Anchors Aweigh

It doesn’t take a marine biologist to figure out that fishermen, wake boarders and pleasure-cruise fans want to spend their free time on the water. Land? The stuff is serviceable, at least as a route to and from the ocean, lake or river. But occasionally, water lovers get excited on terra firma as well. Nothing gets them going like a good boat show – an arena filled with new-model center consoles and cruisers, sleek flats boats and and home-sized yachts.

Shows bring anglers, boat dealers and tackle suppliers and others together under one roof, giving everyone a chance to catch up with old friends, see what’s new out there and kick-start another boating and fishing season.

Jacqui Bomar, president of JBM & Associates in Spartanburg, heads up the 30th Charleston Boat Show, to be held Jan. 22-24 at the Charleston Area Convention Center. About 10,000 people are expected to attend the event, produced in association with the Tri-County Marine Trade Association.

Bomar teams with the association, which she calls “a small, committed group of boat dealers,” to put on the show. Dealers display the latest in marine technology, style, comfort and luxury. “They will show off new models for the year.”

“Shows are critical,” Bomar adds. “The highest percentage of sales for the year are at the shows.”

The show is one place where people can really shop around. “People who are serious boaters come to the show,” Bomar says. “We make it easy (to see) all different types of boats.”

The region’s leading dealers will be on-site to feature the marine industry’s newest powerboats, including: sport cruisers, motor and express yachts, sportfishing boats, center console fishing boats, bass boats, bow riders, deck and aluminum boats, ski and pontoon boats, runabouts, bay boats, shallow water flat skiffs and family cruisers.

Boat show producers note that 72 percent of attendees are men, and 60 percent are married. The largest group by age is 35-64 years old, accounting for 69 percent. Another 18 percent are aged 25-34. Most are well off: 70 percent earn an annual household income greater than $60,000. And the majority are plenty familiar with the water: 63 percent currently own a boat.

Michael Kennedy, manager of Seels Outboard Marine west of the Ashley, says manufacturers unveil their lineups in the summer, but most boaters don’t get to see the models until big events such as the Charleston Boat Show.

“It gives people a preview of what’s out there, the new products coming in,” he says.

Dealers like Kennedy are eager to promote the merits of boating after enduring a sluggish 2009 and the traditionally slow winter season.

“We are looking at things positively for the year,” Kennedy said. “People seem to have pent-up urges to buy boats. They are waiting on the economy.”

Common types of boats

Bass Boats: Bass boats have low, sleek profiles and are built to fish with two or three anglers on board.

Bowriders: These family boats are the most popular in the runabout/spotboat category and are equipped with extra seats and forward access to the bow, a convenient spot to relax and sun.

Center Console: These open fishing boats are built to take rough offshore waters in pursuit of ocean fish. Rod holders, outriggers and other gear are common fittings onboard.

Closed Bow Runabouts: Closed Bow Runabouts are fast and ideal for smaller crews who enjoy the sleek sports car look. These boats are great for watersports activities.

Cuddy Cabins: These are great day cruisers and overnighters for small groups and family boating. Ideal for skiing, tubing and wakeboarding, they are most often powered with sterndrive engines, but outboard power is becoming popular, too.

Deck Boats: Deck boats have wide deck to carry 8 to 12 or more passengers (like pontoons) but look and perform more like runabouts. They are powerful, too, making them excellent boats for skiing, tubing and wakeboarding.

Fish and Ski: This craft allows boaters to enjoy the two most popular on-water activities; fishing and skiing. This family fishing and recreational boat has enough power to pull a skier or two, and to get to the fishing spot in short order.

Flat Boats: These boats are popular in coastal areas where sea trout and redfish live. They can float and run in water less than two feet deep and are ideal for fishing with two to three people on board.

Inboard Cruisers: Inboard cruisers tend to be 30-feet long or longer and are great for sleeping, cooking and plumbing facilities. They feature a simpler drive mechanism that is often considered easier to maintain in salt water.

Inboard Ski Boats: Inboard ski boats accelerate rapidly to “pop” skiers from the water and turn very crisply recovering a downed skier easily. These boats are great for skiing, racing and other watersports.

Jon Boats: A jon boat is a multi-purpose camping, freshwater fishing and hunting craft, typically aluminum and powered by a small to moderate outboard. They may be customized with added fishing features like trolling motors and driver consoles.

Motor Yachts: Motor yachts are ideal for ocean cruising or navigating large rivers or the Great Lakes, as well as entertaining at the dock. Two engines, usually fueled with diesel and a generator for electricity make them self-sufficient.

Pontoon Boats: Pontoon boats give families with younger boaters a secure place to enjoy the ride or toddle about when at anchor, thanks to wide decks and “lay pen-like” side rails and gates. When equipped with larger engines they can be as quick as runabouts.

Sedan Bridge: Sedan Bridge has all the style of a sportfishing yacht, but exchanges a tuna lookout tower and fishing amenities for more deck space and swim platform. They have ample living accommodations including an electrical generator, AC and plumbing.

Sportfishing Boats: These large boats are great for pursuing offshore gamefish. Often equipped with sleeping berths, a galley for cooking and plumbing for convenience, they have the capacity to stay on the water for days.

Walkaround: These boats may be the ultimate family fishing boats and are most popular in coastal waters. They are equipped with rod holders, livewells and steps to the forward deck to make it easy to follow a big fish around the boat.

Source: discoverboating.com

Boating terms

Aft: Near or at the stern.

Anti-fouling: A type of paint used on the bottoms of boats that repels barnacles, marine grass and many other undesirable adhesions.

Beam: The width of a boat.

Bilge: The lowest part of a vessel’s interior hull. You will, of course, employ a bilge pump to rid the bilge of water.

Bimini: A rectangular canopy, usually of canvas, on a light frame that protects the bridge and/or control console from sun and rain.

Bridge: The control station from which a large boat is navigated.

Cleat: A metal fitting to which mooring lines are attached.

Cockpit: An open space aft of a decked area from which a small vessel is steered.

Draft: The vertical distance from the waterline to the lowest point of the hull or attachments, such as the tip of a propeller, which determines the minimum depth of water in which a vessel will float.

Fore: Located at the front of the vessel; “fore and aft” means front and back.

Galley: The kitchen on a boat.

Gunwale: The upper edge of the side of the boat. It is pronounced “gunnel.”

Hatch: An opening in the deck, providing access to the space below.

Helm: Where the steering wheel is located. The helmsman is the person who is steering the boat.

Hull: The main structural body of a vessel, excluding superstructure, masts, sails or rigging.

Inboard: Powerboat having an engine inside the hull.

Keel: The main structural member of a vessel extending along the center of the bottom.

Knot: Unit of speed; one nautical mile per hour.

Line: A rope used aboard a ship.

Midships: The center of the boat.

Mooring: A place where vessels are kept at anchor.

Outboard: Powerboat having an engine outside the hull.

PFD: Personal Flotation Device; a life preserver.

Port: The left side of a boat.

Scupper: A drain hole that allows water falling on deck to flow overboard.

Slip: A berth for a boat, usually between two piers.

Starboard: The right side of the boat.

Stern: The back of the boat.

Transom: The transverse (crossways) piece forming the stern of a square-ended boat.

Trim tabs: Adjustable rectangular control flaps that project along the water’s surface at the transom when the hull is planing.

SOURCE: searay.com