New Wave Docks' Modular Pontoon Craft

Ten floats and six aluminum rails form the base.

Anyone interested in an affordable high-weight capacity pontoon-style boat, and who also likes DIY projects, should consider the modular pontoon system from New Wave Docks, a well-known roto molding company located in 100 Mile House, B.C.

I took delivery of two of these systems from New Wave Docks and will chronicle their evolution as they transform from pieces of aluminum framing with floats and bow/stern pieces into sturdy boats that will deliver many years of service and fun.

Commercial grade dock floats from B.C. company

The science of performance dock floats and pontoon logs and tubes is constantly evolving. The goal is to produce more rugged products with better floatation value and superior hydrodynamic qualities.

There’s a complete lineup of such products from New Wave Docks, a B.C. company from 100 Mile House that roto molds its own floats using its own unique designs.

Company President Mike McNeil says: “We rotationally mold a seamless polyethylene float, with a consistent wall thickness of 5/16″ to ensure strength and durability against punctures and splits.”As the photos illustrate, the New Wave 450 has a hydrodynamic profile that increases its floatation capability as it sinks lower in water because the float widens at the top. The sculpted lines, with the addition of nose cones, means the floats yield cool party barges and pontoon boats as well. They are also crafted with molded-in bolt receptables for skid plates so they can be run up on beaches without damaging the floats themselves.

Cool pontoon boat product: Liquid Rubber sealant

Liquid Rubber to seal corrosive pressure-treated lumber

We decided to use pressure-treated lumber between aluminum cross members on the pontoon boat deck...something to screw marine plywood to and this gives bolted support every foot on the 21-foot craft.

But treated lumber, with its copper preservative, is corrosive to almost everything, so the challenge was how to seal it away from the aluminum. Solution: Liquid Rubber, a great product from a Canadian firm: http://liquidrubber.ca/

Liquid Rubber is nontoxic, i.e. water cleanup and virtually no smell, so it's great to work with. Yet, it's definitely rubber, goes on thick and provides a very effective water seal.

Wilson Pontoons used for DIY Pontoon boat

Wilson Pontoons on boat 8' x 21'...work in progress

The pontoon boat build using Wilson ‘toons is progressing well despite cold winter conditions in Nelson, B.C.

The side rails are 4-inch aluminum C channel bolted into stainless steel inserts that come standard with the pontoons. The logs themselves are great, very hydrodynamically designed and the interlocking system is very tight and secure. 

The two snags thus far have been shipping costs from east coast U.S. to west coast Canada, i.e. about $1,800 so that will add quite a bit to the boat’s final price.

New Wave Docks launches motor barge kit concept

Aggressive welded bow points and two bar

By Steve Bareham, Nelson, B.C.

There's a new multi-functional option for people wanting a large, stable motorized floating watercraft that's affordable, be it for use as a pontoon boat, a work barge, floating gazebo, or mobile dock. 

Just introduced by New Wave Docks, 100 Mile House, B.C., the sturdy wide-body catamaran give buyers a durable, high-weight capacity boat that can be assembled literally in a day and purchased for $5,995 FOB 100 Mile House, B.C. Shipping to most locations in B.C. and Alberta is less than $1,000.

This is no prissy unit; it’s built to be used and to last for many years thanks to thick poly floats and aluminum rails. Pictured is the 8 foot x 18' 3"  foot Wolverine unit with six NW1400 floats and four hydrodynamic bow and stern cones that provide an incredible 9000 pounds of submersion capacity. This mean you can carry 4,500 pounds on deck -- that's a lot for an 18-foot craft.

Customized marine mooring buoys

There’s something new in boating and recreational property products: roto molded mooring buoys from B.C. manufacturer New Wave Docks, located in 100 Mile House.

These thick poly buoys are made to endure all types of weather, waves and adversity, hot and cold. They are not only built to withstand the world’s most challenging marine environments but also designed to be aesthetically pleasing.

CUSTOMIZE: New Wave will personalize your buoy with an address, name, or whatever you want.

Snowmobile sled does double duty on water

With a 350-pound cargo capacity, the 60-inch long all terrain Tracker by New Wave Docks is a real workhorse.

This is another great product from the roto molding manufacturing line of New Wave Docks, 100 Mile House, B.C.

The All Terrain Tracker is a unique waterproof trailer designed for outdoor recreational enthusiasts on water, snow, or ice. It's a favorite of snow sledders, hunters, guides, and anyone who works and plays on the water.

This tough, sleek year-round trailer can be towed behind snowmobiles, personal watercraft, and all terrain vehicles, and with its wide stance design, it's very stable in all applications. NOTE: it is not a passenger sled, it is specifically made for cargo.

Priced at $699 retail, it's the best buy on the market.

High performance swamp & muskeg mats

When companies have to deal with boggy soil conditions that hamper movement and that threaten equipment and people, they often turn to the manufacturers of swamp and muskeg industrial mats.

A leader in the field is New Wave Docks, from 100 Mile House, B.C. New Wave designed and manufactures its own mats under rigorous testing conditions as can be seen by these photos -- their mats are TOUGH! Throw them down and they do the rest.

In addition to muskeg and swamp conditions, you can also get an almost instant dock or walkway with these mats. Just check out the floatation value. 

New pontoon boat build with New Wave floats

New Wave dock floats have huge floatation capacity.

As the population growth of Canada swings West (now more than 10 million people in the four western provinces), so does manufacturing and demand for leisure and recreation products.

The trouble is finding manufacturers and suppliers in the west. The good news is that this is changing. In the coming weeks and months, we'll profile that significant shift, and as part of the series, we'll include an interesting project by Nelson, B.C., boat builder Steve Bareham, publisher of Reviews Global.

Steve has begun work with an innovative B.C. company, New Wave Docks, from 100 Mile House to produce concept pontoon boats using New Wave's roto molding technologies.

LivinLite aluminum hauler/camper: SWEET

LIGHTEN YOUR TOWING LOAD: Like about 100 million other baby boomers in North America, I and my wife are nearing retirement. And, also like most Canadians and north-living Americans, we like to escape subzero temperatures from January-April. But, what do you do to get away? 

We've done Hawaii and Mexico. The Aloha state is a bit physically restricting out there in the Pacific, and Mexico has issues we'd rather avoid, so the southern U.S. is the go-to zone for the next decade. We don't want to stay in a condo or hotel for too long, certainly not for three months, so how does one travel around in comfort without spending $100,000+ on snazzy motorhomes? 

We've now looked at a couple of hundred pull units and fifth wheels, and the best option we've found is a growing company called LivinLite that makes a number of interesting models. The one we really like, and the subject of this review, is the VRV line: versatile recreation vehicle.

Yamaha Tyros 4 Arranger Workstation Review

Yamaha digital electric pianos are known to be the best in the world. I had a Yamaha DGX-630 for years, but made the leap to the incredible Tyros 4. I state at the outset that it's light years ahead in terms of sophistication.

You can see what this piano is capable of in the video link at the end, but suffice to say that it makes good players sound great and mediocre players sound good...this is why I like it. The Tyros 4 is not inexpensive, coming in at about $5,500, but you will get an immediate boost in the sound of your playing. And if you write your own songs, the accompaniment options are incredible. It really is a workstation.

Canadian Golf Management Program 100% Online

Canadian Golf Management Program 100% Online

Have you, or someone you know, ever thought of working at a golf club as a manager? Not a bad career; you work every day in a park-like setting and, for the most part, deal with people who are there to enhance their lives. The atmosphere at most clubs is upbeat and positive. But, back to the career potential. That's all well and good, but how realistic is it to lauch a career in golf?  

Well, consider that golf in Canada and the U.S. is a $50 billion industry that employs millions of people in golf-related jobs, including more than 100,000 managers ($11.3 billion industry and 342,000 jobs in Canada alone).

Critical thinking books: women surpass men

Critical thinking books: women surpass men

New research shows that women are more analytical than men, that they have surpassed men in IQ scores for the first time, and they are already better at emotional intelligence (see links below for proof). This means women are besting men in some very important areas. Men had better pay attention.

Never has critical thinking been more important to succeed in life and career, but most people are foggy about what it really is. If women study critical thinking explicitly, they can gain a rapid and significant edge over male counterparts because they will enhance already keen analytical and reasoning skills – key to becoming even better decision makers and problem solvers.

Why do people kill? New eBook explains

This examination of anthropoktonos, “man, murderer of man,” is written while a spate of mass killings around the world are still fresh in our memories and that have many of us asking: why do people kill?

Anyone interested in such macabre information can quickly find long lists of incidents where murderers have killed dozens of people to get their moments of infamy. There have been 934 people murdered in mass killings in the U.S. in the past seven years. School children, theatre goers, and people in shopping malls are easy targets for what we like to label as madmen.

Of the top 10 school massacres documented around the world, five took place in the U.S., claiming 131 victims. Canada is in the top ten, too: Mark Lepine killed 14 women at a Montreal university in 1989. Click the link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_rampage_killers:_School_massacres

Critical thinking books: a path to change your life

Do you want to be happier in life, advance more quickly in your career, and profit more in business?  How about make better decisions and solve problems with more confidence? 

If you answered “yes,” you're in good company...who doesn't! But, to get there, think about how you think, because the way you think holds the key. Thinking better means thinking critically and it isn't difficult to add a supercharger to your brain.

Remarkably, few people think about how they think. We tend to focus on thinking outcomes: decisions, plans, conclusions, and judgments. But these are the latter stages of thinking, so if we do those first, the focus is backwards and responsible for results that aren’t always optimal. Read on for more details about what's in these new critical thinking books. 

Understanding critical thinking: it's a process

By Steve Bareham
Author Think Well & Prosper

Learning how to manage the thinking process – to think critically – is the most important thing any person can do.

Mention the words “thinking critically,” or “critical thinking” to most people and you will get responses ranging from noncomprehension, to panic, to outright boredom — it all sounds so academic, complicated, and tedious. But, a case can be made that centuries of focus on how we think, by some of the greatest minds the world has known, is important in that thought has been instrumental in evolving our social systems. As such, a short paraphrased history may be useful to show how that evolution transpired.¹

Waterfront property for sale in Nelson, B.C.: on lake

It's rare to find a quiet, park-like property with lakefront and a creek only five minutes from the city. At Stonewood, you get a 2,700-square-foot lake house plus a quaint 600-square-foot cabin for guests, a granny cottage, or as a rental revenue generator. As its name implies, the homes uses natural materials -- no pressed board or plastic here!
​
The lakehouse is best described as elegant rustic: granite countertops, stone tiles, and beefy post and beam features, travertine marble bath, solid hardwood floors, and 3/4-inch tongue and groove interior walls and ceilings. Top quality throughout, the tone is casual, not decor that you need to worry about scratching. Stonewood was designed to be lived in, a retreat to solitude and as a spacious entertainment spot. There are four buildings in addition to the house and cabin: a workshop, gardening shed, and two new post and beam carports. 

17 great books about critical thinking

17 great books about critical thinking

List from Amazon's Listmania

The list author says: "If you're looking for the best books on critical thinking, here they are. Critical thinking and thinking critically are words more of us should think about!

The way we think determines how successful we are in life, in our careers, and in our relationships. Other than breathing, nothing is more importan to life than the way we think. But, most people have never studied the thinking process; most don't know there is one.

Every school student should study thinking skills and develop knowledge that can be practiced. These books can aid in that goal. Children should be taught critical thinking as soon as they start school, the parts of thinking aren't that complicated."

How to write great restaurant menu descriptions

How to write great restaurant menu descriptions

Well planned, analytic, and creative menu descriptions are hugely important if you care about: more revenue, providing a complete, positive customer experience, and repeat patronage.

Those three points are the secret sauces of successful restaurants.

This is my view after teaching for about 20 years in a resort and hotel management program at Selkirk College in Canada, and it’s supported by credible research from numerous sources.

One study by faculty from the University of Illinois achieved a 27% increase in sales by manipulating menu wording to more comprehensively describe items, ingredients, and preparation methods. Get the book at Amazon. $2.99 for eBook.
That is an enormous top-line increase for an industry where such large margin gains can be very difficult to strategize.

How to self publish with Kobob Writing Life

No one disputes that Amazon’s Kindle Direct Publishing has a very strong foothold in the eBook world, but a competitor with a smart management team and a parent company with very deep financial pockets is nipping at its heels — that company is KOBO.

Kobo, in my view, is constructively redressing issues that many self-published authors have with Kindle, more details about these later.

Don’t misunderstand my opening sentences. Of course you should offer your book(s) on Amazon — it currently holds an estimated 45% of the eBook market share — but after uploading ten eBooks with both companies, there are good reasons that every self-published eBook author should ALSO use Kobo’s Writing Life platform. In my view, its best years are still to come as it continues to improve its global penetration and as the eBook era evolves and matures.

Critical Thinking Using Music Metaphor

Critical Thinking Using Music Metaphor

Music is an interesting metaphor for critical thinking. Ask yourself: Do you think in mono, stereo, quadraphonic, or in surround sound? What mental images do you get when you contemplate "mono thinking?" "Mon": "...one, single, alone, unidirectional..."

Mono thinking can be visualized as moving in linear fashion as in "problem-solution," "question-answer," "stimulus-reaction," or  "right-wrong." Mono thinking is quick and easy, but it lacks depth and breadth (or richness for the sake of this analogy).

Shutterstock.com: great photos & video

Shutterstock.com: great photos & video

If you publish eBooks, or need marketing visuals, or create YouTube videos, you should visit Shutterstock.

For very reasonable licensing rates, you get absolutely top quality photos. I've used pictures and video footage and have never entered search criteria that Shutterstock's incredible library of collateral materials hasn't been able to fulfill.

Books about HR Management: Job Descriptions

Books about HR Management: Job Descriptions

How many times, in your work life, have your employers provided you with complete and accurate job descriptions? Often, the answer is “never.” If this is your answer, it means you were expected to do jobs (and presumably were evaluated on performance) without specifics about roles and responsibilities. Not good.

It also means that job descriptions weren’t appreciated for the incredibly valuable management tool they can be and should be.

There’s no more important task in business planning than the creation of complete and accurate job descriptions/specifications.

Pixlr Photo Editing Services & Software

Pixlr Photo Editing Services & Software

I love this company's "in the cloud" online photo editor!

No matter what your project, if you need to use photos, you'll likely want to tweak them for sizing, effects, etc. If so, you won't find a better program, even ones that cost a lot of money. Simply check this out: http://pixlr.com/editor/  It's what I used to work with the cover at left. 

Pixlr's online editor is almost as good as Adobe, but it's free! Pixlr lets you size photos to any required dimension, add effects, isolate images, add vintage coloration, use layers, filters, and a hundred other visual options that can come in handy for any marketing initiative that requires photo visuals.

How to think critically & what is critical thinking?

By Steve Bareham, Selkirk College

“The basic concepts of critical thinking are being able to understand or figure out what the problem (or conflict, contradiction) is; to direct thinking to the specific purpose of solving the problem; understanding the frames of reference or the points of view involved; identifying and understanding the underlying assumptions; identifying and understanding the basic concepts and ideas that are being used; citing evidence, data, and reasons and their interpretations; following lines of thought that are advanced; and understanding inferences, implications, and consequences. (Beyer, 1985; Nosich, 1993; Paul, 1990). There is a creative component to strong critical thinking such that originality, freshness, and inventiveness are brought into the problem-solving and applications.”

J. Davis-Seaver, T. Smith, D. Leflore, N. Carolina A&T State U.

Critical thinking is a term that means little to many people. Worse yet, it can even be off putting, given that the word “critical” has a connotation that we more commonly equate with criticizing or being criticized. But, we should be more concerned with the substance behind the words, because critical thinking, or “effective thinking,” or “8C thinking” can change our lives.

Why do people kill? Human Nature is Violent!

While scientists and researchers engage in debate about whether or not people are innately violent, they don’t doubt that our genes and cells have one imperative — survival of the host. To protect that host, they will do anything, but what they do is not at the conscious level.

The need to survive, to procreate, and to protect our progeny is the most powerful instinct in our being. Parents will kill to protect their progeny and no court in the world would rule anything other than justified homicide.

  If we can agree on the foregoing, might it follow that many of our behaviors, including the willingness to go to war and to murder in certain circumstances, is a higher manifestation of something we can see at the cellular level very easily.

GUNS and violence: Russians Mob in Vancouver

Every year around the world, more than 115,000 civilians are killed by small arms and automatic weapons. Almost 32,000 people die from guns in the U.S. annually if you include suicides and accidents, 85 people every day, or 3.5 dead every hour.

There are about 11,700 murders in the U.S. and about 200 in Canada where victims are targeted during crimes, in domestic assaults, and at the hands of mentally unstable gunmen. Some are killed accidentally, innocent bystanders with a kismetic curse.

The incidents of homicidal crazies killing dozens of people to get their moments of infamy are almost commonplace. There have been 934 people murdered in mass killings in the U.S. alone in the past seven years.

School children, theatre goers, and people in shopping malls have become easy targets. Of the top 10 school massacres documented around the world, five took place in the U.S., claiming 131 victims. Canada is in the top ten, too: Mark Lepine killed 14 women at a Montreal university in 1989. Click the link: See the grim list of school shootings.

Best single-cup coffee maker: forget Keurig

If you like the idea of making the perfect cup of coffee with no waste and at a reasonable cost, the Scoop is worth a look.

It lets you make one cup in 90 seconds and use your own brand of coffee; no need to be locked into one brand or waste those little plastic containers. The brewer costs about $70 in Canada and the coffee costs about half of what Keurig charges.

The Scoop offers ultra-simple preparation in three straightforward steps: 1) Scoop whatever amount required to achieve your level of "strongness" 2) Place 3) Brew. It features a steel mesh scoop for filtering freshly ground coffee and comes with a built-in, adjustable stand that flips to accommodate a standard-size cup or a taller travel mug.

Human Resource Management: About Metrics

Human Resource Management: About Metrics

Simply stating that human resource management is an important organizational function often doesn’t cut much ice with people in charge of budgets, especially when those people lack HR knowledge and training. So, it’s smart to be able to articulate benefits in ways that reveal why an organization is better off with a planned process than without one.

Money-minded people will concur that employees are the greatest asset of any organization, but in the next breath, they will also note that staff is also the greatest expense. So, the natural inclination of most finance administrators is to minimize staff numbers and to also minimize any and all expenses related to staffing, even expenses such as training.

Panasonic HX-DC2 High Def Camcorder

Panasonic HX-DC2 High Def Camcorder

Panasonic HX-DC2 High Definition Camcorder: We have two of these HX series Panasonics at my college for marketing students to use when shooting project videos. Very easy to use and the unique grip form minimizes shooting fatigue because you can hold the camera with one hand like a pistol. It shoots high def MP4 and the
twin shutter design also enables 14 MP still photos at the same time. The little cameras can take a beating, too, and still do the job. Priced at only $249, they are very good fiscal value. Great for beginning videographers, as a gift for a child, and, of course, for student work.

Audacity Sound Editing Software

Audacity Sound Editing Software

If you're into music, if you record narrations for YouTube videos, if you sing, or whatever, you will not find a better audio editor than Audacity. And did I mention that it's FREE!

It's easy to use, provides a ton of options to improve sound quality, can do multiple tracks, add Gverb, change pitch, speed, cut out unwanted parts, and all in fantastic stereo. I've been using Audacity for several years while recording vocals for songs with Yamaha pianos and it does not disappoint. You can get the free download here. http://audacity.sourceforge.net/



Here's a good CNET review that details its benefits and features very well, plus a tutorial video link:

"With so many audio editors out there, finding the right tool for the job can be tricky. The multiplatform, open-source editor Audacity has leaped to the top of our list with its clean interface, excellent features, and support for 32-bit floating-point audio. Audacity succeeds at being both feature-rich and flexible, while keeping the toolbar and work space uncluttered. It does this by relegating most functions--such as effects, edits, and project management--to handy drop-down menus."

Read more: Audacity - CNET Download.com http://download.cnet.com/Audacity/3000-2170_4-10058117.html#ixzz2B80c1j8b

Tutorials: http://audacity.sourceforge.net/help/

Shure Wireless Headset Microphone PG30

Shure Wireless Headset Microphone PG30

I find boom microphones uncomfortable and physically restraining when singing. I mean, you're tethered two inches from the damn things, your head, and mouth, literally stuck to a wind sock. Not necessary!

Just got a Shure wireless headset and am I glad. It totally frees you up from worrying about distance from the mic, or even thinking about the darn mic. And when you're singing, the last thing you need to be is rooted in one spot for minutes or hours. I don't know why so many stage performers stick with boom mics...not me any more.

Olive Oil: Some Novel Applications

Olive Oil: Some Novel Applications

Who doesn't like olive oil on salads and for cooking? It's the best, adding that special fragrance and flavor that is unmistakable. But, we've discovered two recent uses for it that are equally appealing. And, they work...we've tested them and report excellent results!

No. 1: Do you own anything made of stainless steel? Calling stainless steel "stainless" has to be the cruelest marketing joke of all time; damn stuff shows every finger mark!

  Well, apply olive oil to your stainless steel, in a small quantity, and those annoying smudges disappear. We've paid good money for commercial stainless steel cleaners that haven't worked worth a damn. Olive oil just does and it's cheap and totally nontoxic. Duh! Why don't the olive oil manufacturers market this benefit?

No. 2:  Do you burn oil candles or lamps? If so, do you buy lamp oil that stinks, that stains, and that is toxic? Well, simply replace it with olive oil. Get a good wick, anchor it, and voila, lamp oil. Jesus, why didn't I discover this 40 years ago?

There is no smell, no toxic stuff to store, and if your pet tips it and drinks it, no vet bill or nasty stain to clean! Oh, and save money, too.  

iThenticate Checks for Plagiarism & More

iThenticate Checks for Plagiarism & More

First, a story. A couple months ago, Amazon contacted me after I uploaded an eBook. The concern was that too much of my book appeared online (anything over 10% of total content gets flagged). Amazon, quite rightly, wanted assurances that the content was mine. The rather pointed email also demanded to know why so much of the book was available in the public domain. Yikes!

The trick with Amazon is that you aren't dealing with real people who you can query for an explanation about what content is at issue or where it resides. I was at a loss to provide an explanation. In the meantime, Amazon locked my book from being for sale. Double Yikes! My research began damn fast, and within an hour, it became apparent that the best solution to identify what was online, and where, was iThenticate.

Design Your Own Book Covers

Design Your Own Book Covers

Myecovermaker.com: No matter what kind of books you write, print or eBooks, you need great covers. First, you need fantastic visuals, so go to www.shutterstock.com but the next step should be to myecovermaker, a wonderful company with great service and prices: http://www.myecovermaker.com/  The two firms, together, let me create the cover at left for under $10!

At myecovermaker, you will find a multiplicity of design software and options for all needs. The software is sophisticated, yet easy to use. The service from head developer, Tuan, is exceptional and so are the prices, i.e. just a few dollars for an individual cover, or, if you need covers frequently, opt for a very affordable monthly subscription. 
Let there be no mistake, if your cover doesn't grab people's attention, your sales are dead, so it's worth spending time, money, and thought in this marketing area and the designs and fonts, and software flexibility, makes it easy to produce visual stunners.