-
1 week ago | 
wakeboardingmag.com | Pete McDonald
Wake boat owners should be aware that a predicted increase in the number of hurricanes for 2025 may affect them. What’s in a name? When it comes to tropical systems, the one they choose can mean a lot. The name of a major storm can be remembered for years to come. Here’s the list of 2025 storm names released by the World Meteorological Organization. The list of names might sound familiar because the WMO recycles storm-name lists once every six years.
-
2 weeks ago | 
boatingmag.com | Pete McDonald
-
1 month ago | 
boatingmag.com | Pete McDonald
When the shrimp would run on the full moon in wintertime down in South Florida, we'd head to the inlet in my friend's old Boston Whaler Montauk, armed with headlamps and long-handled dip nets hoping to cash in. I don't recall the exact age we started doing this, but I do remember the feeling of being on the water for the first time at night. Objects on the shore looked like shadows, and unlit docks suddenly appeared as we slowly made our way down the canal to the inlet.
-
1 month ago | 
boatingmag.com | Pete McDonald
OverviewPunch the throttles at the helm of the Mystic M5200XL, and the acceleration feels so smooth and effortless that you don't realize how quickly you're gaining speed or even how fast you're actually going. That is, until you glance to one side and notice the houses and channel markers along the waterway start to blur. Then you feel like a pilot flying a private jet on a bluebird day, experiencing nothing but pure speed in a luxury setting.
-
2 months ago | 
boatingmag.com | Pete McDonald
The name Jet Ski is synonymous with PWCs the way Kleenex is with tissues or Xerox with copy machines. Now, with the introduction of its Jet Ski Ultra 160LX-S Angler, Kawasaki is converting its personal-watercraft platform into a dynamic-yet affordable-fishing machine. This platform provides the anytime, anywhere versatility of a PWC while also creating a stable fishing boat with the tools an angler needs to chase fish.
-
2 months ago | 
boatingmag.com | Pete McDonald
No matter what type of boater you are, you should consider a quality pair of polarized sunglasses to be essential safety gear. Not just for how they reduce glare, but for how they protect your eyes from the sun's harmful UV rays as well. Sunglasses-makers now offer myriad lens colors to choose from, but you shouldn't pick based only on style. The different lens colors provide different benefits depending on how and where you boat.
-
2 months ago | 
boatingmag.com | Pete McDonald
OverviewThe newly redesigned Mako 18 Pro Skiff Backwater Edition is a light-tackle angler's dream. It's a skinny-water boat that's packed with standard features that will help you find and chase fish. EngineRunning with two aboard and a 22-gallon fuel load, we pushed the 18 Pro Skiff to 52 mph, reaching 30 mph from idle in 5.8 seconds. For a relatively flat-bottomed boat, it held true in hard-over turns at planing speeds, never slipping or blowing out the prop. It climbed onto plane in 2.4 seconds.
-
Mar 28, 2025 | 
boatingmag.com | Pete McDonald
OverviewThe Tiara 43 LE is a luxury sport yacht with a rugged boatbuilding DNA that belies its opulence, ready to take on the snottiest of bluewater days outside the inlet yet equally suited to entertain at anchor or keep the crew ensconced in comfort on an overnighter. And it's got some next-level features that are sure to be crowd-pleasers. Let's start with the 43 LE's performance.
-
Mar 21, 2025 | 
boatingmag.com | Pete McDonald
In the not so distant past, boat owners had a much different audio experience on the water than while driving in the tow vehicle they used to launch it. In the auto, they had high expectations of crystal-clear sound, while on the water, most didn't expect to even hear their music while the engine was running-and certainly not while underway. Now, thanks to technological advancements, marine stereos have bridged the gap to bring quality sound on board.
-
Mar 14, 2025 | 
boatingmag.com | Pete McDonald
Technological advancements have made us all exponentially safer every time we set out on the water, but there's still something to be said for bringing aboard a few inexpensive, tried-and-true safety devices that don't require a power source or any kind of operator instruction. Here are three simple safety devices to keep on board just in case.
