2025 Year in Review - The Stories of the Year

1) Jimmy Buffett’s Legendary Explorer Yacht “DoubleYou” Heads to Auction

Jimmy Buffett’s 90-foot explorer yacht DoubleYou — once a floating creative haven for the late singer-songwriter — went to auction with bids starting at just $1.2 million. That gave fans a rare chance to own a piece of musical and maritime history and stirred up a frenzy as boaters went looking to live like the Margaritaville singer. Read more.

2) New Great Loop Speed Record Set Using 16-Foot Jon Boat in 19 Days, 13 Hours, 1 Minute

In a feat that’s captured the boating world’s imagination, 71-year-old adventurer Robert Youens shattered the Great Loop speed record by powering a tiny 16-foot jon boat Ageless Wanderer around the 6,000-mile course in just 19 days, 13 hours, and 1 minute — beating the previous record by a full 6 hours and capturing the imagination of recreational boaters across North America. Read more.

3) Tim Hortons Grappling with Bitter Boaters Over 'Roll Up The Win' Lawsuit

Canada's beloved Tim Hortons found itself in the hot seat in 2025, thanks to a serious discrepancy with its popular 'Roll Up The Rim' to win contest. When an email mistakenly told thousands of participants they’d won a $65,000 fishing boat — only to have the company say it was a technical error and limit the lawsuit to Quebec residents -- many would-be captains were left feeling cheated. Read more.

4) Florida Powerboat Builder Facing 32 Year Prison Term for Defrauding Customers in Six States

A Florida powerboat builder was found guilty of stealing nearly $1 million from customers across six states for taking deposits for boats that were never built. The trial was full of salacious statements and showed a long track record of dubious behavior. The investigation that led to the charges also unearthed a web of lies that authorities could barely decipher, including the thief's own victims got caught up in the melee. Read more.

5) DIY “Neverlanding” Houseboat Captures Attention with Epic Great Lakes Journey and Enigmatic Captain

A DIY houseboat dubbed the Neverlanding captivated the boating world with its ramshackle design, mysterious sightings across the Great Lakes, and an enigmatic captain who tried to avoid the spotlight until the boating world demanded his friendship. A viral social media phenomenon followed, but winter forced the captain to put his trans-Atlantic ambitions on hold until spring on the shores of Lake Huron. Read more.

6) Lamborghini’s 101-Foot Superyacht Nears Completion

In Lamborghini’s boldest marine move yet, the Italian automaker is putting the finishing touches on a 101-foot superyacht blending hypercar-inspired design, 7,600 horsepower, and enough luxury for the most refined tastes. The 101 FT takes queues from the epic Lamborghini Temerario supercar, which puts a whole new slant on what luxury boating can be. Even the captain's seat has a five-point harness. Read more.

7) The Bermuda Triangle of Lake Ontario

Known as the Marysburgh Vortex, the troublesome triangle in the eastern corner of Lake Ontario has a dangerous history of dragging down boats. Richard Crowder takes a deep dive on the mysterious 'Bermuda Triangle of Lake Ontario' and between the strange aerial phenomena, unexplained electromagnetic anomalies, and several cases of vanishing vessels, there's more than enough to make any captain take pause. Read more.

8) 'Deep Thought' Sells for $2500 Leaving Milwaukee County to Foot the Bill

The infamous Deep Thought — a graffiti-covered lakeshore spectacle trapped on Milwaukee's Bradford Beach for months -- cost taxpayers tens of thousands to remove. When the old Chris-Craft Roamer finally sold at auction for a meager $2,525, after months of bickering, it left the county with a fat recovery bill and its new owner using creative ways to pay homage to the impromptu landmark. Read more.

9) Florida Man Builds the 'Orca' Boat from JAWS

Because, sure, why not? A quirky lifelong Jaws fan in Florida fulfilled his childhood dream — building a full-size replica of the movie’s iconic Orca shark-hunting boat in time for the film’s 50th-anniversary celebration. After nearly a decade of labouring and with help from fellow enthusiasts and even the original builder, Mike Sterling and his son put the new Orca through sea trials to the delight of boaters and Jaws 'finatics' everywhere. Read more.

10) Yes, You Can Power a Ford Ranger with Twin Mercury Outboards

File this one under 'things you didn't know were possible but are happy to learn they are.' A pair of YouTubers took boat‑building creativity to the extreme by gutting a mid‑’90s Ford Ranger and powering it with twin Mercury outboards. And, yes, it actually ran (kind of) as an amphibious chaos‑ready truck-boat that reached 47 mph before physics caught up to it. Read more.

11) U.S. Marshals Auctioning Off Powerboat Following Owner's Conviction in COVID Fraud Scheme

Boaters don't entertain thieves. When a 42-foot high‑performance boat showed up for auction under the watchful eye of the U.S. Marshals Office, boaters not only went looking for a deal, they went looking for the details. The boat's owner was convicted of fraudulently securing COVID relief loans and sentenced to a hefty prison sentence, which gave boaters a chance to snag a prized machine at a fraction of the cost. Read more.

12) Facebook Marketplace Deal Lands British Man Ownership of WWI Shipwreck for $400

You really can buy anything online. Under the right circumstances, you can even buy a shipwreck. So when British diver and shipwreck enthusiast Dom Robinson bought one on Facebook Marketplace for $400, boaters started wondering if they could also secure the rights to a discount boat sitting in liquid storage. The 330-foot World War I ship, known as the SS Almond Branch, is legally part of Robinson's sweet collection, even if he can't take it for a spin. Read more.

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