The availability of clean water is often taken for granted, but fresh, drinkable  water is not found in abundance – anywhere on the planet’s surface. And once you’re  out cruising, you’ll become very aware of the limited supply you have on board.

Storage tanks for drinking water are a necessity and found in most boats, as well  as RVs and campers.

You can ensure that your onboard water supply stays clean and safe through proper  maintenance of your drinking water holding tank.

After your boat has been in storage for the winter, or for any reason, there are a  number of tasks you need to complete before taking it out on the water again. One  is removing that odd smell or taste in your drinking water tank. Sometimes these  can be prevented by thoroughly draining the tank before storing your boat, but once  they set in, both the tank and the pipes need to be cleaned.

Thankfully, it’s pretty easy to clean and flush your drinking water tank. Follow  these simple steps: http://ow.ly/9eiwd 

Rainwater can be collected and used for showering and dish washing. Some boats  collect rainwater from the upper deck and funnel it into a holding tank. This is a  pretty good source of water but can be unreliable, naturally.

If you’re cruising islands in the Bahamas or similar locales, keep in mind that  drinking water can sometimes cost as much as fuel.

Whenever you invite guests aboard, especially inexperienced boaters, remember to  explain in advance how things work aboard a boat. Inform your guests of the limited  facilities on a boat and ask them to be considerate, stressing the importance of  water conservation when cruising.

By being honest and direct with your guests you’ll be ensuring that everyone on  board your Monterey will have a more pleasurable trip!

So it’s no surprise really, that the game has now expanded to an underwater treasure hunt called scubacaching.

Scubacaching is the latest underwater challenge for experienced boaters and divers. It’s a great way to test and improve your navigation skills and make your next dive a real adventure! Check out sites such as www.alertdiver.com/scuba_caching, which planted some caches in locations across the U.S. last year for beginning scubacachers to find. You can form teams of scubacachers and outline some rules or goals of your own home game that lasts a day, a weekend, a vacation, or the entire summer.

Scubacaching closely follows the rules of terrestrial geocaching, with several exceptions. Underwater caches can be placed anywhere — from lakes to reefs to deep down in the ocean, but they must always be within recreational diving limits. Obviously the cache needs to be waterproof, able to withstand water pressure and corrosion, and should not be buoyant. It has to stay underwater, and anchored really well. Any underwater cache that needs special equipment such as scuba gear to find, must be classified as a difficult category/Type 5 (T5).

In addition, GPS co-ordinates for underwater caches are taken from the spot where a boat anchors, so visual reference clues should be provided to help scubacachers locate the exact underwater home of their target.

Why not have some fun on your Monterey and take the scubacaching challenge with your fellow divers this year?

Visit the Central New York Boat Show today through Feb. 19, at the State Fairgrounds in Syracuse, throughout three venues: the Toyota Exhibit Building, the Center of Progress Building, and the John Deere Horticulture Building.

The CNY Boat Show and Sale will showcase more than 500 all-new boat models in about 300,000 square feet of exhibit space, including cruisers and sport boats, along with a few luxury motor yachts. Our dealer Frontenac Harbor will be in the Toyota Bldg. T-1, exhibiting our 264FS, 224FS, 204FSX, 204FS, 280SCR, 184FS, and M3 models.

Frontenac Harbor is your Finger Lakes and Syracuse area dealer for Monterey Boats, located on beautiful Cayuga Lake, just east of Frontenac Island in Union Springs.

Admission is $10 per person, and children age 13 and under are admitted free. There will be plenty of free parking and shuttles, plus free seminars including Freshwater Angling, Life Vest Demos, and Young Boater Safety courses from USCGA. For more CNY Boat show and ticket info, click here.   Be sure to stop by our exhibit at t-1 in the Toyota Bldg. and say “Hello!”

The Marine Trades Association of New Jersey is pleased to announce that ‘The Boats are Back!’ next week for the New Jersey Boat Sale & Expo, Feb. 23-26, in Edison’s New Jersey Convention & Exposition Center.

Centrally located for easy access from anywhere in the Tri-state Area, there is ample, free, on-site parking, an expansive Boater’s Marketplace, free seminars and Boating Safety Classes, plus The New Jersey Sea Grant Consortium, The Cooper Environmental Center and Kids Cove are all ready with activities for little boaters, promising to keep them captivated with marine-related and boating lifestyle fun.

Scheduled seminars include Bunker Busting Spring Bass, Inshore Thresher Sharks, Safer Boating, Inshore Pelagics, plus spearfishing and trolling will be covered.

Our dealer Coty Marine, your new & used Monterey Boats dealer in Toms River, will be at our Booth Space 115,  displaying our sport boat models.

Admission is just $6 per person, 16 years & under are free when accompanied by an adult, and you can try your luck with a Super 50/50 Raffle. Grand Prize is $5,000!

The New Jersey Boat Sale & Expo is owned and produced by the Marine Trades Association of New Jersey, a non-profit trade organization comprised of over 300 marine related businesses dedicated to promoting and protecting the recreational marine industry and waterways in the State of New Jersey.

You’ll find boat show and ticket info here: http://jerseyboatexpo.com/

A boat show is an amazing experience, no matter which part of the world you’re in. They provide the opportunity to spend quality time with experts, dealers, and manufacturers, have all your questions answered, and shop for a boat in the best possible environment, with plenty of chances to chat with other boat owners and enthusiasts. You’ll also find great deals and incentives at this time of year from one of our reputable and certified Monterey dealers.

Mardi Gras is a carnival celebration of eating, drinking, parades, trinkets, costumes, dancing, music and general indulgence enjoyed mostly in waterfront cities around the world. Mardi Gras is held on “Fat Tuesday,” the last day of the carnival season, as it always falls the day before Ash Wednesday. This year that date is February 21.

Many cities hold Mardi Gras or Carnival events, but perhaps the most popular are Rio De Janeiro and New Orleans.

Although Carnival (Carnaval in Portuguese) is celebrated in towns throughout Brazil and other countries, Rio de Janeiro has long been regarded as the Carnival Capital of the World. The Rio Carnaval is not only the biggest Carnival, it is also the international event against which all other carnivals are judged and one of the most colorful, interesting and artistically expressive events held around the world. Almost everyone has seen, heard of or read about Rio’s Carnaval. Foreign visitors to it alone number around half a million each year.

Carnival is also celebrated throughout the Caribbean, and while Trinidad’s party is perhaps the biggest and most famous, there are other great celebrations in St. Vincent and Barbados. While many Carnival celebrations take place just before the beginning of the Easter season in spring, you can find a Caribbean Carnival taking place on some island almost any time of the year.

Mardi Gras in New Orleans means outdoor music, parades, picnics, and floats, with plenty of Cajun food and excitement. Everyone wears purple, green, and gold, colors which will be accessorized by the long bead necklaces that are tossed to the crowds from outstanding and sometimes outrageous, parade floats.

Tossing metallic trinkets to the crowds was started in the early 1870s and is a time-honored tradition. Some “throws” are especially prized by participants, such as hand-decorated coconuts from the Krewe of Zulu. Only the luckiest folks get to take home one of these.

To read more about Mardi Gras, go to Infoplease.com.

If you plan to attend a Mardi Gras or Carnival celebration this month, there’s no better way to get there than on your Monterey.

Laissez les bon temps rouler! (Let the good times roll!)

The Miami Boat Show is spread across three locations, and tickets are good for all: The Miami Beach Convention Center, Sea Isle Marina & Yachting Center, and Strictly Sail Miami at Miamarina at Bayside. Shuttle bus and water taxi service is available to help you reach the venues, and the weather forecast is sunny and warm.

Twenty-five types of power boats will be represented at this outstanding show. You’ll find Monterey Boats on the Main Floor, at B71. Our dealer www.Arch Creek Yacht Sales.com will be exhibiting our beautiful 340SY, 320SY, 328SS, 280Cr, 260Cr, 264FS, M5, 244FS and 224FSX models.

Features at this North American East Coast show include DIY seminars, Discover Boating Resource Center, Dive Shows, Big Game Room, an informational Water Center, Guy Harvey Artist Pavilion, the 10th Annual Leading with Vision and Values Luncheon, plus reps from the National Geographic Channel’s Hit Series Shark Men, and the Miami Marlins. Boating enthusiasts and art aficionados can meet International Game Fish Association Fishing Hall of Fame member Dr. Guy Harvey, who is celebrating a 25-year career as a world-renowned artist, photographer, diver and scientist, by visiting the Artist Pavilion at the Miami Beach Convention Center.

This year’s Big Game Room Hall of Fame Inductee is John Brownlee, an accomplished and passionate angler. Appropriately, the Bait Rigging Station is back too, by popular demand.

A Discover Boating Photo Contest Sponsored by The Miami Herald is also scheduled, with great prizes, plus you can register at the Dive & Travel Harbor to win a week’s vacation in Quepos/Manuel Antonio, Costa Rica, provided by ECO Events Worldwide. You’ll also find a helpful Boat Buyers Toolkit there, but the best boat buyer’s friend is a reputable and certified dealer.

A boat show is a fantastic experience, and Miami is the perfect host city. A boat show offers attendees the opportunity to spend time up-close-and-personal with experts, dealers, and manufacturers, get all your questions answered, shop for a boat in the best possible environment, with plenty of chances to just talk with other boat owners and enthusiasts. You’ll also find great deals and incentives at this time of year.

In addition, you can always find out more about Monterey Boats at our website, www.montereyboats.com.

Miami, Florida, Feb. 16-20. Hope to see you there!

Each group has named itself after the type of waterway it protects, and they include Basinkeeper, Baykeeper, Bayoukeeper, Canalkeeper, Channelkeeper, Coastkeeper, Creekkeeper, Deltakeeper, Gulfkeeper, Inletkeeper, Lakekeeper, Riverkeeper, Shorekeeper and Soundkeeper.

Monterey Boats hopes you appreciate them all, as we do.

According to its website, the Waterkeepers’ story began in 1966 when commercial and recreational fishermen united and formed the Hudson River Fishermen’s Association in New York to save their river, livelihood and the health of their families. They took on many of the nation’s biggest industrial polluters and won. In 1983, they hired the first full-time Hudson Riverkeeper. In addition, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. became involved and was named one of Time magazine’s “Heroes for the Planet” for his success in helping Riverkeeper lead the fight to restore the Hudson River. The group also has a long history of protecting its largest and most iconic fish, the Atlantic sturgeon. Its many achievements soon inspired more than 185 Waterkeeper organizations across the globe.

The Waterkeeper Alliance was founded in 1999 to support their efforts to protect and preserve the integrity and sustainability of the natural recreational waterway environment. Visit them by clicking here. 

The Waterkeepers Alliance strives to protect every major watershed around the world, reaching out and collaborating with other leading environmental and public health organizations. As of today, there are nearly 200 Waterkeeper Organizations on six continents. From North America’s San Joaquin DeltaKeeper in California, Galveston BayKeeper, Potomac RiverKeeper and Puget Sound Keeper, to Mexico’s La Paz Coast Keeper, Asia’s Upper Ganga Riverkeeper, and Europe’s London Canalkeeper, the groups vary in size and strength, but all share a single vision and have become a voice for the world’s waters, through conservation, monitoring, education, advocacy, partnering, planning, problem solving and enforcement.

But to get the most out of your weekend Monterey outing, it always helps to make sure you’ve got all you need for the trip, especially if you plan to drop anchor and spend the night.

Here’s what you need to double-check before you leave home:

• Boat registration: Is your boat registered and is the registration current? Is the trailer license current?
• Gasoline: If the gas in the boat tank has been there since last season, replace it with fresh fuel. You don’t want to get out on a lake when moisture in the fuel suddenly stops the engine.
• Life jackets: Is there one in the boat for every person who will be aboard?
• Steering cable: Turn the boat steering wheel and make sure the outdrive turns with it.
• Lights: Make sure all the lights on the boat are working. You may be planning a daylight-only outing, but something could delay you until nightfall. Check the trailer’s lights also.
• Fire extinguisher: Make sure it is charged.
• Wheel bearings: Before your first outing of the season, pull off the caps on the trailer wheels and check the grease. This is a critical, but often overlooked item on trailers.
• Check the weather: If a storm is forecast, you may want to change plans.
• Cell phone: Take one if at all possible. They don’t function in some remote areas, but they work most places.
• Supplies: In addition to fishing gear or swim items, take along drinking water, sunscreen, insect repellent and a first aid kit.

For trailer boaters, here’s what to do at the launch ramp:

• Make sure the drain plug is firmly in place in the boat.
• Check the motor kill switch if your boat has one.
• Set the parking brake on the vehicle towing the boat.
• Unhook the trailer lights from the towing vehicle.
• Take tie-down straps off the boat so the trailer doesn’t float.
• Put on life jackets even if not required by law. It’s the safe thing to do.

Of course, you’re also going to need food, but if you have one of our great cruisers, you’ll have great cooking and cold storage appliances.

And if you don’t already have one, you can find a Monterey perfect for your weekend outings at MontereyBoats.com.

Well, there’s actually 660,000 acres of public waters in 73 reservoirs, each are more than 500 acres, and there are 23,000 miles of streams. While these stats come from a fisheries management report, you can bet a lot of folks also are enjoying water sports or just cruising on all that water.

The state’s largest body of water, Eufaula Lake, is the 15th largest lake in the United States. The Red River is the state’s largest stream and forms much of the border between Oklahoma and Texas. The Red also flows through Lake Texoma, another giant lake that Oklahomans enjoy.

The website OutdoorsOK.com has a wealth of information about enjoying the waters of Oklahoma. Popular activities include water skiing and wakeboarding. There are even some lakes clear enough for scuba diving — Arbuckle Lake, Elmer Thomas Lake, Lake Murray and Lake Tenkiller.

Of course, fishing is another favorite Oklahoma pastime. Largemouth Bass and Stripers are two of the big species to fish, but others include Blue Catfish, Brown Trout, Channel Catfish, Crappie, Flathead Catfish, Hybrid Striped Bass, Paddlefish, Rainbow Trout, Saugeye, Smallmouth Bass, Spotted Bass, Sunfish, Walleye and White Bass.

The Oklahoma City Boat Show has already wrapped up for this year, but don’t worry. Whatever you like to do on the water, you can find a Monterey Boat that’s right for you through this weekend at the Tulsa Boat Sport & Travel Show. Even after the shows, you can visit H&H Marine in Oklahoma City or Ugly John’s in Afton and Catoosa, Okla., and Rogers, Ark.

To check out all our boat models, you can go to MontereyBoats.com at any time.

Remember, boat shows are a great way to see Monterey Boats models up close and begin the relationship with a Monterey dealer who could become your friend for life.

Atlantic City Boat Show: At the Atlantic City Convention Center on Feb. 1-5, this show will be huge for Monterey. We’ll have tw0 dealers there — Coty Marine and Highway Marine Services – and will be exhibiting our 204FS, 224FS, 264FS, 264FSX, M5, 328SS, 260SCR, 280SCR, 320SY and 340SY models. It’s a National Marine Marketers Association show and will have a lot of features, including a docking challenge with radio-controlled power boats, an interactive education center, SCUBA diving lessons and the build-a-boat program for kids.

Greater Rochester Boat Show: We’ll join our dealer McMillan Marine on Feb. 2-5 for this show at the Riverside Convention Center on the banks of the Genesee River.

Seattle Boat Show: The biggest show on the west coast, the Seattle expo will have more than 1,000 watercraft at Centurylink Field and South Lake Union. We’ll be with our dealer, Day Island Boat Works at booth West 76 until Feb. 5. On display, we’ll have our 184FS, 204FS, 224FS, 224FSC, 244FSX and M3 models.

Spokane National Boat Show: On the other side of Washington State, we’ll join The Boat Shop of Spokane to exhibit our 184FS, 204FS, 224FSX, 244FS and M3 models. In its 57th year, this show continues through Feb. 4 at the Spokane County Fair & Expo Center. It has a lot of family events and free seminars.

Tulsa Boat Sport & Travel Show: We’ll be in Tulsa, Okla., through Feb. 5 at the QuikTrip Center at Expo Square. We’ll join our dealer Ugly Johns there. The show has a bike tricks show, Swamp People and a Family Fun Splash Zone.

While a boat show is a great experience, you can find out more about all of Monterey Boats’ models at our website.

With our dealer Europe Marine, we are exhibiting the 204FS, 224FSX, 224FC, 264FC and 275SCR at the biggest boat show in Europe. In a sign of growing confidence, the boat show added 100 exhibitors this year for a total of nearly 1,600 exhibits.

Stefan Hack, sales manager of Europe Marine, said the first weekend attendance was up over 2011 with steady traffic throughout the week. Interest has been broad with inquiries and sales on boats ranging from 20 to 30 feet. Monterey’s new FSX package was particularly popular with sports boat customers.

You can see all of our models and what the European boat show attendees like at MontereyBoats.com.