Low Chart-Update Rates Raise the Risk of Navigational Surprises With electronic chart update rates reported as low as 8 percent, the Alliance for Safe Navigation is warning recreational boaters about the growing risk of navigational surprises. Many boaters assume their local charts—paper or electronic—remain accurate year after year, but both natural forces and human activity … Read more

While zipping across Charleston Harbor aboard the Zodiac X10CC, I couldn’t help thinking Jacques Cousteau never had it this good. Cousteau traveled the world’s most beautiful dive spots, but he never steered a Zodiac like this. Zodiac Nautic’s newest model, available in the U.S. in January 2025, is a different breed—big, powerful and distinctly modern. … Read more

Your neighbor has a new Tesla that parallel parks itself with a tap. Another neighbor plants corn hands-free with a GPS-guided John Deere that turns at the row end, self-aligns within three inches and continues while he checks futures on a tablet. So when will boats be that smart? When will you be able to … Read more

Colin Jost and Pete Davidson Buy Decommissioned John F. Kennedy Ferry for Comedy Club Restaurant Colin Jost and Pete Davidson, both longtime New York City residents and regular performers on “Saturday Night Live,” have purchased the decommissioned ferry John F. Kennedy with plans to convert it into a comedy club restaurant. The vessel once carried … Read more

Imagine possessing the technology to pinpoint treasure on the ocean floor. That high-stakes premise drives Lost and Found ($27.99, Arche Books, 2008), a maritime thriller by Tom Williams that blends cutting-edge geoscience with the gritty realities of shipwrecks, salvage diving, and human ambition. The novel follows two British scientists hired by an international oil consulting … Read more

AxonRF nowire Wireless Tank Monitoring System: Wireless, Retrofit-Friendly Level Sensing AxonRF, Inc. introduced the nowire Wireless Tank Monitoring System to eliminate the clutter and difficulty of running wires between tank sensors and the display panel. Designed as a retrofit-friendly solution, the nowire system aims to simplify tank level monitoring by replacing traditional wired installations with … Read more

Choosing the Right Open Powerboat: A Practical Guide Feel the wind on your face and the salt air in your lungs. Hear water sliding along the hull and watch gulls dive for a meal. Those immediate sensory connections—sight, sound and scent—are a big part of why so many boaters prefer open powerboats. With fewer enclosed … Read more

Since 1851 the America’s Cup has been a showcase for both elite seamanship and the leading edge of yacht design. That year a group from the newly formed New York Yacht Club brought their schooner America to Britain, won the prize, and set in motion a rivalry that would continually push sailing technology and tactics. … Read more

Late spring is my favorite season for getting afloat and testing the newest marine gear that caught my eye at the winter shows. This year’s highlights include an innovative propeller, a new family of multifunction displays and networking tools, a fuel filter head with an NMEA 2000 water-in-fuel alarm, and a compact stabilizer designed for … Read more

Highfield Velox 420: New Jet-Powered 14-Foot RIB from Highfield Boats Highfield Boats, the Michigan-based builder known for its rugged rigid inflatable boats (RIBs), has unveiled the Velox 420, a new jet-powered recreational model designed for day trips, watersports and use as a yacht tender. The 14-foot RIB features an aluminum hull and was developed in … Read more