The Wire
Stories from across the boating world.
Walkthroughs, boat show coverage, and the guides that make owning a boat easier, reported by the Nautical Network team.
WaypointOctober 13, 2026
The Runaround Problem: Why Finding a Good Marine Pro Is the Hardest Part of Owning a Boat
America has 11.6 million registered boats and a documented shortage of the people who service them. Here is what the numbers say about the runaround, and how we are fixing it.
Read more
WaypointOctober 13, 2026
One Search, Whole Boat Day: How to Build a Service Plan in Minutes
Transport Thursday, bottom clean Friday, A/C fixed before guests land Saturday. Here is how Waypoint turns one sentence into a full lineup of vetted pros.
Read more
WaypointOctober 13, 2026
In a Pinch Before the Boat Day? Here Is the Playbook
Dead A/C on Wednesday, guests arriving Saturday. The playbook for getting a marine pro moving fast, and what to have ready so they can say yes.
Read more
WaypointOctober 13, 2026
Barnacles Are Stealing Your Fuel: The Real Cost of a Dirty Bottom
Navy research puts hard numbers on what growth does to a hull, and they are bigger than most owners think. What the science says, and what a Florida cleaning schedule should look like.
Read more
WaypointOctober 13, 2026
Boat Surveys, Explained: What Every Buyer (and Owner) Should Know
When you need a marine survey, what it should cost, and the mistakes that void the whole exercise, drawn from BoatUS guidance and working surveyors.
Read more
WaypointOctober 12, 2026
Hiring a Mobile Marine Mechanic: What to Know Before You Call
What a mobile marine mechanic can fix at your slip, which jobs still need a yard, and the five details to have ready so the first call gets a real answer.
Read more
WaypointOctober 11, 2026
Boat Detailing in Florida: What a Pro Detail Includes, and Wax vs Ceramic
What separates a professional boat detail from a wash, how wax and ceramic coatings really compare, and why Florida sun and salt set the maintenance schedule.
Read more
WaypointOctober 10, 2026
Zinc Anodes and Your Hull Diver: The Cheapest Insurance on Your Boat
What sacrificial anodes actually do, the half-gone replacement rule, why fast-vanishing zincs are a warning sign, and what a monthly dive visit should cover.
Read more
WaypointOctober 9, 2026
Marine Canvas, Explained: Biminis, Enclosures, and Covers That Actually Last
What goes into a bimini, enclosure, or cover that survives Florida, what quality fabric and stitching really buy you, and how to decide between repair and replacement.
Read more
WaypointOctober 8, 2026
Planning a Marine Electronics Refit: Chartplotter, Radar, VHF, and the Backbone
How a modern electronics refit fits together, from the NMEA 2000 backbone to radar and a DSC-equipped VHF, and why the installation matters as much as the gear.
Read more
WaypointOctober 7, 2026
Fiberglass and Gelcoat Repair: Spider Cracks, Blisters, and the Signs That Matter
How to tell cosmetic gelcoat crazing from structural trouble, what hull blisters really mean, the wet transom warning signs, and why moisture readings matter.
Read more
WaypointOctober 6, 2026
Custom Marine Welding and Fabrication: T-Tops, Towers, Arches, and Rails
What a marine fabricator can build for your boat, how aluminum and stainless compare, and what separates custom work that lasts from work that rattles and rusts.
Read more
WaypointOctober 5, 2026
Marine Air Conditioning in Florida: Why Units Quit in Summer and How to Stay Cold
How raw-water-cooled marine A/C actually works, why failures cluster in the hottest months, the strainer and flush habit that prevents most of them, and when to call a pro.
Read more
WaypointOctober 5, 2026
Boat Services in Annapolis and the Chesapeake: The Owner's Map
How the Chesapeake's fall haul-out season really works, why winter is the smartest time to hand a yard your project list, and the Annapolis-area pros on Waypoint.
Read more
WaypointOctober 5, 2026
Boat Services in Norfolk and Hampton Roads: A Working Harbor's Bench
Why Hampton Roads boaters get a longer season and a deeper trades bench than almost anywhere on the East Coast, and the Virginia pros on Waypoint.
Read more
WaypointOctober 4, 2026
Boat Transport, Explained: How Professional Hauling Actually Works
What happens between the haul-out and the drop-off: permits, loading day prep, what really drives the price, and why bridge clearance is never a guess.
Read more
WaypointOctober 4, 2026
Boat Services on Long Island: Montauk to City Island
Winterization and shrink-wrap season is on right now across Long Island. Here is the fall rhythm from the East End to the South Shore, and the New York pros on Waypoint.
Read more
WaypointOctober 4, 2026
Boat Services on the Jersey Shore: The Fall Pull-Out Rhythm
From Sandy Hook to Cape May, the Jersey Shore runs on a fall pull-out rhythm. What to book now, what can wait for winter, and the New Jersey pros on Waypoint.
Read more
WaypointOctober 3, 2026
On-Water Towing: How It Works and Whether a Membership Is Worth It
What towing companies actually do, the real math on membership versus paying per incident, and the difference between a soft ungrounding and salvage.
Read more
WaypointOctober 3, 2026
Boat Services on Galveston Bay and Clear Lake: Year-Round Water, One Eye on the Gulf
Clear Lake boaters get twelve months of water and one standing obligation: a hurricane plan. The seasonal rhythm of Galveston Bay and the Texas pros on Waypoint.
Read more
WaypointOctober 3, 2026
Keeping a Boat on Lake Conroe and the Texas Lakes
Freshwater ownership runs by different rules: no salt, brutal sun, year-round weekends, and the occasional hard freeze. The rhythm of Conroe, Travis, and the Texas lakes, and the pros on Waypoint.
Read more
WaypointOctober 2, 2026
Yacht Management: What You Are Actually Paying For
Washdowns, systems checks, vendor wrangling, trip prep: what a management company really covers, who genuinely needs one, and the questions to ask before signing.
Read more
WaypointOctober 2, 2026
Boat Services in Charleston and Along the Carolina ICW
Every October the southbound snowbird fleet pours through the Carolinas, and Charleston is the smartest pit stop on the route. The local rhythm, the transit angle, and the Carolina pros on Waypoint.
Read more
WaypointOctober 2, 2026
Boat Services in Fort Lauderdale: The Yachting Capital's Bench
Fort Lauderdale has the deepest marine service bench in the country. Here is what ownership looks like on the New River and the canals, which services matter most, and when to book them.
Read more
WaypointOctober 1, 2026
When You Need a Licensed Captain, and What the License Actually Means
Deliveries, insurance sign-offs, owner training, and the real difference between the USCG six-pack and a Master license, straight from the federal rules.
Read more
WaypointOctober 1, 2026
Boat Services in Miami and Biscayne Bay
Biscayne Bay is one of the best urban boating playgrounds in America, and the Miami River is where its boats get fixed. A guide to the services that matter and the local pros who deliver them.
Read more
WaypointOctober 1, 2026
Boat Services in Tampa Bay
Tampa Bay boating runs from skinny grass flats to open Gulf passes, and its service scene is built around mobile pros. What to maintain, who does it, and when to get on their calendars.
Read more
WaypointSeptember 30, 2026
Choosing a Marina in Florida: The Questions That Actually Matter
Wet slip or dry stack, what to ask about hurricane policy and liveaboards, and the power, parking, and dinghy logistics that decide whether you love your marina.
Read more
WaypointSeptember 30, 2026
Boat Services in the Florida Keys: Key Largo to Key West
In the Keys there is one road in, parts arrive by truck, and good techs book out fast. How to keep a boat running from Key Largo to Key West, and who to call along the way.
Read more
WaypointSeptember 30, 2026
Boat Services in Jacksonville and Northeast Florida
From the St. Johns River to the St. Augustine Inlet, Northeast Florida boating has real tides, dark water and a quietly deep service bench. Here is who does what, and when to book it.
Read more
WaypointSeptember 29, 2026
Fuel, Pump-Out, and Provisions at the Dock: The Services That Save the Boat Day
Mobile fueling, pump-out boats, and provisioning crews can hand you back hours of every boat day. How they work and when they genuinely make sense.
Read more
WaypointSeptember 29, 2026
Boat Services on the Panhandle and Emerald Coast
Sugar white sand, emerald water and the biggest dry stack culture in Florida. What boat ownership looks like from Pensacola to Panama City, and when to get on the service calendar.
Read more
WaypointSeptember 29, 2026
Boat Services in Naples and Southwest Florida
Half the Southwest Florida fleet belongs to owners who leave for the summer. Boat watch, hull cleaning and storm prep are the backbone services here, and October is when it all gets booked.
Read more
WaypointSeptember 28, 2026
What the Verified Badge on Waypoint Actually Means
For boaters: why verified pros rank first. For business owners: what claiming confirms, why it is free, and what founding rates lock in.
Read more