From the Helm - Dog Days of Summer

This From the Helm is written by Gary Poole one of the owners of Buckeye Marine. Gary is a Master mechanic, Boating Ontario certified sales professional and can most often be found in what staff jokingly refer to as his "outside office" the yellow fork lift tractor or behind the service desk.

Dog Days Of Summer

If ever the term dog days of summer is appropriate it would be right now in the Kawarthas!  Truly one of the hottest driest summers on record, which translates to the perfect conditions for spending time on the water.

Your boat however, may not like the super hot temps as much as you do. You may be experiencing run-on when shutting down your engine.  This occurs when there is too much heat build up in the engine compartment, a very likely event in this current weather trend.  Contemporary boat construction is so plush and tightly fitting in the engine compartment, that fresh air circulation is inhibited.  By simply turning on your blower for a few minutes before shutting the engine down, the problem can be averted. 

You may also notice that different species of algae, weeds and plankton grow profusely in this weather.  Not only can it be unpleasant for swimming it can also impede the smooth running of your boat if allowed to grow on its hull.  Algae on the hull can restrict the speed by up to 25%.  To keep unwanted algae growth in check find a local sand bar or shallow spot and wipe off the boat, no chemicals necessary.  If you keep the hull waxed or bottom coated the less likely algae growth will occur.  The smoother the bottom surface of the boat the more efficiently it will run.

So with a little proactive maintenance these hot weather boating predicaments can be avoided and you will be able to spend those dog days on the water with not a worry!

P.S. Even with these hot weather issues, boating when its warm is way better than when there’s snow!

Wakesurfing!

Wakesurfing is the new hotness in watersports. Using the wake of an inboard ski boat you can surf all day effortlessly enjoying family fun for all ages. Wakesurfing is a low impact watersport, an inboard or v-drive boat traveling at 10mph creates enough wake that with a wakesurf board you can surf 5-20 feet behind the boat without a rope. The falls don't hurt and you don't have to worry about not being able to make it to work on time because you are too sore. To get up on a wakesurfer is just like getting up on a wakeboard minus the bindings, because the surface area on the wake surfer is so large often getting up is less straining than a wakeboard or wakeskate. Typically when getting up on a wakesurfer you use a much shorter rope than wakeboarding, as all the action takes place right behind the boat. I like to use a specialized wakesurf rope because they are thicker, and have better grip. Once you are up and riding you can continue to hold onto the rope and explore the wake slashing and turning as you get more comfortable and able to keep slack in the rope you can think about throwing the rope back into the boat and let gravity do its job. There is nothing more fun than seeing the faces of passing boaters as you amaze them by surfing the wake with no rope. Wakesurfing is quickly gaining in popularity because anyone can do it, you don't need to be riding in glassy water and its fun social nature. So next time you are out in your inboard ski boat and you can't find that calm spot for riding bust out a wakesurfer and find out what all the hype is about, I guarantee you that once you give it a try you will be hooked for life. 

Buckeye is excited to be on the forefront of wakesurfing in Ontario hosting last years big day out Ontario's first multi-division wakesurf tournament with over 40 participants we found it to be an overwhelming success! This year we are making it bigger and better with a brand new location and plenty more action both on and off the water. The 2012 Buckeye's Big Day Out will be moving to downtown Fenelon Falls at Garnet Graham Park an awesome venue close to both town and the lake beautiful vistas of Cameron lake and tons of space for activities. Including live music, food, volleyball tournament, rock climbing wall,  stand up paddle board demos, wakesurfing demos, professional waterski show and of course the main event the wakesurf contest! The contest is open to all ages and abilities so come on out if you have just started, or you are the next Kelly Slater come on out because behind a Mastercraft from Buckeye Marine the surf is always up!