Times Spent Outdoors: Priceless!
Times Spent Outdoors: Priceless!
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The Boat-Buyer's Toolbox When it's time to buy a boat, you'll need all the tools available to score a great deal. By Charles Fort Wonder just how popular boating is? In the United States, one in three American adults participates in boating every year. That translates to a lot of boats, and a lot of people buying boats. In fact, 1.5 million of us buy a new or used boat every year. Whether you're a first-timer or an old salt, there are things you can do to ensure that your next purchase goes off... Full story
Fall boating season has arrived, and with it come different types of risks that cold water and air temperatures bring. Here are three boating safety tips from the BoatUS Foundation for Boating Safety and Clean Water just right for leaf peeping season. 1. A float plan is needed: A float plan is as simple as telling a responsible person where you will be going and when you’ll be back. With fewer other boats on the water (potential Good samaritans) after Labor Day, a float plan ensures rescuers wil... Full story
Whether setting out for a day, week, or longer, you need a well-stocked first-aid kit on board. Here are the essentials. Words And Photo By Mark Corke Checking life jackets, VHF radio, and flares before setting out for a day on the water should be a standard part of your predeparture checklist. Butyour first-aid kit is likely stowed and forgotten - as it seems you never need it. If setting out for just a few hours, most boaters assumethey're unlikely to suffer amedical emergency. Or they reason... Full story
Take this four-question true-false quiz; rental beacons available. The proliferation of personal locator beacons (PLBs), whose diminutive size belie their enormous on-water safety advantage, are no longer thought of exotic rescue electronics. "PLBs are user-friendly and easy to maintain, and we are seeing more boaters using them as a mainstream rescue device," said BoatUS Foundation for Boating Safety and Clean Water Assistant Director of Boating Safety Ted Sensenbrenner. However, do... Full story
Gas prices are up. What can boaters do to prepare for a summer of boating? The 800,000-plus member Boat Owners Association of The United States (BoatUS) has 21 fuel-saving tips boaters can do to help save on fuel and still enjoy a fulfilling season on the water. While some of these techniques may sound obvious, there may be some you never considered. Before Heading Out: 1. Tune your engine now. A once a year for a tune-up and service will help it run more efficiently. 2. Match the boat’s prop to... Full story
The focus is on boating-centric inland lakes with distinction. There are 123,439 freshwater lakes – those water bodies generally larger than 20 acres – in the continental United States. Which ones may be best for recreational boating? BoatUS Magazine senior editor Rich Armstrong and contributing editor Fiona McGlynn consider the question in the magazine's February/March issue with the feature "Freshwater America," which highlights nine boating-centric lakes from New York to Washington. "Am... Full story
Find out the one thing that 60 percent of boat owners admit they forgot. You made it through your long to-do list of spring commissioning items and you're ready to go in the water during the summer boating season. Boat Owners Association of The United States (BoatUS) says don't forget these three often-overlooked steps that could bring your season to a screeching halt. 1. Don't get hosed. Aged hoses and fittings below the waterline are the single most common cause of sinkings – especially e... Full story
Twelve-year expiration for disposables and different carriage requirements for older, newer model year vessels announced. A rite of passage for every boater is the annual spring commissioning. Newly added to the boat owners to-do list this spring will be to check all disposable (non-rechargeable) fire extinguisher dates of manufacture, as well as the label for their U.S. Coast Guard classification. That's because a new U.S. Coast Guard regulation beginning April 20 for disposable fire... Full story
Affordable Three-Hour Courses Begin January 22, 2022 Arizona boaters might make this a goal in the new year as San Diego is such a popular destination for them. Boating in San Diego is rated among the best in the nation, but if you have no boating experience how do you begin? A new partnership between San Diego based Boater U and the national nonprofit BoatUS Foundation for Boating Safety and Clean Water makes it easy with a series of affordable three-hour courses for beginners as well as... Full story
Here is the Top 10 list of how-to, things-you-need-to-know boating videos. Repairing gelcoat is a common boat owner task, but it requires more than just filling in small spider cracks. "How to Spray Gelcoat on a Boat Using a Preval Sprayer," which shows how to make professional gelcoat repairs over a larger area, was the most-watched new BoatUS video of 2021, from BoatUS Magazine. The second most-watched video on the list, "Bilge Pump Not Working? Here's How To Troubleshoot the Problem" proves... Full story
BoatUS has you covered with 24/7 assistance for breakdowns on the water and on the road. Looking for a holiday gift for the boater in the family? Look no further than an annual BoatUS Unlimited Towing Membership. Like an auto club for recreational boat owners, a BoatUS Unlimited Towing Membership provides professional 24/7 on-water towing service by the TowBoatUS fleet ─ the nation's largest. A Towing Membership takes care of the problems that your boater did not plan for, such as an a... Full story
Customizable greeting cards from the nonprofit BoatUS Foundation give back to boating. Hey, boaters! Got your holiday cards yet? The BoatUS Foundation's nautically themed cards from Salt Harbor Studios offer customizable card designs crafted on high-quality FSC Certified paper from responsibly managed forests. The best part about this season of giving may be that a portion of each card purchase supports the nonprofit BoatUS Foundation's mission of promoting safe and clean boating, including... Full story
Free downloadable winterization checklist and guide explains how to properly prepare a boat for winter. Yes, even in the colder areas of the Southwest! Recreational boat owners are preparing their boats for a long winter's nap, but sugarplums aren't dancing in their heads. What may keep them up at night is hoping cold temperatures won't damage their boats. Freshwater expands in volume by about 9 percent when it freezes and can push outward with a force of tens of thousands of pounds per square i... Full story
Contest garnered 129 entries and paid out $30,000 in prizes. Recycling old fishing line and soft baits into new products is labor-intensive, inefficient and simply, for many anglers, not easy to do. This hampers the ability to grow the volume of line and soft bait recycling in the U.S. However, three BoatUS Foundation and Berkley Recast and Recycle Contest winners aim to change that. The prizewinners – a recent college grad, an outsdoorsman and 3D printing hobbyist, and a team of four college f... Full story
News From Our Next-Door BoatingNeighbors Huge California Boat Registration Fee Hike Averted Next Up: Ensuring fuel taxes paid by boaters equitably fund California's boating education and safety, facilities, AIS, and enforcement programs. The implications go beyond that state's borders. California's recreational boaters could have been in for a shock with a proposed 250 percent recreational vessel registration fee increase being discussed among Golden State legislators earlier this year.... Full story
Marie Rogers Receives Leadership Award Honor 'Sailing is an amazing metaphor of how to get along', says honoree Marie Rogers. Race has been at the top of many minds this year, which has led to some uncomfortable conversations, self-examination, and commitments for change. For Marie Rogers, a captain, instructor, avid West Coast sailboat racer and the first Black woman to serve as commodore of the historic Los Angeles Yacht Club (LAYC), it's always been about inclusion and sharing her "happy plac... Full story
To Take The ‘Search’ Out Of Search And Rescue Are you making it difficult to be found in an emergency? “Do I know how to be found in an emergency?” That’s a question every boater should ask during boating season. The answer, however, is likely to go far beyond simply having a cell phone aboard. The BoatUS Foundation for Boating Safety and Clean Water offers five tips that can potentially speed a rescuer’s response to a boater in need of emergency help. 1. File a float plan: Telling a responsible... Full story
Virtual and in-person women's event shares sailing secrets, camaraderie, fun with unparalleled on- and off-water learning experiences. One of the presenters is our own Debbie Huntsman of the Lake Pleasant Sailing Club. Women sailors from all over the country will be heading to Jackson Park Yacht Club, Chicago, on Saturday, September 11 for the 20th annual Women's Sailing Conference. The National Women's Sailing Association (NWSA) event sponsored by Boat Owners Association of The United States... Full story
BoatUS shows how you can eliminate them. To a boater, it's a cringeworthy sight – a boat sitting on a disabled trailer unattended on the side of the road, typically because the boat's owner has gone to seek help. While it's likely many of these incidents go unnoticed by the public, Boat Owners Association of The United States (BoatUS) 24-hour dispatch centers reported 6,635 requests for BoatUS Trailer Assist roadside assistance service in 2020. With the summer boat trailering season at its p... Full story
They reveal how the pandemic affected boating in ways just beginning to be understood. The U.S. Coast Guard recently released the 2020 Recreational Boating Statistics, and reports of accidents, fatalities and injuries were significantly up over the prior year. While still under review, the Coast Guard believes that the primary driving factor for the significant increase in deaths was the significant increase in boating activity. The nonprofit BoatUS Foundation for Boating Safety and Clean Water... Full story
Why Waiting Until Year End Could Cost You Single engine center-console boats wanted for on-water training programs. Boat owners wishing to do good or take advantage of potential tax benefits may consider donating their boats to charity. Often this decision is made at the end of year just before the start of the new tax season. Waiting until the end of the year, however, could shortchange a boater's potential tax benefits, according to the nonprofit BoatUS Foundation and Boating Safety and Clean... Full story
As I began to gather material for this June issue, I was noticing that there is some optimism about scheduling and re-scheduling events. Is our long wait over? Can we really recreate again? So many events were cancelled last year and some will still need to be rescheduled, but overall, with caution and care, it appears the worst may be over. We hope so! Meanwhile, before the weather really heats up, it is an excellent time to go to our waterways. Lake Pleasant with all its amenities is a... Full story
The boating association provides some interesting information re: recreational boating. The job of the nation's largest recreational boating advocacy, services and safety group, Boat Owners Association of The United States (BoatUS), is to make boating better for America's recreational boaters. To help understand how they do it, here's an annual look at some noteworthy numbers behind the boating organization. BoatUS Membership 700,294: Total number of BoatUS members nationwide (annual dues: $24)... Full story
BOGO -- This spring, purchase a Cobra Marine VHF radio and get a complimentary one-year BoatUS basic membership. BoatUS/ Cobra Electronics Team Up To Enhance Boater Safety, Experience For a limited time, buyers of select Cobra marine radio products will receive a complimentary one-year BoatUS membership,exclusive savings on additional Cobra products, and more. Equipping a marine VHF radio aboard your boat can greatly enhance safety and communication, and a new partnership aims to offer additiona... Full story
BoatUS Foundation and Berkley Recast & Recycle Contest seeks new ideas, concepts. You've likely seen the fishing line recycling bins in many marinas and boatyards, but what really happens after that line is collected? Recycling it into new products is labor-intensive, requiring a series of workers to comb through, sort, clean, remove hooks and weights, and separate out encrusted debris from miles of entangled fishing line. There also aren't any recycling programs for fishing-related materials... Full story
