Sex, Comedy, and Boats

Source: Grand Banks Yachts

“It’s just amazing to me that you can just take a boat, and over time figure out all this s--t. And the more things you can do, you can go anywhere!” --Louis C.K.

Did you know Louis C.K. is a boatie?  Me neither.

If you aren’t familiar with the web series ‘Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee,’ the title pretty much explains it all.  Typically, Jerry Seinfeld (the host) picks up a comedian friend and they take a ride in a collectable car to go get coffee and make some jokes along the way.  The episode after the jump features comedian Louis C.K. and his Grand Banks yacht and a great story about running aground.

Click past the jump for some comedians on a boat getting coffee.  The boating starts around the 8 minute mark; and Louis’ story starts at the 17:40 mark, don’t miss it.

Videos: 1968 Lamborghini Powered Riva

Source: Maurice Volmeyer Fotografie

If you have ever struggled with a smaller boat being labeled a yacht, here is your classic example of a “yacht”.  Think of it kind of like the automotive equivalent of a supercar. Here you have that one-two punch of elegant, timeless beauty and masterful engineering.  A classic 1968 Riva Aquarama with twin 4.0-liter V-12 Lamborghini engines (no, those were not factory options).  I bet you had no idea Ferruccio Lamborghini was such a passionate boatie?

If looking over a classic Riva Aquarama (or even a new one for that matter) doesn’t stir something within your soul, then you need to check your pulse. And if the thought of twin Lamborghini V12's powering said classic Aquarama doesn’t make your heart race a little, then you are no boatie and you’re dead to me.  

Click past the jump for some more photos of what Frankenstein would have looked like if that mad scientist were an Italian tractor designer instead. There are also two videos after the jump.  The first is mostly dedicated to the visual aesthetic of the spicy Italian.  The second video is better suited to those of us more inclined to the audible pleasure of hearing two Lamborghini V12’s at wide open throttle, at the same time.

Video: Don’t Touch the Boat, Bro!

Source: Vimeo

It’s more a commercial for swim shorts than it is about boats; but we’ve all met someone like this. You know the type, a real quarter-pounder-with-douche that has more money than taste.  Just don’t touch his boat or his cronie will go “viper” on you. Check out the video after the jump.

If you dig the shorts, you can pick up a pair at Lacrosse Playground.

Video: Ghost River, Ontario

Source: Vimeo

Man, I can’t believe the summer is already half over.  I hope all you boaties have been getting out and making the most of this year’s boating season.  If your life has been anything like mine lately you have an itch to get out on the water that you just can’t seem to scratch.  Hopefully the video after the jump can offer a little motivation for you to plan an aquatic adventure while there is still some summer left.  In a desperate attempt to get some much needed family time, Boatieblog is packing up the canoe and heading to the mountains of North Carolina for the next week.  We’ll do our best to capture some good stories to share with you.

Check out the video of the Ghost River Camp near Sioux Lookout, Ontario after the jump; and don’t forget to leave us a comment of your favorite boating escape so far this summer.

Video: Miss Daytona, The Boat

Source: Autoweek

There was a time in the history of boating when racing a boat meant you had to have a hairy chest and a waxed handlebar mustache.  Your only safety gear was a tied on life jacket and the only way your engine’s emissions were reduced was by the amount of exhaust you inhaled while skip across the water.  

The Miss Daytona was a boat of that era.  The stepped hull, transom rudder boat had a supercharged motor designed by Harry Miller (that gives it a proven race engine pedigree).  Check out a video of car collector Bruce Meyer taking Miss Daytona for a test cruse.  About 6 minutes into the video the boat gets up to speed and the engine really comes to life, I probably watched that part five times over, what a machine.  

Go ahead and give your imaginary waxed mustache a quick twist and click past the jump to climb aboard the ever classy Miss Daytona.

Video: The Edge

Now here is a video of a couple of boaties who know how to have a good time.  Watching these two launch wave after wave on their nimble inflatables, you get the sense the boats are trying to escape the grasp of the ocean and just go full airborne.  The Ceasar Inflatables are rugged and race proven and look like the perfect craft to test the boundary between water and air.

If this video doesn’t make you want to hit the water and throttle up you need to have your pulse checked.  Click past the jump to get your adrenaline going.

Special thanks to Luke S and Uncle Dave for some sick air and the great video to share it with us.  Maybe next time you’ll have a couple friends brave enough to experience that flying feeling.

Spring Boat Shows w/video

With the official start of Spring today, I’d say it’s time we all get back on the water.  If you still haven’t “de-winterized” your boat and are looking for something boatie to do this weekend, there are a couple boat shows that are sure to motivate you out of hibernation.  

The first boat show is the Palm Beach International Boat Show.  March 21 - 24, If you purchase tickets online you can save a couple dollars, admission at the gate is $16 for adults and $7 for kids.  The Palm Beach Boat Show is one of this country's top five boat shows and features boats ranging from 8 foot inflatables to 150 foot plus mega yachts.  I’m sure you’ll have no problem scoping out your next dream boat.  Not to mention you’ll be in beautiful West Palm Beach.

The other show this weekend, the one Boatieblog will be attending, is the Sunnyland Antique Boat Festival in Tavares, FL.  The Sunnyland Antique and Classic Boat Society has been organizing this show for 26 years now.  This will be our first year at the show, but we are no stranger to Wooten Park in Tavares, FL where the show is located.  Right along Lake Dora, the park and surrounding areas are a boater’s paradise with plenty of fun for the whole family.  Wooten Park has a great playground and splash pad for the little ones.  The local steam train rides on the Cannonball Train are fun for the young and young at heart.  And we like to unwind right along the lake with a cocktail and the live band at AL’s Landing after a long day on the water.

Click past the jump for a great video from last year’s Sunnyland Antique Boat Festival.

Flashing Boaters Cause Distracted Driving w/video

Source: Doug Wertman via Wikimedia Commons

A different type of distracted driving has I-77 along North Carolina's Lake Norma all backed up.  It seems that due to some flashing boaters, traffic along the Interstate becomes quite congested along the adjacent lake.  The problem has become enough of a distraction that the state DOT has installed buoys in an attempt to keep boats from mooring together along the interstate.

To the North Carolina boaters: Really? You Bible Belt Boaties can keep your tops on, really?  If you are that starved for attention, I am pretty sure there are places you can go where dirty, old, desperate men will pay you money to give your “tater-tots” all the attention you are looking for, really!

To the North Carolina Drivers: What would Pope Francis say to all your rubbernecking?  If you have to squint so hard to get a glimpse you crash into the 1993 Ford Bronco in front of you, was it really worth it, Really?  How do you keep a Baptist from looking at a flasher?  Put another Baptist in the car. Really!

To the North Carolina DOT: Buoy’s?  Really?  Did a tall fence along the interstate, or a patrol boat writing tickets really never come up in the conversation?   How is a buoy going to keep a bathing suit top, up top?  You’re still going to have to have someone on the lake to enforce the buoys; but now people legitimately wanting to anchor have to find elsewhere to do it. Really?

And no, sorry, the video after the jump it’s not that kind of video.  Hit the jump break to see Charlotte’s NBC news coverage of the distraction.

Another Jet Boat Friday w/video

Source: SoCal Jet Boats

It’s Friday and I’m pretty sure our boatie friends to the north would trade just about anything for a day off of work out on the water.  Hopefully this footage from SolCal Jet Boats is enough to get you through the last little bit of winter and into some spring boating.  I love the way these guys boat; big motors, big rooster tails, flashy paint jobs, and plenty of family and friends to enjoy the water with.

So jump past the break for some Jet Boat Friday!

Old Fashioned Fridays w/video

Source: DODOcase

There is something about the phrase “Old Fashioned Fridays” that makes me think of Don Draper pouring an afternoon drink getting ready to light up a Lucky Strike.  Maybe I’m just ready for season 6 of Mad Men to start already.  As appealing as a Friday afternoon drink may seem, I would certainly enjoy it better if it were following an old fashioned row to the riverside pub.  Click past the jump to see what I mean.

Enjoy your Friday!

It's a Boat in a Box

Source: Better-Outdoors.com

Boating is a completely different beast for those of us living in the city.  Any sort of navigable waterway can be a long drive.  I seriously doubt the condo association in your highrise allows you to park your boat in their parking garage; that’s if it even fits below the height clearance.  And let’s face it, your Toyota Prius isn’t going to tow much anyway.  Thankfully you have another option when it comes to collapsable, stowable boatage.

Unlike the folding, origami, or erector set models we have seen in the past, the Transporter Boat is a boat in a box.  It comes in two configurations; the Transporter 1 can hold a maximum of four people, while the Transporter 2 can hold a max of 7 people.  That’s right, a nine foot boat has a, Coast Guard approved, seven passenger rating.  I am pretty sure your Prius won’t hold nine people.

The base model Transporter 1 will set you back $2,295 (plus shipping).  While an optioned out Transporter 2 including trolling motor, 5lb lithium deep cycle battery, and hitch carrier will set you back $3,895.90 (plus shipping).  

Click past the jump for a few videos of the Transporter Boat in action.

Seven Marine 557 Motors Released into the Wild w/video

Something important happened very quietly at this year’s Miami Boat Show.  Amongst all the new models, new engines, all electric concepts, and our own test rides, a few of the first production run motors from Seven Marine made their way into the show.  That’s right, a lucky few of you will actually begin to see these monster 557 HP engines out in the wild.  A lucky fewer of you will have the pleasure of being passed by these motors.  And an even still fewer of you will have the pleasure of sleepless nights knowing you have one, or any multiple, of these hanging off your boat transom just waiting to be fired to life.

Check out a video posted by Midnight Express of what 1,671 HP looks and sounds like, don’t ack like you’re not impressed.

If you find yourself unfamiliar with the awesomeness of the 557, click here to read more.

Boaties Do The Harlem Shake w/video

Source: YouTube

Show of hands, who even knows what the “Harlem Shake” is?  If you don’t know, go ahead and click the jump below to satisfy your curiosity.  If you do know, go ahead and click too; don’t act like you haven’t watched all the other editions bombarding the internet and your facebook news feed.

eBay Find of the Day: Dobbertin HydroCar w/video

Source: Gizmag

Some things you just have to see to believe; like this eBay gem, the Dobbertin HydroCar.  Designed and built by Rick Dobbertin.  Rick is no stranger to amphibious vehicles, his first amphibious vehicle was the The Dobbertin Surface Orbiter completed nearly 30,000 miles on land and 3,000 miles at sea.

Reading the ad, it seems there is still some tweaking yet to be done to get the prop for the Arneson surface drive dialed in.  Yes, this thing is propelled by an Arneson while in water.  And why not, the Chevy engine has 762 hp and 712 lb-ft of torque, more than enough grunt to turn that meat-cleaver like propeller.  But again, the HydroCar has yet to get on plane.  To some, bidding may sound like an adventure; to others, bidding may sound like a money pit.  I say YOBO (You Only Boat Once), maybe you should boat in a Dobbertin?

Click past the jump for more photos and a video of the HydroCar being water tested.  And don’t forget to check out the eBay listing, there is a ton of info on the car boat.

Freestyle Friday w/video

Source: RMOPRO.com

It’s winter, it’s cold, and it’s Friday.  Let’s face it, most of us are thinking about something other than work; and we may have done something about it if it weren’t so bloody cold outside.  At least you can daydream your lunch hour away in the sun and surf in Santa Catarina, Brazil at the Freestyle Jet Ski World Championship.  Enjoy your Friday and the video after the jump.

There is a bonus demo of the Flyboard at about the 4:25 mark.

Aussie Style Jet Boat Sprint Racing w/video

Image Credit: West Coast Jet Sprint Club, Greg Perry (www.gregperryphotography.com)

We’ve featured several videos of jet boat sprint racing on Boatieblog before and now it’s the Aussies turn to take a crack at it.  Zero to sixty in about two seconds and a top course speed of 60+ miles per hour.  What more you you ask for in a 13 foot, 600hp boat?  My adrenalin is pumping just thinking about it.  If you’re still reading this, go ahead and click through the jump to see how the West Coast Jet Sprint Club gets it done in Western Australia.

The Hot Tub Boat w/video

Source: Thrillist

What is the only thing that could have made a James Brown Celebrity Hot Tub Party any hotter?  A hot tub boat of course.  

Propelled by an 24volt electric motor with joystick and heated by diesel boiler, the Hot Tub Boat promises up to ten hours of temperature controlled fun in the water while being on the water.  The 15 foot soaker boat has enough capacity for six people and boasts four on board coolers to ensure all your hot tub party supplies stay as fresh as possible.  With standard African teak decking, waterproof stereo with remote, and the pop up speakers the only thing that’s missing from this hot tub party is James Brown.

Click past the break for a background video on the Hot Tub Boat.

A 40 ton, 50 foot Concrete Boat w/video

Source: William Laurance & Sons Marine Engineers via Vimeo

We’ve featured concrete canoes before, but this is something a good deal more impressive.  Until now I really had no idea that, outside of concrete canoes, larger concrete boats existed.  William Laurance & Sons Marine Engineers is the story of one such boat and its builders, or will be with your help.  This is a documentary of father and his two sons and a 15 year long boat building project.  When the father becomes terminally ill, the sons return home to take care of their father and to finish the concrete boat and to document the entire ordeal.  This is a crowd-sourced documentary project that still needs your help.  Check out their teaser videos after the jump and then go to their site to learn more about their story.

Ben Goes Boating at the NY Boat Show

It’s boat show season, and that can only mean one thing, here come the comedians.  It’s the perfect scenario; a bunch of stuffy serious people trapped in a massive convention center, they never see it coming.  With so many boat shows around the country, hopefully this trend will continue.  Enjoy some comedy after the jump.

First Look: The Nautique Surf System (NSS)

Source: Nautique

It’s getting easier to tell which boat companies are hungry these days.  These companies have done well to position themselves to be able to bring new and innovative products to the marketplace.  One such boat builder is Nautique; Check out their all new Nautique Surf System.  

As the sport of wakesurfing grows, so does the dollar amount people are willing to spend on new products to reduce setup time and make the sport more enjoyable.  Nautique’s Surf System utilizes a waveplate design (seen above) to help sculpt the perfect wave without the need for additional ballast weight.  Traditionally you’d spend large amounts of time shifting around an extra ballast tank to get the wake just right.  Now with the flip of a switch (or the push of a touch screen) you can dial in the perfect wake and switch if from port to starboard in seconds.

Nautique isn’t the first boat builder to try and sculpt a surfable wave; Malibu also has a similar system, Surf Gate (it looks a lot like a traditional trim tab turned sideways).  Come to think of it, the Nautique waveplate reminds me a lot of the volvo style trim tabs.  Well, I say enough with the details already, check out a video of the new NSS in action after the jump.