Water Ski - July 01, 2018

MAKING WAVES /// FOR COMPARISON’S SAKE

PHOTOS: COURTESY AOMAIS, COURTESY JBL/HARMAN INTERNATIONAL, COURTESY ULTIMATE EARS

JBL

EXTREME

THE BOOM: The priciest

unit is also the loudest, with

the best sound quality of the

three. The lithium-ion battery

lasts for up to 15 hours. It can

be connected with other JBL

speakers to amplify

the sound.

THE BUST: Splash-proof

but not submersible. At 4.

pounds, it’s the heaviest

of the three.

PRICE: $299.95; jbl.com

ULTIMATE EARS

BOOM 2

THE BOOM: This middle-

priced portable unit provides

quality 360-degree sound

and can be paired with up to

eight devices at the same time

and with up to 50 total UE

speakers. It is submersible to

IPX7 standards.

THE BUST: Any IPX7 sub-

mersible speaker is going to

lose a bit in sound quality.

PRICE: $179.99;

ultimateears.com

AOMAIS

SPORT II

THE BOOM: The smallest

of the three, it can fit in the

pocket of your cargo shorts.

It’s rated IPX7, making it sub-

mersible, and it comes with an

inflatable pad to help it float.

THE BUST: It has decent

sound, but it lacks the

volume of the others and

can pair with only one other

Aomais speaker.

PRICE: $30.99; aomais.com

WATERPROOF SPEAKERS

Even if your boat has a kickin’ stereo, bringing a portable Bluetooth speaker on

board is great for beaching or rafting up. Here are three to choose from, ranging

from most to least expensive. —Pete McDonald

CAPTAIN’S TEST

(Answers from page 16)

1. D. Hull blueprinting, while
   time-consuming and not fun,
   typically is the best bang-for-the-
   buck performance improvement
   available for most recreational
   pleasure hulls.

2. A. Technically, the EPA prohibits

any and all engine modifications

for outboards built after 1996.

Realistically, however, there are

no “emissions testing stations” set

up in any state to measure out-

board engine emissions or power

output. So, it can be done, but if

you’re ever caught ...

3. B. A nose cone will generally

only add speed in certain cases.

For boats traveling at speeds

below 75 mph, it’s debatable.

Often the added drag of the cone

itself will reduce speed.

4. E. There is a noticeable vibra-

tion increase at lower speeds, and

certainly the solid mounting (as

opposed to factory rubber isola-

tion mounts) can and does cause

premature wear and cracking.

5. E. The boat can actually ride on

the tabs and the last few inches

of the bottom, increasing speed,

along with better handling and

rough-water response. The net

result is often more speed, more

consistently.

6. D. All of the above, depending

on the application and cur-

rent performance, can be true

statements. The best advice? Try

it — testing is always the clear

indicator.

CAPTAIN’S TESTS ONLINE

Test your knowledge of boating with

more Captain’s Tests at boatingmag

.com/captains-test.

EXTREME

The one with the

biggest sound

BOOM 2

The one with 360-

SPORT IIThe smallest, most degree sound

portable one

July/August is our annual Speed
on the Water issue, so now is the
time to catch up on all our
performance-boat coverage.

Scan this tag or visit

boatingmag.com/boats/

high-performance.