Are you familiar with The Great Loop and the tens of thousands of passionate boaters who accomplish this journey?  PartsVu Xchange Talks Boating has connected with a number of Greater Loopers, and we will be sharing these conversations with you over the upcoming weeks and months,

Mike O'Malley kicks off The Great Loop conversation in this fun and informative discussion.

In this episode, we discussed:

• The geographical parameters of the route
• Different approaches for tackling The Great Loop
• Traveling alone vs. buddy boats
• Favorite parts of the journey
• Type of boat/equipment needed
• Advice for boaters interested in completing The Great Loop 

Resources:

The Great Loop Map

America’s Great Loop Cruisers’ Association

Facebook Group: The Great Loop

Facebook Group: Great Loopers

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PartsVu is here to support all of your boating needs. Customers particularly value our Yamaha outboard service kits, Mercury outboard service kits,  Mercruiser service kits, and Suzuki outboard service kits.

Use coupon code PVTALKSBOATING for free shipping for your next www.partsvu.com order.

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PartsVu Xchange Talks Boating sat down with Captain Leiza Fitzgerald, the CCA Florida STAR Competition Director.

The Florida STAR Competition combines technology and the love of fishing, with the excitement of winning cash, prizes, and scholarships. The competition also gathers critically important catch data that fuels the work of many organizations and academic teams working to maintain and improve the health of Florida's waterways and fish populations.

In this episode, we discuss:

• The format and structure of the Florida STAR Competition
• How the data captured throughout the STAR competition contributes to the conservation work Florida CCA performs and supports
• The competition's unique trash collection division
• Youth and family engagement

This year's Florida STAR Competition runs from May 28 - September 5, and there will be more than $500,000 in cash and prizes. Visit Florida's Star Competition's website for more information and to register.

Visit the Florida CCA website for more information about the organization and to learn more about membership benefits.

Check out the redfish release event video.

The CCA or Coastal Conservation Association was created in 1977 after drastic commercial overfishing along the Texas coast had decimated redfish and speckled trout populations. 

While the CCA started with just 14 concerned folks coming together, today, the CCA is a national organization with more than 125,000 members, and they currently have active chapters in 17 states.

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Finally, PartsVu is here to support all of your boating cleaning, polishing, and waxing needs.

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Captain Kevin Lanier is a highly experienced charter captain, very fun to talk to, and tells it like it is. In this episode of PartsVu Xchange Talks Boating, host Tonia Becker asks ranging questions and gets some fun and surprising answers.

After withstanding the stress of being an air traffic controller for more than 30 years, Captain Kevin Lanier decided to live his true passion and launched KC Sport Fishing. The company operates out of Port Saint Joe and Mexico Beach, Florida, and conducts fishing charters, cruises, including sunset cruises and captain’s services. Captain Kevin holds a Master 50-ton Captain's license from the US Coast Guard. He’s an experienced Charter Captain with many hours on the water and is certified to operate towing vessels.

 We discussed:

• The most unusual request he has gotten as a captain
• Battle of the sexes - are men or women better anglers?
• Most interesting thing he's seen on the water
• Number one questions clients ask
• What people should know about the etiquette of chartering

Check out Captain Kevin Lanier's podcast -FISH ON! with Captain Kevin: A Sportsman’s Guide to Saltwater Fishing.

Apple Podcasts
Google Podcasts
Spotify

If you're looking for a charter out of the Port Saint Joe and Mexico Beach, Florida area (not far from Panama City), contact KC Sport Fishing - www.kcsportfishing.com


PartsVu is here to support all of your boating needs. Customers particularly value our Yamaha outboard service kits, Mercury outboard service kits,  Mercruiser service kits, and Suzuki outboard service kits.

Use coupon code PVTALKSBOATING for free shipping for your next www.partsvu.com order.

Follow PartsVu on Facebook and Instagram (@partsvu4u)

This episode's guest, Kirk Deeter, is a Vice President at Trout Unlimited and is the Editor-in-Chief for Trout, Trout Unlimited's quarterly magazine. He is also an editor-at-large for Field & Stream magazine, and just some of the places his stories have appeared over the years in addition to Trout and Field and Stream include Garden & Gun, The Drake, Fly Rod & Reel, Fly Fisherman, Big Sky Journal, and Salt Water Sportsman. He's also written or co-authored numerous books.

We discussed the state of our coldwater fisheries, including:

• Trout Unlimited's conservation work 
• The coldwater fisheries that are the most challenged
• Managing the sometimes conflicting interests of landowners, government agencies, non-profits, municipalities, and other stakeholders 
• How anglers can get involved and help

Trout Unlimited's Mission
Trout Unlimited is dedicated to Fishing. Conservation. Community. They believe in bringing all parties to the table to find proactive solutions that meet the challenges facing coldwater fisheries. They work to protect important habitats, reconnect degraded waterways and restore trout populations.

Learn more about Trout Unlimited, including the benefits of membership by visiting tu.org.

Check out books by or co-authored by Kirk Deeter.



PartsVu is here to support all of your boating needs. Customers particularly value our Yamaha outboard service kits, Mercury outboard service kits,  Mercruiser service kits, and Suzuki outboard service kits.

Use coupon code PVTALKSBOATING for free shipping for your next www.partsvu.com order.

Follow PartsVu on Facebook and Instagram (@partsvu4u)

Karl Neiger, a Yamaha Outboard Repower Specialist at Central Marine in St. Petersburg, Florida, joined PartsVu Xchange Talks Boating for a Yamaha update.

As the largest Yamaha outboard repower dealer in the US, Karl and the rest of the Central Marine team are very knowledgeable about all things Yamaha - new technology and they have been in the center of the action collaborating with Yamaha to work through the supply chain challenges that are plaguing every industry, including the marine industry.

We discussed:

• Update on what Karl and Central Marine are seeing in terms of the state of the Yamaha supply chain
• Recent Yamaha technology updates
• The amazing custom paint jobs - cowlings and full engines - Central Marine has the opportunity to see, given their position as a repower specialist.

Check out the Instagram post we worked with Karl to put together. 10 amazing Yamaha outboard paint jobs. You can find that post here.

If you are in the market for a new Yamaha outboard, contact Karl and follow him on Instagram.
@yamaha7man
Phone: 727-709-1026
Email: [email protected]

If you are in the St. Petersburg, FL area, consider checking out Central Marine. They offer new and used boats, and of course, awesome service. They are Yamaha, Cobia, Jupiter, Parker, and WorldCat dealers.

Central Marine website
Central Marine Facebook
Central Marine Instagram
Central Marine YouTube


PartsVu is here to support all of your boating needs. Customers particularly value our Yamaha outboard service kits, Mercury outboard service kits,  Mercruiser service kits, and Suzuki outboard service kits.

Use coupon code PVTALKSBOATING for free shipping for your next www.partsvu.com order.

Follow PartsVu on Facebook and Instagram (@partsvu4u)

Cole Smith, Aftermarket Sales Specialist at Uflex USA, and Charlie Haimes, a partner with the Haimes Coleman Group, joined us for a great conversation about hydraulic steering systems.

Based in Sarasota, FL, Uflex USA is a leader in steering and control systems for the marine industry. The Haimes Coleman Group is a sales organization made up of highly experienced and knowledgeable marine industry professionals. They represent 20 of the leading brands in the industry, including Uflex, and have a fascinating birdseye view of the market.

We talked about:

• How hydraulic steering systems work
• Opportunities to upgrade the mechanical steering systems of smaller or older powerboats
• Differences among hydraulic steering systems
• Suggestions for picking the right steering system for your boat
•  Recent and upcoming Uflex product and technology introductions

Shop for Uflex systems and components

Visit the Uflex USA website
Follow Uflex on Instagram and Facebook

Select a Steering System  resource

Visit the Haimes Coleman Group website

PartsVu is here to support all of your boating needs. Customers particularly like our Yamaha outboard service kits, Mercury outboard service kits, and Mercruiser service kits.   

Use coupon code PVTALKSBOATING for free shipping for your next www.partsvu.com order.

Follow PartsVu on Facebook and Instagram (@partsvu4u)

Captain Frank Lecardo, the Owner and an instructor at the Naples School of Boating, is back with us!

As the snowbird season started ramping up in South Florida, we were again reminded how different boating in other parts of the country is—many boaters don’t know the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) rules of the road.

New retirees arrive in Florida after years of boating on smaller lakes in the Midwest or bodies of water without much traffic. They’re excited to boat Florida’s waters but have a bit of a rude awakening.

We not only recorded this podcast episode, but we created USCG Rules of the Road— Guide to Navigating Our Waterways.

This guide contains a text version of the information contained in this podcast, as well as three graphic resources:

• Rules of the Road—Navigation Markers
• Rules of the Road—Right of Way
• Rules of the Road—Boating at Night

Click here to access USCG Rules of the Road— Guide Navigating Our Waterways.


In Southwest Florida and looking for on-the-water training?? Check out the Naples School of Boating.

 Finally, PartsVu is here to support all of your boating needs. If you are looking to upgrade your boat’s electronics, PartsVu offers a wide selection of electronics from leading brands like Humminbird, Raymarine, Simrad, Icom, Standard Horizon, and more. 

Shop PartsVu’s Marine Electronics

Use coupon code PVTALKSNAV for 5% off your www.partsvu.com order.

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Tommie Robinson is a tournament bass angler with over 25 years of experience. He recently joined  PartsVu Xchange Talks Boating for a fascinating discussion and we had such a good talk that we broke it into two parts - this is Part 2.

If you missed Part 1,  go back and check it out, it's worth a listen.

Tommie has qualified for several regional events throughout his years on the tournament circuit. He has participated in tournaments such as the FLW Tour, Bassmaster’s Opens, FLW Series, and The Michigan and Mississippi BFL.

He also has some fascinating perspectives working within the marine industry but outside of the realm of fishing. Most notably, he is a former fishery research technician and is even a certified outboard mechanic.

His scientific understanding of fish, their behaviors, and their habitats learned as a fishery research technician has given him an advantage in his professional fishing career.

In this episode, we discussed:

• Debunking a very common fishing myth
• Favorite things about tournament fishing and how he perfects his craft
• Bass boat and engine details
• Advice for those interested in getting started in tournament fishing

PartsVu is here to support all of your marine electronics needs.

Use coupon code PVTALKSNAV for 5% off your next www.partsvu.com order,

 Follow PartsVu on Facebook and Instagram (@partsvu4u)

Follow Tommie Robinson on Instagram @toroprods1 on Facebook, and on his website. 

Tommie Robinson is a tournament bass angler with over 25 years of experience. He recently joined  PartsVu Xchange Talks Boating for a fascinating discussion and we had such a good talk that we broke it into two parts - this is Part 1.

Tommie has qualified for several regional events throughout his years on the tournament circuit. He has participated in tournaments such as the FLW Tour, Bassmaster’s Opens, FLW Series, and The Michigan and Mississippi BFL.

He also has some fascinating perspectives working within the marine industry but outside of the realm of fishing. Most notably, he is a former fishery research technician and is even a certified outboard mechanic.

His scientific understanding of fish, their behaviors, and their habitats learned as a fishery research technician has given him an advantage in his professional fishing career. 

We discussed:

• The difference between marine conservation and marine management
• Some of the things marine management organizations get right, and some of the things they get wrong
• How he got his start as a tournament, and ultimately a pro angler

PartsVu is here to support all of your boating needs. Customers particularly like our Yamaha outboard service kits, Mercury outboard service kits, and Mercruiser service kits.   

Use coupon code PVTALKSBOATING for free shipping for your next www.partsvu.com order.

Follow PartsVu on Facebook and Instagram (@partsvu4u)

Follow Tommie Robinson on Instagram @toroprods1 on Facebook, and on his website. 

Tonia Becker, the host of PartsVu Xchange Talks Boating, sat down with Philip Osborne and Mike Newton—the founders of PartsVu.

We wanted to say thank you to the PartsVu community—all of our customers, PartsVu Xchange Talks Boating podcasts listeners, the nearly 300,000 of you who read articles and resources our PartsVu Xchange blog this year, and those of you who follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube.

Additionally, we wanted to look back at this past year and look ahead to PartsVu's plans for 2022.

We discussed:

• The state of the marine industry supply chain and what we expect in 2022
• Ways PartsVu has weathered the supply chain challenges as best as possible
• Leading marine industry trends and favorite new products
• PartsVu plans for 2022 - what's new

PartsVu is here to support all of your boating needs. Customers particularly like our Yamaha outboard service kits, Mercury outboard service kits, and Mercruiser service kits.   

Use coupon code PVTALKSBOATING for free shipping for your next www.partsvu.com order.

Follow PartsVu on Facebook and Instagram (@partsvu4u)