Tournament News Powered By Lake Drive Marine
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Newport Report Newport Vessels has announced the launch of the NS130, a high-performance inflatable skiff designed for anglers seeking the perfect blend of portability, stability, and versatility. Priced at an MSRP of $2,299 and backed by a 2-year warranty, the NS130 is set to redefine what it means to have on-demand access to premium fishing experiences, no matter where you fish. The NS130 features an elevated, adjustable swivel seat, plentiful grab handles for effortless portages, and track mounting boards and horizontal rod rests for convenient gear management. Its high-performance, inflatable construction provides the stability and durability of a rigid-hull design while ensuring ease of transport and setup. With track mounting boards, sub-floor wire management, and a spacious open-cockpit layout, anglers can focus on what matters most—catching fish. "This product offers unparalleled versatility and portability, says Howie Strech of Newport. Whether you’re packing it fully rigged into a truck bed or carrying it to your favorite off-grid fishing spot and inflating it at the shoreline, the NS130 makes the entire journey effortless." The NS130’s design includes a low-drag, tapered catamaran hull optimized for use with Newport electric outboards, ensuring speed and precision in navigating a variety of waters. Built with hot-welded seams, an EVA floor, and marine-grade transom, it withstands the toughest conditions while maintaining performance and safety. “We've engineered the NS130 to be as rugged as it is responsive,” Jason Kardas, Head of Product Development, "Every feature, from the rub-rails to the five-chamber design and robust material choices, has been thoughtfully integrated to meet the demands of serious anglers who need reliability in harsh environments." Its lightweight, packable design makes it perfect for anglers who value mobility without compromising on performance. The NS130 Inflatable Skiff is available at https://newportvessels.com/products/ns130-inflatable-skiff and through specialty retail locations. For a video detailing the Skiff, click here.
Newport Skiff
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Mercury Report Kicker motors are a big benefit for many fishing applications, and Mercury has motors in its ProKicker™ lineup. ProKicker outboards are purpose-built for low-speed trolling. They make it easy to dial in a trolling speed down to a tenth of a mile per hour and then repeat that speed again and again with fish-catching accuracy. If you’re an angler wondering if you need a kicker, or you’re wondering how to get the most fishing performance out of a kicker motor, here’s a helpful overview. What is a kicker motor? A kicker is a small auxiliary outboard motor that’s mounted next to the main outboard on a boat’s transom. A kicker’s primary application is for trolling at speeds ranging from about 0.8 to 3 mph for walleyes, crappie, salmon, lake trout, muskies and other freshwater species. There are also some saltwater applications. Each model in the Mercury ProKicker lineup comes standard with convenient features like power tilt, electric start and electronic fuel injection (EFI) for reliable starts in all weather conditions. They also feature a high-thrust four-blade prop and a gear ratio optimized for low-speed fishing.
Mercury kicker motor
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Replacing carpet on boat trailer bunks- Details
Mercury Report
A clean boat is a boat you can be proud of and makes for a more enjoyable on-the-water experience. For the most part, keeping a boat clean is a simple process. All it takes is a short commitment of time and the occasional wash and wax to keep most surfaces looking like new.
However, to take your boat-cleaning efforts to the next level, you’ve got to nail the details. And some are trickier than others.
The following tips can help you get the job done right on some of the tougher boat-cleaning challenges.
Clean the Carpet
Avoid using a hose or any sort of high-pressure washer on permanently installed carpet, like is common in bass, multispecies and other similar boats. Instead, use a vacuum cleaner and wet rag for normal cleaning. For bigger spills and stains, gently scrub the area with a mixture of soapy, lukewarm water and white vinegar, following the procedure outlined in this Mercury Quick Tip video. Be sure to use a mild detergent soap.
For boats with snap-in carpet that can be easily removed, take the carpet out if you want to wash the interior of the boat with a hose and brush. Then use a vacuum cleaner and wet rag to clean the carpet. Make sure the deck is completely dry before putting the carpet back in place.
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Mercury Report
A “spun” propeller hub can be a problem
It’s time to head back to the dock. You drop the throttle, and your engine revs up like crazy, but your boat doesn’t move. Or maybe it moves very little, almost like there’s no propeller on the engine. You shut down the engine and tilt the drive up to check, and, yes, the prop is still there. So what’s going on?
You could have a “spun” propeller hub. In other words, the propeller is no longer being turned by the engine because the hub has failed.
To understand the problem, let’s first define some terms. The hub of a propeller is within the barrel, which is the cylinder that supports the prop blades. The hub is the interface between the propeller and the propeller shaft of either an outboard or a sterndrive engine. A splined metal insert at the center of the hub mates to the splines on the propeller shaft. Between this insert and the inside of the barrel is a cushioning device. On older propellers, and on current Mercury propellers for motors 30hp and less, this cushion is a rubber-like sleeve that is pressed into the prop barrel and held in place by its own tension. Most Mercury propellers made since 1995 utilize a version of the Flo-Torq shock-absorbing hub, an assembly that slips into the prop barrel.
The function of either style of hub is to cushion the interface between the propeller and the propeller shaft. This reduces shock on the gearcase parts when the drive is shifted from neutral into forward or reverse gear, and, most importantly, it protects the drive train from damage if the propeller strikes hard bottom or a solid object. In fact, on severe impact the hub is intended to give way. This could destroy the hub, but it protects the prop shaft and lower-unit gears. In the case of a strike that severe, the prop is likely damaged anyway. And those gears and shafts are expensive to replace.