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I ran across an interesting site on hitches and towing today. Hitchinfo.com is an informational site offering a lot of good information on hitches, towing and related topics. They include, guides, articles and a towing related blog. There is a Message Board tab, but it doesn't appear to be live yet. While they are not directly selling anything, they also offer email and live chat to discuss hitch questions and issues with an expert in the field.
One of their articles, Trailer Maneuvering Basics offers tips on handling your boat like a pro on the ramp. It also includes videos How to Launch a Boat and Boat Launch Manners.
All told, this site has a lot of great information for anyone towing or using a hitch mounted cargo application, and it looks like we can expect a lot more from it. It's on my bookmarks list.
Looking for the perfect gift for the boater in your life? We've got some ideas and specials to make your shopping easier.
If you'd like something to remind them of boating year around, we are offering some great deals on fantastic clocks, weather instruments and other nautical gifts by Weems & Plath. We've upgraded our standard shipping to 3 day express on all our Weems & Plath items, and to make it even better, we've are offering FREE Express Shipping on Weems & Plath items over $100!
In addition to their most popular collections of 
clocks and instruments, we have a selection of decorative and functional brass chart weights and ships bells as well as brass yacht lamps. I'm planning on picking up a Storm Glass for our "sailor that has everything". This antique weather instrument was developed in the British Royal Navy and grows different crystal patterns in response to atmospheric conditions. exactly how it works remains a bit of a mystery, but it is a novel and handsome addition to any mariner's collection.
Buying boating gear for a boater can be a challenge unless you are quite familiar with their boat. Here are a few things that any boater will find useful:
Engel Marine Coolers - Whether your boating, fishing, camping or hunting, nothing performs quite like an Engel Cooler. The High Performance Ice Chests feature 2+ inches of top quality insulation, freezer grade gaskets and a super tough roto-molded plastic body with molded in hinges make this a cooler that will last a lifetime. When used properly, these coolers can keep ice for up to 14 days which makes them popular with boaters of all walks. Engel Electric Coolers run on 12V or 110V. With a reliable power source they function like a refrigerator, or turn down the thermostat and freeze your catch while you're still at sea.
Top Snapper Snap and Deck Tools - The Top Snapper by Ironwood Pacific makes working with canvas boat snaps a well... snap. The main blade on this tool can effortlessly pop open even the stickiest snap, and it can be used to snap snaps on the outside of the windshield from inside the cockpit. The short blade at the bottom of the handle makes it easy to snap difficult snaps, even on shrunken canvas. Pick up the matching DeckMate to add 7 of the most common deck tools in one clever package.
Backyard Bass - If you'd like to introduce youngsters on your list to fishing, the Backyard Bass game is a great way to teach casting. they are fun and simple, and best of all, can be played with in a garage, hall or gym, even when the weather keeps you indoors. Each set includes 3 colorful plastic fish and a casting plug. Just set the fish out cast to them and with a little skill catch and reel them in. I can tell you from experience that the kids had to fight the adults for a chance to use the set I got for my nephew.
There are several great boat shows coming up. Here is a list of a few of them.
Lake Union Boat Afloat - Seattle, WA - September 16-20, 2009
Features 200+ new and used boats from basic run abouts to the 143' M/Y Devotion. go sailing on beautiful Lake union, or tour the Sea Star featured on the Deadliest Catch series.
North American In-Water Boat Show - Sandusky, OH - September 16-20, 2009
Billed as the largest in-water boat show on the Great Lakes. Browse Boat displays or take a test drive at the demo dock. Check out the LCM-8 landing craft
Jersey Shore Boat Sale and Expo, Lakewood, NJ - September 18-20, 2009
30+ boat lines on display, Maine Delares and fishing and boating seminars.
United States Sailboat Show, Annapolis, MD - October 8-12, 2009
United States Powerboat Show, Annapolis, MD - October 15-18, 2009
Great In-water shows back to back in Annapolis. Be sure to stop by Providence Marine System Tent A40A to learn more about Kasco Deicers.
Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show - Fort Lauderdale , FL - October 29-Nov 2, 2009
50th anniversary show will take place at 6 venues in Fort Lauderdale.
St. Petersburg Power and Sail Show - St. Petersburg, FL - December 3-6, 2009
Billed as the Largest Boat show on the Gulf coast
Let us know about your favorite Boat Show.
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Are you looking for Boat Show Savings right now? Check out the Sales and Specials on Boating Gear at SavvyBoater.com.
The Tall Ships Nova Scotia Festival 2009 starts today and runs through August 1. If you are in the area, this looks like a lot of fun. Their Confirmed Ships page lists and pictures over 40 tall ships from around the world that will be visiting during the event.
According to the site, ships will arrive in Halifax today, parade in Halifax on July 20, 2009, then selected ships will head north to Cape Breton stopping in various ports over the following two weeks.
This looks like it would be a lot of fun if you get a chance to participate. While I'm not a sailor, there is somethign about seeing and standing on a tall ship that kind of makes me want to run away to sea....
We ran across this article "Solar-Powered Cargo Ship Debuts in Long Beach" on the Ecogeek Blog today. It's about the MV Auriga Leader which is a joint demonstration project between Toyota, the Port of Long beach and NYK Line Shipping company. The ship is outfitted with 328 solar panels that help off-set the power the ship uses while in port. Not exactly an electric boat, but interesting none the same. 
In the same vein, the This is Green Blog has a posting on a "Kite Used to Power Cargo Ship." This article covers the 462 ft cargo ship MS Beluga which hopes to cut fuel use by deploying a huge kite to act as a sail theoretically cutting diesel use by 20%.
Customer feedback on our new Bimini Top Finder has been enthusiastic. For many, two quick clicks landed them at the bimini top recommended for their boat. Thinking "Why mess with success", we decided to use the same model for our Carver Boat Cover Finder. With roughly 1300 boat cover patterns to choose from, The Carver cover database can provide the perfect fit for most boats. Just select your boat's manufacturer from the list, then choose your model and year and we'll take you to the cover you need. If you've got a more unique style, you'll have the option to Select your boat's style and size to find a semi-custom cover that will work for you.
Carver Industries, based in South Carolina, has become one of the most recognized names in boat covers, as much for their exceptional customer service as for unequaled American craftsmanship, design and materials they use. We've worked with carver on a special order basis for several years, and we are very pleased to be able to offer our customers their full line of Custom, Semi-custom and universal covers. we have fond that their pattern library is particularly strong with V-hull and center console fishing boats, deck boats and cuddy cabins. Where many lines offer 1 style of semi-custom cover for all the flavors of pontoon boats, Carver has developed 4 unique patterns in a number of sizes to get a better fit for most pontoon boats. they have also developed an innovative series of covers for runabouts, ski boats and deck boats equipped with wake board towers. Stop by and check out our Carver Covers, and you'll see why we are so excited about them. Buy one and we'll ship it to you for free!(in the lower 48.)
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.
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:
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.
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.Welcome to the SavvyBoater.com Marine Supply store blog. If you’ve visited SavvyBoater.com, then you probably know we are all about bringing you the best boating and fishing gear at extremely competitive prices. You may have noticed that our marine store is a little different than the other marine supply sites you may have run across. Our Mission –
Discount pricing and customer service? While they often seem to be mutually exclusive, we know they don’t have to be. Savvyboater.com has brought together a top-shelf team of employees and partners with deep roots in the marine supply industry and an eye for the cutting edge advantages today’s technology has to offer.
As a quick introduction, my name is Loren and I’m the Ecommerce Manager for SavvyBoater.com. While I was growing up, my dad fished a dory out of Pacific City, Oregon. I caught my first Salmon when I was three and could tie a salmon leader before I could tie my shoes. (That always baffled my mom, but I guess I just had my eye on the important stuff.) When I was in grade school, we moved to Missoula, Montana and I got a chance to fish Georgetown and Flathead lakes. We also made frequent ice fishing trips to Nine Pipes and I learned the rudiments of fly fishing.
After a couple years in Montana, my dad bought a shrimp trawler in Newport, Oregon and it was back to the coast. I earned pocket money splicing chaffing gear and helping maintain the nets. A couple years later we bought a Gulf Shrimper in Pensacola, Florida and had it retrofit in Mobile, Alabama. I got a chance to crew it down the coast of Central America, through the Panama Canal and up to Newport, Oregon. During my college summers I was a Puller on the 90' trawler as we roamed the Pacific Coast and Bering Sea fishing for Hake or Sole.
My commercial fishing days are well behind me. My father is retired and from time-to-time I get to join him as he chases Kokanee and big Browns in the lakes of central Oregon. My wife and I both enjoy fishing and boating, whether it's knocking around on a friend's ski boat, drifting for salmon and steelhead or flyfishing the Deschutes
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