On the Cover
We pick Glastron's GLS 215 as one of the best boats of the year. Photo by Bill Doster. 

FEATURES

10 Best Boats of the Year 
They're all under $40,000! That's what made our picks for 2009 stand out: They broke new ground (a PWC with brakes), made lasting impressions (a wakeboard runabout) and hit price points we could live with ($13,995). By Boating Life Editors 

The Other Side of the Cleat
A warm weekend off the coast of Seattle entices thousands of boaters to play around the San Juan Islands. It's 48 hours of pure joy … unless you happen to be pumping their gas and taking their crap. By Bob Friel 

Our 10 Favorite (once)Secret Spots
You already know about the boating hot spots. But the real gems are unsung. Give our editors a week off and a command to go boat somewhere quiet, and these are the places where you'd find us.By Boating Life Editors 

DEPARTMENTS

From the Helm
Dollar-wise boating, Congressional style

Backfire
One man and his everyday miracle

Dockside
- Fail-proof ideas for launching and loading
- Easy ways to solve the buoy and marker puzzles
- Spiff up your boat, and save money
- Safety gadgets every boater should have

Quick Looks
Volvo's joystick controls come to sterndrives (docking will never be the same), plus the newest 60-horse motors from Honda and Suzuki.

Road Trips
Theodore Roosevelt Lake, Butcher Hook, Arizona

At Play
Make your water-sports gear last 10 years, or longer; Use the wind to help you catch fish — yes, help you

Boaters Market
Gear of the month

We've Always Wanted to Ask
Plug your nose for this one