News

9 Billion Dollars Spent on Used Boats in 2015

The National Marine Manufacturers Association has announced that used boat sales for 2015 totaled $9 billion, which is an increase from 2014 of 1.9 percents in units sold and 3.4 percent in dollars. These figures come from the NMMA’s 2015 U.S. Recreational Boating Statistical Abstract.

Other highlights from the report include: unit sales were up in all boat categories except jet boats, which fell 1.6 percent; traditional powerboats (meaning powered by outboards, inboards, sterndrives, or jet propulsion) made up 84 percent of all used unit sales, which is an increase of 2.1 percent over 2014; and pre-owned ski/wakeboard boats made up 2 percent of all pre-owned boat sales and increased the most of any segment, up 9.8 percent in units and 15.8 percent in dollars.

Always Know the Best Knot for Your Pontoon Boat with this Animated App for Your Phone or Ipad

Whether you are new to Pontoon Boating or a seasoned captain, you can always learn a new knot. Knots are an easy way to impress your family and friends and just look plain cool. We found this very thorough app for all you weekend Pontoon boat enthusiasts to keep your boating knot skills fresh. And the best thing is the app is not just limited to boating knots, it covers all kinds. This app is also great for camping, hauling, and construction projects.

Named best knot-tying app by Outside Magazine! Learn to tie knots the fun and easy way from the creators of the web's #1 knot site. Animated Knots by Grog is simply the best, most comprehensive teaching and reference tool for boaters, climbers, fishermen, scouts and hobbyists. Watch knots tie themselves in simple step-by-step photo animations, or go frame-by-frame as you learn each knot. Tap the info button to get detailed descriptions about each knot's correct use, advantages and disadvantages, and other information.

INCLUDED KNOTS: (Knots go by a variety of names with the most common shown here. App includes a complete, searchable list.): Albright Knot, Alpine Butterfly Bend, Alpine Butterfly Loop, Double Alpine Butterfly, Anchor Hitch, Arbor Knot, Ashley Bend, Ashley Stopper Knot, Australian Braid, Back Splice, Barrel Hitch, Bimini Twist, Blake's Hitch, Blood Knot, Bowline, Bowline on a Bight, One-Handed Bowline, Running Bowline, Water Bowline, Braid Single Rope, Locked Brummel Splice, Brummel Demo, McDonald Brummel Eye Splice, Buntline Hitch, Butcher's, Carrick Bend, Carrick Bend Mat, Celtic Knot Mat, Chain Sinnet, Chain Splice, Care & Cleaning, Cleat Hitch (Deck), Cleat Hitch (Halyard), Clove Hitch (Loops), Clove Hitch (End), Clove Hitch (Half Hitches), Cobra Lanyard Knot, Coil Attached Rope, Coil Unattached Rope, Common Whipping, Constrictor, Constrictor-Surgical, Cow Hitch (End), Cow Hitch (Loops), Crown, Crown Sinnet, Davy, Double Davy, Diamond Lanyard, Distel Hitch, Double Fisherman's, Double Overhand, Drapery Tie Back, Dropper Loop, Duncan (Uni) Knot, Figure 8, Egg Loop Knot, Directional Figure 8 loop, Figure 8 Flake, Figure 8 Follow Through, Figure 8 Bend, Double Figure 8 Loop, Figure 9 Loop, Flat Overhand Bend, Flemish Flake (Spiral), Girth (Strap) Hitch, Gnat Hitch, Half Hitch, Half Knot, Halyard Hitch, Handcuff Knot, Hasty Webbing Harness, Heaving Line, Highwayman's Hitch, Hunter's Bend, Icicle Hitch, Icicle Hitch (End), Improved Clinch, Klemheist, Lashing-Diagonal, Lashing-Round, Lashing-Shear, Lashing-Square, Lashing-Tripod, Ligature (Instrument), One Handed Ligature, Two Handed Ligature, Lighterman's Hitch, Long Bury Splice, Masthead Knot Mat, Double Matthew Walker, Midshipman's, Monkey's Fist, Mooring Hitch, Munter Hitch, Super Munter Hitch, Nail Knot, Non-Slip Mono, Noose, Ocean Plait Mat, Orvis Knot, Overhand Knot, Packer's Knot, Palomar Knot, Tying a Package, Perfection Loop, Pile Hitch, Poacher's Knot, Prusik Knot, Purcell Prusik System, Radium Release Hitch, Rapala Knot, Rat-Tail Stopper, Square (Reef), Rolling Hitch, Rope Ladder, Round Turn & Hitches, Sailmaker's Whipping, San Diego Jam Knot, Sheepshank, Sheet Bend, Shoelace Bow, ShoeLace Fieggen, Siberian, Grog's Sliding Splice, Slim Beauty, Slip Knot, Snell Knot, Spanish Bowline, Eye Splice, Short Splice, Stevedore, Strangle Knot, Surgeon's Knot, Surgeon's Loop, Surgical Tie, Two Handed Surgical Tie, Surgical Slip Tie, Child's Swing, Tensionless Hitch, Necktie (Bow Tie), Necktie (Four-in-Hand), Necktie (Half Windsor), Necktie (Pratt/Shelby), Necktie (Windsor), Theodore Knot, Thief Knot, Timber Hitch, Trilene Knot, Trucker's Hitch, Tumble Hitch, Turk's Head, Underwriter's Knot, Wall Knot, Wall & Crown, Water Knot, West Country Whipping, Zeppelin Bend

Purchase the app here: -https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/animated-knots-by-grog/id376302649?mt=8

From A to Z - Pontoon Boating Key Terms You Need to Know

Whether you are a pontoon boat newbie or a long-time weekend warrior on the waves, here is a quick list of terms that will be helpful to your boating experience.

Advance: The distance a pontoon boat travels after its steering has been turned to a different course.

Aft: The rear section of your pontoon boat.

Amidships: The middle of your pontoon boat.

Bilge: The lowest area of a boat where excess water gathers.

Bow: The forward half of your pontoon boat.

Burdened: A burdened vessel is a vessel that must yield to another craft.

BWI: Acronym for Boating While Intoxicated. BWIs are the number one cause of boating fatalities in the United States.

Catamaran: A boat with two hulls. Many pontoon boats are catamarans.

Cross Beams: Parallel slats that connect two or more pontoons and form the basis of a foundation for the pontoon boat's deck.

Deck: The floor of your pontoon boat.

Deck Boat: A monohull boat constructed with fiberglass.

Gel Coat: A colored layer of resin that covers the fiberglass of pontoon boats.

Head-On: An event where two vessels approach each other head-on. Neither vessel has the right of way and both should usually pass each other on their port sides.

Helm: The directional control station on your pontoon boat akin to an automobile's steering wheel.

Hull: The outside of a pontoon boat that makes contact with the water.

Inboard: An arrangement where the engine of the board is in the interior of your pontoon boat.

In Extremis: A condition where neither captain of a vessel can avoid a collision and both should attempt to maneuver and take a “glancing blow” to reduce damage.

I/O: An abbreviation for “inboard/outboard” configuration where the engine is in the interior, while the drive unit is on the exterior. Also known as a “stern drive”

Inverse Buoyancy: A unique condition for pontoon boats where adding more weight to the pontoon boat decreases stability and increases the possibility for capsizing.

In Sight: A condition where the captains of two or more vessels can see the other's boat.

Logs: Cylindrical pontoons that provide buoyancy for pontoon boats.

Navigation Lights: All pontoon boats must display lights during nighttime travel to show size, type, and direction of the pontoon boat.

Making Way: A vessel that is both underway and propelled by an engine or sails.

Mayday: A term used over marine radio frequencies to denote a boat with an extreme emergency, such as a fire or sinking.

NMMA: Stands for the National Marine Manufacturers Association, which is the only organization that certifies the manufacturing and quality of pontoon boats.

Not Making Way: A vessel that is adrift, not anchored, and moving due to currents or the wind.

Outboard: A configuration where both the engine and drive are on the exterior of the boat.

Overtaking: An event where one faster boat approaches from a slower boat's rear. In this situation, the slower craft has the right-of-way.

PFD: Stands for Personal Flotation Device. Law requires that every pontoon boat have at least one PFD per passenger.

Pontoon Boat: A multihull vessel that uses hollow cylinders for buoyancy.

Port: The left-hand side of your pontoon boat.

Pressure-Treated: The infusion of chemicals into wood to stop rotting. Many pontoon boat decks are constructed with pressure-treated wood.

Prop: The pontoon boat's propeller that provides forward motion.

Restricted Visibility: Rain, snow, or other weather condition that reduces visibility.

Right-of-Way: When encountering another craft, your pontoon boat with right-of-way can continue with its course and speed.

Rafting: A group of boats banded together.

Safe Speed: The maximum speed that a pontoon boat can undertake to ensure no collisions with other vessels.

Stability: A pontoon boat's potential to handle weight shifts from side to side.

Starboard: The right-hand side of your pontoon boat.

Stern: The rearmost area of your pontoon boat.

Throttle: A hand lever or levers that controls speed and forward or reverse motion.

Tracking: The degree to which your pontoon boat can hold a straight course.

Trimaran: A boat, such as a pontoon boat with three hulls. A few pontoon boats have trimaran designs.

Underway: A boat in motion, either by deliberate direction or by drifting on a current.

Vessel: Every sort of vehicle, including pontoon boats, whose main mode of transportation involves water.

Visual Distress Signals: Non-electronic signals, such as flags or flares, to draw attention to a vessel.

Wake: The waves that are a result of forward motion of your pontoon boat.

Whistle Signals: Audible signals, made by air or electric horn blasts, to communicate between vessels. All power-driven vessels, such as pontoon boats, are required to use these signals.

Water Stage: The water level and depth of rivers. This varies based on location and season. Also known as a river's “gage.”

Measure Twice, Order Once - Tips for Measuring Your Pontoon Boat for New Furniture

When ordering your furniture, there are some very specific methods used in measuring for your new pontoon boat seats and other pontoon boat accessories. You'll want to take these measurements with the rails on your pontoon boat. The rails provide consistent guides for your measurements and give a more accurate view on how much actual seating room is available on your pontoon boat.

While older pontoon boats had a single standard layout, pontoon boat designs have changed quite a bit in recent years, and these measuring steps are not applicable for all pontoon boats manufactured. For older pontoon boats, you can get accurate measurements by following the steps below:

• Rear Width . You'll first want to find out how much space for pontoon furniture is available in the rear of your pontoon boat. To determine this, measure from the inside rail on one side of the pontoon boat across the width of the pontoon boat to the opposite inside rail on the other side. This will allow you to get an idea as to the general seating arrangements available. 

• Rear Length . Measure from inside of the rail that runs across the rear width of the pontoon boat to the beginning of a middle gate on either side of your pontoon boat.

• Front Length . Measure from the beginning of a center gate closest to the front of the boat to the inside of the rail that runs across the front width.

• Front Width . This final step is actually two separate measurements due to the gate at the front of the pontoon boat. Starting on the left side, measure from the inside of the rail on the left corner to the closest corner on the left side of the gate. Repeat this process on the right side so that you'll have two measurements that do not include the width of the gate.

Finally, you'll want to factor in rail bracings attached to the rails in your pontoon boat. These bracings can impede placement of pontoon furniture and you'll want to have a clear and realistic image in your mind of how you will arrange your new pontoon boat furniture. Remember measure twice and order once.