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DDDD DDDDVOLUME 36 NUMBER 2 $6.95 THE SHOW STOPPING FORMULAFORMULA 500 SSC 268-44 Crawford Cres., Campbellville, ON L0P 1B0 2nd Class Registration Number #43638025 www.powerboating.com Mr. Propeller is your friend The world’s Most Powerful Electric Outboard! CANADA’S FOREMOST BOATING PUBLICATIONCANADA’S FOREMOST BOATING PUBLICATION 1818NEW NEW PONTOON AND DECK BOATS FOR 2021 We tested: SERGE LECLERC SERGE LECLERC Vancouver diver Vancouver diver does it alldoes it all2 www.powerboating.comPower Boating Canada | Volume 36 Number 2 Stop Dreaming AND START BOATING! Absolute Yachts 62 fly available at www.absoluteyachts.com3 www.powerboating.comVolume 36 Number 2 | Power Boating Canada Stop Dreaming AND START BOATING!4 www.powerboating.comPower Boating Canada | Volume 36 Number 2 contentsOn The Cover: Starcraft EX 3 Q DDDD DDDD VOLUME 36 NUMBER 2 $6.95 THE SHOW STOPPING FORMULAFORMULA 500 SSC 268-44 Crawford Cres., Campbellville, ON L0P 1B0 2nd Class Registration Number #43638025 www.powerboating.com Mr. Propeller is your friend The world’s Most Powerful Electric Outboard! CANADA’S PREMIER BOATING PUBLICATIONCANADA’S PREMIER BOATING PUBLICATION 1818NEW NEW PONTOON AND DECK BOATS FOR 2021 We tested: SERGE LECLERC SERGE LECLERC Vancouver diver Vancouver diver does it alldoes it all < PONTOON AND DECK BOATS> features 8 TECH TALK The key to maintaining your boat 10 FISHING TALK An angler is only as good as his/her tools 32 MR. PROPELLER IS YOUR FRIEND How to choose and get the most out of your props 42 18 NEW PONTOON AND DECK BOATS From $12K to more than $170K 56 VISION MARINE TECHNOLOGIES ELECTRIFIES THE WATERWAYS The company developed the world’s most powerful electric outboard 58 FROM THE VAULTS: BUILDING YESTERDAY’S DREAMS TODAY Personalized replicas and reproductions are back in vogue 66 DIVING IN WITH SERGE LECLERC This Vancouver-based diver does it all! 28 we test 28 FORMULA 500 SSC A show stopper powered by Mercury’s Quad 600 HP’s! 32 42 columns 6 PUB PAGE 8 TECH TALK 10 FISH TALK 16 LIFELINE 18 HANDLE WITH CARE 20 GEAR GALLERY 72 MAINSTREAM©2021 Bombardier Recreational Products Inc. (BRP). All rights reserved. ®, TM and the BRP logo are trademarks of BRP or its aliates. There's a feeling out on the water that can't be put into words. Moments with family and friends, enjoying a perfect day, building memories that will last a lifetime. Whether you're looking for endless days of fun on the water, or a day filled with fishing and cruising, Manitou o ers a wide range of models that will meet all of your needs. Make every summer count by discovering Manitou pontoon boats today. Contact a Manitou Dealer to order your 2021 boat today. MAKE MEMORIES THAT LAST A LIFETIME6 Power Boating Canada | Volume 36 Number 2 Publisher William E. Taylor bill@powerboating.com Group Publisher Melanie Taylor-Wallis melanie@powerboating.com Editorial Director Norm Rosen nrosen@taylorpublishinggroup.com Editor Eric Vienneau editor.PBC@taylorpublishinggroup.com Art/Production Manager Giselle Bansal giselle@powerboating.com Design Tamara Taylor ads@powerboating.com Digital Content Paul Wright / Photographer pwright@taylorpublishinggroup.com Web Design Moe Basha mbasha@taylorpublishinggroup.com Contributing Writers Tim Banse Zenon Bilas / Boat Testers Mike Burns Tom Dillion Garth Cane John Gullick Kenny Hohwiesner Bill Jennings Mark King Chris Kourtakis Claude Leonard Gregg Mansfield Timmy McNamee Mark Rotharmel Steve Sansford Todd Taylor ADVERTISING SALES Todd Taylor todd@powerboating.com Subscription info@powerboating.com Lifestyle Coordinator Todd Taylor todd@powerboating.com Events Co-ordinator Sarah Gregg sgregg@taylorpublishinggroup.com ADMINISTRATION President /CEO William E. Taylor Group Publisher Melanie Taylor-Wallis VP/Special Projects Norm Rosen Accounting Nancy Mueller EXECUTIVE AND EDITORIAL OFFICES Toronto: 268-44 Crawford Crescent, Campbellville, ON L0P 1B0 Tel: 905-844-8218 Fax: 905-844-5032 Montreal: Tel: 514-856-0788 Fax: 514-856-0790 Vancouver: Bob and Carole Taylor, 1745 Rufus Drive North Vancouver, BC V7J 3L8 New York: 777 East Park Drive, Tonawanda, NY 14150 Florida: PO Box 530584, Debary, FL 32753 Subscription Inquiries Call: 1-800-354-9145 Power Boating Canada is published seven times a year by Power Boating Canada, Jan/Feb, Mar/Apr, May/Jun, Jul/Aug, Sep/Oct, Nov/Dec, plus Annual Fish Boats Buyers Guide with a subscription price of $30.00 GST included for one year and $45.00 GST including for two years. US $40.00 for one year. Other $70.00. Material in this magazine may not be reproduced in any form without permission. Editorial contributions must be accompanied by return postage and will be handled with reasonable care. The publisher assumes no responsibility for return or safety of artwork, photographs, or manuscripts. Power Boating Canada reserves the right to refuse any and all advertising and disclaims all responsibilities for claims or statement of facts made by its advertisers or independent columnists. PRINTED IN CANADA CANADA POST PUBLICATIONS MAIL SALES PRODUCT AGREEMENT NUMBER 43638025 MONTREAL, QUEBEC © 2021 POWER BOATING CANADA Attention Post Office: Return all undeliverables to Toronto office only Volume 36 Number 2 Fun and Safety Your keys to family boating! PUBLISHERS PAGE bill taylor PBC STAY SAFE, AND SIGN UP FOR OUR NEWSLETTER! William E. Taylor Publisher bill@powerboating.com ® RVDealer NEWS CANADA’S INDUSTRY MAGAZINERVDealer NEWS CANADA’S INDUSTRY MAGAZINE ® ® ® RVDealer NEWS CANADA’S INDUSTRY MAGAZINE BOATCANADA Pontoon & Deck hen was the last time you sat on an airplane and listened intently as the flight attendant explained the safety features of the craft? Fact is, most of us are more concerned with getting there, or wondering when food and drink will be served. Same truth applies to some recreational boaters. Maybe they carry life jackets on board – but wear them? No Way! They have never had a reason to use them. Luckily, if and when they ever have to use the life jackets, I sincerely hope that the safety gear is not stowed below in some hard to reach storage bin. What brings this up today is that only a few years ago, a young boy was boat- ing with his family. The boat accidentally hit a wave, flipped, and everyone on board was ejected. They all managed to make it to safety, except the 11-year old boy, who was only found a few weeks later. An unbelievable tragedy, but a very important lesson to be learned – it is imperative that all people aboard a boat wear their PFDs. Over the past several weeks, with the start of the season, I have had several calls and emails from boaters shocked to see that many of us are still not wearing PFDs – perhaps because it is the beginning of the season, and everyone is excited to be out on the water. The callers also mentioned that there was a lot of alcohol on the boats, while they were under way, and while they were tied up at the dock. I have said it before, and boaters should never forget our prime directive – water on the water, beer on the pier. We have other safeguards, but the two rules I just mentioned are critical, and all boaters, whether they run performance craft or recreational boats, must abide by the basic safety rules. Boating is a wonderful family activity, where we all meet so many new friends and acquaintances – nobody wants to experience a tragedy like this one. Imagine if this happened to you or me, especially with our experience in boating and safety, but it could easily happen with such a small error. Enjoy the water, enjoy the speed, but above all, make sure that everyone on board has nothing but pleasant memories of their day on the water. WVovlo.indd 1Vovlo.indd 12021-03-03 2:09 PM2021-03-03 2:09 PM8 Power Boating Canada | Volume 36 Number 2www.powerboating.com TECH TALK power boating canada PBC he boating season is well under way with your engines, drives and boat all in running order. Now you need to ask yourself: how do you maintain the reliability, safety, economy, and performance of your equipment? Years of R&D testing, poker runs, and weekend excursions have proven that fine tuning can improve your boat’s performance (sometimes 1-3mph) and increase your engine’s life without making internal motor modifications or larger horsepower engine swaps. Regular oil and filter change every 50 hours are standard maintenance. Each engine manufacturer develops their own grades of oil which are always on hand at your Iocal dealer. Keeping abrasive materials away from moving internal parts, pistons, cranks, the cam and bearings, will add to the life of your engine. Properly tuning the engine to the manufacturer’s specifications is a critical job, one that should be done by a trained technician. Tuning up includes changing spark plugs, caps, and rotors. As most boaters know, we quite often neglect these things until they finally fail. Spark plug wires should be checked at least every two years, if not annually. This is a critical safety point. Old spark plug wires with cracked insulation can ground out, causing sparks inside the bilge -which can be very disastrous, with the possibility of fire or explosion. Properly adjusting the carburetor is another important tuning step. Inspect it for leaks. Make sure that linkages and chokes are functioning properly. If problems arise in any of these areas, the carburetor should be rebuilt by a qualified technician. Let us assume that the oil has just been changed and is clean, and the engine is in tune, operating in the manufacturer’s top rpm range. For engine longevity, if specs call for4600 - 5000 rpm, then try to stay as close as possible to 5000 rpm - but not exceed it! You can accomplish this by working with different props. Propping is a science with a multitude of styles, sizes, and manufacturers. It is best to consult your manufacturer or dealer. Not only does your dealer have a supply of props on hand, they also will know what will work best with your boat’s size and power. The right prop will enable your boat to perform at its maximum potential. An engine will also achieve its maximum horsepower with a cooler air charge going down the carburetor. Ideally, the bilge temperature should be as close as possible to the outside air temperature. To test your engine compartment temperature, tape a thermometer to the forward engine bulkhead. Take your boat out to open water and run it at wide open throttle for at least five to eight minutes, allowing everything to reach maximum temperature in the engine compartment. At the end of your run, slow the boat as quickly and safely as possible. Shut the engine off and lift the hatch to read the thermometer. Record the reading - it is probably a lot higher than the outside air temperature. Another quick test for cooling and air flow - which should be done only under controlled conditions – is to run the boat at wide open throttle with the engine hatch raised about an inch, or off. If you notice any gain in mph and./or rpm, you have restricted air flow and possible high bilge temperature. Two things can influence running temperature: venting in the engine compartment (bilge vents) and the size and condition of the flame arrester (breather) on top of the carburetor. Most boat manufacturers will install enough vents to exhaust any bilge at low to mid-range speeds, but not enough to keep temperatures down at higher speeds. In most cases, adding one or two more vents per side will bring the temperatures down. A flame arrester has several functions. It filters the air flow into the carburetor and will also retain any flame in the carburetor that is caused by a backfire. Hence the name “flame arrester” or “spark arrester. “Keeping the flame arrester clean is very important for engine economy, safety, and performance. By allowing the mesh screen to get clogged with particles, you restrict air flow to the carburetor. This makes the engine run rich, as if the choke were stuck on, causing the engine to slow down. Usually, the flame arrester supplied with a stock engine is at its maximum flow. In most cases, going to the next larger size will enhance the breathing capabilities, especially when you add extra bilge vents. Remember, lower air temperatures and more air flow equals more horsepower. All of these changes can help any engine use... whether cottage boating or high-speed poker runs. h T Keeping in Tune The key to maintaining your boat.It’s all you need and more than you expected – the Formula 500 Super Sport Crossover! 2200 West Monroe St. • PO Box 1003 • Decatur, IN 46733 • 800.736.7685 • www.formulaboats.com THE F ORMUL A 500 SUPER SPOR T CR OSS O VER is your newest and best choice for taking a time out on the water! Finally, a fifty-foot answer to your private escape with family and friends, combining a commanding offshore ride with unprecedented amenities and luxury. The 500 SSC offers the Formula Crossover heritage of a wide-open, single-level bowrider inviting open station-to-station wandering. From the enclosed coupe-top salon to the aft lounge bar, the 500 SSC is a true evolution and culmination of the Formula SmartZone™ concept. From the full bow lounge forward to the expansive extended swim platform aft, you will find air-conditioned comfort, entertainment and innovation. A full- width motorized glass salon bulkhead allows you to choose your degree of separation or shared fun with the aft cockpit lounges and bar areas. The 500 SSC amenities below offer a respite from the outside world with a true cabin experience. A complete galley at the cabin entry stairs, the large convertible U-lounge forward, a head with Corian surfacing, vanity sink and spacious shower create a residential feel. Slip aft to the separate stateroom with queen-size berth, sofa and complete entertainment suite. The proven, surefooted double-step FAS3Tech® hull will take your complement of guests to dinner across the bay or on far-flung offshore journeys in speed and comfort with the confidence and might of the revolutionary all-new quad Mercury V12, 600 horsepower Verado outboards. The horizons are limitless in your 500 Super Sport Crossover! 500SSC3_4Miami NEW.indd 1500SSC3_4Miami NEW.indd 12021-04-15 11:41 AM2021-04-15 11:41 AMNext >