Take a Closer Look into Powerboating at Soundings Online

The physics behind joystick simplicity

Soundings senior reporter Chris Landry has test-driven many boats with joystick controls. Time was, you brought the family yacht alongside the dock and shipped the oars or doused the sails. Then people started putting engines in boats, mostly 2- to 3-hp one-lungers that moved you around at rowing speed — without the oars and sore back. Larger engines followed, and eventually they were light enough and powerful enough to get a boat up on plane, at which point hulls began changing shape to accommodate them. But safe docking was still very much a manual affair that required judicious use of the wheel, throttle and gearshift. And when the inevitable mistakes happened, there was plenty of entertainment for slip neighbors.

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Taking in a trio of Maine-built beauties

The Crowley-Beal 23 is a handsome round-bilge Down Easter that's trailerable and powered with a modest outboard. Of all the boat shows I attend each year, which sometimes is as many as eight, from Toronto to Fort Lauderdale, Fla., the Maine Boatbuilders Show each March at the Portland Company Marine Complex stands apart for a number of reasons.

Efficiency is the model with these new boats

The Monomoy First Light 26 is designed for coastal dayboating. As fuel prices continue to rise and potential new-boat buyers watch every penny, it's no surprise that savvy boatbuilders have come up with designs that offer fuel efficiency and comfort in packages that likely will succeed in today's marketplace.

A buyer's guide to intelligent design

All boats involve trade-offs - knowing what they are will help you make an informed decision

A heavier, deep-deadrise boat will be less reactive to wave action, but a lighter boat will be more efficient. During more than 20 years spent testing and evaluating boats, a number of observations consistently emerge as I conduct dockside inspections and sea trials. Let's have a look at what I've observed in three key areas: ride vs. efficiency, seaworthiness vs. space and visibility at the helm.

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A fond return to bright Maine waters

Here's a look at four projects that were in various stages of completion when we first wrote about them

Peter Kass built this plank-on-frame John's Bay 24 for himself, and he uses it with his wife and daughter to tend lobster traps. Spending a week last October on Peaks Island, Maine, proved eventful on two counts. First, I was there with my family for some quality time. Big mistake. We got there on Sunday, and by Monday morning my wife, Sarah, was asking when could we move to this charming but isolated and breathtakingly priced Eden - and we're going back next summer. So much for the wisdom of combining business and pleasure.

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