When you sign up for a boater safety course, you’re taking an important step toward being a responsible boater. It doesn’t matter if you have been a boater for years or if you are new to boating, you can brush up on your existing knowledge and learn the current rules on how to practice…
The best fishing days are safe fishing days. With all of the excitement that often surrounds an upcoming fishing trip, don’t forget to run through a list of fishing safety rules for kids beforehand. Parents and fishing mentors need to remember that proper preparation, guidance and constant adult supervision are requirements when taking kids fishing.…
There’s a reason that watersports towers now seem to dominate the recreational boating horizon. Tow sports are the hot ticket, a way to greatly expand the enjoyment of your boat and get countless family and friends in on the action. And towers make enjoying those sports all the more fun, not just for the participant…
50 BOATING THINGS TO DO BEFORE YOU DIE 1. Navigate the “Great Circle Route” Depending on where you start, this classic cruising trip takes you through the Great Lakes and down the Mississippi River to the Gulf of Mexico, around Florida, up the East Coast, into the Hudson River past New York City, across New…
Keeping your dog safe and happy on a boat means preparing in advance with a dog life jacket, dog-friendly water toys and more. The first time I took my dog on a boat, I learned with our first steps onto the dock that dogs experience things differently than people. We walked onto the floating dock,…
Test more than 90 boats, as our test team did in creating this year’s Boat Buyers Guide, and certain patterns emerge. For one thing, the outboard continues its rise in prominence. It began when new emissions regulations drove up the cost of sterndrive and inboard engines. For the longest time, a sterndrive was the best…
The boat-buying process is not overly complicated, even for a first-time buyer, but it’s still wise to know the steps involved. Every boat deal is different, but there is a general process buyers should be familiar with before purchasing a sport-fishing boat. As I mentioned in a previous article, brokers are quite helpful throughout the…
10 Ways Boat Trips Are Good For the Soul Boat trips are just plain good for the soul. The sense of peace and tranquility that can be restored to you while gently rocking on the waves is undeniable. Although, if you need more reasons to take a boat trip, or are trying to convince someone…
As in any human endeavor, the first few seconds of an activity often prove fraught with distraction, and fellow boaters leaving a fuel dock are not exempt from this fact. Running the inlet, navigating the channel, backing into the slip: So much of what constitutes seamanship involves forging ahead with confidence. (Poetic license allows me…
Boating with dogs and cats aboard your boat can be fun. But before you head out, your pet should receive some initial preparation if it’s to be the first boat trip for your pet. Consider having an ID microchip implanted in your pet if it doesn’t already have one. It’s fairly inexpensive and if a…