Saturday, November 29, 2008

Cyber Monday Starts Early for Boaters

Black Friday has come and gone, but there are still plenty of deals available on gifts for boat owners at Boat Name Gear - offering boaters high quality shirts, caps and more, personalized with their boat names.

For example, check out their brand new personalized robes.

This luxurious robe will help you relax - on or off the boat.

Get any boat name custom embroidered on the left chest of this comfortable robe, making it a great personalized gift for every member of your crew.

Order this robe today for FREE SHIPPING and Guaranteed Delivery By 12/24

Check out this robe now

Thursday, November 20, 2008

Feeling Social Part 2

Where do you socialize online when you're not boating?

Last post, after witnessing the launch of Fishington.com, we started reviewing the existing social networking sites for boaters. This post looks at the rest.

Just as SailMonster is a favorite site for the sailboat community, DockWalk.com is probably the best community site for crew members and yachting professionals. The site's 5500 members include deckhands, chefs, yacht owners and more. It's the perfect place to hang if you work on a boat... or if you want to someday.

Bluemapia.com is a "mobile" social network for boaters, and if you're not sure what they mean by "mobile", visit the site and check out their embedded Google Map. Though this site is still in what they call "Beta" phase, when it fully launches it will allow you to visually share where you've cruised and where you're cruising to, and post videos, pics and reviews related to your voyage. Looking forward to the official launch!

Of the current active boating networks out there, TheBoaters.com is far and away the biggest, touting nearly 60,000 members. Its mass appeal could be a testament to the site's clean layout and ease of navigation, or perhaps to its inviting photos of boaters and their boats. But the success of any social network is its ability to easily allow members to connect to other members, and this is where TheBoaters.com really excels. Encouraging visitors to add their "Nautical Resume" and find boaters in the network with similar interests, near and far. In addition, TheBoaters.com is plugged into FaceBook, allowing you to "share your boats with your non-boater friends." You can even get updates from TheBoaters on Twitter, so you'll never miss a beat.

In summary, if you're looking to connect with other boaters on the web, you no longer have to fish (pun intended) through generic social networks like MySpace. There are several communities out there created just for boaters, and surely one of them is right for you. If we missed your favorite boating-related social network here or on our previous post, please let us know by way of comments below.

Wednesday, November 12, 2008

Feeling Social

When you can't be on a boat, do you like to connect with other boaters?

Or maybe you are like me - always online, talking to other boaters, even while you are on your boat.

With the launch last week of Fishington - a social media site for boating and fishing enthusiasts run by the Recreational Boating & Fishing Foundation (RBFF) - I wondered where else boaters "socialize" online.

We already know you can join boating groups on MySpace, FaceBook and LinkedIn, or even follow boaters on Twitter.

But, did you know there were social networking sites entirely dedicated to boaters?

Next time we'll look at some of the best. Today we'll look at the rest. They all have pros and cons, so your best bet is to check them all out and see which feels right for you. Here are the first few:

Activeboating.com - Small, but worth checking out. It looks to have only about 200 members, and it is not very intuitive to browse for new friends in the network, but the pages seem to load quickly and it has potential.

SailMonster is run by a friendly couple who sincerely welcomed me when I first joined - this site has potential and is worth checking out. Especially if you prefer your boats powered by the wind, this is the place for you.

Zooors.com - Launched this past February, this social networking site seems to be aimed at higher end yacht owners. Watch out for pitches from charter yacht companies on this site and enjoy the eye candy - the site has tons of great photos.

BoatingPassions.com - A niche dating site for boat owners and people who want to date boat owners. Seriously.

Next post will look at a few more social boating sites. If you're passionate about a social network site for boaters, add yours here.

Wednesday, November 05, 2008

Hybrid Boat Insurance Deal

Connecticut insurance company Travelers (the guys at the golf tournaments with the red umbrellas) just announced the first hybrid boat and yacht insurance discount. Under the new and first of its kind probram, Travelers will offer up to a 10 percent discount on insurance for hybrid vessels.

One of the issues is that there are not many hybrid boats on the market, and those that are available are not as well known as their automobile counterparts like the Prius. In the boating world, the Hinckley Company offers a hybrid power option for customers interested in its DS42 model, Scout Boats launched a hybrid model in late 2007, Frauscher Bootswerft introduced its hybrid to the United States in May 2008 and the Island Pilot DSe Hybrid made its debut at the 2008 Fort Lauderdale Boat Show this past week. Steyr Motors, which powers the Frauscher vessels, markets its hybrid engine as the "world’s first serial hybrid propulsion system for pleasure boats."

Travelers defines a hybrid boat as "one that utilizes an integrated propulsion system that incorporates both an internal combustion engine and an electric motor in its original design. In this system, forward propulsion can be accomplished with the use of the electric motor with or without the use of the internal combustion engine."

Of course there is fine print on the offer: "A discount of up to 10% applies only to certain coverages. The discount may not be available in all states and is subject to individual eligibility."

Also, watch out for the phrase "up to". That could mean that you'll only get a 1% discount on your boat insurance. My advice would be to contact your insurance agent before you purchase your hybrid boat and get a firm quote on what your insurance costs will be to see if there is any additional savings.