Boating in the early 2000’s

[02HoWaRd26]

So when a GQChris offered to sell a handful of old HotBoat magazines i jumped on them. Just figured be great reading and well i was correct.
The crazy part is how nostalgic it feels as well how rad a lot of the ads and such are. Was so much more fun 15 years ago as there were so many manufacturers out there making little pieces so we could each make our custom boat’s cystitis us as well. Anyone else miss the simplicity and joy of life 15-20 years ago!?

 

[TripleB]

want the joy and simplicity back?



Buy an outboard powered boat

 

[RodnJen]

Life was great then, better now. Bought our boat 15 years ago, happy and no plans to upgrade.

I do miss Hot Boat mag and Powerboat before that. Both the boating and media industries have evolved for sure, but not much we can do about it.

Cheers to a great new year!

 

[SJP]

Everything about boating is better now. The performance, cleaning product, the bathing suits, everything.... well except the no wake zones.

 

[Chili Palmer]

I found a Hot Boat from 2002 and all the reviews on the boats they tested are all positive, I guess they didn't want to piss off their advertising base by saying the quality was inferior and it handled like crap.

 

[Cole Brewed]

Pulled the trigger on my boat spring 2018, found a Phoenix Craigslist ad for Hot Boat full year issues, to my surprise....no silicone yeah things were simpler then but some things are better now.

 

[PlanB]

My boat on the cover April of 2000. Good times back then...

 

[Sharp Shooter]

I see it as the opposite. The boating of the last 20 years doesn't even compare to the old days. Everybody needs an offshore boat now and they're just plain boring on small lakes and rivers. People are so damn high maintenance it's ridiculous! Back in the 60's, 70, 80's and even much of the 90's most people didn't need lighted drink holders, bbq's and air conditioning in their boats. Many of us didn't even need stereos. The pussification of America landed squarely on the chin of modern boating and I'm not a fan.

Here's a few pics of a time when boating was better in my very humble opinion.

 

[nowski]

I see it as the opposite. The boating of the last 20 years doesn't even compare to the old days. Everybody needs an offshore boat now and they're just plain boring on small lakes and rivers. People are so damn high maintenance it's ridiculous! Back in the 60's, 70, 80's and even much of the 90's most people didn't need lighted drink holders, bbq's and air conditioning in their boats. Many of us didn't even need stereos. The pussification of America landed squarely on the chin of modern boating and I'm not a fan.

Here's a few pics of a time when boating was better in my very humble opinion. View attachment 714887 View attachment 714888
View attachment 714892 View attachment 714893 View attachment 714897 View attachment 714898 View attachment 714899 View attachment 714900 View attachment 714889 View attachment 714890

Hey Sharp Shooter, aren't you suppose to be at Lake Elsinore this morning filming flatties??? Brrrr it's cold and windy...

 

[Sharp Shooter]

Hey Sharp Shooter, aren't you suppose to be at Lake Elsinore this morning filming flatties??? Brrrr it's cold and windy...

Babysitter cancelled so i had to miss. Kinda bummed.

 

[RodnJen]

I see it as the opposite. The boating of the last 20 years doesn't even compare to the old days. Everybody needs an offshore boat now and they're just plain boring on small lakes and rivers. People are so damn high maintenance it's ridiculous! Back in the 60's, 70, 80's and even much of the 90's most people didn't need lighted drink holders, bbq's and air conditioning in their boats. Many of us didn't even need stereos. The pussification of America landed squarely on the chin of modern boating and I'm not a fan.

Here's a few pics of a time when boating was better in my very humble opinion. View attachment 714887 View attachment 714888
View attachment 714892 View attachment 714893 View attachment 714897 View attachment 714898 View attachment 714899 View attachment 714900 View attachment 714889 View attachment 714890

Is that first pic at Kinders Camp, now Riverland?

 

[02HoWaRd26]

Pulled the trigger on my boat spring 2018, found a Phoenix Craigslist ad for Hot Boat full year issues, to my surprise....no silicone yeah things were simpler then but some things are better now.
View attachment 714886

But omg those high wasted suits are still so sexy.

 

[Sharp Shooter]

Is that first pic at Kinders Camp, now Riverland?

Correct. My dads rig and his favorite river destination.

 

[HBCraig]

I totally miss this ERA. Very simple back then.

 

[milkmoney]

I see it as the opposite. The boating of the last 20 years doesn't even compare to the old days. Everybody needs an offshore boat now and they're just plain boring on small lakes and rivers. People are so damn high maintenance it's ridiculous! Back in the 60's, 70, 80's and even much of the 90's most people didn't need lighted drink holders, bbq's and air conditioning in their boats. Many of us didn't even need stereos. The pussification of America landed squarely on the chin of modern boating and I'm not a fan.

Here's a few pics of a time when boating was better in my very humble opinion. View attachment 714887 View attachment 714888
View attachment 714892 View attachment 714893 View attachment 714897 View attachment 714898 View attachment 714899 View attachment 714900 View attachment 714889 View attachment 714890

I agree. I like the big fancy , fast expensive boats. I went back to a 21 hot rod for my boating pleasure, and damn glad I did ...
[emoji106][emoji202]

Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk

 

[mobldj]

you dont need a 30 ft boat on the parker strip that goes over a 100.or the wake board sleds either.the old days were the best.

 

[Thundermutt]

Yeah this new chit is for the birds. Give me back those days and also can do away with the boaters that all they can do is write checks. it has always bugged me but in the boating world you can't buy respect on the water. You better build dat chit to get it from me. Lol

 

[spectras only]

My 1976 20 Spectra on the South part of Osoyoos Lake around 1982. All the hotrod/drag boats were on the North part of the lake where the motels were . Wish I had pictures of that. We had boats lined the shores like Havi. Practically no drag or hotrods are on our lakes any more. All the guys who had them are too old.
Only rollbars and cruisers are nowadays.

 

[King295]

I know the majority of RDP are Havasu/Parker regulars and I dig the hardware from the web but I'll take a built Yamaha Superjet over a twin screw lake boat all day long.

Different strokes for different folks. Lower river is closed.

 

[milkmoney]

I know the majority of RDP are Havasu/Parker regulars and I dig the hardware from the web but I'll take a built Yamaha Superjet over a twin screw lake boat all day long.

Different strokes for different folks. Lower river is closed.

And you own a boat with a roll bar. I am confused ? [emoji202]

Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk

 

[dribble]

Yeah this new chit is for the birds. Give me back those days and also can do away with the boaters that all they can do is write checks. it has always bugged me but in the boating world you can't buy respect on the water. You better build dat chit to get it from me. Lol

For a minute there I thought I was on a biker forum.

 

[King295]

And you own a boat with a roll bar. I am confused ? [emoji202]

Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk

Don't let the roll bar fool you, that is only used to dry towels. Ballasts have never been used on the Colorado River and never will. I'm a dick but not that much of a dick.

 

[gqchris]

Glad ya like em sir! I figured would pass them on for someone to scour each page like I did and pass on once done! I love the back pages and little classifieds in the back of gadgets for the boats. Great times and I sure do miss it!

 

[Sleek-Jet]

Pulled the trigger on my boat spring 2018, found a Phoenix Craigslist ad for Hot Boat full year issues, to my surprise....no silicone yeah things were simpler then but some things are better now.
View attachment 714886

No way that is from 2000... Early to mid 90s at the latest.

Lots of bolt ons in Hot Boat at the turn of the century. Still waiting for my damned T-shirt.

 

[rrrr]

Yeah this new chit is for the birds. Give me back those days and als can do away with the boaters that all they can do is write checks. it has always bugged me but in the boating world you can't buy respect on the water. You better build dat chit to get it from me. Lol

I'm continually surprised at the volume of posts where boaters ask questions about some problem with their expensive ride, especially posts about beeps from the Merc 496 protection system. Hullo, it's the 20th century. Use your $1,000 iPhone and do a Google search. Learn enough to keep you from being stranded on the lake.

In 1990, I owned a '85 barefoot Nautique with a 454. We were out on the lake, it was near twilight, and when I started the engine to go home the water temp pegged within a minute. The impeller had given it up. The bilge pump was under the engine, and the discharge hose through hull fitting on those Nautiques was forward of the helm. I had an idea.

I removed the hose from the through hull and a cooling hose from the engine water pump. The bilge pump discharge hose was connected to the engine, and I took out the drain plug, which was a brass t handle in front of the engine.

I let the bilge fill up with a couple of inches of water, turned on the bilge pump, and started the engine. It worked. We idled back to the marina.

I've done stuff like this many times. I don't get the complete lack of mechanical knowledge. But I guess I'm just different or an anachronism. I got my first subscription to Hot Rod in 1969, when I was twelve. That's the same year I diagnosed a bad fuel pump on the 283 in my sister's '58 Bel Air and fixed it. I wanted to know everything about cars.

 

[Cole Brewed]

No way that is from 2000... Early to mid 90s at the latest.

Lots of bolt ons in Hot Boat at the turn of the century. Still waiting for my damned T-shirt.

December ‘96

 

[02HoWaRd26]

Glad ya like em sir! I figured would pass them on for someone to scour each page like I did and pass on once done! I love the back pages and little classifieds in the back of gadgets for the boats. Great times and I sure do miss it!

That’s exactly what I’m talking lol. The last 6-8 pages of each magazine are awesome.

 

[dribble]

I'm continually surprised at the volume of posts where boaters ask questions about some problem with their expensive ride, especially posts about beeps from the Merc 496 protection system. Hullo, it's the 20th century. Use your $1,000 iPhone and do a Google search. Learn enough to keep you from being stranded on the lake.

In 1990, I owned a '85 barefoot Nautique with a 454. We were out on the lake, it was near twilight, and when I started the engine to go home the water temp pegged within a minute. The impeller had given it up. The bilge pump was under the engine, and the discharge hose through hull fitting on those Nautiques was forward of the helm. I had an idea.

I removed the hose from the through hull and a cooling hose from the engine water pump. The bilge pump discharge hose was connected to the engine, and I took out the drain plug, which was a brass t handle in front of the engine.

I let the bilge fill up with a couple of inches of water, turned on the bilge pump, and started the engine. It worked. We idled back to the marina.

I've done stuff like this many times. I don't get the complete lack of mechanical knowledge. But I guess I'm just different or an anachronism. I got my first subscription to Hot Rod in 1969, when I was twelve. That's the same year I diagnosed a bad fuel pump on the 283 in my sister's '58 Bel Air and fixed it. I wanted to know everything about cars.

That may be impressive to some people, however there are performance boaters who don’t know a bilge pump from a fuel pump and they still have my respect because they know how to transplant a kidney or design a rocket.

 

[rrrr]

That may be impressive to some people, however there are performance boaters who don’t know a bilge pump from a fuel pump and they still have my respect because they know how to transplant a kidney or design a rocket.

No doubt. I absolutely respect guys that have earned the money to go boating, flying, and even mountain climbing. They used their hard work and brains to get where they are. I would never ridicule these people.

But knowledge of basic mechanics is a good thing.

When the US went to war in Europe, they did it riding in 2 1/2 ton trucks, half tracks, jeeps, and tanks. The image of the German Wehrmacht that appears in everyone's mind is of tank commanders riding in the open hatch of a Panzer MkIV.

But that's a false image. The German Army had very little mechanized transport, and they depended on synthetic fuel made from coal. They used nearly 3 million horses over the course of the war, and confiscated almost every horse in France, Belgium, and other countries.

The US used about 56,000 horses over the same period. The number of GIs with mechanical aptitude allowed the US Army to effectively use the huge advantage of motorized transport they held.

Then, the expertise learned during the war led to the hot rods and fast boats of the fifties and sixties. Stu Hilborn learned about fuel injection by working on the huge Wright R-3350 Duplex-Cyclone engines of the B-29, and his inventions revolutionized performance engines. The company bearing his name still carries on.

So pardon me if you felt I was unfairly criticizing those with no mechanical talent. Like I said above, universal knowledge of how things work is a thing of the past, but I think everyone with a boat or other toy should try to learn the basics. If nothing else, it would help protect them from ripoffs by unscrupulous mechanics.

 

[Wombat]

Life was great then, better now. Bought our boat 15 years ago, happy and no plans to upgrade.

I do miss Hot Boat mag and Powerboat before that. Both the boating and media industries have evolved for sure, but not much we can do about it.

Cheers to a great new year!

I'am the same, miss all the those mags from early nineties to 2000's. Thankfully l still have them all Hot Boat, Extreme, Power Boat, Family and Performance Boat, Performance Boat, Sport Boat and even some of the very old Popular Performance Boat Mags from the late Seventies. And NO they aren't for sale.
One time l was getting 5 mags sent to me every month to Australia, l know online is cheaper but nothing beats a good boating mag in the shitter.