Boating Magazine

Maybe you don’t have air conditioning aboard your boat. Maybe your boat doesn’t have a cabin. Or maybe you enjoy opening up the boat’s ports and doors, but desire a little more airflow. A cabin fan is perfect for these scenarios. Most commonly installed to cool the skipper, these air movers might as well be called captain’s fans or helm fans. Here are three types of small, DIY install fans to try aboard your boat.

The Great Loop Challenge is complete, but the mission continues. Help turn this record-setting journey into life-changing support for children and families battling pediatric cancer. Donate today. After more than 7,200 miles in less than 21 days, the Great Loop Challenge 2026 Powered by Honda Marine has officially completed the Loop in record-setting fashion.

This 32-page coming-of-age story delivers excellent writing, a relatable scenario, and some real-life lessons. Editor’s Note: The author of this book, Daniel Harding, Jr., is Editor-in-Chief of Boating’s sister publication, Power and Motoryacht. –K.F. For many young boaters, the first trip away from the dock is about more than learning to handle a boat. It’s a rite of passage—a chance to trade a little uncertainty for a whole lot of adventure.

A boater uses the ezDrive®.ai smartphone app to control the vessel from the stern, providing greater visibility and control while maneuvering in close quarters. Center consoles aren’t what they used to be. A decade ago, a 40-footer was considered a large boat. Now, builders are rolling out 50- and 60-foot center consoles with towers, generators, and enough superstructure to block your sightlines from the helm.

Bob Grubb has preserved scores of classic outboards. With a nickname like “Mercguy,” it’s no wonder Bob Grubb is an avid collector of vintage outboards. He grew up with Mercury engines, as his Dad started a Mercury dealership out of their basement in 1948. Bob continued in the business and started collecting old outboards along the way, to the point where he opened the Outboard Heaven Museum in Lake Wynonah, Pennsylvania, in 2013.

The G5 CLZ is loaded with advanced styling and digital features. The Sylvan G5 CLZ continues on the benchmarking theme that the pontoon builder set last year, ensuring that these boats compete head-to-head with other high-end brand names at the top of the market. (More on that in a few paragraphs.) At the ramp, docks, or sandbar, the G5 GLZ turns heads with its slick, advanced styling and digital features. Rigged with top-shelf Yamaha 300 power, this ‘toon rips to a top speed of nearly 43 mph.

The ADV9 blends offshore capabilities with the comfort of a weekender. When Highfield introduced the ADV9 earlier this year, it took a big step toward the future. “We wanted to build a cabin boat,” says Christophe Lavigne, president of Highfield USA. “It’s a really good push forward.

The 387 CCF’s upper station is a full command bridge with electronics, instrumentation and crew comforts from an elevated standpoint. Courtesy Formula Boats Overview When Formula Boats first built the 387 Center Console Fish (CCF), which we tested in 2023, it produced a stout battlewagon engineered from the keel to the hardtop for serious offshore angling combined with high-end luxury.

The Antares 12 Coupe offers a luxurious ride. Courtesy Beneteau Overview The Antares 12 Coupe, sistership to the Antares 12 Flybridge, is a three-cabin-plus cruiser that’s ready, willing and able to take a large family or three couples along on a weekend or longer cruise. It also has the seating capacity to host get-togethers in style, and thanks to its outboard power, it’s right at home at the sandbar. There’s a dining area to port for up to eight guests in the salon.

The boat owner is responsible for the safety of all those aboard. Labor Day, recognized as the traditional close of summer, is one of the busiest boating weekends of the year. Waterways from coast to coast will be crowded with boaters squeezing in one last day of summer fun on the water. Boaters should be prepared for longer lines at boat ramps, fuel docks and parking areas.