IBEX Redux

A couple weeks back, I had the opportunity to spend a few days at the IBEX (International Boat Builders Exposition ) in Miami Beach, Florida. It was an awe inspiring site to see all those boating related manufacturers in one place. They had multi-ton lifts and ramp systems for your mega-yacht. There was a robotic milling machine that could carve huge mold forms, and apparently from their video, also be programmed to clean and sanitize a toilet as well?!? If you wanted to cut sheets of fiberglass or canvas into custom forms, lay a teak deck or purchase tanker loads of resin, it was all there among the acres of stainless steel fittings.

While it is a boat builders show, There were a large number of marine supply manufacturers represented as they work to develop OEM sales. Yeti Coolers was there, and I had the opportunity to take some video of both their Yeti Sherpa Coolers and their Yeti Fiberglass Coolers. We are in the process of editing to give you a new perspective on these coolers.

One of the canvas supply companies was offering Ironwood Pacific's Top Snapper Tool, both for boat and canvas builders and as a possible OEM addition to boats. It is such a great tool that it really ought to come with every boat with canvas snaps. I've heard some manufactures are including it, but until everyone does, you can pick yours up at SavvyBoater.com

New folks I met include Dive Dog with their line of Boat & Swim Ladders as well as Aqua Performance with some innovative retractable boarding ladders.
Look for these as possible additions to our Boarding Ladder Category in Spring of next year.

I also had the chance to talk with designers and engineers from Milsco, manufacturers of OEM boat and automotive seats. I had never heard of these folks before (because they generally don't sell you you and me - just manufacturers) but the look and feel of their boat seat line-up caught my attention from across the room. The lines and designs have a very sleek, eye candy look, like they came out of a high end custom sports car. Milsco hasn't sacraficed comfort on the alter of style though, as the seat feel as good as they look, offering good support while sort of scooping you in. While they are an OEM manufacturer, they are in my rolodex and I'm going to see if we can work out a way to get them into your hands aftermarket.

Of course the electronics manufacturers were well represented, showing off their latest and greatest gear. My "wouldn't that be cool" list included the Garmin GPSMAP products - GPS chart plotters integrated with your radar, sonar and other gear on a big, touchscreen LCD display. Advanced graphics chips allow for overlay of satellite imagery over the charts, and toggle to a "point of view" display both above and below water that allow you to see the terrain that should be ahead of you and below you. These items have come a long way since the sonar, radar and loran C systems we used when I was commercial fishing.

Another very cool electronic "gadget" I got to play with was FLIR's Navagator infrared night vision video cameras. Check it out at http://www.cvs.flir.com/maritime/products/navigator.cfm. It hardly does it justice, though. The manual or remote controled infrared camera shows you everything with a heat signature on your monitor - very special OPs.

While there I also got a chance to knock around South Beach, eat some great seafood at CJ's Crab Shack somewhere around 13th & Ocean, and look at some amazing boats. They are very different than what we normally see in the Northwest. The amount of money invested in major and mega yachts was astounding, and the cruisers were a treat. Driving down the freeway and looking to the side to see 35' cigarette boats on cradles, and little flats boats with 300 HP strapped to the back end flying down the labrynth of waterways was a lot of fun. Overall I had a great time visiting Miami and look forward to heading down again next year.

New Product Introduction - Boater Sports Keel Protectors

While meeting with our friends at Boater Sports during the IBEX Show in Miami earlier this month, we learned about a new Boater Sports Keel Protector they have just launched.

If you are not familiar with Keel Protectors, they are typically a protective strip that bonds to your boats keel, forming a protective pad for several inches on either side of your keel. The purpose is to provide protection from abrasion or dings when you beach the boat, or come in contact with shallow structures or debris.

Like many of the other products Boater Sports offers, these are focused on utility at a very nice price point. Similar to competing keel protectors like the Keel Shield or Keel Guard products, the Boater Sports Keel Protector is made from PVC with a special 3M marine adhesive to bond it to your keel. The product is designed for you to install it yourself in an afternoon. It requires some prep work to get the keel surface ready for the adhesive, and a little care when actually putting it into place, but it is well within most boat owners capabilities.

The Boater Sports Keel Protector is available in Black or White in 6, ft., 7 ft. and 8 ft. lengths. Each kit comes with the protector, a pair of rubber gloves, 4 tubes of 3M primer to prepare the surface, a special scouring pad and an application squeegee.

Length - Savvy Price
6 ft. - $109.95
7 ft. - $124.95
8 ft. - $139.95

Compare those prices to any other Keel Protector on the market and you'll know why we are so excited about this product.

We are also very pleased to offer Keel Shield Keel Protectors, the industry leader in Keel protection. While they cost a bit more than the Boater Sports Keel Protectors, they are available in a much wider range of colors and sizes. We currently offer 4 sizes and up to 5 color shades, but as a special order we can get the entire range of Keel Shield Keel Protectors from 5 ft. to 12' in up to 14 colors. If you need a size or color we don't offer on the site, give us a call toll free at 866-560-1330 for pricing and availability.

Kasco Marine Deicers Added to the SavvyBoater.com Deicer Line-up for 2007-2008

While I'm having a hard time wrapping my head around marine deicers at the moment (I just got back from Miami and the Bahamas, and it was 70 here in Oregon yesterday), the time is here to start thinking about protecting your boat and dock from ice damage.

We had so much interest in the Powerhouse Ice Eaters last winter that I decided to expand our offerings for 2007-2008. I think we now have about the broadest offerings of dock deicers anywhere on-line. As noted earlier, we have added the entire catalog of Powerhouse Ice Eaters de-icers this year as well as helped several customers acquire specially built units. We've also added specifications and comparison charts for the Powerhouse Ice Eater line.

We are now offering the popular Kasco Marine Deicers in our line up. These units are available in a variety of configurations including:

• The 1/2 HP model 2400D deicer with 25' 50' or 100' of cord.
  
• The 3/4 HP 120 volt model 3400D with 25' 50' or 100' if cord. The 3400HD is for 240 volt power sources and is available with a 50' or 100' cord.


• The 1 HP 4400D 120 volt deicer is available with a 25' or 50' cord while the 240 volt 4400HD features a 50' power cord.

In addition to the units, we are also offering the many Kasco Deicer Accessories that will allow you to customize your installation. their dock mounting and float mounting kit, deicer thermostat and thermostat/timer units as well as the basic replacement parts you'll need for routine maintenance which you can replace yourself.

Technical specifications and typical deicing poswer for these units is available on our new Kasco Marine De-icer Specification and Comparison page. In addition to a great selection of Kasco models and competitive deicers, I think you'll also find we offer very competitive prices.

ACATS 2007 Classic Catfish Tournament

The river conditions weren't optimal, but 15 teams met at Henderson, Kentucky, on the Ohio to give it a go. Despite temperatures in the mid 90's high humidity, low water and no current, every team caught fish and a total entry weight of 607.2 lbs were logged.



Winning Results were:

• 1st Place - Audie Hammond & Brian Vohol with 134.0 lbs


• 2nd Place - Bill & Robin Basham with 125.2 lbs


• 3rd Place - Dale Kerns with 98.8 lbs.


• Big Cat was 33.2 caught by the team of Ken & Elzie Lewis.

If you would like to learn more about fishing for BIG catfish, or how you can compete in the 2008 tournaments, visit http://www.catfishangler.com/start.html.

Mike Parr and the other folks at ACATS are looking forward to a lot of growth for next year. Their enthusiasm and hard work has just added 4 new chapters, and word has it that there are a several more in the works.

To get great deals on catfish angling recommended by the Pros, visit SavvyBoater's Catfish Angling Gear page. we've got hard to beat prices on Ironwood Pacific's anchorLift system and other products to help you fish more efficiently .

Complete Catalog of Ice Eater De-icers, De-icer Accesories & Parts for Winter 2007-2008

As part of our boat winterizing category, SavvyBoater.com carried a basic selection if the Power House Ice Eater Dock De-icers last year. The response was great, so we have added their entire catalog for 2007-2008.

One of the things we find appealing about the Ice Eater Deicers by The Power House is the fact that they are available in a wide range of configurations to meet your specific needs. The powerful Ice Eater P1000 Deicer offers a full 1 HP for your larger scale or tougher jobs, while the super efficient Ice Eater P250 Deicer sips power with a 1/4 HP motor when you need to keep water open in less extreme conditions. The 1/2 HP P500 Ice Eater Deicer is one of the most popular models, offering a good balance of power and efficiency. The Ice Eater P750 3/4 HP Deicer is a work horse, offering powerful de-icing for moderate size boats and docks in fairly extreme conditions. All the Ice Eater models come with the option of 115 volt or 230-volt power and can be purchased with 25, 50 or 100 ft. cords. The P1000 is also available in 230-volt 3-phase power as a special order.

In addition to offing great prices on all of the available Ice eater models, we also have the new KP16110 thermostat, screens and other accessories that allow you to further customize your de-icer installation.

While Ice Eater De-icers are durable, sometimes you may need replacement parts. For your convenience, we have added the complete line of Ice Eater replacement parts, from zincs and props to brackets and shrouds and more. Stop by the Parts page for a complete listing.

One of the challenges of offering such a flexible product, is deciding which model is right for your application. We've added an Ice Eater De-icer Specifications & Comparison Guide on the Ice eater De-icer models to help you decide which one is right for you.