GPS has become a common tool for navigation. However using GPS on the water is distinctly different from a moving map display in your car.
This seminar explains the principles of waypoint navigation which you will use. It then shows you how to relate the GPS to your charts which provide essential information about what is around you.
The seminar also shows you how to operate your GPS – what the buttons do, what the screens show, and how to access the functions you need. A handheld GPS is used as the demonstration model, but all GPS receivers function similarly. By the time you have completed the seminar, you will be able to store waypoints into your GPS, activate them for navigation, and use GPS to keep you on a safe, pre-qualified course of your choosing.
You’ll also get some tips for choosing a GPS if you don’t currently own one.
Participants will receive a copy of the USPS GPS Guide and a waterproof McGraw-Hill Captain’s Quick Guide Using GPS to take aboard to remind you of the steps, or to show another of your crew how to use your GPS.
How often have you said, “I wish I knew how to tie a knot that will hold”?
Join us on Saturday, February 13th from 1:00pm to 3:00pm for this hands-on “learn to tie knots” program geared to a wide range of audiences.
You will receive the USPS guide Knots, Bends, and Hitches for Mariners, a copy of the presentation slide notes, and a kit including a die-cut knot board with two lengths of line.
Participants WILL; learn about knots, learn to tie a set of the most useful knots, and then get to take the whole package home to practice.
Hey, it's WINTER why not spend a little time thinking about springtime and boating!
Join us and have fun tying knots, swaping stories, and enjoying the company of good people with similar interests! Afterward you can tell everyone you meet that you tied one on at Peters Marine.
The instruction and course material are FREE.
Seating is Limited so Call Us Today to Reserve Your Seat(610) 433-1606 or email ted@petersmarine.com
As the top choice of pleasure boaters worldwide, Sea Ray stands ready to help you achieve your boating destiny during our Take Command Sales Event. This is the ideal time to get into the current or non-current Sea Ray of your dreams while taking advantage of fantastic savings from $1,000 to $175,000.*Visit your local Sea Ray dealer's showroom or boat show display to learn more about this very special limited-time offer. Whether you're a first-time buyer or loyal customer, Sea Ray has the right boat for you at an unbeatable price, plus everything you need to enjoy it with confidence: superior quality, award-winning satisfaction and lifestyle events like no other.To learn about the actual savings on a specific model, simply complete the form below and your local Sea Ray dealer will contact you with details.
Well for a person with apprehension, she took to boating like a fish to water and we both found a world of pure enjoyment. With the assistance of Ray Ely from the Service Department, we launched our boat the first week in September. It was a rainy day but we got her off the trailer and into the water. Ray opened the Bimini top and then proceeded to give me instruction in maneuvering the boat out of the slip, down the alley and into open water. Prior to all this I took the PA Boater Safety Course and obtained my blue card certificate. After driving the boat with Ray at my side, we went back to the slip and Ray left us on our own. We enjoyed lunch in our cabin and afterward, we decided it was time to chance it and take her out by ourselves.
The thrill of taking our boat out for the first time, maneuvering out of the slip and down the alley was exhilarating to say the least. There were boats on both sides of us and all I could think of was “I must not hit anyone else’s boat”. This was the first time in my life that I had ever done such a thing and it certainly got my adrenaline running. Once we cleared the alley (without a miss-hap) and were in open water, I felt nothing but joy standing at the helm of my own boat, going along Lake Wallenpaupack, seeing the other boats; both our hearts were pounding: some due to joy and some due to nerves. At the end of the day, I was able to maneuver into the alley and back into the slip. We tied to the slip, cleaned her up and put on the cover; what a day.
SOME COLD FACTSNOT ALL "MINUS 50" ANTI-FREEZE IS CREATED EQUAL
Over the years several diluted Anti-Freeze products have been introduced to the market containing 25-28% propylene glycol (PG). These products were originally designed for the discount retailers as a water systems price point product from which to UPSELL and were NOT recommened or intended for use in winterizing engines. These same products will be sold by some suppliers this season as being suitable for use in engines. DON'T BE FOOLED!
The ratings system for propylene glycol "Burst Points" can be somewhat misleading as different containers can have very different "burst points" (Example: copper pipe, rubber hose, and a cast iron engine have very different flexibility properties and "Burst Points"). This allows these diluted products to be legally advertised as "Minus 50" products!
It is therefore crucial for you to compare the percentage of propylene glycol in a product to obtain adequate protection for engine winterization.
A 30% blend of propylene glycol has been the minimum recommended percentage suitable for "Minus 50" protection in the Northeast when winterizing engines.
Camco Freeze Ban 50 contains 30% propylene glycol and ha been successfully used in winterizing the raw water sides of engine systems for over 25 years.Engines are typically the most expensive portion of a boating investment. It simply does not make sense to use a substandard product in them in order to save a few dimes!
Freeze Ban 50 offers affordable high performance protection.
FOR MORE INFORMATION ON PROPERLY WINTERIZING YOUR BOAT, PLEASE CONTACT:
The Service Department of Peters Marine at 610-821-0118 or email: service@petersmarine.com
Yes, your boat may have an attitude! Well, at least it should. The “attitude” of a boat, generally, refers to the relationship between the bow and the stern. In other words, the boat can be running with the “bow high” or “bow low”. Adjusting the boat’s attitude can have a significant effect on its’ performance. This performance can be defined by fuel economy, speed, hole shot, even stability in rough water. As this blog is about fuel economy, I’ll limit this discussion to issues that directly relate to maximizing your fuel economy. So as to not get too confusing, I’m also going to limit this discussion to outboard and stern drive powered boats, since these are typically adjustable while the boat is running. Inboard (and some OB and stern drive) powered boats will also have “trim tabs” at their disposal, but we’ll save that for another day.
“Trimming the drive” refers to the angle of the outdrive (or in the case of an outboard engine, the entire engine). More specifically, it refers to changing the angle of the propeller in relation to an imaginary line coming straight back off the keel of the boat. Imagine a straight line being extended past the transom and compare that line to the propeller angle, or “aim”. If the propeller is aimed up (above the line) then the propeller thrust is going to lift the stern. If the prop is aimed down (below the line) then the thrust is going to push the stern down. This is also known as “Trim Up” or “Trim Down”.
Every action has an equal and opposite reaction. When the stern goes down, the bow goes up. When the stern goes up, the bow goes down. So, when you push the “up” trim button at the helm, what’s actually happening is the drive is being raised, pushing the stern down, thereby making the bow rise. Of course, the opposite happens when you push the “down” trim button.
So what does all this mean for economy? Well, more fuel is wasted while trying to get the boat on plane, than when it is actually on plane. If you can spend less time getting on plane, you’ll burn less fuel. While some boats have much better hull designs that have been engineered to provide superior “lift” or “hole shot”, you can decrease your hole shot time by always starting out with the drive completely down. This will provide maximum stern lift, thereby keeping your bow down. If you get the boat “out of the hole” faster, you are increasing your fuel economy.
Now once you get on plane, if you leave the trim down, you will also be keeping a lot of the hull bottom in the water. More hull in the water equals more drag. More drag equals less economy. Once you’re on plane, start trimming up. This will get more of the hull out of the water. You will feel the boat “lighten up” and you should also notice that the spray coming off the hull side will start to move further towards the stern. Another thing you’ll notice is that your speed – without changing your throttle setting – will go up. If you can obtain a higher speed at the same throttle setting, you are increasing your fuel economy. Now if you trim too far up, the prop will lose it’s bite in the water and will start to ventilate. Your RPM’s will shoot up very quickly (possibly over revving the engine) and speed will actually decrease. If this happens, don’t panic. Trim the drive back down and/or pull back on the throttle until the prop regains it’s bite and the RPM’s stabilize.
To wrap this up, you can increase your fuel economy via your boat’s attitude by:
-- Decreasing your hole shot by trimming down
-- Increasing your speed (at the same throttle setting) by trimming up
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