Boating USA — January 2018

APP OF

THE MONTHTHE MONTH

BOATINGMAG.COM | JANUARY 2018| 13

PHOTO: SHUTTERSTOCK (PEN)

It’s boat-show season, and that

means all kinds of special deals

are being off ered by manufacturers

and dealers. Their goal is to get

you to sign on the dotted line.

Let’s see how savvy you are.

— Eric Colby(Answers on page 14)

1. We expect dealers to
   have sales personnel at
   a boat show, but what
   other departments
   should also be on hand?
   A. Service
   B. Parts and
   accessories
   C. Warranty
   D. All of the above

2 .How long of a term can

a buyer with good credit

get for a boat loan?

A. 5 years

B. 10 years

C. 15 years

D. 20 years

3. You’re a serious

buyer. Before heading

to the show, what is the

most important thing to

establish?

A. The size of boat

you want

B. The size of engine

you want

C. Your budget

D. None of the above

4 .Many show-goers

don’t have tens of thou-

sands of dollars lying

around to purchase

a boat outright. That

means financing.

What do lenders

consider to be a good

credit score?

A. 650

B. 675

C. 700

D. 725

5. What is the biggest
   mistake first-time boat
   buyers make?
   A. They buy the wrong
   type of boat
   B. They buy too small
   of a boat
   C. They buy an under-
   powered boat
   D. All of the above

SCAN ME

ONLINE THIS MONTH

You don’t like the gifts you got over the holidays?

There’s still time to return them and buy something

for the boat. Check out our Holiday Gift Guide at

boatingmag.com/2017-holiday-gift-guide.

For more gifts and gadgets to please the

boating crowd, scan here or go to

boatingmag.com/giftguide.

B OAT-

SHOW

DEALS

MAKING WAVES///CAPTAIN’S TEST

If you have a Mercury engine made

in 2004 or later, here is an app (free)

and a Bluetooth module ($275) that

will make your life easier. First, plug

the module into the diagnostic port

on your engine and put the resistor

end (it looks like a yellow or red plug

on the socket) in the female socket

on the module’s harness. Turn on the

key and the device lights up, indicating

it is reading the engine and ready to

communicate via Bluetooth to your

iOS or Android device. Open the app

and connect it to the module. Now you

can name the connection after your

boat. Turn your smartphone’s location

services on so it can use GPS infor-

mation to assist with managing fuel,

provide you with local knowledge of

ports, fuel access or hazards,

and let you associate smartphone

images with points of interest. All the

information available from the engine-

control module is at your fi ngertips on

the app. In addition, it will keep track

of engine hours and point out what is

needed at the next service interval. If

operating errors crop up, your app can

read them just like your mechanic,

and it will tell you if you need to make

port immediately or check into it after

your return. Boating's test team uses

the device to capture performance

data on Mercury engines because it

is clearly effi cient and the epitome of

plug-and-play hardware. For more

information, see mercury.vesselview

mobile.com; $275. — Randy Vance

VESSELVIEW

MOBILE APP