Executive Editor Brady L. Kay
Editorial Staff Nicole Richens, Heather Magda Serrano, Roy Sparks, Shelisa Melgaard
Editorial Correspondents
Dan Armitage, Sky Smith, Bill Gius
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Publisher Brady L. Kay
Executive Editor Brady L. Kay
Circulation Manager Chuck Harris
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By Brady L. Kay
Following Porter’s funeral in October 1905, an article titled “Inventor’s Dream Not Realized” was published in the St. Joseph Daily Press. The local newspaper wrote that Porter conceived the idea of building a St. Joseph River craft which should “only draw a few inches of water and with an eye to that purpose designed and constructed a curious boat which rested upon two hollow cylinders, conical at each end and filled with air.”
Pet-Friendly?
Is Your Boat Pet-Friendly?
HOW TO UPGRADE YOUR PONTOON
The open floor plan of most pontoon boats makes an ideal casting platform for anglers. Similarly, all that open space means pets love this style of craft as well. Pontoon boats are just a natural fit for our four-legged friends and you can see it in their eyes: there’s no way you could ever leave them behind on the dock. Depending on the size and age of your dog, the boat that comes directly from the manufacturer to your dealer is already set up for your pet to be safe without any additional upgrades needed.
For those who want to make their pontoons a little more pet-friendly, there are ramps or stairs that make getting back on board from the water a lot easier for your dog, but the inside of the boat is where you start getting into what most owners would consider must-haves if the family pet is a regular on cruises.
Richard Burchill, Budd Lake, N.J.
Terry & Kathy Smith, Lake Bruin, La.
Marcus Rosehill, Kaneohe, Hawaii
William Atteberry, Auburn, IL
John De La Franier, Portbay, N.Y.
Ken Braun, Hartford, Wis.
Danny Criner, North Chesterfield, Va.
Frank Gunther, Lawrenceville, Ga.
e-mail: sales@jcpontoon.com
Always wear a personal flotation device while boating and read your owner’s manual.
e-mail: sales@jcpontoon.com
Always wear a personal flotation device while boating and read your owner’s manual.
“My parents live up near Lake Bellaire, Mich.,” said Triscia. “They bought their house back when I was five and ever since then I’ve been out on the lakes.”
Pat also grew up on the water, but in Indiana, and the couple first met in Chicago, Ill., in 1995. They both had recently graduated college and moved to the city, and the rest is history. With both of them practically born boating, their mutual love for the waters made their relationship a sure win.
It is referred to as the Miami Boat Show, but with over 100,000 visitors from approximately 35 countries around the globe, it truly is the Miami International Boat Show. It’s true, people from all over the globe come to visit the six different locations of this massive show to look at mega yachts that cost more than my neighborhood combined. Make no mistake, this show is known for oversized boats and if you’re a pontoon fanatic fair warning: there are way better venues if you’re hunting for your next pontoon.
for any pontoon boat
for any pontoon boat
Move sideways, diagonally, or rotate in place
Easy DIY installation • $5,695 for the complete kit
For Your Dock
Ensure everything is
clean and tidy before
the summer starts
For Your Dock
Ensure everything is clean and tidy before the summer starts
Products
affordable) cruise on the Lago 20U
Thanks to supply chain issues and the increase of materials, we’ve seen prices rise in the pontoon industry just like everything else. You may not be fully aware of it, but manufacturers are truly doing everything they can to find the right balance of offering a quality and well-built boat, but at a budget-friendly price. Don’t believe me? Clearly you haven’t been paying attention to manufacturers such as Viaggio and its Lago 20U that are proving it can be done.
Fender Lock
By Bill Gius
When I raft up or visit docks I like to hang fenders off the side to protect my pontoon logs or other parts of the boat. Tying them to the top rail of the fence is the usual and easiest way to do it, but I have a lot of bench seat backs going around the sides so that’s not possible in my situation.
Last summer I installed some TACO Marine Pontoon Boat Fender Lock kits; they’re around $79 on Amazon and they’re stainless and pretty robust. I got out my cordless drill, some thread locker and a tape measure and installation was actually pretty easy.
I found the center of my fence rail and drilled a 1/8-inch hole. That’s the pilot hole for both the bottom and top of the rail. After opening up the top rail hole, I drilled the bottom hole to the 1/4-inch needed to fit the fender lock. I then de-burred the bottom hole with a slightly larger drill bit.
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For example, crappies will be in post-spawn mode the farther south you find yourself fishing this month, while the ‘slabs’ in the northern states may just be getting to their beds. Either way – and for all in between – fish such as crappies will be feeding to put weight back on in the post-spawn, feeding to prepare for the spawn, or guarding nests that have been established and chasing any baitfish that approaches their turf.
As I have been talking about the low water levels, spring gives hope to rains and melting snow and floods. On a side note, I watched a program recently on the Great Salt Lake in Utah. Wow, and I thought our reservoir was low. It is sad to see how much water they have lost. I feel sorry for the boaters living in that area. It might be time for them to change hobbies. Can you say “land sailing?”
