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weight down low (like 60+% of the boat is ballast). You can do that by
either increasing the size of the bulb/blob at the bottom of the keel, or
you can spend thousands on tank testing your wings, get the weight down
low with them instead, and psych out your competition at the same time.
Today the latest theory has keels of the semi-elliptical form, where you
have the leading edge straight, and the trailing edge gently curved.
Except for some of Bruce Farr's designs, which have a gently curved
leading edge and straight aft edge. Wait a minute, that doesn't fit the
theory! Farr's boats don't seem to notice that they don't fit the latest
theory though. They just leave everybody else behind them and go to the
winners circle. They are using bulbs today instead of wings on the hottest
racing boats, to get more stability with less total weight...
3.9 Sailing simulators?
There are Posey simulators as well as nav packages, hardware and
software in Dave and Judy Crane's Nautical Computing catalog, available
from DF Crane Associates, 2535 Kettner Blvd; PO Box 87531, San Diego
CA 92138-7531 Phone 619/233-0223.
Dennis Posey also sells his collection of race and cruising simulators by
direct mail from Posey Yacht Designs, 101 Parmelee Rd., Haddam, CT
06438 or 203/345-2685. He has a half dozen different versions for different
levels and interests, PC and Mac. (rs2)
3.10 Chartering and learn-to-sail schools
In the US, various people on the net have spoken highly of Womanship
(and one of their instructors is a regular reader, I believe). In the Virgin
Islands, the general summary of charter operations seems to be that you
get what you pay for-the lower-budget operations have
less-well-maintained boats.
Can one become competent for a bareboat charter in two weeks? You
may be able to do so (according to the Charter operation_i.e., they may
let you charter a boat), but I would not count on it. (jfh)
Here is Cheryl Nolte's mini-FAQ on the subject of learning to sail: So you
want to lean to sail? Great! Here's some information to help make your
choice of schools a little easier along with some answers to frequently
asked questions.
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There are numerous sailing "schools" out there. They generally fall into
three categories 1) Established Schools 2) Charter-to-learn courses and
3)Private "schools". A look in the back of any sailing magazine will give
you a good idea of the variety of instructional courses available. 1)
Established Schools There are several types of 'established' schools, by
'established' I refer to those schools which are not run by a single person
aboard his/her boat- these are private "schools", there are general schools
offering a variety of instructional levels and there are specialized schools.
There are specialized schools for racing, for women-only, for navigation,
for 'bluewater', for children, and a host of other topics. - ASA
Certification, What is it and do I need it? American Sailing Association
(ASA) certified courses cover a set curriculum and ASA instructors have
paid a fee to take a certification-approval "checkout" course. Think of it
as a sort of "quality control". The instructors must possess a minimum
skill level and a "basic keelboat" course at one ASA school should cover
the same general material at another school. Do you need ASA
Certification in order to charter a boat? The simple answer to this is NO!
In fact, possession of ASA certification is no guarantee that you will be
able to charter a boat. Most reputable charter agencies will request a
'sailing resume' and will base their decision partly on that. One never
should be surprised to be asked to go on a 'test sail' (usually out of the
marina and back in) and first time charterers with a weak sailing resume
may even be required to take a captain along for a short time. On the
other hand, some charter agencies will allow you to take a boat based
solely on your credit rating. Some schools really push their ASA
certification- it simply means they have paid an association fee; in fact,
the two top sailing schools in the US (as rated by Practical Sailor
magazine) J-World and Womanship do NOT offer ASA certification.
2) Charter-to-learn cruises These seem to be a popular way for couples
and families to improve their sailing skills. Basically you are part of a
flotilla of boats, all members of the flotilla having approximately the same
sailing experience, and you have a 'instruction' boat accompany you on
your cruise. One of the instructors will probably join you aboard your
vessel druing one or more days of the cruise offering some personal
instruction. Biggest drawback of such courses is that you kind of just
bumble through, not knowing whether you are doing things right or
wrong and as long as you end up at the appointed destination in one piece
it is deemed successful. I wouldn't advise this for persons just learning to
sail or having little experience, there simply isn't enough individual
attention and too much relying upon figuring things out (without knowing
the right or wrong way). Better suited to the advancing sailor who wants
a more challenging situation with the support of an instructor.
3) "Private" Schools A quick peek in the back of any sailing mag will
reveal a host of advertisements for sailing instruction with an individual
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on his/her boat. A word of caution here- make sure the instructor is a
USCG licensed (or appropriate equivalent overseas) Captain. It is illegal
to accept a fee unless you are a licensed captain. Some individuals will
post ads such as "get bluewater experience with experienced sailor on trip
from St.Thomas to Norfolk; $2000/week." Many such ads are simply
looking for people to PAY to deliver someone's boat under the guise of
'instruction'. Again, beware! Check references and licensure; ask
questions. There are many *good* private schools out there, ask around.
Here's a list of popular sailing schools... Annapolis Sailing School
1-800-638-9192 All levels of instruction, also have flotilla courses.
Locations in Annapolis MD and Florida. J World 1-800-343-2255,
1-800-666-1050, 1-800-966-2038. On board and classroom instruction.
Specializes in racing. Various locations. Womanship 1-800-342-9295 The
original learn to sail school for and by women. Now offers customized
courses for couples and families too. Locations: Maryland, Florida, New
England, San Juan Islands, BVI, Nova Scotia, Greece, New Zealand,
Tahiti Offshore Sailing School (Steve and Doris Colgate) 1-800-221-4326,
All levels of instruction, Locations: Florida, Caribbean, New York, New
England. Sea Safari Sailing 1-800-497-2508 Specializes in multihulls
Women For Sail 1-800-346-6404, all levels of instuction, women only.
Sunsail 1-800-327-2276 Flotilla charter-to-learn courses, various levels and
many locations. The Moorings 1-800-535-7289 "Friendly Skipper"
program, puts an experiences captain on board til you reach a level of
competence. Locations worldwide.
4) I didn't mention this earlier but for many the best introduction to
sailing may be through Community Sailing programs. US SAILING has
put together a Community Sailing National Directory which lists
hundreds of local sailing programs. Many of these are offered though park
and recreation departments, colleges, community centers, local yacht clubs
and sailing clubs. It is a wonderful resource of public access sailing
courses. The directory is available through US SAILING (401) 849-5200
and is also available on CompuServe (access word is Go Sailing).
3.11 Formula for hull speed based on length, and its
limitations
A displacement-hull boat whose waterline has length L (in feet) will have
a "hull speed" that is K SQRT(L) knots, where K is a number between
about 1.2 and 1.4 for most conventional cruising hulls. Small planing
dinghies, large planing sleds, scows, and other designs (including
catamarans) will not fit well into this formula, so you should ignore it.
The formula assumes a lot of things, but all in all it does pretty well for
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figuring whether your Bristol 40 will keep up with a Catalina 30 in
moderate winds (or vice versa).
The hull speed, by the way, can loosely be thought of as the speed at
which the boat, in order to go faster, has to start "climbing up" over its
bow wave, which takes a lot more power. (jfh)
3.12 Sailing in other countries
Some countries require a sailing license. Check with your embassy. Many
countries, like the US, do not.
Various rec.boaters have posted saying "I'm going to be in Country XXX
for two weeks and would love to sail with someone on such-and-such a
date," and have found themselves with a ride. The group's general
attitude towards this sort of thing seems to be "supportive."
In Australia, the Monash U. Sailing Club (or its president) can be reached
at inu343w@aurora.cc.monash.edu.au.
Peter Gustafsson ( peter.gustafsson@gd.chalmers.se) offers to tell folks
about sailing in Sweden if they are interested.
3.13 Sailing in Chicago
This section courtesy of kakunz@amoco.com.
Chicago Area Yacht Clubs
This information on the various yacht clubs in the Chicago area has been
assembled from various sources. Thanks to all those who helped.
It is organized by geographical location, running north to south along the
Lake Michigan waterfront. I generally tried to get info about the name,
location, dues, active fleets (if any one-design), other racing activities, and
a contact person. For several of the clubs all I was able to obtain was a
name, location, and contact. If you contact that person and s/he gives
you additional info, please contact me via e-mail at kakunz@amoco.com
or at 708-420-3131 and I will put it into this document.
Thanks to all the people who provided the information contained herein:
Cedric Churnick, Steph Bailey, Steve Woodward, Dennis Bartley, Owen
McCall, and probably 2-3 others I've missed. (If you don't see your name
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here and you gave me info, PLEASE write me, and accept my appologies!)
-Kevin, aka Sailing Fool
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
NEWBIES: If you are a new-comer to racing in the Chicago area, it has
been highly recommended from many people that you contact the MORF
Crew List. MORF racers are inter-fleet racers that race cruiser/racers
more or less weekly. Contact Joe Des Jardins at 708-677-8604 for this
crew list. This is a good place to get started big-boat racing and cuising.
MORF stands for Midwest Open Racing Fleet.
GILSON PARK YACHT CLUB: Located in Wilmette, IL. Contact "Tim"
at twise@merle.acns.nwu.edu. They race Hobie 16's.
SHERIDAN SHORES YACHT CLUB: Located in Wilmette, North of
Chicago on the border with Wisconsin. This is a relatively new club and
no additional information is available. However, I've been there, 'tis very
nice, with reasonable dues, as I recall. Large fleets of Solings, J-24's,
Lightnings, Stars and Rainbows.
WAUKEGAN YACHT CLUB: North of Chicago in Waukegan, this YC
offers several one-design fleets including J-24's and others. Contact Dan
Darrow at 708-367-0913 or Gene Bach at 708-623-5680 for more
information. I've been here, too, and it has an excellent water-front bar in
its clubhouse, which includes a full-service restaraunt.
CHICAGO CORINTHIAN YACHT CLUB: Located in Montrose Harbor.
Contact them at 312-334-9100. They are located at 600 Montrose Ave
(Montrose and the lake front).
CHICAGO YACHT CLUB, BELMONT HARBOR: This is the one-design
branch of Chicago Yacht Club (see below). They have weekly racing and
occassional regattas for Etchells, Stars, Solings, J/24's, Shields, 110's; and
pre- /post-season frostbiting with Lasers and 420s. Contact them at
312-447-7575.
COLUMBIA YACHT CLUB: Located on a big blue freighter at the North
end of Monroe Harbor, this club is a full service clubs with dues in the
$1000 range (+ $75 monthly min. spending fee). They have an active
Penguin fleet that frostbites. They also own 420s. Contact Susan Bonner
at 312-938-3625.
CHICAGO YACHT CLUB: The main building is located at the end of
Monroe St. at Lake Shore Drive. This is the focal point of much of the
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off-shore racing in Chicago; they host such prestigious events as the
NOOD, Chicago/Macinack Island Race, and Yachting's Verve Cup.
Contact the yacht club at 312-861-7777 for more info.
BURNHAM PARK YACHT CLUB: Located on the eastern peninsula of
Burnham Harbor across the street from Miegs Field. A full-service club
with slips, cans and star-docks, their dues are in line with Columbia's.
For information contact BPYC at 312-427-4664.
JACKSON PARK YACHT CLUB: Located at outer Jackson Park
Harbor, this club is a "volunteer" club with a resident manager
year-round. They frostbite club-owned Flying Juniors (which are used for
the Junior Race Program during the summer). Dues are $250/year, with
a $25/month minimum spending fee. Contact Cedric Churnick at
312-372-8321 for more info.
HAMMOND YACHT CLUB: No further information available.
EAST CHICAGO YACHT CLUB: No further information available.
MICHGAN CITY YACHT CLUB: No further information available.
NORTH SHORE YACHT CLUB: Located in Highland Park, this club
races Buccaneer and Sunfish one-designs. Dues are $160/year. For more
info, contact Owen McCall at 708-937-7957 or
mccall.owen@igate.pprod.abbott.com.
DES PLAINES YACHT CLUB: Sailing on the Des Plaines river in Des
Plaines Illinois.
LAKE PISTAKEE YACHT CLUB: Racing scows on Lake Pistakee.
ILLIANA YACHT CLUB: Racing several one-design fleets on Wolf Lake
in Hammond, IN. Contact Bill Thompson at 708-257-8052.
AREA III RACING: Five clubs in Chicago organize races called "Area
III": Chicago Yacht Club (CYC), Chicago Corintian Yacht Club (CCYC),
Columbia Yacht Club (Col), Burnham Park Yacht Club (BPYC), and
Jackson Park Yacht Club (JPYC). Each club has a single vote on
how/when/where the races are held. Entry fees for the races are generally
around $25, and include bouy racing around one of 4 permanent courses
4 miles off-shore, and several port-to-port races.
CHI-MAC RACE: Every year during either the 3rd or 4th week of July
(alternates annually) CYC hosts the Chicago-to-Mackinac Island race.
Roughly 300 boats race in several PHRF and IMS divisions. Average race
time is 50-60 hours for the 333 mile race, and the record is just over 24
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hours, set by Pied Piper (SC-70) in (I think) 1989.
LMSRF: The Lake Michigan Sail Racing Federation is the governing body
arm of USSAILING on Lake Michigan. They coordinate lake-wide
championships (ie Queen's Cup, I think). They are also responsible for
PHRF ratings for the Lake Michigan area, and divide the lake into 5
areas. All of the above yacht clubs register with LMSRF. Contact Joan
Miracki at 312-674-7223 for more info for LMSRF or any of the
above-mentioned clubs.
CHARTERING: There are several outfits that offer chartering in the
Chicago area. Three are listed here: Sailboats Inc., ask for Trey Ritter at
312-943-220; Fair Wind Sailing Charters, ask for Denis McNamera at
312-890-4656; and Sailboat Sales, ask for Bruce Rosenzweig at
312-225-2046.
OTHER INFO: Finally, you can try contacting the Marine Department at
the Chicago Park District at 294-2270. They also run a physically
impaired sailing program called the Rainbow Fleet. Contact them at
312-294-2270 for additional info.
This information was last updated June 13, 1994.
4 Powerboating stuff
4.1 What is better? An I/O or an outboard?
What's cheaper?
[Not yet written] Kevin Weber reports that "The May (1993) issue of
Boating has a very good article comparing OBs to IOs."
4.2 Are Doel Fins a good thing?
A great many people report improved time-to-plane. Some report slightly
reduced top-end speeds. Everyone seems to say that installing one may
void your warranty, and you should check this out for your particular
motor. Many people report installing and then removing fins, finding that
handling suffered enough that they preferred the old way. (jfh)
One person with marina experience writes:
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Doel Fins. The marina that services our Evinrude said they had replaced
several lower units that had cracked from the stress that overcame the
newly weakend area they are mounted on. The maria I worked at had no
complaints.
4.3 What is a Hole Shot? Will a Stainless prop add
to my high end speed?
I am told that a hole shot is the time it takes to accelerate onto a plane,
and that a stainless prop, although more expensive, will in fact add a bit
to top speed. (jfh)
One person with experience working in a marina offers this somewhat
strongly worded opinion:
SS props. The yahoos always use them. I believe they are stronger and
slighly thinner, thus reducing the resistence and maybe increaseing both
acceleration and top speed. However, they are 3X as expensive, harder to
repair when you whack them, and are more frequently unrepairable. I
suggest having 2 aluminums at different sizes/pitches (one for high-tailing
around with a light load, one for skiing/heavy loads). This 1) gives you a
spare when you need it. 2) gives you incentive to clean the area when you
swap them. 3) gives you better performance overall.
4.4 Is VRO a good idea?
VRO appears to be a fine idea, but also seems to be risk-prone (if it fails,
your engine is shot) and not yet robust_the net has seen several reports
of failures. Several netters have suggested disabling VRO and going to
standard mix in the fuel. (jfh)
4.5 What's a good first powerboat?
(Courtesy of Dave Kinzer)
Powerboats differ from sailboats in that sailors use their boats simply to
sail, but most powerboaters use their boats to do something else such as
waterskiing and fishing , so the "best" first boat could differ greatly from
person to person. Therefore, you should feel free to disregard any piece of
advice in this section as it might not be applicable to your specific
situation.
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To begin with, you should look at the types of boats that are popular in
your area for the activities you plan. Boats that do not work well in a
region usually don't sell in great number, so you can learn by other
people's mistakes here. Talk to owners to find what they like and dislike
in their boats. This will help you get an eye for details that will count
after time.
Second, think small. A smaller boat is easier to muscle around, and and
less likely to be damaged severely during the learning process. It will cost
less, and if for some reason you end up not liking the actuality of
ownership (think of burning 100 dollar bills for fun,) the loss will be
minimized. I'll contradict myself here and say get one size bigger than the
smallest suitable boat. This will give you some more time before
outgrowing it. Keep in mind your vehicle's capacity to trailer it.
Third, buy used. There is a lot of argument on this point, and I respect
the other point of view, so I will present both sides. With a new boat you
have a warranty to protect you in the event something goes wrong. If you
have a good dealer, any problems will be resolved promptly, and you will
be back on the water with little or no out-of- pocket expense. If you have
a bad dealer, your boat will sit at the back of the queue for the boating
season while the paying customers get their boats fixed (I know someone
this happened to.) Buying a boat a few years old will save you a bunch of
money that can be used for repairs, if needed. Have a mechanic check out
the boat before you buy to minimize the chance of having to use that
money. A used boat will probably have some equipment already installed
(like radios, depth or fishfinders, etc.) that you would have to buy for a
new boat. Finally, when you scrape your boat while learning near a dock,
you won't have to wince as hard.
I have managed to get this far without giving any specifics on what to
buy. My OPINION follows, with some thoughts as to why I believe them.
Start with a boat about 3 years old. A newer boat will depreciate more,
an older one may have problems that it takes an expert to find. This is
also about the time the first owner has discovered he either doesn't like
this enough, or it is time to get a 3 foot longer boat. A good length would
be 16-18 feet. This is big enough to comfortably have some friends on, yet
small enough that you do not need a special tow vehicle. I recommend a
single outboard or I/O (stern) drive. Two engines aren't needed for this
length, and you don't want the expense to begin with. There are
arguments all over the place on I/O vs. outboard; I suggest you go with
what is popular in your area, for parts and service availability. The
important thing is that they handle the same in low speed maneuvering.
Inboards, V-Drives and jet-drives do some funny things (which are
predictable, once you know them) that are better left for learning later. If
you are planning on skiing, get enough horsepower. For an I/O drive, this
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means a V6. Your towing vehicle capacity could decide the I/O vs.
outboard question. The outboard will need slightly less horsepower, and
will be considerably lighter.
Last, but not least, sign up for a boating safety course. There are enough
dimwits out there already, you don't need to make the situation worse. It
is not enough to say that you won't do anything stupid since you don't
know what the stupid things are yet. (dk1)
4.6 Can I put unleaded gas in an old outboard?
Assumining the outboard is a two-stroke, Yes. In fact, it is prefered. Lead
is in fuel primarily to lubricate the exhaust valve and valve seat in a 4
stroke engine. The two-stroke has no such valve or seat and so requires no
such lubrication. The lead compound also served to prevent pre-ignition,
or "knocking" or "pinging". This has long since been resolved in unleaded
fuel and so is not an issue.
Lead in fuel causes fouling of the spark plugs. No lead, no lead fouling.
(Though oil fouling may still be a problem.)
Leaded fuel is only available in "regular" (at least here in the Northwest
USA). Higher compression outboards that require higher octane fuel often
have problems with the leaded fuel now available. Unleaded comes in
"super", or high octane ratings. This is the recommended fuel.
The above information was obtained from a phone-interview with a
long-time outboard mechanic at Chic's Outboard Service; 2043 SE 50th;
Portland, OR; (503)236-8970, and has been paraphrased by R.C.
Faltersack.
4.7 Are there any powerboat class associations?
There is the Marine Traders Owners Association ( M.T.O.A.); their
burgee symbol is a turtle (because they go slow). They have a 100+ page
newsletter quarterly and have "official" rendezvous twice a year; one in
the south and one in the north.
Information about, or joining, MTOA can be sent to:
MTOA c/o Jim Mattingly - Membership Dir. 406 Ben Oaks Dr. W.
Severna Park, MD 21146
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The association has the following interesting tidbit:
Through the MTOA we have discovered the person who designed the
diesel engine used in most all trawlers for most of the 1960s thru the
1980s ( Lehman Diesel 120, 135 and 165). This person (Bob Smith) now
has his own company and still builds and supplies parts for the Lehman
Diesels. Many people are not aware of this and often have a difficult time
finding the parts they need. Bob not only can get any part needed for us
(used, new, or "redesigned and improved") but he will spend all the time
needed on the phone to diagnose and suggest a fix for any problem as "he
is the one who designed the engine, wrote the Users Manual, and made up
all the part numbers".
Bob's address is:
American Diesel Corp. Hillcrest Heights (Rt. 3 North) P.O.Box 1838
Kilmarnock, VA. 22482
Phone: 804-435-3107 FAX: 804-435-6420
5 General Information
5.1 Addresses and numbers for suppliers
Where I have them, I've included the non-800 numbers so that non-US
readers can call these places. Typically I've used the phone number of one
of the store showrooms, but they should be able to help with phone orders
if you are lucky.
M&E Marine 800 541-6501; 609 858 1010: Inexpensive; recent reports
indicate a dedication to good service, and their sailing hardware section is
now excellent. In-store service said to be good, and a good discount
section in at least one store. (jfh)
Bacon's (Annapolis area): 116 Legion Ave, Annapolis, MD. They have
everything, new and used, from clothing to winches, stoves, line, you get
the picture. They are also a national sail exchange. I think they maintain
an inventory of about 1,200 sails, again some newer than others. (cr)
BOAT/US: 1-800-937-BOAT (orders); 1-800-937-9307 (customer service).
Another user says: They offer their lowest price policy on anything. We
recently wanted to purchase rafting cushions. Our local E&B store didn't
have the size we wanted. They did have the lowest catalog price around.
33
They would have special ordered them but I wanted to call BOAT/US
first even though they were $8.00 higher. I called BOAT/US, told them
the E&B price, and they gave us that price, less 10% of the difference. We
didn't have to pay sales tax, and the shipping was much less. The only
"catch" is that the prices must be the regular catalog price, not a sale
price. The other good thing I have noticed about BOAT/US is that they
really have low shipping weights. For the same cushions above, BOAT/US
had a shipping wt. of 6 lbs each. E&B listed the weight at 15 lbs each. A
BIG difference when you have to pay the shipping. If you order by 1pm
they ship out UPS that same day. I called on Thursday 10 am and my
cushions were at my house Friday afternoon.
Worton Creek Marina (upper chesapeake) has an excellent Marine store
and parts dept. Located midway between the Annapolis Bay Bridge and
the C&D canel. Great if you run out of food (frozen or fresh) or need a
spare part or have a breakdown of one sort of another. Very
accommodating and prices are pretty good.
South Coast Marine Supply, Larchmont NY: Much like M&E. Cheaper
prices on a few things.(jfh)
Post Marine Supply (1-800-YACHTER); 111 Cedar St., New Rochelle,
NY 10801. Lowest price in the Larchmont/Rye/New Rochelle area on
bottom paint when I looked around, but I wouldn't buy anything from
them if I didn't have to. The sleazy cover photo on their catalog might
not be enough to put you off, but the rotten customer relations reported
by at least one person suggest that you're better off going to West Marine
(for mail order), which will match prices, and which has the best customer
relations on earth, or Defender (if you're in the area), which is nearby and
treats its customers pretty well, too, at least the walk-in variety.(jfh)
The Rigging Company in Portsmouth, RI, 1-800-322-1525: Unknown to
me, but recommended by Roy Smith. They do sailboat rigging. See
below.(rs)
Boat/US 880 So. Pickett St., Alexandria, VA 22304 (800) 937-2628;(703)
823-9550; Will meet other's advertised prices on anchors. I don't know
about other things. It's where I bought my 35 lb CQR (ouch!). Their
cordage is not particularly good quality, according to a friend who
recently checked it out while looking for anchor rode.(jfh)
E&B Marine: 800 533-5007 *Good* prices on electronics, especially when
they are on sale. Limited selection of sailboat hardware, but their in-store
supply of fasteners is pretty good-if you need a 4" x 5/16" stainless bolt,
and a nylock nut to go on it, they probably have it. If you want cordage,
their pre-cut lengths are a pretty good deal. Their supply is otherwise
34
limited. Rapidly going out of the sailboat hardware business, resulting in
some incredible sale prices in the Providence store at least. This is also
the place to get those mermaid-shaped fenders and signal-flag glasses, if
you go for that sort of stuff.(jfh)
Jamestown Distributors, (800) 423-0030. Excellent source for marine
hardware. Good place to look for stainless steel or bronze fasteners. As
one rec.boat-er said "I can't imagine starting a boatbuilding project
without a call to Jamestown Marine."
West Marine (1-800-538-0775), 510 532 0766. 500 Westridge Drive, PO
Box 1020, Watsonville, CA, 95077, : Their normal catalog is a pretty
informative thing. Their master catalog is something that every sailor
should read. You know how you sometimes say "Jeez, I really need the 6
1/2 foot oars, but they only show 5' and 6' in the catalog."? In the Master
Catalog, they show it all. And the little "West Advisor" sections are in
there as well. Prices: higher than other discount places, but not full-price.
I admit that I sometimes use their catalog to decide what to get, then
look for it elsewhere. Usually not-I appreciate what they do so much that
I pay the slightly higher prices in hopes of keeping them in business.
When they say that they're shipping today, they are telling the truth.
News Flash: in April 1991 I spoke to someone at West who told me they
have a price-matching policy. Now there's no reason to go anywhere else.
They print their catalog on glossy paper, which is environmentally bad,
but they don't use peanuts for shipping any more, which is good.(jfh)
Goldberg's Marine (1-800-BOATING): Identical to E&B Marine.
Overton's (800 334-6541): 111 Red Banks Rd. P.O.Box 8228 Greenville,
N.C. 27835 for technical assitance ask for ext. 286
They carry Pleasurecraft and Indmar Engines, and a wide selection of
waterski gear. Lots of bathing suit ads in the last 20 pages of the catalog.
Defender Marine (1-914-632-3001; 1-800-628-8225 New Rochelle NY):
Great prices, good selection, and reasonable warranty. Badly organized
catalog, printed on newsprint: nice for the environment, but harder to
read. Also, they tend to be a bit slow. Several netters (jfh, gb1) have had
horrible luck with their mail-order business, having the wrong items of
damaged items shipped, and then being yelled at when we wanted to send
them back. Basically, I'll never mail order from them again. They do have
a rigging service, but they send stuff off to Florida to be done (perhaps to
Johnson Sails???).
Brewer's Hardware, 161 E Boston Post Rd, in Mamaranack,
914-698-3232. You can usually get things from Defender cheaper, but
35
Brewers has a remarkable selection of hardware (like fasteners) and
hardware (like Harken stuff). They're pricey, but the stuff is there.(jfh)
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