The Old Rooster Bridge was destroyed in the early 1980′s and replaced by a newer bridge up the river, but the local legend of the unsinkable towboat lives on!

This time lapse video shows our day in the studio shooting each version of this unique pontoon. Creating the optimal lighting conditions took quite a bit of time; all the stainless steel and aluminum create hot spots and unwanted reflections if they are not placed just right. After the lights were in position, it was smooth sailing.

In high school, Gavin took art and photography classes. In college, he focused on video production and worked in that area for 12 to 15 years while still doing photography on the side.

Then, when digital cameras were introduced, he purchased all new equipment and started shooting more part-time weekend jobs, and people loved his photos.

“Within a year of digital being  around I stopped doing video and started doing photography full time,” he said.

Ultimately, he calls it a hobby gone awry.

About Gavin Smith

Even if you don’t recognize him by name, you’ve probably seen his work. Gavin Smith has been the Detroit Lions photographer for the last senen seasons, and he also works with the Red Wings and other professional sports teams. His photos have been published in popular magazines such as NFL, ESPN, and Sports Illustrated.

When he’s not on the sidelines, Gavin takes senior pictures, youth sport photos, baby and family portraits, and wedding photos. He takes pride in having a talented, well-trained staff and always aims to exceed client expectations.

“Everything that leaves here is okayed by me,” he said. “We are a well-established photo company, but we stay true to our roots and make sure the quality, boutique style is there from start to finish.”

Partnership With Manitou

Gavin said he has been working with Manitou for about 5 years, and his studio supplies all the photos for the website and brochures. On average, they take about 15,000 photos per shoot.

“It’s the one photo shoot I look forward to every year because it’s like visiting family,” he said. “What photographer doesn’t want to be out on the water surrounded by fun people?”

He praises Manitou for being a successful, family-run business with exceptionally friendly staff and quality products. He says their attention to detail as well as overall love and care they put into their products certainly shows.

What’s New

Gavin Smith Photography currently is in the process of consolidating their three Michigan studios into one location in Linden, Michigan – a 1908 3-story firehouse they’re completely renovating. They hope to be fully moved in to the new studio in 3 months, and they’re planning on shooting a lot of behind-the-scenes photos that will be shared on their blog and social media networks.

Gavin said he’s also excited to get back to work with the Red Wings and looks forward to seeing who the Lions receive in the upcoming draft.

For more information on Gavin Smith Photography, the official website is here. He also can be found on Facebook and Twitter.

What if boaters were donors? What could $2 billion buy in boating-related supplies? Here are our rough estimates.

13.3 million fishing rods

1.4 million high-end fishfinders

66.6 million life jackets

400 million inflatable innertubes

133.3 million pairs of swim trunks

80,000 pontoon boats

8.7 million boat covers

89,242 pontoon trips around the Earth (we didn’t account for gravity)

What would you buy with $2 billion dollars?

You can’t mention pirates without bringing up one perhaps the most notorious and feared pirate of all time – Blackbeard. Little is known about his early life, or if Edward Teach was even his real name, but we know that he was born in 1680, likely in Bristol, England.

Blackbeard started his journey on ships when he served on a British privateer. Throughout the Queen Anne’s War, or the second series of the French and Indian Wars, privateers protected England by attacking mostly French vessels and stealing their goods. The honest civilian life wasn’t enough for Blackbeard and he decided to take his superb looting skills elsewhere.

Blackbeard soon worked his way up to became the captain of one of the French sloops he helped capture, which was renamed Queen Anne’s Revenge. He and his crew dominated the Atlantic from 1716 to 1718, looting boats and selling the goods in various places, including America. Because pirate goods were cheap, people bought them without much question.

Blackbeard liked to maintain a threatening appearance (one of his trademarks was placing burning fuses under his hat) and he liked to keep an excessive number of weapons stashed across his chest. His long, black beard is where he got his nickname, of course. It was speculated that he dabbled in black arts and voodoo and would zombify his crew members. In any event, he was an intelligent and calculating man that could read and write, and he relied on his fearsome image and reputation to keep himself in power. Although some say there are no records of Blackbeard ever harming or killing any captive individuals, other reports say he was prone to violence, especially against his own crew. Either way, the man liked power. Below is the flag Blackbeard used, which was supposed to intimidate rival ships.

Eventually, Alexander Spotswood, the Governor of Virginia, sent a group of soldiers commanded by Lieutenant Robert Maynard of HMS Pearl to try and capture Blackbeard. During a vicious battle with Maynard’s men, Blackbeard was killed in the midst, and his head was cut off and hung from his ship. Even after Blackbeard’s death, many speculated that it was just a legend and that he actually escaped from death and recaptured his ship.

If you’re looking for more information about Blackbeard, the Blackbeard: Terror at Sea documentary can be found in full here on YouTube. We’ve also included it below.

Pirate Flag

You probably guessed it – the first thing you need is a good ‘ol Jolly Roger. Pirates used Jolly Roger flags to appear threatening to other boaters.

Sails

We know a pontoon boat is not a sail boat, but putting up some mock sails is sure to draw attention to your vessel. Even if your sail is just a blanket on a wooden pole, if it looks authentic, it works.

Crow’s Nest

Where else is your lookout going to stand? Because a homemade crow’s nest isn’t the safest place for a person, having one for just looks doesn’t hurt.

Parrot

You’re not a captain if you don’t have a faithful squawking companion.  If a real parrot is out of the question, why not pick up an inflatable one or one of the talking parrots found at Cracker Barrel?

Telescope

How can you survey the surrounding land without a handheld telescope? Their collapsible design allows for easy storage in a pocket or coin wallet. If you’re looking for a prop, try making your own out of toilet/wrapping paper tubes. Here’s a handy DIY guide for that.

Wheel

There’s no way you can feel like a tyrant of the water without a steering wheel that fits the part. Ditch the bland metallic steering device for a faux wooden one that looks more like a traditional ship’s wheel. If you’re savvy with power tools, here’s another DIY guide for a wooden pirate ship wheel.

Costumes

No pirate ship is truly complete without actual pirates on board. Put together some costumes with your crew and sail away!

If you’d like to make your own wear, the DIY Network offers a pirate costume tutorial.

Pirates of the Caribbean

The Pirates of the Caribbean series is arguably the most popular contemporary set of pirate movies. In fact, Millennials would likely name Pirates of the Caribbean if someone asked what their favorite pirate movie was. With its PG-13 rating and big stars including Johnny Depp, Orlando Bloom, and Keira Knightley, it’s a great pirate movie choice for the whole family.

While Captain Jack Sparrow certainly is a fan favorite, the theme song also is quite memorable. Although there are four films at the present time, rumor is that films five and six are in the making. It was announced in August that Johnny Depp signed on for a fifth film.

Hook

Hook is a Steven Spielberg classic and introduces Captain Hook as a villain who has kidnapped Peter Pan’s children. Although Peter Pan has grown up, he must return to Neverland and revisit childhood to save his children. The stellar cast includes Duston Hoffman, Robin Williams, and Julia Robers. Although the movie is rated PG, it’s enjoyable to adults as well as children.

If you’re looking for an easy way to view it, the full movie can be found on YouTube.

Treasure Island

The Treasure Island movie is a Walt Disney classic based off of the classic novel by Robert Louis Stevenson. A young boy named Jim Hawkins finds himself in the company of Long John Silver, a pirate looking for Captain Flint’s buried treasure.

The full video can be found here.

If you’re looking for something a bit more modern, a Treasure Island television movie was released in 1990 starring Christian Bale and Charlton Heston. It has a 7.2 rating on IMDB. For something even a bit more recent, another Treasure Island TV movie was released this year and stars Eddie Izzard and Elijah Wood. That title has a 6.2 rating on IMDB.

Long John Silver

If you’re a Treasure Island fan, this sequel is about Long John Silver’s return trip to Treasure Island to rescue his friend Jim from an enemy pirate and search for more treasure.

Although it’s an unofficial sequel, it’s free on YouTube and great to check out if you need a movie to watch on a lazy afternoon. The quality isn’t the greatest, but it is from 1954. There is no remake at this time. Although it didn’t get the best ratings, the TV series was quite successful.

The Princess Bride

Although it’s not a movie strictly about pirates, it contains pirate themes and is worth mentioning because it is such a classic. If you’ve seen the movie, it’s hard to forget that Wesley returns after his disappearance with the title of Dread Pirate Roberts. As you can see in the following clip, the pirate theme is brought out in the swordfight between him and Inigo Montoya.

If you’re still looking for more pirate movies, a lot of old full-length films can be viewed for free on YouTube. What movies would you add to our list?

Here’s their description:

Conscientious boat owners realize the importance of putting their watercraft to bed for winter. Failure to winterize your boat can result in a host of maintenance problems – and ultimately can shorten the life of your boat.

One of the best ways to protect your boat during the winter is to invest in a boat cover. When properly fitted, a boat cover can increase the longevity of your craft by up to 30 percent. To help boat owners understand the benefits of using a boat cover, we’ve put together the following infographic:

Note: Click the infographic to see the enlarged version.

So, what’s so great about it?

“This year we concentrated on providing the customers with all the information they need on the boats while at the same time maintaining an artistically creative, visually appealing brochure that makes you want to head out on the water in a Manitou during a warm summer day,”  Greg VanWagenen, Manitou’s director of marketing and communications, said.

“High quality pictures, premium paper stock and expertly executed printing processes portray our boats as the high end premium brand that Manitou has become known for.”

In addition, he said they decided to go green with this brochure – it was printed with 100 percent wind power.

Here’s a preview of some of the great photos:

Manitou will begin to send the new brochures to dealers and retail customers next week.

The table below highlights a variety of hunting and fishing guide services in the Northeastern United States. We’d certainly love to hear any more suggestions you have, so please comment if you have some more info you’d like to see shared.