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title: "Most Popular of the Week: Palm Beach 70 | Small Boats in Big Seas | How to Use Trim Tabs"
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Every week, BoatTEST publishes news items on about 25 boats and products. Readers have asked which ones are the most popular each day.

| View in browser BoatTEST Newsletter May 8, 2022 Most Popular Boats of the Week Every week, BoatTEST publishes news items on about 25 boats and products. Readers have asked which ones are the most popular each day, so below you can find the answer.   Monday #1 Vicem 67 Cold-Molded for Rugged Work The Vicem Yachts Cruiser 67 is built in Turkey in the epicenter of boat construction near Istanbul. Several positive things result from that concentration of builders including an abundance of skilled old-school joinery workers. Take a look at the inset image above: The three diagonal planks have West System epoxy between them and on the outside. They will then be covered with a sheet of fiberglass and more epoxy to create what is arguably the strongest hull in class.   Advantages of cold-molding over fiberglass hulls are numerous: 1) The strength-to-weight ratio is better; 2) It is far more puncture-resistant; 3) It deadens the slap-slap-slap sound when running; 4) It insulates the boat from cold water better; 5) Hulls are stiffer and don’t need as many stringers, among other things. Vicem uses mahogany wood from managed forests. See our video to learn about this boat and the build process. More...   Watch Our Video Builder's Website   Tuesday #1 Palm Beach 70 Straight Shafts vs. IPS The crew at Palm Beach has tested its PB70 flagship with three different engine packages, all using the Volvo Penta D-13 engine. The 900-hp IPS pod drives come standard. The 1,000-hp IPS drives and 1,000-hp straight shaft systems are optional. Since no one drives at top speed and best cruising speed depends on the conditions, look at range at 21 knots, which is a reasonable compromise between range and speed.    The PB70 has a 1,585 gal. (6,000 L) fuel capacity. At 21 knots, the PB70 has a range of 840 nautical miles with the 900-hp IPS and the straight-shaft 1,000-hp D-13 engines, according to the builder. At 21 knots, she covers 969 NM with the 1,000-hp IPS, says Palm Beach. All ranges are given with a 10% fuel reserve built-in. The 1,000-hp IPS also goes the fastest at 34.4 knots, compared to 33 knots for the other two systems.    The twin 1,000-hp Volvo Penta inboards with a Twin Disc joystick that linked control of the engines with the bow and stern thrusters give the boat the same maneuverability as the pod drives. Palm Beach CEO Mark Richards tells us that the pods actually cost more than the engines themselves. We should add that the repair costs after a severe grounding should be far less with straight shafts and it is easier to carry a set of spare props.    To see our test of the Palm Beach 70, click here... Watch Our Test Video Builder's Website   Wednesday #1 Fountain 38LS 46.2 MPH/1.3 MPG and 75.7 WOT When offshore anglers first approached Fountain Powerboats founder Reggie Fountain II about building center consoles like the 38LS, it wasn’t because they wanted the fastest boat. They were more interested in the efficiency they were hearing about with his offshore performance boats and their twin-stepped Positive Lift bottom design. Our test boat topped out at 75.7 mph with triple 400-hp Mercury Verado outboards. Equally impressive, she got 1.3 mpg at 4000 and 4500 rpm, giving her a range of 503 miles at the latter and 492 at the former. More...   Watch Our Test Video Builder's Website   Thursday #1 Boston Whaler 230 Outrage Clever Features Enhance Utility When Boston Whaler replaced the 220 Outrage with the 230, one of the first things we noticed was the feeling of more interior space. Whaler pushed the coamings farther out, creating the added real estate. The cockpit measured 3’5” (1.04 m) by 6’4” (1.9 m) and there’s an easily deployed bench seat that folds in from the stern. The backrest for the leaning post has an adjustable backrest that can actually be lowered to convert the seat to aft-facing, which is rare in class. More...   Watch Our Features Video Builder's Website   Friday #1 Riviera Belize 66 Daybridge Premium Yacht for Connoisseurs Riviera Yachts started the Belize series for experienced yacht owner/operators and the 66 Daybridge is the line’s flagship. She handles like a performance boat and exhibits meticulous attention to detail throughout. She is a bespoke experience from bow to stern. She’s a long-range motoryacht with a tender garage, dual-cockpit control stations and optional crew quarters. We’d like to say that she’s a jewel, but that sounds too much like smoke, so serious buyers should see our video and decide accordingly. More...   Watch Our Test Video Builder's Website   5 Most Popular Reports of the Week   Monday #1 How to Handle Rough Water In a Small Boat Safely operating a boat in rough water takes a skilled hand and an understanding of the relationship between the distance between the waves and the length of the boat.  In a tough sea, the way a small boat is handled can make the difference between capsizing and just getting soaking wet. Each sea condition needs to be approached appropriately. A captain must remain alert, focused, be confident and think ahead. That being said, we offer the following tips for running in rough weather. More...   Read More   Tuesday #1 New Retractable Electric Motor Simplifies Hybrid-Power Conversion The retractable electric motors are self-contained and can be installed in multiple applications. The new BlueNav BlueSpin system could be a solution for an owner that wants to add part-time electric propulsion without having to do major modifications to his/her boat. BlueSpin is a self-contained retractable electric motor that can be added to many boats with little or no structural work required. Once installed, it lets the pilot switch from fossil fuel to electric propulsion at the touch of a button. More...   Read More   Wednesday #1 How to Use Your Trim Tabs and When Trim tabs can help in a variety of situations from improving planing times to leveling loads. There are many situations where trim tabs can help a boat. For example, as she slows from maximum speed, she begins to settle at the stern or “squat,” creating an inefficient, untrimmed condition. But that's just the beginning. More...   Read More   Thursday #1 A Lesson in Polarity Red Isn't Always Red A veteran cruiser and DIYer decided to replace the batteries in his 2006 Nordic Tug 54. The existing six-volt Lifeline AGM batteries were strung in a series/parallel network giving a usable capacity of 220 amps at 24 volts. He replaced them with Trojan T105-AGM units. When he hooked up the new batteries he got a spark — which should not have happened. Join us as the author troubleshoots the problem. More...   Read More   Friday #1 Adding a Watermaker to Your Boat For many cruisers, self-reliance is a mantra that applies to system repairs, food supplies and health care. One would think that installing a device that magically takes the foulest water and makes it pure would be complicated. Not. Find out all you need to know here. More...   Read More   Up From Mass-Market Boat Clubs Are you tired of a beginners' boat club? Sick of waiting for a flat-calm day to be able to go outside and having to come back almost as soon as you get to the beach to beat the four-hour alarm bell? It sounds like it’s about time to step up to a premium boat and a “like-ownership” boating experience. Want to raft up with friends at a sand bar on a quiet Sunday or go out 50 miles to the grouper grounds? Go when you want in a boat you can be proud of. More...   Learn More   Photo Of The Day Wishing our BoatTEST Members a Happy Mother's Day. Share your boating photos with us! Email Us   Thanks for following us! We'll See You On The Water.  Some or all of the content contained in this newsletter may be sponsored. BoatTEST makes all possible efforts to ensure all material that is published in this newsletter is true and accurate. BoatTEST.com, 8A Halidon Ave, Newport, RI 02840 Manage preferences |
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