Índex per September 2023 a PassageMaker

When boating with family and friends, I generally take the lead, first going through a sizable pre-launch checklist (including counting the PFDs for each person on board) before casting off lines. Once on the water, I’m thrilled to spend most of the time at the helm and eschew afternoon cocktails to ensure that we make it back to port safely. It’s a role that I’m glad to play. I was reminded of my steadfast adherence to safety and rules one recent afternoon when I arrived home after running errands via bike around the neighborhood. Two wheels are my primary means of navigation in our dense urban environs. I’ve been running these sorties for many years, fueled partially by the pride in saving time, gas and a parking spot. In recent…

There’s nothing like going out and playing with a new toy—in this case, the 11-footlong Aspen Carbon Cat T11. From the dock at the Annapolis Powerboat Show, I stepped down onto the side deck and immediately appreciated the dinghy’s steady support. Footing was slip-free, thanks to the SeaDek material that covers the coaming and deck. Larry Graf, the designer and builder of the Aspen Carbon Cat line (and the founder of Aspen Power Catamarans), says the T11 solves a couple of the problems cruisers have with inflatable dinghies and RIBs. “Traditional inflatables leak,” he says. “They are heavy. They are wet when run hard, and they don’t last very long before needing replacement. I wanted to build a dinghy that would last 20 or more years.” He also wanted the…

For a litany of reasons, you may have to consider replacing a boat’s engine. Sometimes a lack of maintenance from a previous owner finally catches up and there is a catastrophic failure. Sometimes the water pump fails, the head gasket blows, the exhaust melts and the engine seizes. Perhaps you feel like the boat is underpowered or losing power. There’s a lot to consider when changing out an engine. Here are some things to think about to ensure that your repower is a smooth one. WHICH ENGINE? In the event of an unexpected failure, the best-case scenario is that there is still a direct replacement engine available, or at least a close update. This scenario will require the fewest changes in your engine room, assuming everything else is in good…

In fall 2017, Capt. Erik Long was hired to sail the 63-foot Oyster Enzo from Rhode Island to its winter waters off St. Lucia on the heels of Hurricanes Irma and Maria, the worst storms the Caribbean had seen in over 30 years. As he packed the provisions, he said to the owner: “How about we load up the boat with a whole bunch of hurricane relief supplies?” The owner immediately offered to match Long’s fundraising 3-to-1. After a few weeks, Long was left with 14 days to allocate $80,000 of relief supplies on board Enzo. He and his crew bought thousands of water filters and Home Depot buckets. When onlookers got curious watching the team relay truckload after truckload through a Rhode Island marina, Long told them: “We’re gonna…

I have a rule that I’ve tried to keep sacrosanct throughout the many decades of my boating life: I only want to own pretty boats. Admittedly, it hasn’t always worked, since my early boating years were devoted to racing. There are some god-awful ugly boats that were incredibly fast. Winning a trophy overpowered my pretty-boat rule. Having switched to power, however, I can pick and choose my boats. Some may be chosen for speed, others for range, others for entertaining qualities, but they all must be pretty. I even have a rating system for boat looks. My scale goes only from one to five. Let me introduce the Caswell RAF, or Row Away Factor. This name, of course, dates me, because no one rows to or from their boat in…

Last summer, on an extended camper-van vacation through Europe, my family became enthralled with Scandinavia. We were amazed with its seemingly endless natural beauty, majestic fjords, remote beaches and humble, handsome villages. As much as we saw from our camper, we imagined towing a boat and finding transient slips at the fishing harbors that dot the coastline. Cruising would allow us to explore even more of the region’s alpine lakes, inland rivers and deep fjords. Back at work in Holland, I had my team start work on a towable vessel that we named Project C-Rover. Our design brief was for owners who pack the vessel and fuel up on the trailer; on the return, owners refuel, flush the engines, dump the waste tanks and clean up the boat before storing…

Fall was approaching, and boats in New England were starting to work their way south. Our vessel, Liberdade, was anchored in Block Island, waiting for sunrise to make an overnight run to Cape May, N.J., when the VHF radio crackled to life. The person politely asked if there were any 7- to 8-knot boats interested in the company of a buddy boat heading south. This sounded like an innocent request—many boaters making an ocean voyage, especially for the first time, seek the company of another boat. After all, there seems to be safety in numbers. But if we explore the possible scenarios of how two boats traveling together would assist each other, that feeling of safety may turn out to be an illusion. For as long as ships have been…

When the trawler you wish to buy is safely lifted from the water, cradled in the slings, take a moment to appreciate the gravity of the situation. A haulout is a vital part of the survey process. There is always something to learn about the boat you’re planning to buy. It can be exhilarating to behold what lurks below the waterline (most yard visits end up with me humming the classic 1970s rock song by Free, “Haul Right Now”), but don’t become mesmerized. Before you know it, the boat is back afloat and you are reboarding to sail away for your sea trial. To make the most of haulout day, make sure to arrive early. If you or your team is late, the yard may cancel your appointment. The haulout…

At first, I mistook the Hylas M47 for the M44. She was gliding quietly through Maryland’s Annapolis Harbor amid the racing sailboats, and the familial resemblance to the smaller Hylas model was undeniable. She had the same handsome, contemporary, Down East-inspired lines. The twin 300-hp Cox CXO300 diesel outboards on the transom were the giveaway that this was, indeed, the new Hylas M47. The model adds to a brand history that dates back decades. New Zealand-based naval architect Dean Salthouse, known for creating the Corsair 44 in the early 2000s, also constructed the plugs and molds that Queen Long Marine in Kaohsiung, Taiwan, uses to produce a line of recreational craft from 44 to 49 feet. The yard has been affiliated with Hylas for more than 40 years, with 600-plus…

You might find a time when far-flung destinations beckon—when you’re compelled to make the shift from coastal cruising to longer-haul venues through more challenging waters. Such is the case with the owners of what will be the first 46 Pilothouse from Helmsman Trawlers. Hull No. 1 is on order from the owners of a 38E Pilothouse who wanted something a bit hardier and more spacious for extended cruising. Design work began prior to the pandemic and resumed in 2021. The owners have worked closely with Helmsman to tweak the design to their liking. Ivan Erdevicki did the naval architecture. “While clearly a sibling to our small 38- and 43-foot models, Ivan brought some sleeker styling to the 46,” says Helmsman founder and managing director Scott Helker. “We got a lot…

Walking the docks recently, I passed a cleaning crew bathing a 90-foot yacht. I paused to speak with the foreman, who told me he charged $10 per foot for his crew’s services. The mental math of $900 for a one-time procedure stopped me like hitting a sandbar at 14 knots. Why? Because a once-in-a-while cleaning job is not nearly enough. Boats live in a harsh environment, and keeping them clean helps to ensure their value. When it comes to keeping a spotless boat, I am obsessive-compulsive. My habits are rooted from when I made a living as a professional captain. Every boat I skippered, I treated as my own. My sweat equity earned me a good reputation. Maintaining these boats was a full-time job, but I quickly learned how to…

IT WAS 1979 when a pair of Pacific Northwest marine executives decided the languishing powerboat market was ripe for innovation. This was not a good time to launch a new boat company: Americans were reeling from the decade’s fuel crisis and faced steep prices at the gas dock. But entrepreneur and yard owner Jerry Husted saw an opportunity for a small, efficient powerboat. He tapped naval architect Lynn Senour to come up with the design. The timing was fortuitous. Virtually no production builder had cracked the cruising-trawler formula when the first Nordic Tugs model, a 26-footer, splashed at the 1980 Seattle Boat Show. It was exactly what the power-cruising cognoscenti wanted. By the end of the show, 37 hulls were sold—one boat every three hours. Customers snapped up 54 boats in…