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BIG LIGHT IN A SMALL PACKAGE FROM UNDERWATER KINETICS
Like many seagoing gearheads, I have a weakness for flashlights, and I’m always on the lookout for models that fill a lighting niche. A few months ago when a client handed me a tiny light that came in a blister package, I figured it was just another flashlight. I was, however, mistaken.
The Mini Pocket Light from Underwater Kinetics (better known as UK) is compact yet incredibly bright, but its most useful feature is a small clasp that enables it to be attached to a camera neck strap, safety harness, shirt collar or pocket, or the bill of a baseball cap.
I found this characteristic to be exceptionally handy on a recent trip to the Panama Canal to inspect a small fleet of research vessels. Crawling through bilges, engine rooms, and equipment lockers carrying a bulky camera, a notebook, a screwdriver, and other tools is never easy. Add a flashlight to the mix, and you quickly discover just how good your balance is. (I often end up holding my flashlight in my teeth, which isn’t especially hygienic.)
The 3-by-1-inch Mini Pocket Light that I have utilizes xenon technology, and battery usage is reasonable. (The flashlight also is available in an LED version.) Its magazine-style chamber holds two AAA batteries. As one would expect, Mini Pocket Lights are waterproof.
For more information on the Mini Pocket Light, browse ukinternational.com.—S.D’A.
SEA SENSE CALLING!
Sea Sense is everywhere this summer, offering powerboating courses for women on Chesapeake Bay and in New England, as well as private boating instruction that comes to you.
The ladies of Sea Sense, the Women’s Sailing & Powerboating School, will offer classes in New England Aug. 18-22 (departing from Newport, Rhode Island) and on Chesapeake Bay Sept. 15-19. The five-day liveaboard courses will be taught on a comfortable, fully equipped, 42-foot twin-engine trawler.
The curriculum includes boat handling in open water and in close quarters, docking, anchoring, mooring, navigation, basic engine maintenance, knot tying, line handling, and man-overboard prevention and recovery. Each class allows a maximum of five students so that everyone gets a chance to fully participate.
If one-on-one instruction is more up your alley, Sea Sense has you covered. The school’s “On Your Own Boat” courses are individually designed to teach owners what they want to learn on their own vessel, in their own waters. This personalized, private instruction is available wherever your boat is located and is offered to men, women, families, and groups.
For more information on courses and costs, call 800.332.1404, visit seasenseboating.com, or send an email to info@seasenseboating.com.—C.A.
THE RETURN OF ROUGHWATER
It’s not uncommon to be out cruising and to see a trawler whose lines look familiar but whose name escapes you. Perhaps the boat is no longer in production, maybe it’s a custom design, or perhaps it’s brand new to the market.
There is one style of trawler, with many hulls ranging from 35 to 58 feet, that’s out cruising the waters and has been holding its own despite the fact that the builder retired from the business almost 10 years ago. If you’ve been wondering what happened to the retro-style hull with lots of windows and a raised pilothouse that signifies the Roughwater line of trawlers, the answer is, it’s back!
These boats, originally built of wood and then fiberglass by a yard in Taiwan, simply did not have the marketing and business support needed to continue in the United States. However, an enthusiastic owner of a Roughwater 37 has been spearheading an effort to bring back this line of cruisers.
After acquiring the designs and striking a deal with a new yard in China that also builds the Traveler Yacht Line, Dan Symula is focusing on reintroducing the 42- and 46-foot Roughwater models. Working with a naval architect at the yard and anticipating the input of a new owner, Dan looks forward to making some changes to the line, both in the hull molds and in the interior accommodations.
The new models will have a similar large pilothouse with full 360-degree visibility and molded-in steps up to the pilothouse replacing the original ladder. They’ll also include a full-size fridge, a propane stove, and an optional entertainment console. Both the 42 and 46 will be available with single or twin engines, either 260hp Volvos or 200hp or 300hp John Deeres.
Price will depend on size and propulsion; the 42 with a single engine will start at $450,000, and a 46 with twin engines will start at $565,000. Dan feels the universal design, spacious interior, and cruising flexibility of the new Roughwater models will appeal to a wide variety of boaters.
If you’re a fan of the Roughwater line and are ready for its return, check out these next-generation trawlers at roughwateryachts.us.—N.F.
ZIMMERMAN MARINE
OPENS NEW YARD
You may be familiar with the name Zimmerman Marine because of Steve D’Antonio’s former role at the yard or from reading the boat tour on the new Z46 in the March ’08 issue. Or perhaps you recognize the name in association with BillP.’s Z36, Growler. Another good possibility is that you’ve had a positive experience with ZMI as a customer at its yacht repair and custom boatbuilding yard.
Whatever the case, many readers will be glad to learn that the Mathews, Virginia-based facility now has a second location. Zimmerman was set to open its doors at Norview Marina on Broad Creek in Deltaville, Virginia, on July 1.
While ZMI’s Mathews location is serene and extremely well operated, it is a bit off the beaten path. “Norview Marina has a great location—close to over 2,000 boats—and is easily accessible from the Bay,” says Steve Zimmerman, ZMI president. “The marina’s proximity to so many locally owned boats will enable us to offer our services to boat owners who would have been inconvenienced by traveling to our Mathews location for service work.”
ZMI builds about one boat per year; the bulk of its work is repairing and servicing yachts of all kinds. The new facility is well equipped for this portion of the business, as it features a service building with 36-foot-high doors and a high-capacity lift slip. Zimmerman plans to have a new 75-ton Marine Travelift in place by Sept. 1.
For more information, visit zimmermanmarine.com or norviewmarina.com.—N.F.