MAATS 2007 Marine Products Show in Las Vegas

Well, I'm finally getting around to mentioning it, but I had a chance to attend the MAATS show - (Marine After-market Accessories Trade Show) in las Vegas last month. While it was a whirlwind 1-day trip, I had a chance to talk with a number of our suppliers and brand representatives.

One feature of the show is the New Products Awards. Congratulations to Mustang Survival for the selection of their Rescue Stick product. If you want to see more about these selected new products, check out the Boaters TV video review below:

BoatersTV17 MAATS Boat Product Awards Power & Motoryacht 100

Aside from the awards, the show was manned by hundreds of hearty souls braving the 106 degree heat to show us all the new toys we should have. Some are old SavvyBoater friends and other became new acquaintances as they pitched their new products.

As you may have figured out, I'm a fan of Boater Sports products. They produce a number of solid products at very competitive prices and our SavvyBoater customers have made it clear that they appreciate this. I had a chance to meet with Keith (right - Keith at the Boater Sports booth at MATS 2007) and the other Boater Sports reps, and after our discussion, there are a number of new products we'll be adding to the SavvyBoater line-up in the coming months.

We had a chance to talk with Marine Dynamics, manufacturers of the StingRay Senior Hydrofoil Stabilizer series. My first question was, "We could sell lots more of these if we could just get our hands on them - What's going on?"

If you've had a chance to look at the product, you'll realize that complex molded plastic components are integral to the design. According to the Marine Dynamics representative, changes in their major supplier caused them to have to set up with a new supplier. Things didn't go as smoothly as planned with the transition at the same time demand for the innovative StingRay XPRIII Hydrofoil Stabilizer with no-drill mounting was really taking off. It looks like they have things working smoothly again, so I'm hopeful we'll see a steady supply of this popular product.

Polyform was there of course and we had a chance to talk with our representatives there. The SavvyBoater.com offerings of Polyform fenders & buoys have been very popular this year. We are carrying a broad selection of the Polyform's popular G-Series boat fenders, the rugged HTM-Series Fenders and the signature A-Series Polyform buoy as well as their stainless steel True Fit Fender Holder system. While we didn't run across anything really new, it was good to confirm that we've got the full selection of boat fenders and buoys that are geared towards the recreational boater and fisherman.

Among the new companies I met were the folks at BulZeye Boat Cradles - While it is a little large for on-line retail, it is a very interesting guide system for docking and lifting or trailering your boat.

Aqua Lantern has developed a line of solar powered lighted marking and regulatory buoys. We are currently working with the manufacturer to add AquaLantern to our buoy line-up.

We also met with KS Marine and got a chance to look at their KeelShield keel protector products. I know - they aren't really new, but they are new to me, and were kind enough to give us a bit of an education. Since then, we have added the Keelshield keel protector product as well as the TransomShield transom protector to our offerings. They are available either in our Anchoring & Mooring - Beaching Category or our Boat Maintenance - Keel and Hull Protection Category.

I could go on a lot longer as I was able to cram a lot of research and visiting into one day, but I'll wrap up for now. I'm looking forward to attending the IBEX show in Miami in October, with plans to hit the Bahamas after words for some fishing, diving and recreation.

The SavvyBoater.com Trolling Plate Category Has Expanded

If you fish for Walleye, Salmon, big Lake Trout or a variety of marine species, you are probably aware of the importance of slow trolling. Getting your boat down to that perfect speed can be a challenge, which means that anglers usually have to turn to some specialized gear to help them out.

Many anglers add a small electric or gas trolling motor to push them along with a little less force. However that brings with it the challenges of buying, maintaining and mounting two motors, plus they may need an separate steering system for their trolling motor.
The other alternative is to run their regular outboard or stern drive at an idle, but in many cases, even that isn't slow enough. That is where trolling plates and drift socks come in.

A drift sock is basically small sea anchors - sort of a windsock for the water. They work by creating drag opposite the boats direction of travel. When trolling, this can be enough to slow you down and it can aid in maintaining steering control at slow speeds. Drift socks are also used when anchoring in a current to help stabilize the boat from swinging in the current. This is a favored tactic for catfish anglers who are working the big rivers and need to stay steady while drifting bait through deep holes and flow convergences. The challenge with a drift sock is to make sure you keep it our of your prop. we offer two sizes of the popular Minnkota Nylon Drift Sock and the drift sock harness designed for each.

Trolling Plates are pretty simple in theory. When in use they present a plate (metal or plastic) that drops behind the prop, deflecting the engines thrust. When not in use, the trolling plate swings up out of the way so that it has little or no impact on normal engine performance. Where it gets trickier is designing the plates to raise and lower reliably under pressure, and to survive accidentally being hit with the engines full thrust. It is inevitable that an angler with a trolling plate will forget to lift the plate before hitting the throttle to set up for the next track or head home. In the original models, that would almost guarantee that the trolling plate would bend or break. You don't do that to too many of trolling plates before you wonder if there isn't a better way. The most recent generation of trolling plates have come up with some pretty innovative ways to address this issue.

In heavy duty metal trolling plates, the Ironwood Pacific Easy Troller Trolling Plate is one of our favorites. It provides good positive up and down locks and works smoothly even under some pressure. The Easy Troller also includes a patented hinge design that allows the plate to flex and disperse the energy if the engine is throttled up while the plate is locked in the down position. You won't go anywhere fast, but you won't ruin your Easy Troller either.

The Davis Marine Happy Troller Trolling Plate is another of the heavy duty metal trolling plates. The Happy Troller trollng plate has been used by thousands of anglers over the years and it is one of the best known names in trolling plates. Our only complaint about it is that Davis still relies on their tried and true "original" style. That means if I forget and hit the gas with the plate down, I'm liable to break or bend my Happy Troller and I won't be happy.

The T & L Trol-a-Matic Trolling Plate is a unique design that uses fiberglass filled nylon to make a light weight trolling plate. The Trol-a-Matic is spring loaded so that when engine speeds drop to a certain level, it will drop to the down position. It doesn't lock, but still disrupts the thrust enough to slow the boat to trolling speeds. If you apply power, the thrust overcomes the spring and automatically pushes the trolling plate to the "up" position. No bent plates and no worrying about raising and lowering it. The manufacturer notes that since it is always on, Trol-a-Matic can also aid in slow speed maneuvers like docking and it sits out of the way in the down position when the boat is moored.

If you are looking to get your boat's trolling speed down, stop by the SavvyBoater Trolling Plate and Brake Section and check out our great prices and the most popular brands of trolling plates and drift socks.

Time to Buy That Yeti Cooler!

If you've been thinking about getting one of Yeti Coolers high performance coolers, now is the time. September 1 marks the beginning of the new 2008 pricing and prices are going up. Prices on the Yeti Sherpa Cooler and the Yeti Lunchmate Cooler will be going up somewhat.

According to Ryan at Yeti Coolers, the Yeti Fiberglass Coolers have been redesigned for 2008 to add a second layer of fiberglass to make these coolers even tougher. I guess it isn't a surprise that the prices will be increasing more significantly for this line.

Regarding the recent backlog in Yeti Sherpa Cooler orders - it looks like Yeti will be ready to start shipping nearly all of the Sherpa Cooler line again beginning August 13, 2007. Their growing popularity among the boating and sporting community Was almost too much of a good thing. In talking with Ryan, it sounds like production has been scaled up to meet the increasing demand and availability shouldn't be an ongoing problem. I'm told that the most recent production run of the 100 Qt. Yeti Sherpa Coolers has already been sold out, so that size may continue to be scarce for awhile. The following coolers should be shipping next week.

Yeti Sherpa Cooler - 25 Qt.
Yeti Sherpa Cooler - 50 Qt.
Yeti Sherpa Cooler - 70 Qt.
Yeti Sherpa Cooler - 80 Qt.
Yeti Sherpa Cooler - 120 Qt.
Yeti Sherpa Cooler - 145 Qt.


The long and short of it? Order your new Yeti Cooler today to take advantage of current pricing.