Tips Tricks or Mistakes

[Dave R]

When you run a bilge blower, take walk to the stern, put your nose right in the blower output air stream, and sniff for gas vapors. It's the quickest and easiest way to know you are good to start the engine without worry of explosion. It's also a great way to discover potential engine problems early because many engine issues will create an odor and you may notice a difference in the smell long before there are any other symptoms.

When you are retrieving a boat with a trailer, start with the trailer shallow and back it in further only if winching gets too difficult. Backing in too deep to start is one of the biggest rookie mistakes I see at the boat ramp. You should never need to have someone pushing the boat sideways at the stern to try and center the boat on the trailer, it will happen automatically (assuming the trailer is set up right), if the boat is allowed to rest on the trailer as it is retrieved.

[camp guy]

I would expand a little of what NHskier had to say, in that, whenever I had company on board I always told them to speak up if they had any question about what was happening. The "captain" needs to make sure the guests are comfortable, and this includes them being able to ask questions about something they see. After all, all the extra eye possible can only help when navigating in certain areas of the Lake.

As a tip, I suggest always having enough, and then more, line on board. Sometimes trying to get into a dock space can be significantly helped if you have a long enough line to allow a helpful bystander to hold one end.

I also found out that being proud and overconfidant is a bad combination for a captain. Humility goes a long way.

Enjoy the boating season!!

[MeredithMan]

1) Be super-vigilant. Motoboats/kayaks & canoes/swimmers, etc, all coming at you from in front, behind, and both sides. As the "captain", you need to constantly be paying attention.

2) Don't assume that the people in the other crafts know the rules of the road and will give way, etc. A fair number of folks have no clue what they're doing.

3) Although I like to indulge in "social lubricants" as much as anyone, I never drink before or while driving the boat. Way too much going on all around you, as indicated in #s 1 and 2 above.

4) Never go out without your map, boating certificate, cell phone, life jackets, anchor, etc.

5) My preference is to keep my dock lines tied on my dock and just detach the lines from the cleats on the boat when I go out. When I return, it's then very simple to run the loops through the cleats and I am perfectly tied up in seconds. I keep another set of dock lines and bumpers on the boat if I need to tie up somewhere while out on the lake, (e.g., at a gas dock)

6) When docking, you have momentum on your side. I have found that unless there is a cross wind / head wind or a lot of boat churn, you don't need to approach the dock under power. I prefer to go in and out of gear intermittently when docking.

7) Related to #6, account for any cross / head wind or boat churn when docking. I typically have a lot of right-to-left cross wind and boat churn at my dock. I dock on the left hand side of my dock, but I actually aim for the right hand side in my approach to allow for the wind and waves.

Hope you have a great boating season!

[Winnisquamer]

Originally Posted by MeredithMan

1) Be super-vigilant. Motoboats/kayaks & canoes/swimmers, etc, all coming at you from in front, behind, and both sides. As the "captain", you need to constantly be paying attention.

2) Don't assume that the people in the other crafts know the rules of the road and will give way, etc. A fair number of folks have no clue what they're doing.

3) Although I like to indulge in "social lubricants" as much as anyone, I never drink before or while driving the boat. Way too much going on all around you, as indicated in #s 1 and 2 above.

4) Never go out without your map, boating certificate, cell phone, life jackets, anchor, etc.

5) My preference is to keep my dock lines tied on my dock and just detach the lines from the cleats on the boat when I go out. When I return, it's then very simple to run the loops through the cleats and I am perfectly tied up in seconds. I keep another set of dock lines and bumpers on the boat if I need to tie up somewhere while out on the lake, (e.g., at a gas dock)

6) When docking, you have momentum on your side. I have found that unless there is a cross wind / head wind or a lot of boat churn, you don't need to approach the dock under power. I prefer to go in and out of gear intermittently when docking.

7) Related to #6, account for any cross / head wind or boat churn when docking. I typically have a lot of right-to-left cross wind and boat churn at my dock. I dock on the left hand side of my dock, but I actually aim for the right hand side in my approach to allow for the wind and waves.

Hope you have a great boating season!

#4. Take a photo of registration, licence, boat certificate, and leave it on your cellphone or print and leave copy in boat... Has helped me one time when the floaty key ring that held my registration was not so floaty.

I never know where my licence is either where one day I'm driving my boat and the next I'm driving a friends and so on. Makes it easier for the just in case of hey look I do have what is required by law but I am sorry I do not have it on me right now. They can look you up.

[Rattletrap]

Originally Posted by Winnisquamer

#4. Take a photo of registration, licence, boat certificate, and leave it on your cellphone or print and leave copy in boat... Has helped me one time when the floaty key ring that held my registration was not so floaty.

I never know where my licence is either where one day I'm driving my boat and the next I'm driving a friends and so on. Makes it easier for the just in case of hey look I do have what is required by law but I am sorry I do not have it on me right now. They can look you up.

Good idea !!