Tarpon Fishing

FWC Public Workshops:

Potential Rule Changes for the Tarpon and Bonefish Fisheries

Share your input on these important issues by participating in a workshop!

TOPIC: The purpose of these workshops is to gather public input on potential changes in the tarpon and bonefish rules to make them catch-and-release only fisheries throughout Florida’s state and federal waters. 

Possible changes include:

·  Eliminating the tarpon bag limit and allowing the harvest and possession of a single tarpon in conjunction with a tarpon tag only when in pursuit of an IGFA record

·  Modifying the tarpon tag program, including reporting requirements and calendar year, and

·  Discontinuing the bonefish tournament exemption permit that allows tournament anglers to temporarily possess bonefish for transport to a tournament scale. 

TIME: 6-8 p.m. EDT

WHEN and WHERE:

·        April 1: St. Petersburg at Fish and Wildlife Research Institute, 100 Eighth Ave. S.E.

·        April 2: Dania Beach at IGFA Fishing Hall of Fame and Museum, 300 Gulf Stream Way

·        April 3: Key Colony Beach at City Hall, Mile Marker 53.5, 600 W. Ocean Drive

·        April 8: Statewide webinar and telephone conference call. Visit MyFWC.com/Fishing/Saltwater/Rulemaking/Workshops.

For more information call the Division of Marine Fisheries Management at 850-487-0554.

Please feel free to distribute this flyer to others who may be interested in attending one of these workshops.

Amanda Nalley

Public Information Specialist

Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission

Division of Marine Fisheries Management

Inflatable boats at work

When we think about inflatable boats we usually have in mind tenders or boats for yachts to bring passenger from the main ship to shore.

Rigid hull inflatables are used in very many different ways as working boats. Even the military forces uses inflatables for rescue missions or to patrol our coasts.  

The inflatables played a very important roll when the storm Katrina destroyed the Lousiana and the golf cost region.

They provide support also for divers working to repair underwater hulls.

Aquascan is a boat manufacturing company servicing not only the Yachting community. Special attention is dedicated to working boats.

Boating License

Boating license or safety card to operate a boat or water craft.

Published 07/26/2005 03:56 PM   |    Updated 06/11/2012 04:46 PM

Do I need a boating license or boating safety certificate to operate a boat or personal watercraft (PWC) in Florida?

Anyone born on or after January 1, 1988 is required to have a boating safety education ID card along with a photo ID while operating a vessel with a motor 10 horsepower or greater in Florida waters.  This includes personal water craft (PWC). Persons under age 14 may not operate a PWC.

The type of card you need depends on whether you are a resident of Florida or not.  If you are a Florida resident, you can take an 8-hour classroom or internet course and get a "lifetime" ID card.  If you are just visiting, you may prefer to take a temporary certificate exam that is good for 12 months.  Everyone is encouraged to take one of these courses to become familiar with Florida's boating laws and regulations.

Aquascan Runner inflatable!

The Runner tender series is a vibrant and multifaceted series of inflatable boats.
It was created to fill a void in the market, for the customers that needed a boat that was new and exciting without weighting a ton!

Not only is it brilliant at carrying plenty of passengers from ship to shore, it can also be outfitted to be the perfect excursion tender. Designed to pull double and even triple duty, you can carry dive equipment and coolers, or tow a skier.

A popular piece of optional equipment is this faux teak flooring. Soft and forgiving on your feet, it has the classic look of teak, without the weight of real teak and without getting hot. This faux teak can sit in the sun all day and your feet will be safe from abrasions and never get hot.

The upgraded ergonomic console has every instrument at your fingertip and it is also equipped with a seat, more passengers can join in on the fun.

The exact same model, can be equipped and design to be a classy high performance boat that will take everything you can throw at her, and still come out on top.

The same high quality craftsman ship is in each boat no matter how different and customized they are. Customer service and high quality of product  is really what Aquascan is looking to give to every customer.

If you like to be part of the Aquasca family do not hesitate to call us or come for a visit when you are in

Fort Lauderdale FL. 

Aquascan RIBs rating: 9 out of 10 based on 62 ratings. 14 user reviews.

High speed test of jet boats!

Working or having fun?                      

As I promised these is the follow up of the high speed test of the jet Sprinter Supercharger F 16.

The day was not the best one for filming from the air but we are used to work with what is available weather wise in Florida.

The photographer; Very courageous (my point of view) was taking pictures from the helicopter with no door to shield him.
The performance of the jet 16 was as we expected very good. The girls are learning how the boats perform at high speed and they are really enjoying the ride.
They say that this is consider working. I am not convinced about that! They are having a lot of fun!
We have also used the Sprinter F 14 for a ride and it is always amazing the way this boat handles the waves and the speed.

The wind was kind of strong so even if the test was in a lake the water was choppy.
The 14 jet is powered with a Yamaha jet 110 HP
The 16 is powered by a Yamaha 220 HP supercharger.
The deep V hull of the both tenders are really well designed giving optimum maneuverability to the boat. The water spry is kept to a minimum so guests on board do not get over spry; very convenient if you are taking them to dinner or at shore. 

Jet Tenders and rigid hull inflatables!

What makes Aquascan different??

To better serve their customers, Aquascan is on a constant pursuit for perfection. “Good Enough” isn't good enough for their customers.

"40 years ago the first inflatable boat was invented with the purpose of safely and easily navigating the sea.

After all these years, we are always trying to re-invent the inflatable boat. Our knowledge base of the technical aspects of construction, the physics of buoyancy and the advancements in safety, far surpass those of the past. We like to stay ahead of the curve and move ahead.

We know more but not all, so in the pursuit of a better product, we constantly study and look for new techniques and stay on top of our customers’ needs.

There are a lot of inflatable boats out there but they are not all the same.

Mindless and repetitive assembly line production is not the way we do things. All of our vessels are intimately hand crafted with the mission of satisfying all our customer’s needs and wants."

The fiberglass hull is carefully made by hand; every single layer of fiberglass or Kevlar is carefully positioned. Not one boat is identical to the other; this is by choice, since every customer has different needs related not only to their taste and navigation style, but also their individual needs to perfectly fit the tender on their yacht.

"So when we say custom made yacht tender, we really mean custom made."

Each tube is carefully designed with the best fabric and material available in the market. It does not matter if we have to search around the world for the right materials that go into the fabrication of the inflatable boat.

A unique yacht tender made for you!

Inflatable boats in the USA market.

Although inflatables are very popular outside of North America the market is very stable with no growth.  This is probably the reason why many more international companies are trying to open the door into the American market, consequentially; consumers will have more and more inflatable boats to choose from.

The RIB was born around 1964 since then its use has expanded. Today Rigid Inflatable Boats are the boat type of choice for many commercial, military operators and widely used in the leisure market. The inflatable is used as all weather lifeboats in some countries.

The development of the RIB has been the most significant in the past 50 years, they have change the way of thinking for many small boat users.

RIBs have grown in size from the early 10ft to 60ft in length. From an open little boat to a RIB with cabin.

The modern RIB can undertake the most arduous seagoing task as well as having the most seaworthy hull for its size.

 When you build a normal fiberglass boat the hull and the deck are the only major components. In a good inflatable boat, after you print (construct) the hull and the deck, you have to transform a flat rubber fabric material into a nice round, smooth Seaworthy collar (very intensive artisan work).

The fiberglass hull of an Aquascan inflatable

 It is actually much easier to build a decent inflatable, than try to cheat by building a cheap one, where you have to spend more time and effort figuring out where to cut corners and the only one losing is the customer. (The main goal of this publication is not to criticize or honor a certain brand, but to EDUCATE, you the consumer).

The hypalon tubes are made from a roll of fabric

The diameter of the tubes is really not so important, of course from 12 inches to 21 inches there is a big difference, but from 19 to 20 or 21 inches not so much. Probably the tubes that are 19 inches in diameter will give more inside space. If do not intend to overload your boat, it really don’ matter.

Unless the tube has a really small diameter, there’s no way you can put the tubes under water even if the boat is full of water up to the transom.

A good sea-going characteristic of a rigid inflatable boat  is found in the way the tube and the rigid hull interact. These are Stability, Variable geometry and Fendering.

Cobra Diesel 16

Sprinter F 16 Hooters Patrol

Sick Yacht Syndrome

Yachts are notorious for stale air. You can notice it as soon as you step on board. There is a trademark odor. Some try to mask odors with another odor or scent. Companies actually specialize in "scent engineering", tying certain scents with feelings or moods. The problem with this concept of olfactory persuasion is that we all process odours differently. Roses may smell good to you and make you smile, but may remind the next person of a funeral home! The best scent engineering is a non-scent or the absence of all odors. Routinely, hotels change drapes and bedspreads not due to wear, but rather the absorption of odors. This problem is amplified on a yacht due to the wide variety of odors. Yachts are tightly built. Space and weight are design problems. Therefore heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) equipment is kept to a minimum. Make-up air or fresh outside air is limited or non-existent. Make-up air should represent 25% of a yacht's airflow.
Designers prefer to recycle air as it is usually warmer or cooler than outside air, so less energy is required to heat or cool the air. The problem is the same air is constantly being turned over. This is especially true in the lower staterooms. Assuming no one opens a port hole and each stateroom has its own air handler (heating/cooling unit) and two people are in a stateroom with the door closed, there is no fresh air circulating, just recycled air. This is true for the entire lower stateroom area. The only way to get fresh air down the stairway via Brownian motion or a very slow molecular air transfer. Trying to get fresh air down a stairway into closed staterooms is like trying to blow air into a bottle. The old air has no place to go so the area ends up with a static air situation. With all the airborne bacteria, moulds, yeasts and VOC's, this build up can cause very serious problems. Most bacteria are harmless, but when there is a build up of billions, it drastically increase your chances of exposure to a bad one.

Healthy Yacht Hints

• Good housekeeping. Keep it clean and clutter-free to promote air circulation.
• A filtered advanced oxidation fresh air makeup system. This will help prevent stale air and provide a positive pressure atmosphere in the yacht.
• A continuous duty advanced oxidation HVAC air purification system. This will kill airborne and surface bacteria, viruses, mold, yeast and odors.
• A positive ventilation, oxidation and circulation system. This will kill microbial as above, plus provide full vessel air circulation to prevent stale air pockets.
• An advanced oxidation holding tank ventilation system. Advanced oxidation gases are circulated through the holding tank to oxidize sewer gases, viruses, bacteria and odors.
• An advanced oxidation fuel filtration system. This will kill microbial in diesel fuel without the use of chemicals.
Engines will run cleaner and fuel microbial will be limited.
• A continuous duty advanced oxidation ice machine and drain and head system. This kills lysteria bacteria.

The America's Cup

Got this news not to long ago and like to share. Notice the Cost Guard to the rescue!
In this photo taken Tuesday Oct. 16, 2012 and provided by Oracle Team USA, crew members of the capsized Oracle Team USA AC72 boat are rescued after being swept past the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco. The America's Cup champion syndicate is assessing the damage to its 72-foot (22-meter) catamaran, after it capsized and was swept by a strong current more than four miles (six kilometers) past the Golden Gate Bridge before rescue boats could control it. (AP Photo/Oracle Team USA, Guilain Grenier)
In this photo taken Tuesday Oct. 16, 2012 and provided by Oracle Team USA, the Oracle Team USA AC72 catamaran is capsized on San Francisco Bay in San Francisco. (AP Photo/Oracle Team USA, Guilain Grenier)
In this photo taken Tuesday Oct. 16, 2012 and provided by Oracle Team USA, crew members hang from the mesh netting after the Oracle Team USA AC72 boat capsized on San Francisco Bay in San Francisco. (AP Photo/Oracle Team USA, Guilain Grenier)
A tanker container ship passes the yacht as it goes out to sea. A 72 foot Oracle vessel training for the America's Cup, capsized in San Francisco Bay Tuesday Oct. 16, 2012 and currents carried it out into the ocean. While some of the crew members were thrown into the water, all were accounted for and there are no serious injuries, according to a statement released by the syndicate. (AP Photo/Brant Ward, San Francisco Chronicle)

Jet Tenders

AQUASCAN has developed the Sprinter FJet series to service the needs of the "no compromise" yacht tender market.

In response to a wave of customer requests, the company  created a new line of yacht tenders with jet propulsion designed specifically for Pershing, Riva and Ferretti Yachts. 

The Aquascan Sprinter Jet F10 comes with an array of custom features available at the customer’s request.

These tenders are custom designed to fit perfectly inside the garages of these yachts without compromising style and performance. 

Real World engineering designed with hands on experience that provides the ultimate performance, styling and durability.

The dynamic design and manufacturing team takes every opportunity to create and develop advancements in design and performance in response to the every changing needs of the tender boat market.

The Sprinter Jets are high performance, custom built jet tenders.The first jet tender was introduce to the market in 1995.

Although all the models have standard measurements and designs, they are all customizable in every sense of the word from the inside out.

The jet inflatable boat can be built with Carbon Fiber or Kevlar, design is limited only by your desires.

If height, width, length or weight is an issue, not to worry, Aquascan can customize all jet ribs to fit your requirements.

The four stroke inflatable jet boat was premiered at the 2001 Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show and has been our number one seller since.

Because Aquascan is a custom manufacturer of inflatable boats all of the base models have dozens of accessories available to them, and each model and accessory can be customized to your preference

Each Aquascan is hand built in Fort Lauderdale Florida. www.AquascanRibs.com