Sea Fever

Among boating buffs, unlike the mink-toothbrush set, there is no such creature as the man who has every thing. He may think he has -- between boat shows. But when January rolls around and coliseums fill up with new craft and a thousand gadgets that have suddenly become sine qua non for sea farers, the amateur skipper realizes that his year-old, 40-ft. dreamboat is just a floating slum. Does Cap'n Jones have a Gentex contour-molded life jacket, guaranteed to turn the wearer face up in the water even if he is stunned or unconscious? A speedometer accurate to one one-hundredth of a knot? What about an unsinkable, watertight canvas bag, roomy enough to stow cameras, film, wallets, watches and jewelry? He certainly needs the new $200 German binoculars that weigh less than a pound, float, and-reflect flashlight rays in the dark. Not to mention the latest sonar-system depth finder, which costs a mere $299.95 and reads up -- or down -- to 100 fathoms.

These and myriad other maritime sugarplums danced in the brains of weekend salts this week as the world's biggest boat show opened in Manhattan. The big lure, of course, was the boats themselves -- 510 different models ranging in size from a 6-ft. pontoon knockabout to the 44-ft. Pacemaker power cruiser (with electric dishwasher, refrigerator, and two showers), in price from $69.50 for a sailing dinghy to $70,000 for a 42-ft. sport fisherman. Some of the highlights:

> Aqua Sports' 8-ft, flat-bottomed "Skim'R Fish," which draws only two inches of water, is driven by an air propeller, uses only one gallon of gas every three hours. Price: $695.

> West Germany's Amphicar, a sporty little amphibian that goes 85 m.p.h. on land, 15 m.p.h. on water, comes with a waterproof horn, port and starboard lights and twin screws. Price: $2,590.

> Collapsible hydrofoils, adapted to small boats for the first time. Sold by American Supramar, they can be attached to inboard or outboard craft, increase speed by as much as 15 m.p.h., eliminate all but 6% of hull drag on a 15-ft. craft. Cost averages under $400, including installation (for a boat up to 24 ft. long).

> Kiekhaefer's compact 60-h.p. "in-board-outboard," the smallest unit on the market for 14-ft. to 18-ft. boats. Modified from a Renault automobile engine, the transom-mounted motor is as easy to install and operate as an outboard but leaves more room than an inboard, facilitates land transportation (because unlike straight inboards only the easily liftable outboard section hangs below the hull).

> Tylercraft's first jet-powered 24-ft. auxiliary sloop ($4,885). The jet engine takes less room and costs half as much as a propeller inboard, uses regular gasoline.

-- Trident Marine's one-man submarine ($3,995); it can dive to 150 ft., travels underwater at 3.7 m.p.h., runs on twin 500-watt electric engines.

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