{"id":50609,"date":"2023-09-19T15:07:16","date_gmt":"2023-09-19T19:07:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.cruisingworld.com\/?p=50609"},"modified":"2023-09-20T13:01:19","modified_gmt":"2023-09-20T17:01:19","slug":"boat-toys-efoils-submersible-scooters","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.cruisingworld.com\/gear\/boat-toys-efoils-submersible-scooters\/","title":{"rendered":"Boat Toys: Submersible Scooters, eFoils and Tankless Dive Systems Amplify the Fun"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\n\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\"Sea <\/div>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n
\n The Sea Eagle LB11\u2019s versatility in flat water or surf\u2014for beginners or experts\u2014makes it a great carry-on for cruisers. <\/span>\n Courtesy The Manufacturer<\/span>\n\n\t\t\t\t <\/figcaption>\n <\/section>\n\t\t\n\n\n\n\n

I will admit to being a \u00adlow-tech sailor. On my own cruising boat, the water toys are typically limited to a paddleboard, snorkeling gear, and maybe a couple of pool noodles if we go all out. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

But I have seen the other boats with all the cool gadgets<\/a>, and envied their fun in the sun. I asked for advice from Capt. RJ Portman and chef\/mate Jenna Taylor of the 50-foot Lagoon Delana Mae<\/em>. Their boat charters in the Caribbean, so they look for toys that amplify the guest experience while being simple to deploy, and easy to clean, stow, and maintain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The top toy aboard Delana Mae<\/em> is the Bote Dock Hangout<\/a><\/strong>, an inflatable, \u00adhorseshoe-shaped lounge. \u201cGuests absolutely love this thing,\u201d RJ says. \u201cWe put it out at every anchorage and even anchor it near the beach occasionally. It has this paddleboard-style base with soft, inflatable back pillows for relaxing with a beverage. It\u2019s rigid in use, then totally collapsible when you\u2019re done.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\n\t\t\t\t\t\"Group <\/div>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n
\n When it\u2019s time to unwind, the Bote Dock Hangout.<\/span>\n Capt. RJ Portman<\/span>\n\n\t\t\t\t <\/figcaption>\n <\/section>\n\t\t\n\n\n

Next on their list is a pair of submersible scooters from Sublue: the WhiteShark Mix<\/a><\/strong> and WhiteShark Mix Pro<\/a><\/strong>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThey move you about the speed of decent flipper kicks while snorkeling,\u201d Jenna says, adding that these toys run for 30 to 45 minutes. \u201cFor more-advanced users, it\u2019s a lot of fun to get deep fast and cruise around without burning much oxygen. You can cover so much ground without a whole lot of effort.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

RJ\u2019s personal favorite toy is also the boat\u2019s priciest: the Lift eFoil<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

 \u201cIt comes with an $11,000 price tag, but, oh baby, is it cool,\u201d he says. \u201cI can teach a person how to foil in about two hours over two to three sessions.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Battery life varies for the eFoil, he says, but typically the battery outlasts the sessions, and takes only about two hours to fully recharge. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Another guest favorite is the Subwing<\/a><\/strong> towable. Guests hold the board, as opposed to a rope, and can quickly learn to submerge, corkscrew, and otherwise indulge their inner dolphin. \u201cIt\u2019s the most fun you can have at 1 mile per hour,\u201d RJ says. \u201cBut Subwing requires a dinghy driver and me to be away from the boat and other guests, so we favor the \u00adunderwater scooters instead.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\"Subwing <\/div>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n
\n Thrill-seekers will enjoy the underwater dynamics of the Subwing towable.<\/span>\n Courtesy The Manufacturer<\/span>\n\n\t\t\t\t <\/figcaption>\n <\/section>\n\t\t\n\n\n

Another toy that they have is the Sea LiOn<\/a><\/strong>, a battery-\u00adpowered, tankless diving \u00adsystem that floats \u00adindependently on the \u00adsurface and allows for up to three divers to go as deep as 65 feet. It requires a more involved setup, evaluation and \u00admonitoring of the divers, and a more tedious breakdown and cleaning process after use. This system, however, does come in doubly handy for the crew when cleaning the bottom of the boat or doing repairs. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The couple also recommends investing in good beach-party gear. They like the Sun Ninja tent<\/a><\/strong> with UPF 50 protection. \u201cIt\u2019s easy to set up and packs down smaller than a GoodStuff sleeping bag,\u201d Jenna says. \u201cGet the one with four poles; it\u2019s worth it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They\u2019ve used the tent in up to 20 knots of wind. Another pro tip: Fill the bags at each corner with sand, and stretch the corners tight before installing the poles. If they still move, add water to the sand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\"Sun <\/div>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n
\n The Sun Ninja tent delivers the relaxation factor.<\/span>\n Capt. RJ Portman<\/span>\n\n\t\t\t\t <\/figcaption>\n <\/section>\n\t\t\n\n\n

To complete the party, they bring ashore four Cliq chairs<\/a><\/strong>, which collapse to the size of a large water bottle, and a pair of Ultimate Ears Wonderboom portable, waterproof speakers. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cA cozy spot with your favorite tunes on a beautiful beach,\u201d RJ says. \u201cIt\u2019s an ideal finish to a great day on the water.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I must say, RJ and Jenna have inspired me to ramp up the game on my own cruising boat. And I look forward to the next time I can set sail with Delana Mae<\/em> and play with the latest and greatest toys again. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

Paddling Gear<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

More and more cruising boats are carrying stand-up paddleboards, or SUPs. If inflatable, they are easy to roll and stow inside (we keep them in the head shower on our boat). On our Beneteau 36 Liberte<\/em>, we carry the noninflatable versions using a Magma rack, which attaches easily to the stanchions. This setup keeps the decks clear and the boards easier to access, and therefore more likely to be used. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kayaks are also easy to \u00addeploy and fun to \u00adpaddle. Sea Eagle makes an excellent line of SUPs and kayaks. My advice is to test-drive a few to see what kind of paddler you are. Do you want more stability or more speed? In general, on a cruising boat, I would opt for the stabler option. You will be more inclined to take it out in choppier conditions, and your guests will appreciate the training wheels.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

An intriguing option is the Bixpy electric motor, which fits snugly into the fin box of Sea Eagle\u2019s kayaks and SUPs, and works as a paddle assist or stand-alone propulsion option. While you\u2019re at it, throw in a two-stage electric turbo pump to make life easier with inflatable toys. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

On Liberte<\/em>, we began cruising with a kayak, but we found ourselves using the paddleboards more and more over time. There\u2019s many a day when we don\u2019t even launch the dinghy. We have amazed ourselves with what we can cart to and fro across reasonably calm water: laundry, groceries, propane tanks and certainly the boat dog, who loves the ride. \u2014DK<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

We asked our charter-boat friends which watersports gear to buy for our cruising boat. They had definite favorites.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":11,"featured_media":50613,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"BS_author_type":"BS_author_is_guest","BS_guest_author_name":"David Kilmer","BS_guest_author_url":"","hydra_display_date":"","hydra_display_updated":false,"_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":"","_yoast_wpseo_metadesc":"","_yoast_wpseo_title":"","_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-noindex":"","arc_story_id":"","arc_website_url":"","custom_permalink":"","arc_subtype":"","arc_exclude_from_feeds":false,"sponsored":false,"sponsored_label":"Sponsored Content","sponsored_display_label":false,"sponsored_image":false,"post_right_rail":true,"post_right_rail_ad_1":true,"post_right_rail_ad_2":true,"post_right_rail_ad_3":false,"post_right_rail_ad_4":false,"post_right_rail_recirc":true,"fixed_anchor_ad":true,"post_top_ad":true,"post_off_ramp":true,"post_taboola":false,"labels":true,"apple_news_api_created_at":"","apple_news_api_id":"","apple_news_api_modified_at":"","apple_news_api_revision":"","apple_news_api_share_url":"","apple_news_coverimage":0,"apple_news_coverimage_caption":"","apple_news_is_hidden":false,"apple_news_is_paid":false,"apple_news_is_preview":false,"apple_news_is_sponsored":false,"apple_news_maturity_rating":"","apple_news_metadata":"\"\"","apple_news_pullquote":"","apple_news_pullquote_position":"","apple_news_slug":"","apple_news_sections":"\"\"","apple_news_suppress_video_url":false,"apple_news_use_image_component":false,"footnotes":"","ad_settings_ads_on_this_page":true,"ad_settings_automatic_ad_injection_into_the_content":true,"ad_targeting":"","sponsored_url":"","social_share":true},"categories":[163],"tags":[169,1113,157,1961],"acf":[],"apple_news_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cruisingworld.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/50609"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cruisingworld.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cruisingworld.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cruisingworld.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/11"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cruisingworld.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=50609"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.cruisingworld.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/50609\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cruisingworld.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/50613"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cruisingworld.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=50609"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cruisingworld.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=50609"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cruisingworld.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=50609"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}