Fall Boating Season: Small Boat and Cold Weather Safety Tips

Labor Day marks the start of the fall boating season, a time for cooler temperatures, uncrowded waterways, and great fishing. But this time of year also brings its own unique safety challenges, especially for boaters or anglers in smaller craft.

"There are reasons why October and November are the deadliest months of the year for boaters," said BoatU.S. Foundation Director of Boating Safety Chris Edmonston, referring to the newly released, U.S. Coast Guard's 2008 Recreational Boating Statistics . "However, the good news is that there are some common-sense steps that may prevent a small mishap from becoming serious," he added. more>>

Boat Wakes Make People Angry - And Can Injure

Boat wakes -- those long, frothy, V-shaped waves trailing from the stern of a powerboat as it slices through the water -- have a sinister side. When other vessels encounter them, they can hurt people. They can make people angry, and they can bring the wrath of law enforcement, for good reason.

Boat Owners Association of The United States (BoatU.S.) recently looked into the issue of boat wakes by combing through the insurance claims case files, where swampings, broken teeth, and back injuries are found. "You avoid being the recipient of gestures from other skippers by using a little common sense and courtesy," says BoatU.S. Director of Damage Avoidance Bob Adriance. "This means coming completely off plane when you enter a no wake zone or anywhere your wake could compromise the safety of other boats," he adds. more>>

Slick Bottoms Save Fuel

If you keep your boat in the water, especially in brackish or saltwater, for any length of time your boat’s bottom will have to be coated with antifouling paint to prevent barnacles, weeds and slime from growing on the running surface. Hull fouling reduces a boat’s performance and even a modest amount of marine growth can result in a significant increase in fuel consumption. more>>

Even the Best Boat Trailers Will Have Problems If Neglected

Few boat owners or anglers with fishing boats think about their boat trailers until something goes wrong. But this out-of-sight, out-of-mind attitude unfortunately leads to problems that a little planning and attention could have helped prevent. more>>