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Feb. 1, 2010
Vol 2, No 1-10
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NEW FEATURES APPEAR AT BOAT SHOWS
Look for art, antiques
at your favorite venue
National Marine
Manufacturers Association (NMMA) organizers of the recent Chicago Boat, RV
& Outdoors Show are happily reporting that attendance and sales results
have exceeded their expectations, a good omen for 2010. Now, I'm not saying
that the Antique Boat and Motor Display presented by the Blackhawk Chapter of the Antique and Classic Boat Society of America
(ACBS) and the Motorheads of Illinois caused those good results, but the antique beauties
are definitely a draw.
Here's
a picture of the ACBS display at last year's St. Louis Boat & Sportshow.

And they are
stunning--fine cabinetry, only for the water. The ACBS will mount a display
again in St. Louis next week, Feb. 10-14. Plus, of course, stop by and say Hi!
to us.
If you're planning to
go to the Miami International Boat Show, Feb. 11-15, for the first time you'll be able to meet a
world-renowned artist, photographer, diver and scientist. Dr. Guy Harvey will appear in the Artist Pavilion, Room 2700.
The
news from Florida was good for the Fort Lauderdale
International Boat Show (FLIBS), according to Bill Sisson, editor of "Trade Only," an
electronic newsletter published by Soundings magazine.
"The consumers walking the docks at FLIBS seemed to
have found their collective sea legs. They were back testing the waters and
looking for deals. Builders and dealers were talking about either making--or
having made--a bottomAnd their
attention was now trained on the slow climb out. The survivors of the tumult of
the last 12 months were at Lauderdale," Sisson wrote in "Postcard from Lauderdale."
See you at the Boat Show.
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NEWS FOR BOATERS About Take Me Fishing
TakeMeFishing.org
recently announced three new patches that Cub
Scouts and Scouts can earn. The Passport Patch, First
Catch Patch and Mentor Patch are designed to promote fishing, encouraging
Scouts to organize fishing trips. Scouts age 6-11 years old can earn the first
two, while the Mentor Patch is designed for Scouts age 12-17.



Last Monday, Take Me
Fishing also launched a Catch A Boat contest. It's an interactive online game that permits
participants to "fish" for prizes. Grand prize is a Sylvan boat equipped with
an Evinrude motor and a trailer.
Avast, Mateys
Capt. Tim Ifland of
Ballwin, Mo., recently sent a compact disc of suitably nautical music, much of
it by Jimmy Buffet, titled "Capt. Tim and the River Rats."

It's easy to listen
to--puts a person right in the mood for a cruise. He writes, "I thought you
might like to see a picture of the ship I built. It is a 40-foot pirate ship
built out of a Caaaaarrrrrrver! Her name is Gypsy Rose and she hails out of Port Charles Marina in St. Charles, Mo. I will be doing cruises out
of Grafton, Ill., with her."
The boat looks like:

Tiara Yachts
Diversifies
The Holland Sentinel, of Holland, Mich., in December
wrote about Energetx Composites, a wind turbine start-up company.
Energetx is an outgrowth of Tiara Yachts that is building on its expertise
in composite manufacturing, developed in the boat industry. The firm recently
won a $3.5 million clean-energy manufacturing grant funded by the federal
economic stimulus program.
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INFO SWAP Readers Offers Answers (Reader letters may be edited for length)
HeartLand Boating's
fully equipped Web site includes a Message Board for reader
queries, but traffic to it slows down in the winter when most boaters store
their craft.
Readers, the experts in this column used e-mail links and
subject headers to send suggestions for questioners. Here are some suggestions
you offered. Questioner No 1 asked about finding a new marina where the
family could keep its houseboat in a compatible community.
One boater said:
For houseboat-friendly marinas near the Missouri Bootheel, and
exceptional bays to moor, you can't beat the Kentucky & Barkley Lakes.
Kentucky Lake is a 60-plus-mile-long body of water with numerous bays and
marinas. Several marinas that are set up to accommodate houseboats are: * Green Turtle Bay Resort & Marina (Lake Barkley) in Grand Rivers, Ky. * Buzzard Rock Resort and Marina (Lake Barkley) in Kuttawa, Ky. * Kentucky Dam Marina (Kentucky Lake) in Gilbertsville, Ky. * Moors Marina & Resort (Kentucky Lake) also in Gilbertsville, Ky. * Prizer Point Marina (Kentucky Lake) in Cadiz, Ky.
Over the past few years, both Kentucky Dam Marina and Green Turtle
Bay Resort & Marina have added extended-length covered slips with 50-amp/250-volt
service, cable television, and WIFI. They are not only houseboat friendly, but
have many resident houseboaters. Most have detailed Web sites with pictures and
details of their facilities.
Thank you so much for all the good information! Please note that
four out of five of these resorts regularly advertise in HeartLand Boating. Please patronize our
advertisers--they offer quality goods and services!
Next time--lots of advice about what boat to buy.
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NOW EASIER TO APPLY FOR BOAT U.S. FOUNDATION GRANTS
Feb. 28 is deadline
Last week, the BoatU.S.
Foundation announced that it is combining two of its grant programs to make it
easier for organizations to access grant money. Officials folded in the former
Boating Safety Grants and the former Clean Water Grants into a single unit, the
Grassroots Grants Program.
Local groups, community
organizations and nonprofits are eligible for grants for up to $4,000 each and
may apply using one application that covers both topics. A total of up to
$50,000 is available this grant cycle. Deadline is Feb. 28; awardees will be
notified by June 15.
"Projects have ranged
from high-flying blimps carrying safety messages and radio public service
announcements, to custom-made fuel spill containment kits and signs at boat
ramps highlighting the threat of invasive species," said Alanna Keating, grant
program manager.
Photo courtesy BoatU.S. Foundation
Click here to learn more. Then, get cracking! In most of
the heartland, it's still too cold to boat anyway.
See you at the Boat
Show,
Lee
Braff
HeartLand Boating
Editorial Department
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