[YachtForums]

Welcome aboard!

We hope you'll take a minute to register with us and hopefully... share some of your boating experience with others. By registering, you'll be updated with occasional e-mails on the latest news, products, events and launches in the yachting industry. Because we upload press releases & news daily, you will often get this information long before you read it in a magazine.

If you have any questions about navigating the site, I've posted a few directions below. Otherwise, please feel free to contact me. I'll be happy to help.

Thanks for visiting YachtForums. Hope to see you online.

[YachtForums]

Navigating through Yachtforums...

A quick note on e-mail address... rest assured, it only resides on our server. It will never become public domain.

To Register: Click on the "register" button, located directly beneath the YachtForums banner on the top of the home page. This will take you through a couple of simple steps with some brief questions. By taking a moment to expand a little on your interests & occupation, it helps to give a little "personality" to the community.

You are now free to participate in threads and have discussions with others in the community. Feel free to ask questions, share information and respond to others.

To enter a discussion group, move your curser over the desired subject, such as "General Yachting Discussion". You will notice the color of the text changes. This means you can click on it to enter that particular forum.

If you are reading a thread and would like to respond, simply click the "Post Reply" button and new window will pop-up that will allow you to respond. Once you have finished typing your response, click the "Submit Reply" button at the bottom of the page and your post will be uploaded. You will now be taken to a window, within that thread, that shows your response.

If you would like to create a new thread (not responding to someone elses questions or answers), click on the "New Thread" button and repeat the steps above. When finished, click on the "Submit" button at the bottom of the page and ... voila! You've just created a new thread.

[YachtForums]

Uploading Pictures...

The best picture (file) format to use is .jpg's. Period!

The standard size images we use on YachtForums are 540 pixels wide. This is so our viewers with low-res, small monitors don't have to scroll sideways. If you are going to upload a picture(s) to YachtForums, use a photo editing program to reduce the picture to 540 pixels wide (your digital camera should have come with the software).

Now, onto uploading pictures....

You will notice the words "Manage Attachements" on the bottom left side of a "New Post" of "Post Reply" window. Click on this link and a new window will open. Click on the "Browse" button and a window will pop up that will allow you to navigate to where the file (or picture) is located on your hard drive. Once you find the file, double-click on it and it will be placed in the "Upload File Box". Then... click "Upload" on the right side of this box. After the file uploads, click "Close This Window".

Now click on the "Submit Reply " button at the bottom of the screen and you are done! It's really a point and click world.

[YachtForums]

Odds & Ends...

1. You'll notice there may be multiple pages to a thread. Look for word "pages", followed by the numbers 1, 2, 3 etc, located toward the bottom of the last post on a page. Click on the double-arrow (>>) to go to the next page, or just click on the page number you want to go to.

2. You'll notice the "right" arrows located on the right side of a forum. This will take you to the very last post to be made on this subject. It's just a shortcut.

3. You have a search feature available at the bottom of each forum screen. Use key words to find posts or threads that you are interested in. Just like using a search engine.

4. Toward the bottom of a forum screen, you can choose to search for threads and posts that date back from one month to one year... or all the way to the beginning of YachtForums (around the turn of the century!)

5. You can also choose to subscribe to threads, so that you are notified by e-mail when someone replies to the thread. This will be automatic if you have created or replied to a thread, but you can choose to do this even if you have not participated in a thread. You can also choose to disable this feature. Simply click on the "USER CP" located on the NavBar at the top of the page and you can adjust your personal settings.

6. There are "smileys" (or emoticons) available to add some character to your threads and posts. Simply place your curser in the desired area of your text and then click on the smiley you wish to use. (don't get carried away with these)

[YachtForums]

YachtForums Rules & Regulations...

1. Slanderous, negative, vulgar or obscene posts containing morally indescent content, will not be tolerated and are subject to removal along with your membership. Subjects, posts or threads, that are generally considered poor forum ettiquette, are also subject to deletion.

2. Commercial or promotional signatures or hyperlinks are not allowed. If you are in the marine industry and regularly contribute or participate within the forums, you will earn the respect and trust of others through the content of your posts, opinions and experience.

Legal mumbo-jumbo mode off.... here's the "real" rules:

1. Have fun, share & learn, laugh & cry.
2. Read #1 again.

[YachtForums]

Guidelines on Avatars...

In order to maintain a professional format at YachtForums, we've established a few guidelines regarding avatars and we would appreciate your cooperation...

1. Flash or animated avatars are prohibited.
2. Keep avatars to 100 pixels wide, preferably less.
3. Avatars should be marine and yachting related!
4. Signatures are to be kept brief.
5. Commercial URL's in signatures are strictly prohibited.
6. Cartoons, faces, bikini girls, etc... are not appropriate.

We appreciate all of our members who have already complied with these guidelines. Avatars not meeting the above requirements will be removed.