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Prop Wash by Jim Hendricks

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Joining Boating magazine as West Coast Editor, Jim Hendricks brings with him 35 years of owning, trailering and skippering boats. Hendricks is an award-winning boating writer, columnist and editor. He served as the editor of Trailer Boats magazine for 14 years, and at the same time was editorial director for Powerboat magazine. Read full bio
[ May 16, 2013 ]
Lake Powell Officials Require Boat Cleansing Before You Leave
by Jim Hendricks
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Utah wildlife officials now require trailer boats leaving Lake Powell to undergo a three-step cleansing process to control the spread of the dreaded quagga mussel (shown). The first two steps must take place before boaters can legally tow their boats away from the lake.
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Photo by: Photo by Natalie Boren, Utah Division of Wildlife Resources

 

If you plan on taking your boat to Lake Powell, build in some extra time afterward for a three-step cleansing program -- not for yourself, but for your boat. It all about fighting the invasive species of mollusk known as the quagga mussel. 

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[ May 15, 2013 ]
Replacement Policy 1
by Jim Hendricks
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Joe Lichtenberger was my grandfather, and he loved fishing. His calling as a Nebraska farmer made him tough, but principled. He taught me a number of life lessons, one of which was to promptly replace any equipment that I lost or broke.
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Photo by: Courtesy Joe Lichtenberger Estate

 

My grandfather on my mother’s side, the late Joe Lichtenberger, schooled me when I was 16 on the importance of promptly returning borrowed equipment, and just importantly, replacing any lost or broken gear.

Following this precept served him well throughout his life as a Nebraska farmer, particularly during the Great Depression, when fellow growers depended on each other for loaner equipment in times of need.

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[ May 3, 2013 ]
Hurricane Prep: Hard-Earned Lessons from Hurricane Sandy 4
by Jim Hendricks
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With hurricane season starting in less than a month, use these 15 tips to prepare your boat now for the likes of Super Storm Sandy.
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Photo by: Courtesy NOAA

 

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[ April 17, 2013 ]
LIDAR: THE NEXT BIG THING? 13
by Jim Hendricks
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This iPhone shot of the LIDAR display shows our boat approaching the bridge abutments under the MacArthur Causeway near Miami.
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Photo by: Jim Hendricks

 

We’ve all heard of marine electronics such as GPS, sonar and radar, but there might be a new super-navigational technology on the horizon for boaters.

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[ April 1, 2013 ]
Shockingly Powerful 6
by Jim Hendricks
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ReGen Nautic builds electric outboards up to 300 hp by replacing conventional gasoline powerheads with brushless electric motors and electronic controllers.
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Photo by: Courtesy ReGen Nautic

[ March 15, 2013 ]
FrogTape Test 4
by Jim Hendricks
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FrogTape Test
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I had a little painting project on my boat that required masking off the face of a tackle locker, and so decided this might be a good time to compare FrogTape Multi-Surface masking tape ($7.67/60 yards, walmart.com) with my old standby, 3M’s Scotch-Blue 2090 Painter’s Tape for Multi-Surfaces ($5.77/60 yards, walmart.com

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[ March 13, 2013 ]
The U.S. Border Patrol Asks Boaters to Help Catch Smugglers 2
by Jim Hendricks
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A U.S. Customs and Border Protection boat (background) pursues drug smugglers (foreground) off the California coast. The Border Patrol asks California boaters to be on the lookout for any suspicious craft and report them by calling 800-854-9834.
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Photo by: Courtesy U.S. Customs and Border Protection

 

The U.S. Border Patrol needs you, especially if you boat off the coast of California. Border Patrol Agent Ernie Arellano asked me to help get the word out to boaters – be on the lookout for suspicious activities at sea.

“There’s been a dramatic increase in smuggling activity in the ocean waters off California,” Arellano said. “Drug and human smuggling across the border, all controlled by the Mexican cartel, seems to be moving farther and farther north.”

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[ February 26, 2013 ]
Little Boat, Big Adventure 9
by Jim Hendricks
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Sears' plastic 12-foot Gamefisher took the author to some of his earliest and most memorable boating adventures, including close encounters with sharks, stingrays and young female nudists -- all in a single day.
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Photo by: Old Sears Catalog

 

My first boat was a plastic 12-foot Sears Gamefisher powered by a 15 hp Johnson outboard, and to this day – more than 35 years later – I remember experiencing some of the most daring adventures of my life in that little car-topper.

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[ February 14, 2013 ]
The Biggest Dual-Console Yet 5
by Jim Hendricks
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Grady-White Freedom 375
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Check out the photo gallery for a first-look at the new Freedom 375 on display in Miami.

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[ February 14, 2013 ]
Garmin's Glass Helm Displays 8
by Jim Hendricks
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Garmin's Glass Helm Displays
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Aviation buffs call it the glass cockpit – high-tech platforms that feed digital information to flat-panel electronic displays, largely supplanting the traditional jumble of single-function gauges.

On boats, this is called the glass helm, with multi-function displays (MFDs) showing everything from engine functions and systems updates to navigational information and FLIR images.

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