New Boating Gear: Fun In The Sun

Casting Call

Looking for a low-profile baitcasting reel that's light, strong, reliable, and doesn't cost an arm and a leg? Check out the Piscifun Alijoz 300. Sized for heavy freshwater or light inshore saltwater use, the Alijoz 300 comes in a choice of 5.9:1 or 8.1:1 gear ratios, right- or left-handed versions, and weighs a mere 11.3 ounces. Braid line capacity is 205 yards of 40-pound test, and the drag can put out a whopping 33 pounds of pressure. This reel also has a unique feature in that you can engage the spool by pressing a thumb bar button, as opposed to turning the crank. This means you can lock the reel up the moment your lure hits the water, without having to switch hands, and begin cranking. $99.99 | piscifun.com

Jumping For Joy

Who hasn't ever been stuck at the dock or out on the water due to a dead battery? Almost nobody, that's who. And these days, considering the compact and inexpensive nature of jump-starter packs, there's no excuse for not having one — even if you have a BoatUS Towing Membership. The latest to hit the market is Weego's lithium-polymer N44s, which holds 50% more juice than the N22 it replaces. That means it can blast out 440 12-volt cranking amps to turn engines as large as 7.0L (gasoline) or 3.5L (diesel). Yet this petite power provider is barely any bigger than the average cellphone. It comes with a micro-USB charger and jumper cables with clamps, gets an IP65 water-resistant rating, recharges in 2.5 hours, and is rated for up to 1,000 cycles. $92.99 | myweego.com

Safety Stick

If you want satellite communications abilities in a package small enough you won't even know it's in your pocket, the 4.5-inch-long, 1.8-inch-wide Bivy Stick from ACR Electronics (the manufacturer claims it's the smallest and lightest sat-com device currently available on the market) is what you need. This IPX-7 waterproof device has a dedicated SOS button in case of emergency, but most of the time you'll be using it to make your cellphone's texting reach unlimited. Download the Bivy app and the unit bumps your texts to satellite constellations overhead, then on to the rest of the world. Incoming texts are received the same way. If the Bivy Stick has a clear view of the sky, your communications will get through just about anywhere on the face of the planet. $349 | acrartex.com

Getting On Trac

Voice, video, and data speeds up to 6 Mbps (down) and 2 Mbps (up) is a big ask at sea, but that's exactly what you'll get with the new TracPhone V30 from KVH. This is the smallest, lightest powered marine VSAT around and can be used with your choice of metered or unlimited global airtime plans (starting at $99/month). The 14.5-inch dish in the 23.4-pound V30 offers single-cable installation and communicates with the belowdecks VSAT-Hub, which includes HTS modem connections, Wi-Fi, data routing, firewall security, and VoIP adaptor for regular old phone calls. Coverage is a mere 160 million square miles and IoT (Internet of Things) functionality tracks the systems' performance to optimize connectivity. Speaking of performance: In rough seas the two-axis pedestal design and stabilized skew driven by dual IMUs and high-performance motor controllers ensures an optimal connection. $11,995 | kvh.com

Charting Champ

The Si-Tex NavPro multifunction displays (MFDs) have been upgraded for 2021. Now both the NavPro 900 (a 9-inch unit) and the NavPro 1200 (a 12-inch unit) can display Navionics Platinum+ cartography. Both have CHIRP sonar built-in, and if you add a Si-Tex 4kW MDS-12 radar antenna, you get the ability to overlay radar over these digital charts out to a range of 36 nautical miles. With or without the radar component, adding Platinum+ compatibility brings with it a slew of features like 3D chart views, relief shading, satellite imagery, and most important for the anglers among us, SonarChart Live functionality. That means your unit can use the combined data collected by the fishfinder and the GPS to create accurate custom bathymetric maps in real time. $999 to $2,199 | si-tex.com

Size Matters

Mercury Marine made countless eyebrows shoot skyward this spring when it announced its all-new V12, 7.6-liter, 1,260-pound, 600-hp Verado outboard engine. This is now the most powerful outboard engine in production on the planet. And it's not just big; it's packed with tech heretofore unseen in the outboard world. It has twin contra-rotating propellers, a 200-hour service increment between oil changes, and all the bells and whistles seen on current Verado motors. But beyond that it has two features that set it far apart from the rest of the pack. First, a two-speed transmission. Shifting takes place automatically and is so smooth it's almost imperceptible. Second, the lower unit articulates. When you turn the steering wheel, the cowls remain in position and only the gearcase moves. This increases steerage by about 15% and also allows the motors to be mounted closer together than usual. Approximately $77,000 | mercurymarine.com

One Serious Scooper

You want the ultimate night fishing landing net? The Trophy Haul Power Extend from Frabill is lighted, so you can see as you scoop up those trophies in the dark. This net has just about every other feature an angler could want, too, including a handled yoke for lifting serious lunkers, a push-button release that telescopes the handle from 38 inches to 72 inches, and conservation-style net mesh that won't harm the fish. The Trophy Haul Power Extend is available in three hoop sizes: 18-by-21 inches, 21-by-24 inches, and 24-by-27 inches. $149.99 to $169.99 | frabill.com