Keeping Your Fillet Knife Sharp

When you catch that beautiful fish that you are excited to stick on the dinner table that night, you don't want to mess up that beautiful piece of meat when you fillet it just because your knife isn't sharp enough. Here we will talk about how to keep that fillet knife sharp so you will always have a perfect cut of meat.




Getting The Burr

The burr is a wire edge that forms across the blade opposite of what you are sharpening. Your job is not finished until you can see or feel the burr.

The Edge Bevel

Most kitchen knives have a 20-degree edge bevel. For filleting, an edge bevel of 12 to 15 degrees per side provides a clean easy cut and reasonable resistance to dulling. If you don’t cut bone, monofilament or bait with your fillet knife, a 15-degree bevel will be okay for you to use.

Set The Bevel

The easiest way to figure out what angle to set the bevel would be to stack two quarters high. Using this method is not exact, but it gets you pretty close.

To Push or To Pull

We each have those friends who swear by pulling the knife across the stone, and those who swear by pushing. Quite frankly, it doesn't matter. Both ways are just as effective. What does matter, is that the spine moves ahead of the edge. So, just make sure to angle it.

Sharpen

Draw the blade across the stone, sweeping it from heel to tip as you go. Once you have a full-length burr, sharpen to create a burr on the other side. Finish with blade-first strokes, like slicing a sliver from the stone, until the burr disappears.

Now you have the know how to keep that fillet knife just as sharp as when you purchased her. For more tips and pictures to go along, click here.

The Mid-America Boat Show

It is that time of year that we all look forward to; boat show season. Why do we love it? We have all been without out our boats for the past couple of months and we still have a couple of months to go before we are hitting the water again. Boat shows help to break up the long winter and keep boating on our minds.


Yesterday was opening day for Progressive’s Mid-America Boat Show at the I-X Center in Cleveland. If you are looking for a fun time for the whole family, this is where you should be this weekend. There will be fun for all ages. From Pirate Pete the talking parrot for the kids to the hundreds of exhibitors and seminars for the adults.


Tickets for the Mid-America Boat Show are:


Adults- $12

Children under 12 - Free

Seniors 60+ - $11


Come on out this weekend; we will be waiting for you at the Mid-America Boat Show.



Show dates:

Thursday, January 16	Noon – 9 pm
Friday, January 17	Noon – 10 pm
Saturday, January 18	10 am – 10 pm
Sunday, January 19	11 am – 6 pm
Monday, January 20	11 am – 5 pm

The Off Season

As the weather continues to get colder and the boats are all tucked away for the winter; we are sitting in our warm houses and wondering now what? This time of year may not be a favorite among boaters but there are some projects you can do now to make your next boating season a great one, not to mention help pass the time.

 

During this time of year it is perfect for doing all those little projects on your boat that you never got to over the summer because you were having way too much fun on the water. You know which ones I'm talking about. Upgrading your navigation system, doing those minor repairs to keep your boat running in like new condition, and doing all those checks to make sure that your equipment and all your boating accessories are working properly. Tackling these little things, or maybe even a couple of big things, over the winter will give you more time in the spring to spend on the water.

 

Maybe by the end of this past boat season you began to grow tired of your boat. It could have been it was just getting older or your boat wasn't delivering to you what you were hoping to get out of. Whatever the reason, this time of year is actually a great time to research and buy yourself a new boat. Take your time to do your research and find the perfect boat for you and your needs. Then during the upcoming boat show season (Jan-March), you can make your purchase. You will never find a better price on a boat than at a boat show.

 

If those reasons were not how you were hoping to spend your winter, you can always take your boat and head south for the season. There are places where the boating season never ends and boaters are always welcome. I know it sounds like a dream, but it is real. Whatever you choose to do with your off season; we will be there to help you.

The Season of the Boat Show

Depending on where you live determines how you celebrate the Christmas season as a boater. Some people go all out and decorate their boats in Christmas lights and throw boat parties and cap everything off with a parade. Those are the people that we envy this time of year because for most of us our boats are tucked away until spring commissioning.


So what can we do to keep boating at the top of our minds during this non boating season? That is the hard part; which is why there was such a thing called boat show season. This season starts the beginning of January and usually goes through March and it is when most of the major boat shows happen.


One of the most important ways that you prepare for a boat show is to get your budget in order before you head out. You don’t want to be at a boat show and have that discussion with your significant other once you have fallen in love with a boat that is way out of your price range. Of course, you don’t have to buy a boat when you go to a boat show. But know what you want to spend whether it is $20 or $200,000.


Now that you know what you can, or can’t, spend, you need to find all the boat shows that you would like to attend during the season. You can do so by using this tool from Discover Boating. Mark those dates in your calendar and start getting excited.


Taking what you have learned today, you can make this boat show season a great one. Leave us a comment telling us what boat show you are most excited about attending.

Boat Load Of Toys

We at Atwood Lake Boats love all of our customers, we love our lake, and we love our community. One of the ways that we are showing our community how much we care for them is by having our 1^st annual Atwood Lake Boats Boat Load of Toys event.



Now through December 7th, you can bring in an unwrapped new toy or new articles of clothing to Atwood Lake Boats- West Marina. We are collecting to donate to the Tuscarawas County Share a Christmas. Need another reason to make your donation? Anyone who donates at our drop off will receive a 20% off shopping spree good for parts, accessories, clothing, water toys and gift shop items.


Why wait? Come in and make your donation now at Atwood Lake Boats-West Marina. For more information including the address for the drop off, click here.

Your Battery Needs Love Too

Boat winterization is a popular topic around the water now a day. Everything from where people are getting theirs done, to how they can DIY their winterization and store their boats at home. One important piece of winterization that is sometimes forgotten is your boats battery. Batteries too need care and maintenance to provide long term service.

 

During the boating season, your battery care includes things like checking to make sure that all the connections are tight, clean and greased. It is also ensuring that the acid isn't boiling away. Now that the end of the boating season is in sight, what should you do with your battery for winter storage?

 

Hauling Your Boat

 

If you are hauling your boat out for the winter, which most of us are, there are a few tips to help preserve its life. The first being charge it up. Once you have the battery charged, remove the negative cable and let it sit for a few hours before checking its status. When you do check on it using a hydrometer, verify that each cell has a specific gravity of between 1.21 and 1.28. If you do not have a hydrometer, you can use a voltmeter. A fully charged battery will read 12.5 volts. Throughout the winter, make sure to check the battery power once a month to ensure that it is keeping its charge.

 

Storing Your Boat

 

If you are storing your boat in the water for the winter months, you will have a whole different list of tips. Keeping the battery and area dry is the first one. You will need to switch off all breakers except the one for the bilge pump. A lot can happen to a boat that is stored in the water when not in use. Because of that you will need to regularly check on your boat at least once a week, and even more in bad weather. Keeping your battery charged is an important priority. You can do so by plugging into shore power and using an installed charger or a regulated battery maintainer. Preforming an acid test should also be done. Do this by checking the electrolyte level of flooded batteries and top off with distilled water just enough to cover the plates.



Using these helpful tips will ensure that your batter will last through the off season making it easier for you to hit the water in the spring. For further information on battery storage, click here. 

What Will This Winter Hold?

The seasons are changing which is not a happy time for most boaters. We are winterizing and storing our boats for the winter months. You might be wondering about the lake, what is happening to the lake this winter and when will lake drawdown be happening this year. We will answer those questions for you.


This winter will be a very busy time in the area. There is an estimated $1.25 million worth of shoreline stabilization projects happening throughout the area this winter. That is the total for 13 projects that will be completed over the off season. On our very own Atwood Lake, there are two projects that will be completed over the winter.


Every year there are sites that are chosen to receive the shoreline rejuvenation and at the end of this winters projects, there will have been a total of more than 80 individual shoreline projects in four years that have been completed.


These off season projects happen once lake drawdown is completed. As part of the flood-risk management operation of the reservoirs and dams, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers conduct annually a temporary reduction in the lake water levels. Doing this allows the lakes to have the storage capacity of floodwaters from rain and melting snow.


This year's drawdown on Atwood Lake will begin on November 1 and the waters will drawdown to an 8 foot depth. Not to worry, starting in February 2014 they will start to pump up the lake to its summer level for all of us to enjoy. Do you want to learn more about the shoreline rejuvenation projects? Click here.