There are boat excursions you remember most fondly — perhaps one is an outing friends and family refer to again and again, another a trip your kids call “the best day ever.” What made these outings outstanding? Most great boating days don’t necessarily involve location (though that certainly helps). The times we recall with a…
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…
As boating season begins, responsible boaters seek out a free vessel safety check from state and local marine law enforcement officers. Up to 25 percent fail across the country, which means without correction, those boat owners are putting themselves and others at risk. The number one reason for failure is “up-to-date flares,” reports Andrew Thurman,…
Once an acceptable anchor is selected and ground tackle assembled, effective anchoring depends on good site selection and use of proper placement procedures. Anchor from the bow of the boat — attaching an anchor to the stern can swamp and upset a boat in bad weather. Placing and recovering a boat anchor is a sequential…
A boater’s winter goal is keeping the elements out of the vessel. In spring, it’s preventing toxins from entering our waterways. DIY boaters need to keep harmful substances from leaching into waterways directly from toxic bottom paint, parking lot overflow, and storm drains. Noxious elements also eventually enter our air and waterways from landfills. If…
Have your boat spring commissioned Spring commissioning is when your batteries are re-connected; the engine is run on a hose up to normal operating temperature to verify sufficient water volume flow and to flush the antifreeze out of your engine. An inspection is completed to ensure there are no leaks or abnormal conditions. We also…
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…
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…