Easy Come, Easy Go

How do you make a good living in these less-than-stellar economic times? An ex-Army detective has a pretty good answer, although not everyone appreciates him for it: He repossesses boats.

The New York Times posted this sad tale about the diligent work of Jeff Henderson, who on average repossesses one boat per day in the Great Lakes area. He's been in the business 20 years, and this year his business is at its busiest.

Although the article touches generally on the debt problems some boaters are facing, the saddest part concerns a man who could no longer afford his 34-foot Donzi Express. When the repo man finally caught up to him, the boater was neither angry nor pleading. He was apologetic. He was wistful. He actually hugged his boat, and said, “O.K., I’m gonna go cry now.”

These kinds of stories are reported often during economic downturns. Sure, the repo man does well at times like these. But is there a silver lining for anyone else?

Absolutely. Most of these repossessed cruisers end up with happy new owners—via boat auction.

Fire in the Hole

Some routine spring maintenance recently put a Cape Cod boater in the hospital with third-degree burns.

Matthew Name of Provincetown, Massachusetts, was cleaning out the bilge area of his 30-footer when sparks from the battery ignited gas fumes. Although the resulting explosion caused serious burns to his hands, face and chest, the 39-year-old was able to get out of the boat, which was dry-docked, and stumble for help.

An employee of the Northside Marina in East Dennis heard the explosion and saw Name emerge from the burning boat. He called police and administered first aid. A flight-for-life helicopter later transported the injured boater to Boston. Police said he was in good condition.

The accident serves as a cautionary tale for boaters: Proper ventilation is critical to any area on your boat where fumes can accumulate.

Sewage Steward

How much would you pay to let someone else empty your boat's holding tank every time it needs it? A new company is hoping about $250 a year.

Klean Marine, a start-up based in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, believes many boaters would line up for the service, especially those who dump their waste illegally and then feel guilty about the pollution it causes.

The company is starting a beta test program in South Florida this summer. If you're interested, check out its Web site. If the pump-out service proves popular, the company also plans to expand nationwide to be able to service cruisers who cover a lot of coastline every year. For about $250, that means your holding tank is emptied for you everywhere you go.

What do you think of the idea? Comment below.

Brave New Boating Museum

"People think of New Jersey as the Garden State. But the truth is, New Jersey has an incredible maritime tradition. Our history rivals that of Massachusetts, Maine, Rhode Island, Connecticut, and New Hampshire."

That's Robert O'Brien, president of the New Jersey Museum of Boating, who recently announced his plan to build a new home for the popular museum.

Currently located in Point Pleasant, the museum showcases hundreds of maritime artifacts from the state's boating history, including a 1959 Cramer racing garvey and the racing scull that New Jersey's own Jack Kelly rowed to victory in the 1936 Olympics.

But the museum, which attracts more than 2,000 people a year, has outgrown its location. The new $12 million facility will be built on Barnegat Bay and is expected to open in 2009. In addition to more gallery space, the museum will feature boat-building classes, a museum shop and clam bar, and a state-of-the-art 120-seat theater.

Keep it in mind when you're planning your coastal cruise next summer.

Under the Sea

Cancel your SCUBA lessons. Hang up your snorkel. Soon, you can see the underwater universe the James Bond way—for a price tag of about $3.5 million.

The Hyper-Sub Submersible Powerboat has been the life's work of inventor Reynolds Marion.

"I started designing it when I was about 11 years old and spent 31 to 32 years trying to come up with the solution that make that type of a design possible," Marion told reporters during a recent test cruise in Clay County, Florida.

Marion says the boat can clock 35 mph on the surface and 5 mph underwater. It can also dive as far as 600 feet below the waves. If the prototype passes testing, the boat could be on production lines within a few years.

Make Room in Your Wallet

In part because of its rising boating-related fatality rate, Florida is poised to make boater ID cards mandatory for anyone who takes the helm.

Currently, all Florida boaters under 21 must carry an ID card, which signifies they have taken a boating safety course. But now, citing statistics from other states that show a positive correlation between mandatory safety courses and lowered fatality rates, the state's Boating Advisory Council has proposed a plan that would raise the required age in five-year increments over the next 11 years. If enacted in 2008, the legislation would apply to all boaters by 2020.

Capt. Richard Moore, the state's boating-law administrator, insists that the boater ID card is not a license. It merely reflects that the boater has taken a safety course, and once you have a card, it's good for life.

Ashes, Ashes, They All Fall Down

Even though the wildfires returned to Malibu this weekend, many boaters are still dealing with the first round of blazes that hit Southern California earlier this month.

From Los Angeles to San Diego, thousands of powerboats along the coast have been coated with a powdery coat of ash. If boaters don't clean their hulls quickly—and properly—they'll have an expensive problem on their hands.

If you live in the area, The Log, a local boating and fishing newspaper, offers a few simple tips to help you clean up your cruiser. White ash from wildfires contains more than just wood particles: There's plastic, fiberglass and other compounds that could damage your hull. And the longer the ash stays on your boat, the more trouble it could cause.

If you clean it yourself, don't use ammonia, heavy-duty soap, or anything that will strip your hull's gelcoat. Your best bet, according to The Log, is a wash-and-wax type soap—and plenty of elbow grease.

You should also consider vacuuming every inch of your boat's interior. Ash is often difficult to detect on carpets and cloth surfaces, but if the toxins are there, they can also cause damage belowdecks.

Next Time, Use the Head

A Japanese deckhand fell overboard last month while urinating off the side of a tanker. And here's how things got worse: He had no life-vest, it was almost midnight, and neither his shipmates nor the Japanese Coast Guard could find him.

But, after that, he couldn't have been luckier. The seas were pretty calm, and while treading water in the dark—about 12 miles off the coast—the 28-year-old found an empty two-liter bottle. Amazingly, he was able to use it to keep him afloat for about 12 hours.

The next morning he was spotted by fishing boat and rescued. Who knew a two-liter bottle could serve so well in a pinch?

The Manatee Money Plan

Broward County asked the question: Who should pay the tab for our manatee protection program? And it's about to settle on the answer: Marina developers.

Here's the plan: For every new boat slip a developer wants to build, he or she must pay a $750 initial fee and an annual $20 fee. All that money will go to protecting the threatened sea cow—everything from better warning signs to increased enforcement of manatee zones.

If you live in Broward, you might want to weigh in on this before the County Commission takes up the issue in the next few months. One of the committee members recently expressed a likely, if cynical, scenario. Bernie Gartner told the Sun Sentinel that any new fees will just get passed down to the consumer: "Whoever's paying for it, it's going to come back to the boater."