Times Spent Outdoors: Priceless!
Times Spent Outdoors: Priceless!
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Applies to boats less than 26 feet operating on plane or above displacement speed. There are new engine cutoff device wear requirements for recreational boat operators as part of the January 1, 2021, passage of National Defense Authorization Act that included a U.S. Coast Guard Reauthorization. These devices, commonly referred to as engine cutoff switches (ECOS), are designed to prevent a boat-strike injury if an operator is accidentally ejected overboard while underway. Engine cutoff devices ca... Full story
If yours is in colder high country, here's how to do a midwinter checkup on your boat. Boating boomed in 2020, with thousands of first-time boat buyers desiring respite from the pandemic. Now many of these new boat owners are learning how to maintain and store their vessels for the first time. A midwinter visit to check on the boat − no matter if stored ashore in a backyard or a marina parking lot − is a wise thing to do. Boat Owners Association of The United States (BoatUS) has these four tip... Full story
Here's the 2020 top 10 list of practical boat handling and how-to boat maintenance videos. Learning how to trim a powerboat is a skill that many vessel operators seek to know, and BoatUS video viewership numbers back that up: "How to Trim Your Boat" was the No. 1 most-watched BoatUS video of 2020. In addition, two other top 10 videos of the year also focused on the topic of boat trim: How to Use Trim Tabs on a Boat and How to Get a Boat On Plane Using Trim. Here are the boating advocacy, service... Full story
Boat Owners Association of The United States (BoatUS), the national advocacy, services and safety group with more than 700,000 members, weighed in on a range of boating issues, debates and legislation affecting recreational boaters in 2020. As the boater's advocate, BoatUS brought the unique perspective and needs of the recreational boat owner to local governments, halls of state capitals and Washington, D.C. Here are some of the successes that BoatUS earned over the past year: The Sport Fish... Full story
National Boating Safety Survey shapes local, national safety policy. An all-encompassing report on recreational boating activity in the U.S. is giving the U.S. Coast Guard, policymakers and the boating community the ability to shape smart boating safety policy into the future. Issued last week by the Coast Guard, The National Recreational Boating Safety Survey (NRBSS) looks at boating participation demographics, trends, boat use, at-risk boating populations, boating safety and more. The survey d... Full story
Survey reveals the warning to avoid putting the wrong fuel in the tank is failing. With the boat in tow, you head to the gas station to fill her up. At the pump you find a fuel prohibited for use in boats, E15 gas, being sold alongside approved E10 fuel. What's to prevent you from misfueling? A little warning label about the size of a pack of gum that's often hard to notice, difficult to understand, and too often fails to protect consumers, said boat owners and other non-road-engine users in a r... Full story
BoatUS advises boaters to be vigilant when renewing USCG vessel documentation. Boat Owners Association of The United States (BoatUS) is advising boaters with vessels that have a U.S. Coast Guard Certificate of Documentation to be wary of any letter arriving by U.S. mail offering renewal. BoatUS advises that while the Coast Guard does send official annual renewal notices by U.S. mail, other notices being received by members are not from the Coast Guard but rather third-party companies whose name... Full story
Last year, 76,418 recreational boaters had a reason to summon non-emergency, routine assistance from TowBoatUS, the nation’s largest on-water towing service for recreational boaters. Accidentally running aground, dead batteries and dead engines were the chief culprits. Instead of giving your favorite boaters a pair of socks for Christmas this year, give them something much more useful − the gift of 24/7 on-water towing from TowBoatUS. Like an auto club for recreational boat owners, a BoatUS Unl...
What's Different About Fall Boating? Follow these five boating safety tips to ensure a great day on the water. Other than the colors of trees and cooler temperatures, what's different about boating in the fall? A lot, according to the BoatUS Foundation for Boating Safety and Clean Water, especially when it comes your safety aboard. One big issue is there are fewer boats – often the quickest pathway to a rescue – on the water, so flagging down a good Samaritan just got harder. So what's your pla...
Here's how to spot the email warning signs. The boating season is drawing to a close, but the cold weather buying season will heat up soon. On snowy nights, potential boat buyers will hunch over computers and cellphones looking at boats for sale, dreaming of sugarplums and their first boat, while current owners with two-footitis seek a larger boat and look to sell. Nearly all boat buying and selling scams involve emails and they often contain clues to alert you. Boat Owners Association of The...
Pretty soon, millions of recreational boats will be put into winter storage to await next year's season. As they sit unattended for months, they can easily become a target for thieves. Will your boat be on a crook's hit list? Here are five signs that may welcome a thief as well as simple things you can do to thwart them, from Boat Owners Association of The United States (BoatUS). 1. Leaving electronics aboard your boat mounted on a bracket over the winter is a sign that says "come take me."...
Here's everything else you ever wanted to know about putting away a recreational boat for the season (yes, even in the Southwest). Boaters in much of the U.S. and Canada, even in the colder areas of southern states, acknowledge the need to winterize their boat's engines each autumn. But what else can go wrong? Boat Owners Association of The United States (BoatUS) offers boat owners a free online resource. The website is chock full of winterizing checklists, tips, and a downloadable "Boaters...
The clock to protect your boat in the colder areas of the Southwest is ticking. The fall months are the start of nation's boat haulout and winter storage season. As boaters prepare their vessels for a long winter nap, it's time to check the boat's insurance policy for "Ice and Freeze" coverage. This coverage is sometimes offered as a policy rider or endorsement and is affordable, so you may want to check your policy now. Yes, Even In Arizona For boats stored in states where below freezing...
Personal Locator Beacons (PLBs), those pint-sized, individual rescue beacons used by boaters, sailors, and paddlers to summon emergency help have saved hundreds of lives since their authorization for use 17 years ago. That doesn't mean they are maintenance free, according to the BoatUS Foundation for Boating Safety. The boating safety nonprofit offers these simple tips to maintain and use a PLB. • PLBs need to be registered with NOAA. As a way to ensure accurate, up-to-date information, r...
For the nation's 12 million boat owners, Labor Day weekend was the last blast, with many enjoying the end-of-summer boating ritual with family and friends aboard, according to Boat Owners Association of The United States (BoatUS). The national advocacy, services and safety group cautions, however, that boating traffic and complacency have increased safety concerns every year. BoatUS's nationwide on-water towing fleet, TowBoatUS, often forecasts an increase in number of boaters on the water...
Aims to increase fishing line and soft bait recycling by tapping the public for ideas. Have you ever wondered how old, discarded fishing line is recycled and reused? You may be surprised to learn that turning fishing line into new products is labor intensive, requiring a series of workers to comb through, sort, clean, remove hooks and weights, and separate out miles of encrusted debris in entangled fishing line. There also aren't any recycling programs for fishing related materials like soft...
More first-time boat buyers are getting on the water this season than in summers past. Along with the boat, many new owners also find themselves shopping for boat insurance for the first time. What are the most basic things new boat owners should know about buying a boat policy? BoatUS offers three wise buying tips. Know the two basic types of boat insurance policies: Agreed Hull Value (AHV) and Actual Cash Value (ACV). AHV policies are the most popular type of boat insurance policy sold today b...
BoatUS Foundation personal locator beacon rental program saves money, increases safety aboard America's boat and yacht clubs and other groups organizing sailboat racing this summer, the rules have all changed. Captains know that having success with social distancing could mean having fewer (nonrelated) crew aboard this racing season. However, fewer crew could also mean fewer hands aboard – and potentially fewer eyeballs to spot someone in the water – in the event of a crew-overboard sit...
In the words of Margie and John Anderson who provided the motivating cover phone, "If you’re looking to get out of the heat and see some gorgeous country where it’s cool and green, I’ve got the perfect road trip for you. If you’ve ever been to Alpine or Springerville, you already know how pretty the Apache-Sitgreaves Forest is, and I’ve got a couple of back-road drives for you that don’t require 4WD. In fact, we saw a lot of RVs on the second part of our road trip." The rest of their story... Full story
What Can A Boat's Name Tell You? BoatUS issues annual Top 10 Boat Names list. While a boat's name can be as varied as the owner at the helm, certain themes do stick out, according to Boat Owners Association of The United States (BoatUS). The national advocacy, services, and safety group has issued its annual list of Top 10 Boat Names, which it compiles from those using the services of BoatUS Boat Graphics to design and purchase boat name graphics. "It's always a challenge to decide on a boat... Full story
Controversial order threatens reliability of hundreds of millions of GPS units. SPRINGFIELD, Va., June 25, 2020 – The nation's largest advocacy, services and safety group for recreational boaters, Boat Owners Association of The United States (BoatUS), says an April 22 decision by the Federal Communications Commission to give mobile satellite services operator Ligado Networks, a private-equity company, the green light to build and operate a land-based industrial 5G (fifth generation) wireless n... Full story
BoatUS Foundation: Don’t try to have your own fireworks show. Celebrating America’s birthday, thousands of boaters are expected to hit the water this Fourth of July holiday weekend, recreational boating’s traditional busiest time of the year. With COVID-19, it certainly won’t be the same. The BoatUS Foundation for Boating Safety and Clean Water has a few boating safety reminders just in time for the holiday. While boaters will need to follow social distancing guidelines, that’s not the only... Full story
BoatUS demystifies the coverage you need and explains which policy covers what damage. Most insurance is straightforward, until it’s not. When you have an accident or property damage, you file an insurance claim. But filing an insurance claim on a boat trailer isn’t so straightforward. That’s because it depends on how and what type of damage occurred that will determine which insurance coverage – auto, homeowners, or your boat insurance policy’s trailer coverage – that will pay the claim. By l... Full story
If you have not done so already, here is a check list from BoatUS to guide you through preparation for the summer boating season. By Charles Fort - Contributing Editor, BoatUS Magazine Last winter was likely a flurry of activity as you put your boat to bed, spending hours checking off every conceivable chore to make sure it was ready come spring. Or maybe, like a lot of people, you did just enough to make sure the boat wouldn't be damaged by the cold but left a few things for spring. If so,... Full story
Federal Boating Infrastructure Grant program pays for transient slips, moorings, fuel docks, navigation aids, restrooms, utilities and breakwaters. The Boating Infrastructure Grant (BIG) program, which funnels federal fuel taxes paid by recreational boaters back to the states to attract visiting boaters with amenities such as secure overnight dockage, has $24.7 million in funds (at press time) available to local governments, port agencies, private marinas and boat clubs. The associated visiting... Full story
