I have been asked, more than once, "How did you think of the pontoon fender?"  So, I thought I'd give a brief history of AKUA's pontoon fender and how it was developed. 

    My area of expertise is fishing boats and providing protection for them.   In the early 2000's (and before), I noticed how many pontoon boats were running with their fenders blowing in the wind.  One of my pet peeves:  seeing any boat with fenders hanging over the side of the boat flying in the breeze while away from the dock. (See my blog on 'What to Look For")  That "messiness" inspired me to develop a fender specifically for pontoon boats.

    Lowe Boats, a pontoon boat company, happened to be right down the road less than 2 hours from where I live.  I had developed a prototype of my idea for a pontoon fender and took it down to Lowe for their review.  They liked my idea and said I was on the right track.  Lowe's advice: the fender must fit on the top rail of the pontoon and extend down to the decking area allowing the fender "to bridge" from the top down to protect the delicated corrugated fence that goes around pontoon boats.  The fender needed to be sturdy enough to prevent any contact against the fence.  With that advice in mind, I created the "fence saver" pontoon fender.  Unlike conventional fenders the fence saver gives protection and looks good even when left on the pontoon and the pontoon is away from the dock.  To see what I mean, take a look at the product information and picture on this website. 

     I am pleased to say that the AKUA pontoon fender works as good as it looks. What started out as a way to solve a pet peeve has given many pontoon owners protection for a delicate area of their boat.  I am proud to be a part of providing protection to pontoon boat owners.

The last "part" to be attached to an AKUA boat fender is the "Made in the USA" decal. And, of that, I am most proud.  "Made in the USA" is something I look for when shopping for a product--now more than I used to.  To me it means quality and support of manufacturers in the USA.  At this time, it is difficult to find a product that can make that claim even though the criteria that must be met to be able to say "Made in the USA" is that the "Made in the USA" product components comprise only 60-70% of the total components. I am proud to say that the  AKUA Marine fender is made in the USA with USA made components.

Let me tell you about our manufacturing procedure:

1.)  AKUA fenders are molded of high density polyethelene. The molding is done in New Jersey.

2.)  The closed cell foam with adhesive backing used to pad the fender is from Minnesota.

3.)  Suction cups are made in Pittsburg, Pennsylvania. I have tested suction cups manufactured in China.  The suction cups from Pennsylvania hold better on your boat.

4.)  The primer used to ensure the adhesive quality of the closed cell foam is made by 3-M in Minnesota. This extra step attaches the foam permanently.

5.)  All of the plastic hardware is made in Flippin, Arkansas--right down the road from where they build Ranger and Triton boats.

6.)  The final component is a braided poly rope purchased from a distributor in Chicago. I suspect that the braiding is done in Mexico, but have not found any outlet that will guarantee me braided rope done exclusively in the United States.

All of the components are carefully assembled in Columbia, Missouri. I inspect every fender that leaves the manufacturing facility. I am proud to say that when the fenders are shipped out that the quality is top-notch. Because of the rope, I will not claim 100% "Made in the USA", but I will say 97%.  "Made in the USA" on the AKUA fender truly means what it says.

Are you still trying to think of something different to buy for the sportsman/woman in your circle of family and friends?  Are you starting to panic because there is a big blank beside their name on your list?  Have you walked around your local mall or big box store only to come back to your car empty-handed?  Well, while you're reading this blog, an answer to your problem might be on its way.

Order two AKUA Boat Fenders!  AKUA Boat Fenders are unique. The AKUA fender is a fender that was designed by a boater who did not want even one little scratch on his prize possession. The fenders not only keep the boat away from docks and other boats, they can protect your boat if it gets hit on top of the gunnell.  The fenders are easy to put on and easy to take off. Holding the fender and actually seeing it will make a believer out of the boating enthusiast.  At first glance, they know the fender will work.

You will not find AKUA boat fenders in stores; you purchase them right from the website.  The AKUA boat fender will solve your problem; it's a unique gift that works! 

Merry Christmas to you and yours.

January-February-March is the time of the year to catch your local boat shows. 

The St. Louis Boat Show was February 8-12.  I look forward to this show every year.  This year the number of boats and vendors was much larger than last.  I hope this is a sign the economy is getting better.  I talked to a dealer from Nameoki Marine out of Granite City, Illinois, and he said that they sold 24 boats this year compared to 7 last year.  The crowd attending on Saturday reminded me of the crowds in the late 1990's.  It was so crowded at times you had to turn sideways to get through. 

I love to look at the new boats; it doesn't matter if they are fishing boats or the larger pleasure boats.  Boats have really improved the last couple of years--more neat gadgets to better fuel economy. I was impressed with the new pontoon boats. The new ones are like small floating cabins.

I was invited to attend Nameoki's open house the next weekend, and again, turnout was good--lots of interest shown in bass boats.  I loved this open house because of the fishing stories people are already telling.  With the weather being unusually mild, people are already catching lots of fish--even crappie. 

My wife and I just returned from the Bass Master's Classic in Shreveport, Louisiana; and, as in St. Louis and Granite City, the attendance was outstanding.  I love the Classic; it really gets my juices flowin, and I'm excited about another boating and fishing season. 

Hope you have a chance to catch a show. Have a happy and safe boating season in 2012.

With the Bass Master's Classic coming up in February, I got to thinking about times I had traveled to Louisiana.  The Classic is in Shreveport, which is in the northern part of the state.  I have never been to Shreveport and am looking forward to the Classic there.  I have been to New Orleans several times, and like most, have enjoyed the food and good times. 

I remember one time, back in 1990, several of my friends and I decided to go deep sea fishing.  The plan was to go to New Orleans in a motor home and then drop down to Empire, Louisiana where we would charter a boat.  I had been salt water fishing a couple of times, but nothing like this--40 miles out in the Gulf to fish for yellow fin tuna.  I was both excited and a little apprehensive. I'm here to tell you, I love boating and this was a whole new adventure.

I might have known I was heading for trouble the moment I met my friends at the motor home: #1-- the guy responsible for the whole week's beer supply brought Keystone Light.  I'm not a fan of light beer, much less Keystone Light.  We are from Missouri, where's the Budweiser?!  #2-- we ran out of gas somewhere in Mississippi.  The same guy who brought the Keystone was driving. He said he wasn't paying attention to the gas gauge--probably due to the Keystone Light.  Anyway, we finally made it to New Orleans. 

The plan was to stay in New Orleans a couple of days then head to Empire.  This was another bad decision--too much fun in New Orleans.  We left New Orleans with a lot of headaches.

We arrived at the dock in Empire at 4:30 a.m. and boarded our charter fishing boat.  The first thing the captain said was that there were wind warnings for the day--35-45 mph winds with thunder storms later.  That was mistake #3.  I  should have predicted what was to happen, but I had already forgotten about the Keystone Light and running of gas.  Now I was about to experience how rough the sea can be. 

The plan was to go out 40+ miles and fish for 36 hours.  We weren't even out to the Gulf when my buddies began feeling the effects of two days in New Orleans.  The further out we ventured, the rougher the water got.  That boat was doing some rocking and rolling.  With that, I looked at the faces of my buddies.  I saw white then green, and I don't have to say what happened next.  The bathroom was busy.  I have never been sea sick, but being around my buddies was all I could take.  I've never seen people this sea sick.  Needless to say, the bathroom was a wreck.  And we were to be out for 36 hours. 

My friend Fred had been on this trip before so he was fishing and having the time of this life..  About the time our buddies came up from the bathroom for fresh air, Fred was sucking the juice from the heads of crawfish he had bought.  That sent most of them right back down to the bathroom. 

To make a long story shorter, we caught a lot of yellow fin during the daylight hours.  Around dark the weather really turned bad.  The captain was doing his best to control the boat and make sure nobody fell overboard.  He even tried to tie up to an oil rig, but the water was too rough.  I was already wondering what the rest of the night had in store for us.  We rode the storm out, all above deck because the sleeping quarters were below deck with the bathroom.

Come morning the storm had passed and we had all survived.  The Captain asked how many wanted to cut the fishing short and head to shore.  It was unanimous.  When we got back to shore, I literally kissed the ground.  I swore I'd never do this again, especailly after two days in New Orleans.  We all headed back to the motor home with a lot of yellow fin tuna and most of the Keystone Light.