(Photo/Joe Byrum)
Ask any marine insurance adjuster about trends in lightning claims on recreational fishing boats and you will get an earful. During a recent marine insurance seminar, I remarked that without even seeing the boat I could estimate a direct strike to a new 72-foot sportfish could cause more than $600,000 in damage.
This image demonstrates a simple fix to tightening a spreader bar stud.
Coastal Riggings President Brendon Ziemba, along with his brother Preston, have been specializing in outrigger installation, repair and maintenance for 25 years. Before watching Brendon get into his work, I had no idea an outrigger could be broken down into so many different parts. Watching them disassemble, service and reassemble a pair of 3-spreader outriggers was an education. While my intent here is to offer some quality advice on keeping your outriggers tuned, I don’t advise any of you to perform a full service yourself. There are too many intricacies and nuances to remember. Check out the video on our website, and I think you will agree.
Purchasing a 2008 boat in need of updates has its advantages. During a 10-month search to find such a boat was exactly what Michael Yocco and his father Joe accomplished.
“Our approach was to find a boat within a certain budget which included the purchase price and any upgrades we wanted. Then ask ourselves if the cost of refitting a boat is worth it based on the value post-refit,” Yocco says.
By Captain Scott “Fraz” Murie
Modern sportfish yachts have so many high-tech systems on board that it’s truly mindboggling, and keeping them up and running is imperative. We have systems for everything including ice makers, watermakers, refrigeration, satellite communication, night vision, radar and fuel cleansers. There are advanced electronics with crystal clear multi-touch displays and black box communications that transfer signals and data throughout the entire boat, underwater lights of all colors, along with stabilizers and sonars. Today’s boats literally have every gadget imaginable, from hydraulic outriggers to bidets!
The intersection of sportfishing and money is an interesting one. It takes lots of money to buy a sportfisher, it costs a lot to keep it running. This boat name (NYSE stands for New York Stock Exchange) illustrates the case in point.
By Dave Ferrell
There’s no getting around it…boats cost a lot of money to operate and maintain. Keeping a large sportfisher, or even a small charter boat, up and running through an entire season is akin to walking a tight rope; where any little slip can cost thousands of dollars in repairs and lost fishing time spent in the yard. Some of these nagging problems can’t be avoided. All boats eventually experience issues of one kind or another and the more sophisticated and advanced the systems onboard, the more likely you are going to run into trouble if you aren’t staying on top of things. But let’s face it, even the best captains can’t keep a boat from breaking down.
