Life is Better on the Water — Issue #12
Life is Better on the Water
Issue #12 — by Better Boat
The same week a teenager survived days alone in the Bering Sea by staying with his boat, a major platform merger announced a vision where nobody needs to own one. That tension between self reliance and the sharing economy is running quietly through this entire issue, and it gets more interesting the further you read.
This Week in Boating
Teen Clings to Overturned Boat for Days in Bering Sea Before Rescue
A teenage boy survived days in the Bering Sea by clinging to an overturned boat until rescuers found him. The Bering Sea is one of the coldest and most unforgiving stretches of water on earth. Details on how the vessel capsized and how the rescue unfolded are not yet available.
Read more at Google News: Big Boating News →
Boatsetter and GetMyBoat Merged. Now They Want to Change How America Boats.
Two of the biggest boat rental platforms just merged into one, and the pitch is simple: make renting out your boat as easy as renting out a spare bedroom. If it works, more boats earn money when sitting idle, and more people get on the water without buying anything. That is either great for boating culture or a sign that ownership economics are broken enough to need a workaround (possibly both).
Read more at Power and Motoryacht →
Paddleboard Found Floating Offshore, Owner Still Missing
A paddleboarder went missing off the Florida coast and the Coast Guard found his board drifting without him. An empty board in open water is never a good sign. Details on the search area, conditions, and the missing person are not yet available.
Read more at Google →
The Breakwater You Dock Next To Might Be a 100-Year-Old Concrete Ship
Concrete ships sound like a punchline, but the US built them during both World Wars when steel was too scarce to spare for cargo vessels. A lot of those ships never got scrapped. They got sunk on purpose and turned into breakwaters, and some are still doing that job today in marinas across the country. Next time you pull into a harbor, the thing blocking the swell might be a piece of World War I history.
Read more at US Harbors →
Starlink Kills Global Roam Plan, and Cruising Sailors Are Not Happy About It
Starlink just pulled the rug out from under long-distance cruisers. The company cancelled its Global Roam plan and capped its Roam Unlimited plan at 30 days of international use. For sailors crossing oceans who depended on unlimited global connectivity, this is a real problem. Expect a lot of frustrated liveaboards hunting for alternatives.
Read more at Practical Boat Owner →
This Guy Built a 13-Foot Sailboat for About $4,400 and Sailed It Around the World
Yann Quenet designed and built his own 13-foot sailboat, called Baluchon, for around 4,000 euros. Then he sailed it around the globe solo. Now he has refitted it to do it again. That is either the most inspiring thing you will read today or a reminder that your excuses for not going sailing are embarrassingly thin.
Read more at Practical Boat Owner →
Featured Boat
Formula Boats Drops the 360 Super Sport Crossover
Formula Boats has a new 36-footer built to do a little of everything, which is either a bold promise or a familiar marketing line depending on how many "versatile" boats you have test-driven. Details on specs and pricing are thin right now. Worth watching when the full rundown drops.
Read more at Boating Magazine →
Gone Fishing
Late Summer Blackfin Tuna Are Running in the Florida Keys
Late summer pushes blackfin tuna into range off the Florida Keys, and they fight hard enough to remind you why you got into this in the first place. The article covers where to find them offshore, how to spot actively feeding fish, and what tackle actually works. Details not yet available beyond the overview, but if you fish the Keys in August or September, this one is worth a read.
Read more at Coastal Angler →
What Your Boat Really Needs
Hydraulic Neighbor Deterrent System
Automatically extends a 14-foot foam bumper wall between your vessel and any boat that anchors within conversational distance. Three sensitivity settings: Polite, Firm, and No Eye Contact.
Overheard at the Marina
There are 42 approved sailing knots and approximately one that anyone actually ties in a real situation.
It's the one you learned wrong and have been doing wrong for fifteen years, and the boat is still there every morning, so you're not changing it.
<div class="dynamic-checkout__content" id="dynamic-checkout-cart" data-shopify="dynamic-checkout-cart"> <shopify-accelerated-checkout-cart wallet-configs="[{"supports_subs":true,"supports_def_opts":false,"name":"shop_pay","wallet_params":{"shopId":7402192969,"merchantName":"Better Boat","personalized":true}},{"supports_subs":true,"supports_def_opts":false,"name":"paypal","wallet_params":{"shopId":7402192969,"countryCode":"US","merchantName":"Better Boat","phoneRequired":false,"companyRequired":false,"shippingType":"shipping","shopifyPaymentsEnabled":true,"hasManagedSellingPlanState":false,"requiresBillingAgreement":true,"gatewayType":"CONNECTED","merchantId":"68XAWQAJHB5RY","sdkUrl":"https://www.paypal.com/sdk/js?components=buttons\u0026commit=false\u0026currency=CAD\u0026locale=en_US\u0026client-id=AexZEtAxk09Ncgj6FSWFFyGKbxxAZ_LTyJ2DPdJWl1YUlecinmc5AfIaRF2qYjWlusWahlzz6SVkY5Ci\u0026merchant-id=68XAWQAJHB5RY\u0026intent=tokenize\u0026vault=true","serviceableCountryCodes":["AC","AD","AE","AF","AG","AI","AL","AM","AO","AR","AT","AU","AW","AX","AZ","BA","BB","BD","BE","BF","BG","BH","BI","BJ","BL","BM","BN","BO","BQ","BR","BS","BT","BW","BY","BZ","CA","CC","CD","CF","CG","CH","CI","CK","CL","CM","CN","CO","CR","CV","CW","CX","CY","CZ","DE","DJ","DK","DM","DO","DZ","EC","EE","EG","EH","ER","ES","ET","FI","FJ","FK","FO","FR","GA","GB","GD","GE","GF","GG","GH","GI","GL","GM","GN","GP","GQ","GR","GS","GT","GW","GY","HK","HN","HR","HT","HU","ID","IE","IL","IM","IN","IO","IQ","IS","IT","JE","JM","JO","JP","KE","KG","KH","KI","KM","KN","KR","KW","KY","KZ","LA","LB","LC","LI","LK","LR","LS","LT","LU","LV","LY","MA","MC","MD","ME","MF","MG","MK","ML","MM","MN","MO","MQ","MR","MS","MT","MU","MV","MW","MX","MY","MZ","NA","NC","NE","NF","NG","NI","NL","NO","NP","NR","NU","NZ","OM","PA","PE","PF","PG","PH","PK","PL","PM","PN","PS","PT","PY","QA","RE","RO","RS","RU","RW","SA","SB","SC","SD","SE","SG","SH","SI","SJ","SK","SL","SM","SN","SO","SR","SS","ST","SV","SX","SZ","TA","TC","TD","TF","TG","TH","TJ","TK","TL","TM","TN","TO","TR","TT","TV","TW","TZ","UA","UG","UM","US","UY","UZ","VA","VC","VE","VG","VN","VU","WF","WS","XK","YE","YT","ZA","ZM","ZW"]}}]" access-token="12575c92a849b35ebefe20e88c7c7938" buyer-country="CA" buyer-locale="en" buyer-currency="CAD" shop-id="7402192969" cart-id="6e02ee42b29f0fdb58d150bf0fa6bcd5" enabled-flags="["a1d1f9a1"]" > <div class="wallet-button-wrapper"> <ul class='wallet-cart-grid wallet-cart-grid--skeleton' role="list" data-shopify-buttoncontainer="true"> <li data-testid='grid-cell' class='wallet-cart-button-container'><div class='wallet-cart-button wallet-cart-button__skeleton' role='button' disabled aria-hidden='true'> </div></li><li data-testid='grid-cell' class='wallet-cart-button-container'><div class='wallet-cart-button wallet-cart-button__skeleton' role='button' disabled aria-hidden='true'> </div></li> </ul> </div> </shopify-accelerated-checkout-cart> </div>
