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Category: Boating Safety

  • Three Tips to Maximize Binnacle Shift-and Throttle Safety

    Three Tips to Maximize Binnacle Shift-and Throttle Safety Skippers must exercise vigilance in managing the binnacle control box for safety. Courtesy Yamaha Outboards You might have seen the viral video in which a Florida fishing-charter captain loses his temper and lashes out at a family who paid to go fishing with him. What triggered the…

  • Choosing the Right Engine Cut-Off System

    Choosing the Right Engine Cut-Off System With no engine cut-off, the boat may circle and strike a captain who has fallen overboard. Generated With Adobe Firefly Every day it seems there’s a new report or social-media post about a runaway boat. Usually, the captain has fallen overboard and, often, the boat goes into the so-called…

  • The Importance of Old-School Seamanship Skills

    The Importance of Old-School Seamanship Skills Knowing how to navigate without relying on technology can make you a safer boater. Andrei Armiagov/Adobe Stock During a recent on-water technology test, I pressed a button, sat back and let the boat dock itself. The boat in question not only had automatic-docking technology with joystick controls, it had…

  • Tips for Handling Stormy Weather When Boating

    Tips for Handling Stormy Weather When Boating Always check the weather before heading out for a day of boating. A.I.-generated by Adobe Firefly As experienced boaters know and newbies will soon learn, boating isn’t always blue skies, sunshine, and calm seas. That might be the ideal, but the reality is that sometimes those skies turn…

  • A VHF Relay Saves the Day

    A VHF Relay Saves the Day Shore-station antennas sometimes need a little help from VHF relays. Ryan Swanson/Boating The US Coast Guard crackled over VHF Channel 16 requesting the commercial passenger fishing vessel Victory to help with a radio relay between Coast Guard Base Los Angeles and a disabled pleasure boat, the 25-foot Fin Fun (the…

  • Final Call to Apply for the 2025 National Boating Safety Awards

    Final Call to Apply for the 2025 National Boating Safety Awards The final call to apply for the 2025 National Boating Safety Awards is September 12. Courtesy Sea Tow Foundation Boating safety is important to me, both personally and professionally. That’s why I am asking my boating industry peers, partners, colleagues and friends to consider…

  • New USCG PFD Regulations Ease Life Jacket Selection

    New USCG PFD Regulations Ease Life Jacket Selection New USCG PFD regulations ease life jacket selection. Courtesy Mustang Survival In 2025, significant changes to personal flotation device (PFD) regulations have beenimplemented across North America, creating a harmonized approach between the United States and Canada. These updates represent the culmination of years of collaborative work between…

  • How to Handle Five Boating Emergencies

    How to Handle Five Boating Emergencies If flames threaten a portable gas tank or propane cylinder, toss it over or abandon ship Courtesy US Coast Guard The types of emergencies that can occur aboard boats are as numerous as the types of boats and types of boaters. Naturally, our boats should be properly equipped with…

  • Video: Replacing an Engine Cut Off Switch on Your Boat

    Video: Replacing an Engine Cut Off Switch on Your Boat Over the years, an original engine cutoff switch can sometimes fail due to corrosion or just plain wear and tear, creating a safety concern. Jim Hendricks, electronics editor at Boating Magazine, shows how to easily check and replace an engine cutoff switch with Sierra Parts.…

  • World Record Lightning Bolt Stretches From Texas to Missouri

    World Record Lightning Bolt Stretches From Texas to Missouri Lightning such as the record-setting flash from 2017 can travel hundreds of miles in a matter of seconds. Generated With Adobe Firefly Wow, talk about a serious flash. A single lightning bolt that lasted seven seconds and stretched 515 miles across five U.S. states has set…

  • 10 Do’s and Don’ts When Fueling Your Boat

    10 Do’s and Don’ts When Fueling Your Boat Proper fueling will keep your crew and boat safe. Courtesy Water Sports Foundation Fueling up is a basic component of boating. After all, if there’s no flow, there’s no go. But when was the last time you gave any thought to filling up at your local marina? Recently…

  • Remember the Navigation “Rule of 60”

    Remember the Navigation “Rule of 60” It’s a good idea to keep paper charts on board and remember techniques like the “Rule of 60.” Generated With Gemini The other day, I was having a conversation about navigation techniques with a veteran pilot, and he mentioned the term, “Rule of 60.” I hadn’t heard that in…

  • Sea Tow Foundation Awards Thousands of PFDs to Life Jacket Loaner Programs

    Sea Tow Foundation Awards Thousands of PFDs to Life Jacket Loaner Programs The Sea Tow Foundation provides life jackets to loaner programs all over the country. Courtesy Sea Tow Foundation The Sea Tow Foundation recently awarded 3,774 life jackets and 50 loaner stand kits through its 2025 grant program. The initiative supports 119 groups across…

  • Marine Businesses: Sponsor the National Boating Safety Awards

    Marine Businesses: Sponsor the National Boating Safety Awards The different levels of sponsorship are delineated on this chart from the Sea Tow Foundation. Courtesy Sea Tow Foundation Editor’s Note: Boating Editor-in-Chief Kevin Falvey is a member of the Sea Tow Foundation’s Boating Safety Advisory Council and urges other industry leaders to back this program. Established…

  • Tips for Loading a Boat on a Trailer in a Crosscurrent

    Tips for Loading a Boat on a Trailer in a Crosscurrent The first thing to do when loading a boat on a trailer in a crosscurrent is to make your approach from downstream. You have much more control when the bow is facing into the flow. Elisabeth Kelly/Firecrown Many, if not most, boat-launch ramps are…

  • Sportfishing Boat Crashes Into the USS Midway Museum in Alleged BUI Incident

    Sportfishing Boat Crashes Into the USS Midway Museum in Alleged BUI Incident Consider this YouTube video, posted by CBS 8 San Diego, exhibit one of why you shouldn’t drink and boat. This vessel, described in news reports as a 50-foot sportfisherman, crashed into the USS Midway Museum in San Diego on Friday, then fled the…

  • Fourteen Boaters Rescued From Offshore Blazes Thanks to Good Samaritans and Lifesaving Tech

    Fourteen Boaters Rescued From Offshore Blazes Thanks to Good Samaritans and Lifesaving Tech The 47-foot Buddy Davis sportfisher Raptor burst into flames on Friday the 13th of June. Courtesy Coalter Paxton Peters / Facebook Fire at sea is among the most terrifying scenarios any boater can face. But in three recent boat fires—one off the…

  • Boating Fatalities at Lowest Number in 50 Years!

    Boating Fatalities at Lowest Number in 50 Years! On July 1, the Coast Guard released the 2024 Recreational Boating Statistics Report with the fewest U.S. fatalities in more than 50 years. While we celebrate the great news in overall boating deaths, the report contains some disturbing underlying statistics.  Stand-up paddleboarding saw a double-digit increase in…

  • ACR and Fluidity: The Great Loop

    ACR and Fluidity: The Great Loop The Great Loop represents one of boating’s most ambitious journeys, a continuous waterway route circumnavigating the eastern portion of North America. Recently, Boating Magazine launched a captivating new series following Bill and Michelle aboard their vessel “Fluidity” as they undertake this remarkable adventure. The series, created in partnership with…

  • Fisherman Opens Up About His Viral TikTok and the Beacon That Saved His Life

    Fisherman Opens Up About His Viral TikTok and the Beacon That Saved His Life Message in a Cooler: Easton Barrett recorded a final message for his loved ones and prepared to set it adrift in his Yeti. Courtesy Easton Barrett The video that made Easton Barrett famous was only the beginning. His boat had just…

  • What to Do When Someone Falls Overboard Off Your Boat

    What to Do When Someone Falls Overboard Off Your Boat A throwable cushion, like these from WOW Watersports, is an essential and required piece of safety equipment. Look for USCG and UL approval on the label. Also, practice throwing these so you can confidently get one to a victim if ever needed. Courtesy WOW Sports…

  • Do You Need a Boating License in Florida?

    Do You Need a Boating License in Florida? Boaters born after January 1, 1988, and who operate a boat with 10 or more horsepower, must now have a Boating Safety Education ID Card to legally operate a boat on Florida waters. Courtesy Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission Everyone born after January 1, 1988, must…

  • The Ins and Outs of Boating Nav Lights

    The Ins and Outs of Boating Nav Lights Knowing the light colors and where they’re located lets you assess which part of a boat you’re looking at, as well as the direction it’s headed. Ryan Swanson When the shrimp would run on the full moon in wintertime down in South Florida, we’d head to the…

  • The First Thing to Do if Involved in a Boating Accident

    The First Thing to Do if Involved in a Boating Accident What is the first thing you should do following a collision with another boat? The author offers strategies to consider, so you can be better prepared if it ever happens to you. Courtesy US Coast Guard, District 7 The types of emergencies that can…

  • Pro Wakeboarder Speaks Out for Boating Safety

    Pro Wakeboarder Speaks Out for Boating Safety The Sea Tow Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to promoting boating safety, has launched the last video in its “Sober Skipper: Why It Matters” series, featuring professional wakeboarder, Thomas Herman. Released in conjunction with National Safe Boating Week, the new video highlights the critical role of a Sober Skipper…

  • Coast Guard May Remove Buoys

    Coast Guard May Remove Buoys Hundreds of Aids to Navigation are being considered for removal, the US Coast Guard announced, as shown on this screen shot of an interactive map produced by private company Great Harbor Digital. Courtesy Great Harbor Digital I can remember one of my earliest boating trips as a youth. The fog…

  • Marine Electronics That Make Boating Safer

    Marine Electronics That Make Boating Safer When used properly by experienced captains, electronics can make you safer. Courtesy Grundéns They had guts, those great mariners from the Age of Discovery. Though some are viewed today with a degree of controversy, the likes of Columbus, Vespucci, ­Cortés and Magellan still hold reputations as bastions of courage…

  • Refitting Coast Guard Motor Lifeboats to Continue Saving Lives

    Refitting Coast Guard Motor Lifeboats to Continue Saving Lives Crews from US Coast Guard ­Station Barnegat Light train in surf aboard newly refit 47-foot Motor Lifeboats. Scott Nevins While Coast Guard air crews often grab headlines, sometimes flying hundreds of miles offshore into unimaginable conditions to save mariners in peril, boaters in trouble closer to…

  • Four Emergency Locator Beacons for Boaters

    Four Emergency Locator Beacons for Boaters Emergency locator beacons, like Spot’s Gen4, can aid rescuers in an emergency. Courtesy Spot BUY NOW William Marshall ventured 20 miles offshore on November 15, 2024, and never expected to have catastrophic engine failure at sea. Worse yet, threatening storms forming ahead of weather reports loomed over them. He…

  • Most Dangerous Inlets in the United States for Boaters

    Most Dangerous Inlets in the United States for Boaters U.S.C.G. Surf Stations are served by special boats and people. Courtesy U.S. Coast Guard The title of my article makes a bold statement. I’m basing it on the US Coast Guard requirements for establishing what’s called a Surf Station. Surf Stations are required at locations where…

  • The Importance of Having a Co-Captain

    The Importance of Having a Co-Captain A co-captain can manage and monitor critical navigational electronics. Courtesy SiriusXM Military fighter pilots can suffer from a condition called information overload, which can be brought about by overwhelming amounts of technology in the cockpit that distract from the primary mission of flying the aircraft.  This phenomenon has led…

  • Safely Navigating Unfamiliar Waters

    Safely Navigating Unfamiliar Waters Boating in unfamiliar waters can be fun with the right preparation. Parilov / Adobe Stock Early on in my boat-testing career, I learned the hard way about what can happen when boating in unfamiliar waters. The boat company set up our test out of a beautiful Southwest Florida resort adjacent to…

  • Ignoring a Warning Sign Ruins a Day of Boating

    Ignoring a Warning Sign Ruins a Day of Boating Ignoring warning signs can sometimes leave you stranded. Tim Bower It was a beautiful August afternoon in Maryland, and my fiancée, her granddaughter, and I decided to take my 28-foot cabin cruiser down the South River and out into the Chesapeake Bay to the picturesque Thomas…

  • Troubleshooting Autopilot Interference

    Troubleshooting Autopilot Interference Sometimes the solution to a boat problem is a simple one. Courtesy Raymarine, dule964 / Adobe Stock After months of extensive preparations, my friend Coy and I headed for the Bahamas from Brunswick, Georgia, on Makana, his 32-footer. Prior to leaving for the Bahamas, we learned that the -autopilot on Makana was…

  • Navigating Safely Around a Boat Being Towed

    Navigating Safely Around a Boat Being Towed Give vessels under tow a wide berth—for your sake and theirs. Jim Hendricks A floating traffic jam quickly developed as we joined a line of other boats, not unlike a solemn funeral procession, through a narrow channel behind a half-submerged vessel under tow and en route to a nearby…