Boat Safety Tips You Didn’t Know Existed

t-raining-when-Noah-built-the-arc-300x300.jpg" alt="32_1200x1200_It wasn’t raining when Noah built the arc" width="300" height="300" />Whether you are a novice or an old hand, every boater needs to know how to boat safely. Imagine having to go through your worst nightmare: an emergency situation takes place while you’re out on the water and you end up clinging to wreckage with no land in sight. All the preparation in the world means nothing when it’s all sinking to the bottom.

Tips for a Safer Boating Experience

SAFETY TIP #1
Every boater should know the legal requirement of having a U.S. Coast Guard approved PFD on board for each passenger. However, have you ever thought about how they fit? A life jacket is designed to hold your head above water, which is necessary if you like breathing. Needless to say, an ill-fitting life jacket won’t be as effective. Making sure you have the right sizes for your passengers, especially any children, is the first step toward a safer boating experience for everyone. Moreover, make sure you and your passengers are actually putting them on. You are not likely to have the chance to put one on after you fall into the water.

SAFETY TIP #2
Keeping you’re your valuables safe and dry can prevent a myriad of headaches too, from replacing a waterlogged Smartphone, to cancelling credit cards lost to a sinking wallet. Put everything in waterproof, airtight containers. Using brightly colored containers that float will also make it easier to find your survival items.

SAFETY TIP #3
Have you ever taken the time to check what is actually in the survival kit in your lifeboat or life raft? You should; the coast guard or maritime regulations mandate the contents of these kits, but familiarizing yourself with the actual procedure of abandoning ship needs to come long before an actual emergency happens. Know where your lifeboat or liferaft is stowed, how to deploy it, and have it serviced regularly. Taking a Sea Survival course will also provide you with the essential survival techniques needed during an emergency situation and increase your chances of survival at sea.

To err is human. We’ve all cut corners at some point in our lives, but when it comes to your safety, there are definitely some shortcuts you don’t want to take. Taking the time to do things right will limit your risk, safeguard you and your passengers, and could possible even save your life.

What Not To Do

SAFETY TIP #1
Never launch your boat without checking it over. Performing regular maintenance on your boat will keep equipment failure to a minimum. Likewise, completing regular pre-launch inspections, which include simple things like checking the status of your drain plug, can help make your day out on the water a lot more pleasant and prevent disasters from happening altogether.

SAFETY TIP #2
Don’t get complacent. You should never set out without first making sure you have all the right tools on board. Ensure you have things like a working anchor, spare nylon rope, and oars on board. Another thing to consider would be a spotlight or other kind of portable bright light, as this could come in handy during an emergency situation after dusk.

SAFETY TIP #3
Never leave shore for the day without the basics: adequate food, water, and a first-aid kit. Fill an airtight, waterproof box with common over-the-counter medications and other wound-care essentials for cuts, burns and sprains. Fluids, specifically water, are vital when you’re spending the day outdoors in the sun, and especially crucial if you find yourself stuck, unable to get back to shore at the time planned.

Use common sense; familiarize yourself with the destination and its surroundings, check the weather, and confirm fuel and dockage availability. When it comes to preparing for your boat trip, you can never be too prepared.

Marine Connection is your premier South Florida boat dealership carrying some of the worlds greatest boat brands, like Cobia, Pathfinder, Sailfish, Sportsman, Hurricane, and Rinker. With locations in West Palm Beach, Vero Beach and Miami, Marine Connection covers over 250 comprehensive miles of territory on Florida’s East Coast. Ranked as the #1 Dealer in the World for Cobia and Sportsman Boats and the #1 Dealer in Florida for Hurricane Boats, for years, Marine Connection has been acknowledged for our successes as one of the Top 20 Dealers in the Nation by Boating Industry Magazine, the only Boat Dealer to make the prestigious Inc. 5000 list, voted Indian River County's Favorite Boat Dealer of 2015 by TCPalm’s Readers Choice Awards, and voted Vero Beach’s #1 Boat Dealer of 2015 by Hometown News' Readers Choice Awards. For additional information about Marine Connection, including inquiries about buying, selling, or financing a boat, contact one of our South Florida locations at sales@marineconnection.com or give us a call at (877)497-2552.