tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-185874762007-12-17T16:06:18.077-05:00What's new? Captain Jim and crew keep you up-to-date on what we're doing, special offers, new products, boating news and other nautical miscellanea. Feel the pulse! Hear the buzz! Check the ShipStore.com Blog often to discover all of the hot deals and news from your favorite "one stop shop" for boating supplies.virtualDavisnoreply@blogger.comBlogger52125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18587476.post-1155936549567761522006-08-18T17:03:00.000-04:002006-08-18T17:32:23.416-04:00

Over the next two weeks I'm going to slash prices on last-of-lot inflatables to make way for new inventory. These prices are at or below wholesale to ensure outstanding savings for you and empty warehouse shelves for us. Keep in mind that many of these items only have one or two items left in stock! If you see an item you'd like, order it before it's gone! Scroll down until you see the current

virtualDavisnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18587476.post-1155318959937645872006-08-11T13:05:00.000-04:002006-08-11T13:56:00.043-04:00

We love it when you send us your photos! Recently one of our loyal ShipStore.com customers offered to send us photos of his daredevil son flying high above Lake Champlain on the Wego Kite Tube. I even headed out on the lake one afternoon/evening to snap digitals of him myself, but I decided not to run them when SportsStuff withdrew the Kite Tube from the market. When I told him that we weren't

virtualDavisnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18587476.post-1152560966578347682006-07-10T15:24:00.000-04:002006-07-10T17:14:41.516-04:00

Ever sailed in Plattsburgh, New York's annual Mayor's Cup? Me neither, but four loyal members of our crew did spend this past Saturday spreading the good word about ShipStore.com to the families attending the sailing regatta and festivities in downtown Plattsburgh. Our new Warehouse & Inventory Clerk, Brian Lafountain, spent the last couple of weeks planning a vendor's booth to display and sell

virtualDavisnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18587476.post-1152290296893985952006-07-07T12:10:00.000-04:002006-07-07T12:38:16.956-04:00

SportsStuff Wego Kite Tube 30 27 25 23Defy gravity! Soar high above the water's surface with the hottest water sports inflatable of the summer, winner of the 2006 SGMA Sports Product of the Year. Every extreme, adrenaline addict's fantasy...Promo Video "How To" Video Safety Instructions More Photos Order Now!

virtualDavisnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18587476.post-1151429401786300572006-06-27T13:24:00.000-04:002006-07-10T19:52:05.416-04:00

Cascade Locks, Oregon on June 22-25. It took about 13 hours with stops to get from Benicia, CA to Cascade Locks, OR. The Columbia River was everything they said it was. A good current, lots of wind. It felt like our home waters (the Carquinez Strait) It was fun ---------- We had so much fun. Everything from Dinner at the El Rio Mexican Cafe in Stevenson, WA to the excitement of motoring out

Mark Engelhardtnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18587476.post-1150315533766582172006-06-14T16:05:00.000-04:002006-06-14T16:12:33.153-04:00

One of our local newspapers, The Press Republican, recently ran a cover story about the impact of rising gasoline prices on local boaters' summer plans. The headline article, "Gas prices won't stop boaters", featured The Westport Marina prominently, and the photograph emblazoned under the headline, Priceless Fun, was our very own home fleeters, Steve, Carol and Chris Malone! Captain Jim's

virtualDavisnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18587476.post-1150308257534222942006-06-14T13:58:00.000-04:002006-06-14T14:04:17.546-04:00

The scuttle-butt in the Adirondacks is that we've just passed through the rainiest May in history and are now well on our way to a record breaking June as well. Bah-humbug! Lake Champlain water levels remain too high for most people to use their docks, and corn on the cob is beginning to seem like a fantasy from a bygone era. I was trying to remember the last nice day we've had, and then

virtualDavisnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18587476.post-1150148365552955902006-06-12T17:36:00.000-04:002006-06-14T14:20:28.713-04:00

This year's attempt at the Delta Ditch Run was our most successful ditch run ever. It took a full day friday to move Too Tuff to Richmond, Set up the boat and then drag the trailer to Stockton. Not only is it a long Race, Its a long *drive*! On setup day, we tried to use my new Honda 2HP to motor Too Tuff over to our spot on the raft up before the race. It would not start. I am still trying

Mark Engelhardtnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18587476.post-1148413363387077692006-05-23T15:18:00.001-04:002006-05-23T15:58:55.463-04:00

The Sporting Goods Manufacturers Association (SGMA) named Wego Kite Tube the 2006 Sports Product of the Year! "Drum roll, please. And the winner of the 9th Annual Sporting Goods Manufacturers Association Sports Product of the Year Award is…...the Wego Kite Tube by SportsStuff, Inc. The Wego Kite Tube is a ten-foot diameter flying tube. This one-rider inflatable tow tube whips across the water

virtualDavisnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18587476.post-1147309573767908692006-05-09T20:48:00.000-04:002006-05-10T21:06:13.780-04:00

"Sure. You want me to put together a presentation to show what ShipStore's all about?" "Yeah, maybe some slides breaking down the different job descriptions." "And a little background on ecommerce maybe..." "Sounds good." And so it was decided at the end of last week that Captain Jim and I would attend "career day" at the Elizabethtown-Lewis Central School located about fifteen minutes away from

virtualDavisnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18587476.post-1146829529944456322006-05-05T07:32:00.000-04:002006-05-05T15:53:28.706-04:00

Just as Mark Engelhardt and his crew were getting tossed around Benicia Bay on their Ultimate 20 Too Tuff, the ShipStore.com crew received a special shipment at our Westport, NY warehouse. Mark's made us all honorary members of the Too Tuff crew so that we can live vicariously through them the next time they race. That's Captain Jim sporting the new duds, smiling to see the ShipStore.com logo

virtualDavisnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18587476.post-1146814477867544402006-05-05T03:10:00.000-04:002006-05-05T04:09:06.570-04:00

Well, We sailed our Ultimate 20 "Too Tuff" in the Benicia Yacht Club beer can race tonight and things did not go according to plan, The setup of the boat went pretty well, but it went downhill from there. The winds were blowing a steady 20 knots with gusts up to about 29 knots! Our first bit of excitement came as we were sailing out of the marina, We got a full fledged knock down right in the

Mark Engelhardtnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18587476.post-1146764624180448482006-05-04T12:38:00.000-04:002006-05-04T13:51:47.606-04:00

Sunday, May 14th is Mother's Day! Didn't sneak up on you, did it? No problem if it did because we've got a couple of great suggestions to keep you out of the dog house. This morning Captain Jim laughed about the proverbial "Oh, you mean you didn't want a new chainsaw?" scenario that so many husbands have experienced first hand when they discover that they were projecting their own desires when

virtualDavisnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18587476.post-1146681833553919152006-05-03T14:37:00.000-04:002006-05-03T14:46:58.726-04:00

We've posted the complete job description for our new ShipStore.com Inventory/Warehouse Manager position which is currently open. Please pass this link along to anyone who you think might be interested: http://jobs.shipstore.com. More Information: IntroductionFunctionRequirementsDutiesResponsibilitiesPay RateApply

virtualDavisnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18587476.post-1146683320389704412006-05-02T14:47:00.000-04:002006-05-03T15:08:40.410-04:00

Mark Engelhardt has integrated a super handy Seloc selection wizard that makes it quick and easy to find the exact marine repair manual you need for your boat engine. The tool is available from all Seloc item pages. On another note, it's down to the wire now, but you still have a few days to lock in amazing pre-season savings on commissioning products like paint, polish, cleaners, electronics,

virtualDavisnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18587476.post-1142949064644051202006-03-21T08:12:00.000-05:002006-03-21T08:51:07.750-05:00

PHOTOS By: DA-WOODY.COM / Dennis St.Onge By Mark Engelhardt - Too Tuff and crew did the 2006 San Diego NOOD (stands for "National Offshore One-Design") this weekend. We raced 7 races over three days. The NOOD had a total of about 150 boats and the "Ultimate 20" class we sail in had 17 entries. We were sailing against the Silver Medal winner at the 2000 Olympics! Pease Glaser and Jay Glaser are

virtualDavisnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18587476.post-1142692676607760302006-03-18T09:37:00.000-05:002006-03-18T12:01:21.956-05:00

Remember the Sevylor Manta Ray? It was last summer's hottest inflatable pull toy. Watch the Manta Ray video to understand why. In fact, it was so popular, nobody could keep it in stock. At ShipStore.com we had to place Sevylor backorder requests from early summer onward just to keep up with the demand. The Manta Ray's 13 foot wide wingspan enables the towable to lift off and hover over the water

virtualDavisnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18587476.post-1139848961341778432006-02-13T11:26:00.000-05:002006-02-13T13:38:06.726-05:00

A history-making snowfall in many parts of the northeast including the Big Apple! Better late than never. And the media can't get enough of it, nor can I, which explains how I came across this attention grabbing pair of sentences in todays New York Times article, "New York Region Digs Out After a Record Snowfall":"The season's most popular sledding device is a something that looks like a beach

virtualDavisnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18587476.post-1139855301868853492006-02-10T18:20:00.000-05:002006-02-13T13:36:15.526-05:00

After jogging around the Benicia Marina and Yacht Club this morning, following the shore along the wetlands and looking for interesting waterfowl, I headed off to meet Mark Engelhardt and his lovely wife, Roseanne for a sail on Carquinez Straight. Play this audio clip which Mark and I recorded while sailing his handsome sloop: Only a light breeze as we set out and enjoyed lunch, but the winds

virtualDavisnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18587476.post-1137770231860798862006-01-20T10:00:00.000-05:002006-01-20T10:17:11.873-05:00

Remember the "binocular guy"? Back in November Alan Brooks from West Sussex, England got hold of us with some super helpful binocular advice to augment our How to Choose Binoculars Beacon article. The guy knows his stuff! When I asked him why, he explained:"I'm an electronics engineer by trade with a long standing interest in photography, so I have a basic optics grounding and a technical bent.

virtualDavisnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18587476.post-1137520791912777492006-01-17T12:42:00.000-05:002006-01-17T12:59:51.926-05:00

Don't you love the Internet? Sure it's not all that's it cracked up to be, but as for things like keeping informed, it's pretty outstanding! I mean, imagine trying to keep up on the boating news around the country, around the world from a little town like Westport, New York where ShipStore.com is located. It'd be pretty tough without the web, right? But with news syndication and aggregators, I

virtualDavisnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18587476.post-1137361419649302342006-01-15T16:29:00.000-05:002006-01-15T16:43:39.660-05:00

From Optronics, the premier manufacturers and suppliers of recreational, industrial, and vehicular lighting products and accessories in the world, come two exciting products for you to purchase at ShipStore.com. Clear Point Compact 8x21 Optronics Binocular - Custom-designed and manufactured for outdoor recreation and sports enthusiasts, these shockproof, water resistant binoculars are perfect

virtualDavisnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18587476.post-1136899797499327222006-01-10T08:29:00.000-05:002006-01-10T08:51:34.513-05:00

Another good posting from Jim Shepard, About.com's guide for the Powerboating section. In lieu of New Year's resolutions, he's posted "A Powerboater's Wish List", and it's the sort of good old, tongue-in-cheek humor that hits pretty close to the mark. Fuel - Make it cheaper!Rain - Keep farmers happy during the week and boaters happy during the weekend.Boat Ramps - How about an always open ramp "

virtualDavisnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18587476.post-1136902192534238442006-01-07T08:52:00.000-05:002006-01-10T09:09:52.560-05:00

Out with the old and in with the new. Hasta la vista 2005! The new Beacon newsletter takes a look at the year just ended as well as some of our exciting goals for 2006. Here are a few 2005 highlights: ShipStore.com website has a "new look"Beacon newsletter weekly, dilated focus, $100 shopping sprees, and bigger Clear the Deck salesLaunched Sevylor auctions on eBay and became an eBay

virtualDavisnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18587476.post-1136902419097618162005-12-21T09:10:00.000-05:002006-01-10T09:13:39.096-05:00

It was four days before Christmas, And all through the ShipStore.com warehouse Every creature was clicking away on a mouse. The packages were boxed and stacked with care In hopes that St. Nicholas soon would be there. The ShipStore crew dreamed of sleep, supper and beds, But visions of marine supplies still danced in their heads. Captain Jim sent emails and studied the shipping map For last

virtualDavisnoreply@blogger.com