As we progress into the boat show season a lot of you will be attending a show and looking at new boats. I get a fair number of questions from folks considering a new boat purchase wondering what NMMA Certified means. Certified for what? Do they inspect every boat before it leaves the factory? How does it make the boat better?

OK, so let me answer those questions here. When a boat builder commits to the NMMA certification program they are stating that they will design and build their boat applying a lengthy list of American Boat & Yacht Council (ABYC) Standards. My primary employer is the ABYC and I can tell you that the ABYC Standards are comprehensive and constantly evolving and will help to eliminate safety related issues with any boat. Beyond that and sometimes hard to quantify, I can tell you that in my many years of experience working with the Standards both as a technician and in more recent years actually helping to develop the Standards, a boat built to ABYC Standards is a higher quality boat.

The NMMA certification process does not use every single one of the ABYC Standards, but it sure uses all of the important ones. The program has evolved. Just last week the NMMA added two new Standards to the requirements. Now all boats that get certified will need to have a galvanic isolator installed in their shore power system and if they are fueled with gasoline or have an LPG gas system installed, the boat will be required to have leak detection systems installed. This will enhance your on board safety if a problem with either of these systems develops.

Does NMMA inspect every boat that leaves the factory? No they do not. The program requires that the first boat of every new model run be inspected by a highly trained and qualified inspector to make sure that the design and finished product is in compliance with all of the applicable Standards. The assumption here is that the design and layout will follow this first boat through the model run and in truth with production boat builders, that is a fair and reasonable assumption.

How does this program make for a better boat? To answer that you need to understand the ABYC Standards development process, which is too lengthy to explain here in full. But, understand this, we develop and change Standards based in part on input from real-world situations. Problems get identified and Standards are created to counter these problems. As new technology evolves, new problems crop up and the development committees figure out ways to overcome these problems. That's how in the end, you end up with a better boat.

So, as I said in yesterday's post, check out the NMMA certification process by following this link: http://www.nmma.org/certification/

If you are looking at new or used boats built within the last few years look for the logo above on the boat somewhere. A boat built following ABYC Standards is a better boat that you are much less likely to have problems with! To learn more about the ABYC, follow this link: www.abycinc.org

Come on down! Where? To the Tampa Boat Show. This coming weekend at the Tampa Convention Center, (Sept. 10,11,12) I'll be one of several speakers in a track combining the ABYC, Best Buy and the Power Squadron that we think will cover some topics of interest to every boat owner, or prospective boat owner.

 I'm going to be giving a 1/2 hour presentation throughout the show covering the top four things that can trash the performance of your marine electronic systems. I'm not going to tell you here, so if you're in the Tampa area next weekend, stop in and check it out. To find out more about the show and get a speaker's schedule go to the show website at: http://www.tampaboatshow.com/

We're really hoping for good attendance at this show because if its successful, we'll bring the show on the road and we can get to other cities around the country.

Tomorrow, I'll post here and let you know what I'll be checking out at the show so we can compare notes. In the meantime I'm checking out the exhibitor list to see what's hot.

Regular visitors to Ed's Boat Tips may notice some changes to the header today. One of the companies I report on periodically, Mastervolt, is a new sponsor for the site.

Im really quite excited about this because over the years I've followed Mastervolt closely as they have developed new and innovative products for the marine industry. I have truly admired their attention to detail, the quality of their products and the innovative approach they have taken from an engineering perspective with many of their products . So, a big welcome to my friends at Mastervolt!

Over the next year you can count on some really interesting and helpful entries here that I'll be working on with the Mastervolt team.

For example, over the next few months you can look for more "how to" tips for things like sizing a new battery charger to fit your boating habits and needs, how to wire a battery bank properly, and in that category, how to install and deal with some of the newest battery technology available today and coming our way. Mastervolt is one of the leaders in this area and there is a lot to know and learn about these new battery types. Count on Ed's Boat Tips to keep you on top of what's going on in this exciting area of marine technology.

For now, since I live in RI, I need to get ready for the incoming hurricane/tropical storm Earl that's heading my way. My boat Fly Zone is out of the water and secured in my back yard so I'm good on that count. I need to deal with the deck furniture, bird feeders and such next. Have a great Labor Day weekend! 

Continuing with some of my findings in the San Juans, this one falls into the great idea category for marina operators. Another first for me. A life jacket loaner station:

The life jacket loaner station works just like a book lending library. Actually at this marina at Friday Harbor, the hut the life jackets are hanging on is a book lending library. I've seen those before at cruising destinations, but never the life jackets. This is a great idea for when your guests show up with little kids and no life jackets. Its important to to remember that life jackets are sized and just tossing a small child an adult sized PFD might make you feel responsible, but might actually be doing more harm than good because it will not fit properly, in an emergency, the child may actually slide out of the oversized PFD.

Hats off to the marina at Friday Harbor! 

Does using ethanol blended fuel make you feel green? Or, do you worry about the fuel's impact on your engine or boat's fuel tank?

Every boater has read one article or another about the horrors of alcohol in their fuel and its impact on such things as fiberglass fuel tanks, its overall lack of stability and propensity for attracting water into your fuel tank.

 Most of you have probably heard or read that the EPA has been trying to up the allowed blend from 10% to 15% and the boating industry, primarily the NMMA (National Marine Manufacturers Assiciation) has been pushing back on this, for good reason.

The truth is, most folks have probably not considered how mis-guided this whole ethanol thing really is. Truth is, all we are really doing his helping out a segment of the farming community, and of course their lobbying people are all for increasing the blend to 15%. Not because these folks are super green tree huggers either, but for the $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ involved.

Well today a link came in over the wires that helps to explain some of this madness and I have to share it: http://www.followthescience.org/

Check it out if you are interested in a dose of reality regarding Ethanol blended fuels.