Boating is the world's foremost magazine for boating enthusiasts. Written by experts for those who love the sport, the editorial covers the waterfront -- from runabouts to sportfish convertibles to luxury showpieces, and everything in between.

Boating

BOAT BUYER’S VOCABULARY • Words matter.

Kilea-Ann Kleckner, Drag Racer • Some girls love horses. Kilea-Ann Kleckner prefers horsepower. A 16-year-old junior at Marquette Academy in Ottawa, Illinois, Kleckner just finished her first season of powerboat drag-racing competition. Her 310-pound Full Throttle Powerboat QS1 Mod VP hull is powered by a 280 hp two-stroke Mercury Racing drag outboard. It’s a carbon-fiber missile capable of covering 1,000 feet in eight seconds. We met Kleckner at an Upper Midwest Powerboat Association event near Stevens Point, Wisconsin, where she was dialed in to run 800 feet at 95 mph.

REPOWERING • You know that older hull that’s still good for many years more, but the engine is tired or oldschool? Time for a repower—but what should you consider before whipping out that credit card? Take our test to get up to speed.

WINTER BOATING COATS • If you’re going to go boating in marginal weather, you’re going to need the proper cold-weather gear to keep warm—and safe. Here are three jackets to choose from for your later season adventures.

ONLINE THIS MONTH

FI FIRST IMPRESSION

GH GEAR HEAD

DANGERS OF BOW RIDING • This boater should have told his crew to move aft until he cleared the inlet.

RIDE SMART • PWCs are a ton of fun, but make sure you follow both the written and unwritten rules of the road.

Q&A • BOAT DOCTOR /// Q&A • WEEKEND WORKBOOK • QUICK STUDY • WHAT TO LOOK FOR • BOAT DOC SPECIAL • BOATINGLAB

CURT BETTERWEIGH WE TEST STUFF

NON-ISOLATED BRASS FITTING NAUTICAL NO-NO

REPLACE MOTORWELL DRAIN FITTINGS • Remove the old brass fittings and install new stainless-steel versions.

BOAT-DEMO TIPS • How to make the most of a pre-purchase sea trial.

QUALITY PONTOON CONSTRUCTION • Pontoons are so hot that my dad couldn’t buy one last summer. A guy bought the last one available at the dealer near his house in New York sight-unseen and drove all the way from Colorado to pick it up. When that dealer finally gets some new models in, I’ll encourage my dad to look before he buys. There are many fine pontoon builders, but here are a few things to look for to indicate quality pontoon construction, illustrated with examples from Barletta Pontoon Boats.

ELECTRIC WAKES • It’s one thing to create a battery-powered, zeroemissions boat that runs efficiently enough to cruise pleasantly for several hours.

SOUND BARS FOR BOATERS • The Sony Walkman killed boomboxes, and the iPod killed the Walkman. Then smartphones killed the iPod, and now streamable MP3 music has just about made the CD slot optional on most new marine stereos. Th is has created fertile waters for a new evolution of marine audio equipment.

PURSUIT S 428 • This 40-foot center-console has everything you want, and things you didn’t even know you needed.

BENNINGTON 30 QXFWBA X2 • This twin-engine pontoon delivers on entertaining big crowds and handling big water.

SUPER AIR NAUTIQUE GS22E • The “E” is for electric, which means all the wakeboarding, wakesurfing and watersports fun are emissions-free in this battery-powered, future-forward boat.

SCOUT BOATS 330 LXF

CHARGER 198 Elite

MERCURY RACING 360 APX OUTBOARD • The New Apex series FourStroke V-8 is designed for Formula 1 tunnel-boat competition.

AXOPAR 28 CABIN

50 ESSENTIAL BOATING TIPS AND TRICKS

18 REASONS FOR REPOWERING • AND FIVE THINGS TO CONSIDER BEFORE YOU DO

COMPARING SHADED-RELIEF FUNCTIONS • One of...