Made with FlowPaper - Flipbook Maker
Visit BROCKVILLE Ontario’s eastern gateway DDDD DDDDVOLUME 38 NUMBER 3 STARCRAFT STARCRAFT STX 2050 BENETEAUBENETEAU GRAND TRAWLER 62 268-44 Crawford Cres., Campbellville, ON L0P 1B0 2nd Class Registration Number #43638025 $9.95 www.powerboating.com PRINCECRAFTPRINCECRAFT VENTURA 23 RLVENTURA 23 RL DOUBLE HEADER: 1000 ISLANDS POKER RUN IMPRESSIVE FISHBOATS FOR 20232023 77 Cover 38-3 - princecraft.indd 1Cover 38-3 - princecraft.indd 12023-07-12 3:50 PM2023-07-12 3:50 PMMercuryMarine.com/Avator MERCURY AVATOR™ 7.5E ELECTRIC OUTBOARD GO FROM ZERO TO ADVENTURE WITH THE PUSH OF A BUTTON What if every journey began with the push of a button? Where would you go? With the Mercury Avator 7.5e electric outboard, all you need is a destination. Its portable design and quick-connect battery will have you ready for the water, no matter where adventure takes you. Avator is intelligent, all-electric propulsion, designed to make exploring effortless. Let your journey begin with Mercury Avator. MercuryMarine.com/Avator MERCURY AVATOR™ 7.5E ELECTRIC OUTBOARD GO FROM ZERO TO ADVENTURE WITH THE PUSH OF A BUTTON What if every journey began with the push of a button? Where would you go? With the Mercury Avator 7.5e electric outboard, all you need is a destination. Its portable design and quick-connect battery will have you ready for the water, no matter where adventure takes you. Avator is intelligent, all-electric propulsion, designed to make exploring effortless. Let your journey begin with Mercury Avator. MercuryMarine.com/Avator MERCURY AVATOR™ 7.5E ELECTRIC OUTBOARD GO FROM ZERO TO ADVENTURE WITH THE PUSH OF A BUTTON What if every journey began with the push of a button? Where would you go? With the Mercury Avator 7.5e electric outboard, all you need is a destination. Its portable design and quick-connect battery will have you ready for the water, no matter where adventure takes you. Avator is intelligent, all-electric propulsion, designed to make exploring effortless. Let your journey begin with Mercury Avator. MercuryMarine.com/Avator MERCURY AVATOR™ 7.5E ELECTRIC OUTBOARD GO FROM ZERO TO ADVENTURE WITH THE PUSH OF A BUTTON What if every journey began with the push of a button? Where would you go? With the Mercury Avator 7.5e electric outboard, all you need is a destination. Its portable design and quick-connect battery will have you ready for the water, no matter where adventure takes you. Avator is intelligent, all-electric propulsion, designed to make exploring effortless. Let your journey begin with Mercury Avator. MER-4320_Avator_7.5e_22_Inflatable.indd 1MER-4320_Avator_7.5e_22_Inflatable.indd 12023-07-10 12:02 PM2023-07-10 12:02 PMFULL BEAM MASTER SUITE 46 CANTIUS46 CANTIUS For more information on the 46 Cantius, please visit CRUISERSYACHTS.COM 338BR | 338OB | 35EX | 38GLS | 39EC | 42C | 50C | 54C | 54F | 60C | 60F 46C cruisers.indd 1cruisers.indd 12022-06-02 2:31 PM2022-06-02 2:31 PM4 www.powerboating.com On The Cover: Princecraft Ventura 23 RL Visit BROCKVILLE Ontario’s eastern gateway DDDD DDDD VOLUME 38 NUMBER 3 STARCRAFT STARCRAFT STX 2050 BENETEAUBENETEAU GRAND TRAWLER 62 268-44 Crawford Cres., Campbellville, ON L0P 1B0 2nd Class Registration Number #43638025 $9.95 www.powerboating.com PRINCECRAFTPRINCECRAFT VENTURA 23 RLVENTURA 23 RL DOUBLE HEADER: 1000 ISLANDS POKER RUN IMPRESSIVE FISHBOATS FOR 20232023 77 Cover 38-3 - princecraft.indd 1Cover 38-3 - princecraft.indd 12023-07-12 3:50 PM2023-07-12 3:50 PM features 8 LIFELINE Proper care and upkeep is crucial if you want your engines to last and perform to the best of their abilities. 12 FISHING TALK Here’s how to choose a lure that matches the natural food source of your targeted species. 34 2023 FISHBOATS EDITOR’S CHOICE Nine fantastic fishing vessels for 2023! 38 BEST OF THE MIAMI BOAT SHOW The 2023 Miami Boat Show was sizzling with new boats and new technology. 42 IT’S POKER RUN TIME! Double Header - 1000 Islands heats up with two huge events. 50 VISITING BROCKVILLE Brockville, Ontario has a great deal to offer boaters, whether you’re looking for a permanent dock, considering a destination vacation or just passing through as a transient boater. 222630 we test 22 STARCRAFT STX 2050 This fishboat embodies the perfect blend of toughness and versatility for every angler’s pursuit. contents42 Power Boating Canada | Volume 38 Number 3 26 PRINCECRAFT VENTURA 23 RL Combining fishing excellence with spaciuos seating to create a fantastic family fish boat. 30 BENETEAU GRAND TRAWLER 62 The Miami show is touted as the largest boat show in the world, and it never disappoints. Contents 38-3.indd 4Contents 38-3.indd 42023-07-12 3:58 PM2023-07-12 3:58 PM6 Volume 38 Number 3 PUBLISHERS PAGE Bill Taylor PBC Publisher William E. Taylor bill@powerboating.com Group Publisher Melanie Taylor-Wallis melanie@powerboating.com Editorial Director Norm Rosen nrosen@taylorpublishinggroup.com Assistant Editor Jarrett Matthews media@taylorpublishinggroup.com Art/Production Manager Giselle Bansal gbansal@taylorpublishinggroup.com Design Tamara Taylor ads@powerboating.com Web Design Moe Basha mbasha@taylorpublishinggroup.com Contributing Writers Tim Banse Zenon Bilas / Boat Testers Mike Burns Tom Dillion Garth Cane Gordon Cruise John Gullick Kenny Hohwiesner Bill Jennings Walt Jennings Mark King Chris Kourtakis Gregg Mansfield Timmy McNamee Mark Rotharmel Todd Taylor ADVERTISING SALES Todd Taylor todd@powerboating.com Eric Spath spatheric@gmail.com Kevin Peterson klpetersonmarketing@gmail.com Subscription circulation@taylorpublishinggroup.com Lifestyle Coordinator Todd Taylor todd@powerboating.com Events Co-ordinator Melanie Taylor-Wallis mtaylor@taylorpublishinggroup.com ADMINISTRATION President /CEO William E. Taylor Group Publisher Melanie Taylor-Wallis VP/Special Projects Norm Rosen Accounting Nancy Mueller nmueller@taylorpublishinggroup.com 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: 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, including Annual New Boat Buyers Guide with a subscription price of $35.00 + HST included for one year and $50.00 + HST including for two years. US $45.00 + HST for one year. Other $75.00 + HST . 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 © 2023 POWER BOATING CANADA Attention Post Office: Return all undeliverables to Toronto office only ® RVDealer NEWS CANADA’S INDUSTRY MAGAZINERVDealer NEWS CANADA’S INDUSTRY MAGAZINE ® ® ® RVDealer NEWS CANADA’S INDUSTRY MAGAZINE BOATCANADA Pontoon & Deck Keep Our Waterways Safe! William E. Taylor Publisher bill@powerboating.com ach year millions of Canadians head out on the open water for a few hours of fun and relaxation. While recreational power boating is a relatively safe leisure time activity, accidents do still happen with most of them being preventable. The solution to reducing incidents on our waterways is, of course, responsible boating, and as boaters, each of us must do our share. This means making the right choices when we’re out on the water and obeying marine rules and regulations. Wearing a lifejacket or approved PFD (personal flotation device) is a must. The Canadian Coast Guard has approved a wide variety of colour and style choices, and PFDs are now more user-friendly, and fashionable than ever before. Familiarizing yourself with proper boating procedures goes without saying. Before you head out for the day, take the time to make sure you’re properly equipped. There’s a new generation of boating enthusiasts on the water these days, bringing a level of energy to the waterfront that we haven’t seen in many years. In many ways, this injection of interest has been fuelled by a new wave of water toys – wakeboards, tubes, and family-friendly items of all descriptions that allow even the youngest family members to enjoy their days. If you and your crew are searching for fun this summer, then look no further than the breathtaking 1000 Islands. What better way to excite the whole family than to observe some of the most beautiful and powerful boats in the world on one of the most gorgeous waterways in Canada. This year we are looking at a massive double-header that will attract more than 30,000 spectators from the United States and Canada. The historic city of Kingston will host the first of our two poker runs from August 4-5. Just a few weeks later, Gananoque will entertain the masses August 25-27 with a poker run on Saturday and a speed shoot-out on Sunday. The shoot-out is an incredible opportunity for powerboat owners to strut their stuff and clock their top speeds in front of thousands of spectators. Get ready to witness the spine-tingling exhilaration of performance boating. Rally your crew for another exciting adventure. Enjoy your summer! Follow us on Facebook! @PowerBoatingCanada Follow us on Instagram! @powerboatingcanada E Power Boating Canada | Volume 38 Number 3 Pub Page 38-3_converted.indd 6Pub Page 38-3_converted.indd 62023-07-12 4:34 PM2023-07-12 4:34 PMFORMULA PRESENTS THE BEST MOVE in performance, styling and features for the ultimate center console experience! Offering flexibility from all-out fishing features to sporty adventures, now is the time to plan for your Formula 387 Center Console Fish and Center Console Sport! Both bring a trove of innovations in seating, storage and equipment options that are new to Center Consoles, while the cabin with 6'4" head-room brings unprecedented features where comfort is key. The new 38'7" Formula with 12' beam is powered by triple Mercury Verado V8s, the newly introduced triple Mercury Verado V10s, triple Mercury Racing 450Rs or twin Mercury Verado 600 outboards. The Formula 387 Center Console series builds on Formula’s rich offshore heritage and gives you the flexibility from all-out Fish to all-out Sport and all points in between! 2200 West Monroe St. • PO Box 1003 • Decatur, IN 46733 • 800.736.7685 www.formulaboats.com • The Formula 387 CCF & CCS — It’s What Moves You! CCformationad.PRunIssues.MY23.indd 1CCformationad.PRunIssues.MY23.indd 12023-05-09 3:20 PM2023-05-09 3:20 PM8 www.powerboating.comPower Boating Canada | Volume 38 Number 3 LIFELINE Mark King PBC egular maintenance of your boat and its systems helps reduce the probability of breakdowns while underway. Knowing this simple fact should encour age everyone to take a look around their boat at regular intervals during the boating season. And yet, many boat owners treat their vessels like their automobiles. They drive them until they break. The difference, of course, is when a car breaks down you can move it to the side of the road and wait for the tow truck to bring it to a garage. On the water, you are faced with a different set of cir cumstances. First of all, boats don’t always stop work- ing when the weather is pleasant. Bad weath- er and stormy seas are often what finally knocks that loose wire off the engine and makes it stop dead in the water or stirs up the muck in your fuel tank to send one last particle to clog your fuel filter. And you can’t just pull off to the side of the road and wait for the tow truck. You don’t necessarily have to be a mechanically inclined person to detect prob- lems with your engine. Simply open your engine hatch and have a look around. See if there are any leaks that weren’t there before or wires that seem to be out of place. Even loose connections can often be spotted with a close visual inspection. If you don’t care to do this much, it is a good idea to have scheduled check-ups throughout the season. A good inspection once a month will only take a few minutes and could save you a lot of headaches (and cash) later on in the summer. But if you are comfort able in the engine room, take this regular inspection one step further. Look for anything that has changed since the last time you were in the engine compartment. Is there a new odor, such as gasoline or oil? If you smell gas when you are in the engine room, it’s best to clear the boat and locate the source of the odor immedi- ately. Are there any tell tale signs of leaks? Oil, gasoline, transmission fluid, water or coolant are all easily spotted on the sides of clean engines or in clean bilges where they will run to the cen tre of the boat. Any leaks should be dealt with immediately as they could turn into large leaks and major prob lems quickly. As well, discharging oil, gas or transmis- sion fluid into the water is ille gal so the very least you should do is mop them up to pre- vent them from being sent overboard. In addition to ensuring all fuel lines and connections are secure, check oil and trans- mission fluid levels as well as the coolant lev- els if the engine has a closed cooling system. The next items that should be inspected are electrical connections and wires. Corroded battery terminals must be cleaned and all wires or connections should be properly connected. Fluid levels should be up in the batteries or even test the condi- tion of each battery cell with a hydrometer. All wire con nections must be firm and wiring har nesses secure. Look for chafe and bro ken wire ties. Next on your list to inspect are the cooling and exhaust system hoses and clamps. These items are continually vibrating, heating and cooling, which can lead to hose failure and loosening of clamps - especially if they are removed for winter storage and not tight- ened securely in the spring. The condition of cooling water intakes and the associated hoses, valves and clamps are critical. Spend a few minutes checking these items. Belts on a marine engine drive alterna tors and water pumps. They should not be shredding, cracked or loose. Without water pumps, your engines will last mere minutes and it’s often impos- sible to hear a belt shredding in a boat’s engine compartment. Maintaining the mechanical systems on board your boat is crucial to safe boating. Each boat owner should develop a checklist of their own sys tems and conduct regular maintenance checks. If you are not comfort- able doing this, or just don’t want to, make sure to have a regular maintenance sched- ule with your local marina. They can usu- ally schedule a maintenance check at a time that’s convenient. Different owners will be comfort able com- pleting different work. Whether you’re com- pletely hands off, or don’t mind rebuilding your propul sion system right at the dock, it’s important to ensure that regular main- tenance is conducted on your boat. It’ll lead to more confidence on the water and will help ensure that you arrive back at the dock if anything does happen . R Engine Maintenance Proper care and upkeep is crucial if you want your engines to last and perform to the best of their abilites. Lifeline 38-3.indd 8Lifeline 38-3.indd 82023-07-12 3:57 PM2023-07-12 3:57 PMTHE ALL-NEW SVX OB. MORE AFFORDABLE FUN. SEE OUR 2023 PRODUCT LINE-UP AT STARCRAFTMARINE.COM The all-new SVX series proves that fun on the water doesn’t have to come with a big price tag. Available in models from 17’ to 23’, all offer sporty performance with an all-new deck and hull design that features higher sides for greater comfort and a V-pad running surface for better performance and fuel economy. Untitled-3 1Untitled-3 12023-01-19 5:58 PM2023-01-19 5:58 PMNext >