Father's Day, which is this coming Sunday (June 15), is much easier when Dad is a boat geek.
Of course, there are the myriad of of traditional marine gifts that every boating family knows: rigging knives, multi-tools and other trinkets. But for Mad Mariner's Fathers Day Gift Guide, we were looking for a bit more.
So the editors here got together, scoured the waterfront and found six special items in prices from $60 to $200 that go above and beyond the standard fare.
Some increase safety. Some are just plain cool. Most come with a discount and all can be purchased online, which makes life much easier (though the prices do not include shipping and taxes, which vary by location).
Just use the links below to browse around.
The editors here have used this product for years, and it is a welcome addition to the boat.
The PowerKnob allows you to wind the wheel, rather than turning hand-over-hand. It makes maneuvering vastly easier on a boat with a smaller wheel, which is why you often see them on water taxis and other commercial vessels.
The PowerKnob comes in three models: the Sportsman, which is black; the ProSeries, which comes in silver, gold or wood; and a ComfortGrip, which has rubber finger grips. All parts needed for installation are included and it attaches easily using common tools.
PowerKnobs generally sell for $60 to $94, but using the link here will get you 10 percent off, thanks to Edson's Father's Day special. That means prices range from $54 to $85.
This idea was so cool that we had to share it. In fact, one of our editors used it this Father’s Day (we’ll let you know how it goes).
Canvas on Demand takes your photos – prints or digital images – and renders them on canvas like a painting, complete with faux brush strokes. One pretty shot of the boat -- with or without Dad -- can be turned into a large, canvas “painting” to hang in a home, office or boat.
The company offers a variety of sizes and framing options, including a treatment known as a "gallery wrap," which stretches the canvas over a wooden frame. Special services such as photo restoration or colorization are also available.
Prices start at a $59 for an 8 x 10 inch and move upward according to size and framing options. But they need not be too pricey. For example, a 24 x 36 inch standard gallery wrap costs $139, pretty reasonable for anything that has to do with art – or boating, for that matter.
There are few things as useful onboard as a goof pair of glasses.
West Marine’s Raiatea 7 x 50, center-focused binoculars are waterproof and will float if dropped overboard. The casing is filled with dry nitrogen to prevent fogging. At 1,000 yards, they provide a 350-foot field of vision. Editors here have used a pair on several long trips and they have been problem free.
The usual price at West Marine is $169.99 and the sale price is $135.99, but we can beat that. Click the link below, input the code MMARINER at checkout and the price is $119.67. They come with a strap and a case.
Much has been written about the SPOT Personal Locator. It has covered in the Panbo Marine Electronics Blog, and mainstream publications like The Wall Street Journal.
SPOT is a crossover product, used first by hikers and climbers and later by boaters interested in a personal safety device. The unit uses the GPS satellite network to acquire coordinates, then sends its location via satellite with a link to Google Maps and a pre-programmed message.
While most Personal Locator Beacons simply call for help, SPOT can track progress on a trip, communicate with family or call for non-emergency assistance.
The regular price at West Marine is $149.99 (SPOT also requires a $99 annual subscription fee), but use the link below and you can buy it for $131.99. Just input this code at checkout: MMARINER. The link below also has more information on SPOT, including a video and a recommendation from West Marine’s Chuck Hawley.
Zazzle.com allows you to use photos of a boat – or any cool image – and make custom t-shirts, polo shirts, hats, mugs, calendars or anything else you can imagine. And you can do it all online.
Just upload a picture and the rest is simple. If you are looking for a cool Father’s Day gift for less than $50, snap a shot of Dad’s boat and plant it on a tee.
Mad Mariner's editors have used Zazzle many times and have never had a problem. The site has a nice clean interface, the products are high-quality and the shipping is reliable.
One of the best features is that the Zazzle site remembers what you have created and purchased, so when you need shirts next year you won't have to recreate them.
Prices vary according to what you create, but there are frequent sales.
NORCROSS HAND-HELD DEPTH SOUNDER
The DF2200PX Handheld Depthfinder from Norcross Marine is nothing if not cool. About the size of a flashlight, and powered by batteries, the unit measures depth and water temperature by simply submerging its sensor and pressing a button.
Editors here have played with these for months in different situations and found them to be reliable. We have even given them away as gifts in Mad Mariner contests.
The Norcross unit is a great way to add depth capabilities to a small boat, or to add a backup to a large boat for relatively little money. The unit costs $89.99 at West Marine.
