Date: April 12th, 2006

BOATOhio.com e-Newsletter
April 2006
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The days are getting longer and those April showers are working on bringing us our May flowers; boating season must be right around the corner! We hope you’re busy planning a summer away from the grind of traffic jams and deadlines; a summer spent out on the water boating and fishing. To help you with your planning, we’ve put together this issue of the BOATOhio.com e-Newsletter. Featuring news of a new campaign created to improve and grow boating to a hands-on, and free, family event, this edition has a bit of everything.

Now enjoy the April edition of our e-Newsletter; it’s filled with loads of information that’ll help make your time out on the water more enjoyable. And as always, please feel free to forward this publication to interested friends and family. Boating and fishing are, after all, more than sports. They’re lifestyles best shared with loved ones.

Table of Contents
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Weekly Fishing Reports
Nationwide Grow Boating Campaign
7th Annual North Coast Harbor Boating & Fishing Fest
LEMTA Dealers & Marinas
Boats for Sale
Sell Your Boat
Magazine
BOATOhio Kids: Fun for Youngsters
Forums
Boating Associations of Ohio (BAO)
Events
BOATOhio.net Email
FREE "Go Boating" Magazine Subscription
Feedback

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Weekly Fishing Reports

Spring is here and so are the updated weekly fishing reports for the entire state of Ohio. Come back every Thursday from spring through fall and receive detailed reports for lakes and rivers throughout our great Buckeye State. From the Northwestern corner to the Southeastern tip, you will find useful news, an outlook for the upcoming week, and other beneficial tidbits of information. We've lined up a very knowledgeable source to help make your fishing experiences better than ever.

To access the weekly fishing reports, go to http://www.boatohio.com/reports.shtml

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Nationwide Grow Boating Campaign

For the first time in the history of the boating industry, a nationwide campaign is under way to introduce new people to the boating lifestyle while improving the experience for those who already enjoy the sport.

The campaign, which kicked off on April 1 with the support of the entire industry, very thoroughly addresses what needs to be done to grow and improve the boating lifestyle. Very generally, the program focuses on:
Dealer Certification
Boat Manufacturer Certification
Trailer Manufacturer Certification
Water Access Protection
Introduction of Boating to Non-Boaters

In the works for several years now, this initiative is something that’s going to positively impact the boating lifestyle. As boaters, you should be aware that the industry is working very hard to improve your overall experience. At the same time, we hope you’ll want to share the lifestyle with friends and relatives and help us grow the great sport of boating.

To learn more about the program, you can visit http://www.growboating.org. To see the excellent new Discover Boating web site, click on http://discoverboating.com; please consider forwarding this site to interested friends and family.

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7th Annual North Coast Harbor Boating & Fishing Fest

On the topic of growing boating, it’s almost time for the 7th annual North Coast Harbor Boating & Fishing Fest. What started out in 2000 as a small event aimed at current boaters has grown into a fun family-friendly festival with the express purpose of introducing new people to the boating and fishing lifestyles. This year’s shindig is set for June 9-11 at Voinovich Park, which is located in downtown Cleveland on the water directly behind the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame & Museum.

A free pirate-themed event, show goers can enjoy: 30-minute Lake Erie power and sailboat rides; charter fishing for kids on the Holiday with equipment and expert instruction from the Division of Wildlife provided; giveaways including 150 life jackets and 100’s of rod/reel combos and tackle boxes; live music from an eclectic list of performers; food and drink, from among many others, Captain Andy’s Original Fish Fry; tours of the fish research vessel, Grandon; best dressed pirate costume contests for kids and adults; and new this year, you might remember him from the Cleveland Mid-America Boat Show, Capt’n Willie the Great Lakes Pirate.

This event is a great place to introduce your friends and family to the boating and fishing lifestyles. After all, can you think of better ways to spend quality time with your loved ones than boating and fishing?

To learn more about this year’s festival, check out the web site at http://www.boatingfest.com

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LEMTA Dealers & Marinas

Formed nearly 50 years ago in 1957, the Lake Erie Marine Trades Association (LEMTA) is a trades association of more than 110 recreational boat dealers, marina operators, and pleasure boat service companies located across northern Ohio. With exceptionally high standards for business practices, each LEMTA member company has exhibited responsibility in sales and service, and each has demonstrated continued support of recreational boating in Ohio.

Because it isn’t always easy for boaters and anglers to find the right products and services in a pinch, LEMTA has compiled a comprehensive online guide of products and services offered by its members.

Through the use of a searchable database, quickly and easily locate nearly any recreational boating product or service needed.

For a complete list of LEMTA member companies, and to access the searchable database, visit http://www.boatohio.com/guide_search.shtml

For assistance locating a specific product or service not listed on the site, please contact the LEMTA office at 440-899-5009 or LEMTA@aol.com.

To learn more about the Lake Erie Marine Trades Association (LEMTA), go to http://www.LEMTA.com.

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Boats

Shop more than 150 new and pre-owned boats from Ohio’s top dealers in the “Boats” section of BOATOhio.com. Use the quick and easy searchable database to specify exactly what you’re looking for (new/used, type, size range, make/model, and price range). To be even more specific, use the new keyword search (if you’re looking for Glastron boats, just type in “Glastron” and hit “Search”).

When you’ve found what you’re looking for, or if you have any questions, contact the seller directly from the site. The listings are always changing, so check back often.

To begin the search for your next (or first) boat, go to http://www.boatohio.com/boats_search.shtml.

~ Featured Boat ~

This month’s featured boat is an 18’ 2003 Grady White Center Console from Huron Lagoons Marina. To view this boat, and all other boats listed by Huron Lagoons Marina, click on http://www.boatohio.com/cgi-bin/webdata/webdata_boats.pl?cgifunction=Search&Dealer=HURON%20LAGOONS%20MARINA

When contacting a particular boat’s owner/dealer, please tell them you found their listing on BOATOhio.com.

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Sell Your Boat

Utilize the power of BOATOhio.com and list your boat until it sells…all for one low cost. Don’t waste your time with ads that run only one time, reach far fewer prospects, and cost as much or more.

This is a great opportunity to reach thousands of prospects currently in the market for a boat. After all, the boat listing section is consistently the most popular area on BOATOhio.com. Plus, the site draws the thousands of visitors who come online to get detailed information about our Cleveland Mid-America Boat Show and the North American In-Water Boat Show, not to mention the ever-growing North Coast Harbor Boating & Fishing Fest.

To list your boat, or to learn more about this great offer, go to http://www.boatohio.com/boatad.shtml

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Magazine

The BOATOhio.com Online Magazine features timely and interesting articles from experts in their chosen fields as well as from respected regional publications. From destinations and boat care tips to fishing and new boat reviews, this section has you covered.

Plus, be sure to stop by the “Magazine Library.” New stories are added daily and some of the most recent include useful gadgets and gear, system maintenance, restoration projects, sailing, freezer and fridge care, and more.

~ Magazine Library Article Excerpt ~

Jacks of All Trades:
Jackplate Buyers Guide features the latest offerings from the industry’s 13 leading manufacturers

So, you’re trying to get better performance out of your boat and you’ve been thinking about putting on a jackplate. Or you already have a jackplate on your rig, but you’re not sure if it’s the right one. Either way, you need some answers. Well, you’ve come to the right place.

Let’s start with the basics:

Take Me Higher
In the beginning, outboard motors were small, portable units that you plopped on the transom, tightened the clamps, yanked on a rope to start the thing and off you went.

It wasn’t long before people began messing around with their boats and motors in the quest for more speed. More adventurous souls soon discovered that raising the outboard up off the transom board a bit seemed to let the motor turn easier, and if they put a higher-pitch prop on, the boat would go faster than it did with the engine all the way down.

The principle behind this is that when you elevate the outboard, there’s less of the gearcase in the water, hence less drag. Reducing drag often means that the engine doesn’t have to work as hard to push the boat; therefore, with less load on the motor, rpm tend to increase. In many cases, you’ll gain so many rpm by raising the engine that you can turn a higher-pitch propeller — and by using a prop with more pitch, you’ll probably see an increase in top speed.

However, it /is/ possible to move the engine up so far off the transom that the prop will lose traction and slip when you’re trying to get the boat on plane — like tires on wet pavement.

More importantly, your outboard gets its cooling water from pickups (small holes) in the gearcase, and if those water pickups are too high, the engine won’t be able to get enough water to keep it cool — not a good thing.

If you’re gonna play with engine height (with or without a jackplate), make sure you have a water-pressure gauge that will allow you to monitor your motor’s water supply.

Way Back There
If you peek over the transom while underway, you’ll probably see the water behind the boat rising up several inches in the center as it flows past the transom.

Early boat racers noticed this phenomenon, and in addition to raising the motor up off the transom, these intrepid competitors began experimenting with brackets to move the outboard a short distance back and up — at the same time. The boats seemed to like this, and the drivers were rewarded with quicker planing, better handling and higher top speeds than they’d ever experienced before. It was an epiphany in the world of high-performance boating.

We’ve already touched on how higher engine heights can help you find more speed, but how does positioning the outboard a specific distance behind the transom improve performance?

First, setting the motor behind the transom moves the boat’s center of gravity further aft, so the back of the boat is heavier than the front. Imagine a balanced teeter-totter at a playground; now, in your mind’s eye, scoot some weight all the way to one end of the board—the heavy end goes down and the lighter end goes up, right? Same thing with a boat: Put a heavy engine on a bracket (or jackplate) and the transom tends to go down while the bow will have a tendency to rise up.

So it stands to reason that moving a boat’s center of gravity aft (effectively making the back of the boat heavier than the front) would naturally bring the bow up, improving time-to-plane, and helping the boat to generate lift at speed.

Secondly, the water exiting under the transom is unbelievably turbulent and aerated, thus the propeller must struggle through this bubbly, tormented fluid to generate thrust.

But the “dirty” water pretty much subsides a short ways behind the boat; the bubbles and the crazy currents expend their energy and dissipate, leaving much “cleaner,” relatively undisturbed /agua/. If you place the engine (and consequently the propeller) aft of the transom in this “cleaner” water, the prop can operate more efficiently and with more “bite” than it would if it had to digest the water directly under the transom.

Which takes us to our third point: Remember how the water flowing out from under the transom has a propensity to curl up higher than the bottom of the boat? Wouldn’t it make sense, then, that if you put the engine/gearcase/prop far enough back from the transom to take advantage of the “clean” water in point number two, that you could also mount the engine higher than the boat bottom, and still maintain water pressure and keep the propeller hooked up?

Yeah, that’s a lot of “what ifs,” but if all this makes just a little bit of sense, congratulations — you’ve discovered the basic tenet of jackplate science.

Find the rest of this story, as well as many more, by clicking http://www.boatohio.com/library.shtml

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BOATOhio Kids: Fun for Youngsters

It’s probably not surprising that 80% of today’s boaters were introduced to the lifestyle before age 12 by a friend or relative. Think back, had it not been for someone close to you would you today be a boater and/or angler?

Clearly, a hands-on introduction is the best way to introduce the next generation to boating and fishing. There isn’t a better way to spend quality time with those we care about than out on the water, away from the hustle and bustle of everyday life.

During the off-season, a great way to get and keep youngsters involved with the boating and fishing lifestyles is to point them to our special BOATOhio Kids section.

Filled with loads of fun, interactive games, activities, events, and books and videos, there are also links to other excellent boating and fishing sites geared towards kids.

Plus, there’s an “Ask the Expert” section featuring a nationally renowned boating safety expert.

Point your kids and grandkids to BOATOhio Kids, http://www.boatohio.com/kids/index.shtml

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Forums

“Meet” up with other boaters and anglers to discuss your favorite pastime. Question experts, lend a helping “hand” to others, make new friends and catch up with old acquaintances.

You’ll discover forums covering power boating, sailing, marine electronics, boat care and repair, destinations, rivers and inland lakes, and more.

Plus award-winning professional angler Jim Stedke moderates the popular “Ask the Expert: Angler’s Alley” forum.

~ Ask the Expert: Angler’s Alley ~

The current hot topic is picking the right rod length for divers and jets. To join this discussion, or any of the other fishing topics, click on http://www.boatohio.com/cgi-bin/forums/dcboard.cgi?az=list&forum=DCForumID14&conf=DCConfID3

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Boating Associations of Ohio (BAO)

Established to unify Ohio's recreational boating community, boat owners and industry alike, the BAO is widely recognized and respected by lawmakers in Columbus as the "voice of Ohio boating.” Together these entities have strengthened boating's presence in the Ohio State House by constantly keeping lawmakers aware of boating's interests and issues.

Over the years, BAO has benefited Ohio’s boaters in a number of substantial ways, perhaps most notably by winning a substantial increase in the amount of gas tax revenue allocated to the Ohio Waterways Safety Fund. Earmarked for launching ramps, docking facilities, and safety programs, millions of dollars annually goes into this Fund and directly benefits all of Ohio’s boaters.

To learn more about the BAO and how you can help further strength boating’s voice in Ohio, click on http://www.boatingassociations.com

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Events

~ Mark Your Calendars ~

North Coast Harbor Boating, Fishing & Seafood Fest
June 9-11, 2006
Voinovich Park (behind the Rock Hall)
Cleveland, Ohio
http://www.boatingfest.com

North American In-Water Boat Show
September 13-17, 2006
Cedar Point Marina
Sandusky, Ohio
http://www.cedarpointboatshow.com

Cleveland Mid-America Boat Show
January 12-21, 2007
International Exposition (I-X) Center
Cleveland, Ohio
http://www.clevelandboatshow.com

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BOATOhio.net Email

Tired of being bombarded with junk mail and running out of storage space at your Yahoo! and Hotmail accounts? Would you like an e-mail address that gives a bit more insight into your personality and is just a bit more fun?

If you answered yes, then sign up for a FREE boatohio.net e-mail account! Featuring 6 megabytes (MB) of storage space, boatohio.net e-mail blows away both Yahoo! (4MB) and Hotmail (2MB).

To learn more and/or to sign up for your FREE boatohio.net e-mail account, go to http://www.boatohio.com/email.shtml

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FREE "Go Boating" Magazine Subscription

Sign up now for a FREE Subscription to "Go Boating Magazine," courtesy of BOATOhio.com, and learn why more trailerable powerboat owners read "Go Boating" than any other boating magazine.

You'll find reviews on new boats, engines and equipment, expert how-to advice and the most complete buyer's guide in print.

Say yes to one of the best boating deals of the year, a FREE subscription to "Go Boating." There are absolutely no strings attached. This is a free offer with no cost or obligation.

To sign up for your FREE subscription to "Go Boating" Magazine, follow this link: http://www.goboatingamerica.com/free/default.asp?id=14

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Feedback *

We’d like your feedback regarding this e-newsletter, the web site and our boat shows in general. What additions would you like? What could you do without? How can we better serve you? E-mail slfergus@boatohio.com with your comments and suggestions.

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BOATOhio.com
www.boatohio.com
email: slfergus@boatohio.com
Copyright 2006 by LEMTA
www.lemta.com
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