor, do not add the length of the motor in your measurement. Oftentimes a separate or attached motor cover is included with the boat cover.

#2. Measure the beam width at the widest point of your boat. 

#3. Measure in a straight line. One of the biggest mistakes we see our customer’s make is measuring up and over windshields or other accessories on their boat. Boat covers are designed to accommodate these features so if you measure up and over the windshield you will end up adding unnecessary length to the cover (which results in a baggy fit).

A few helpful tips:

By yourself? Having a hard time measuring? Gather up a few 2×4′s (or anything that would be a good sight marker) and a tape measure. Place one of the 2×4′s at the point of the bow and one at the back of the transom. Carefully move the 2×4′s out horizontally until you clear the width of the boat. Then take a tape measure and measure the distance between the 2 x 4′s to find your centerline length.  Repeat this process for the width.

Measuring Boat Cover Length

 

 

Measuring Boat Cover Width

Have questions? Talk with one of our representatives via chat, e-mail, or toll free at 866.560.1330. We are always happy to help!

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July Contest: Free Carver Sunbrella Bimini Boat Top

July 7th, 2011 | Posted by denise in Specials & Contests - (Comments Off)

A sunny weekend on the boat can be loads of fun but getting a sunburn on the first day can easily spoil the rest of your weekend. Spend a whole summer with continued UV exposure and sunburns? You’ve not only ruined your summer but significantly increased your chances of developing melanoma. According to the American Cancer Society, skin cancer is the most common cancer among Americans with over 70,000 new cases of melanoma each year.

The best way to reduce your risk of developing melanoma is to limit your UV exposure: cover up, lather on the sunscreen, put on a big ugly hat, and wear your shades. One simple way to cover up without having to wear a long sleeve shirt and pants on the boat is a bimini boat top. Bimini tops made from Sunbrella fabric –  a premium outdoor fabric - have proven to be an effective UV sun screen and are even endorsed by the Skin Cancer Foundation.

Bimini Boat TopsBecause we support and enourage boat safety (and we love to spend all summer on the water too!), we have teamed up with the best bimini top manufacturer in the USA to offer a free Sunbrella bimini boat top during the month of July. SavvyBoater.com and Carver Industries will award a free bimini top to the person who submits the best water sports photo to our Facebook page. “Water sports” may include anything from wakeboarding and tubing to fishing and boating. If you’re having fun on the water, we want to see it!

Details on Entering

No purchase necessary. One entry per person. Entries may be submitted to SavvyBoater.com’s Facebook page and must include the boat’s make, model, and year. The deadline for submission is July 31, 2011. The contest is open to legal residents of Canada and the United States (excluding Puerto Rico and APO shipping addresses). Employees of SavvyBoater.com and Carver Industries are not eligible to win. Each photo submitted must belong to the entrant and the entrant must own all rights.

Prize

All eligible entries will have a chance to win a brand new Carver bimini top made from premium Sunbrella fabric. This high quality bimini boat top includes an anodized aluminum frame, heavy-duty nylong fittings, and a matching storage boot. All of Carver’s high-quality bimini tops are custom made in the USA at their South Carolina facility.

Disclaimer
All photos submitted to the contest may be used in future marketing materials including but not limited to ads, blogs, and social media.

Best of luck to all of our entrants!

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Save on Polyform Boat Fenders during our July Polyform Savings Event

July 5th, 2011 | Posted by Loren in Product Reviews | Specials & Contests - (1 Comments)

Don’t miss our Polyform Fender and Buoy Event during the month of July.  Use Coupon Code POLYFORMUS to take an additional 5% off of our already low prices on all of the popular Polyform boat fenders and buoys during the month of July.

We’ve put together this quick Boat Fender Buyers Guide to help you select the best Polyform fender for your mooring conditions.

Polyform F Series boat fenders are designed to protect larger boatsPolyform A Series: These teardrop shaped buoys are most commonly seen in florescent red or white and are used as marker buoys, on anchor lift systems and as fenders when you need a large stand-off but don’t have a lot of vertical space.  They are available in 7 sizes ranging from the A-1 at 11.5” X 14.5” to the Polyform A-7   at 41.4” X 54.4”.   Fender covers are also available for these fenders for added protection and to eliminate squeaking.

Polyform LD Series Buoys: the Polyform Low Drag buoys are available in 4 sizes from the LD-1 at 8.5” X 18.5” to the LD-4 at 15.5” X 37”.  These are most commonly used for commercial applications, like crab pot floats, but they make an effective boat fender as well.

Polyform G Series Fenders: These are general purpose twin-eye boat fenders are extremely popular.  They are available in 6 sizes designed for boat from 10’ to 50’ in length.  Available individually or at discounted prices by the case.   Fender covers are available for some sizes.

Polyform HTM Series Fenders: The HTM fenders feature a hole through the middle allowing them to be easily hung horizontally or vertically.  They are popular as a heavier duty fender and are well suited for mooring against pilings in addition to general mooring conditions.  Fender covers are available for some sizes.

Polyform True Fit fender Holders keep your Boat fenders neatly stowedPolyform F Series Fenders: Designed as a commercial or yacht fender, these versatile twin-eye boat fenders are used for a variety of purposes.  They come in 12 sizes with the largest being 32” X 77”.  Popular as yacht fenders, they are tough enough that the US Navy and US Coast Guard frequently use them.  Fender covers are available for some sizes.

Polyform True Fit Fender Holders: These stainless steel fender baskets are designed to hold your Polyform boat fenders, keeping them neatly stowed on you rails when they are not in use.  Available in several sizes to fit most G and HTM fenders.

Be sure to visit SavvyBoater to see for all your boat fender needs, and if you have questions, please let us know.  We’re always happy to help.

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Watching Fireworks From Your Boat this 4th of July

June 30th, 2011 | Posted by Loren in Boating Locations | Boating News & Events - (Comments Off)

watching fireworks from a boatWhen I was growing up, we used to watch a fireworks display that was shot out over the Pacific Ocean from Cape Kiwanda in near Pacific City, Oregon.  It was a highlight of the summer to spend a day trolling for salmon the our dory,then head in and barbeque the catch.  This was followed by watching the fireworks show reflected in the ocean.

These days anchoring up on the Columbia to watch the 4th of July fireworks from Fort Vancouver is a popular way to spend the 4th in the Portland Oregon and Vancouver Washington area, but watching fireworks from your boat can be a real treat wherever you are.

As you head out, you’ll want to remember a few things:

  • Make sure you have some good sun protection like a Bimini top, so you don’t get cooked before the sun sets.
  • Check that all of you night running lights are in good working order
  • Take an extra flashlight or two
  • Prepare with good navigation aids, particularly if you are traveling at night in unfamiliar waters.

Here are a couple of interesting sources for boat bound fireworks watching we ran across.

  • If you happen to be on the other side of this great country, Florida by Water has a great article on 2011 4th of July events around that state.  http://www.floridabywater.com/component/content/article/1745
  • While this article on The Top 10 Place to Watch Fireworks on the Water” http://www.businesstravellogue.com/things-to-do/top-10-places-to-watch-fireworks-on-the-water.html is a little dated, I’d expect most of these events from around the country to be planned for 2011.

What’s your favorite place to watch fireworks on the 4th?  Do you watch from your boat?  Let us know and we’ll try and compile our own list of best boating fireworks locations.

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MegaFend MN Series Inflatable Yacht Fenders added to SavvyBoater’s Yacht Fender Line-up – 262911

June 29th, 2011 | Posted by Loren in Boating News & Events | Product Reviews - (Comments Off)

A beautiful Yacht mooring in Key West, Florida

If you’ve shopped SavvyBoater before, you probably know that we’re a boat fender powerhouse. We offer one of the widest selections of boat fenders on the market and pride ourselves in having some extremely competitive prices on Polyform Bouys and fenders, Taylor Made fenders and many others.

In a recent staff meeting some said, “You know guys, when it comes to Boat Fenders, we’re really good, but if we had more options in Yacht Fenders, we’d be even better.” That comment led to the creation of our new Yacht Fender category and the addition of MegaFend Fenders to our line-up.

MegaFend produces a line of inflatable fenders including four sizes ranging from durable little 36” to a massive 75” fender with a 38” stand-off. Each of these fenders features a rope loop at each end that allows it to be hung horizontally or vertically depending on your mooring conditions. In addition to the “twin-eye” style inflatables, Megafends has recently released two new round inflatable fenders with 28” and 38” stand-offs. These are a great option when you need the diameter, but can’t accommodate the length.

MegaFend MN65 Inflatable Yacht Fender at SavvyBoater.com

Megafend MN65 Yacht Fender

Now I know you’re saying, “Hey, you’ve already got the Polyform F Series Fenders, what do you need another brands of big inflatable for?” The beauty of it is, while there are some overlaps in function, each product has some unique features that really set them apart.

Polyform F Series Yacht Fenders and A Series Buoys are extremely durable and deflate, but the heavy material they are made of limits how far they can be compressed for storage in a deflated state. For toughness and overall durability, they would be my choice.

MegaFend MN Series Yacht Fenders are made from a softer material and can be deflated and rolled up for ease of storage if you have limited space and need to carry your fenders along to the next port of call. Now you may be wondering what that softer material means in terms of strength. I know we were until we saw this MegaFend video. I’d choose MegaFend if my mooring conditions were mild to moderate and I had limited space to store a fender.
Stop by and check out our Boat fender Selection and stay tuned here for more information on our offerings of MegaFend’s Solid Core “Hold Through the Middle” line of fenders and the yacht fender hooks and chaffing gear to complete your set-up.

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