1. Pay attention.
2. Know and understand the rules of the particular waterway you are navigating.
3. Don't drive in fog. Period.
4. If anchored in the dark and should your navigation lights stop working, for whatever reason, be able to get to a working flashlight fast!
5. and more...
2016 Ranger Z518 (non-C) - 150 HP Mercury 4-Stroke
6. All people should be required to take a boaters safety course.
You’d be surprised how many folks have their fire extinguisher stowed and not easily/quickly accessible…. If they even have one.. or the required throwable flotation device… emergencies happen fast and a few seconds can mean a lot…
I’m a stickler on safety and the what ifs….
It's a good start to a list.... I'm sure others will chime in as well
Common sense.
This has been mentioned quite a bit, but where does one even do that at. In my 50 years of boating here in Indiana, I’ve never seen where to do or know anyone that has done it. I’m sure it’s out there, I just haven’t seen it.Originally Posted by troutspinner
I took a boaters safety course decades ago offered by the US Coast Guard. Time to do it again!
2016 Ranger Z518 (non-C) - 150 HP Mercury 4-Stroke
I just took a Coast Guard safety class last month in Murray, Kentucky. I live near Kentucky Lake.
It was taught by USCG Auxiliary volunteers. it was an eight hour class and they covered a lot.
In narrow creek channels slow down when approaching another boat and know which side you are supposed to pass on.
Always have plenty of beer koozies on board. Keep the cooler lid closed so the beer doesn’t get warm.
96 Viper Coral202 225 Opti serial#1B011431
Just look up NASBLA. My state didn’t require it for “my age” as I am grandfathered into prior regulations but I wanted to enter saltwater fishing and it is required for that. You can do it online as well as find where to do it in person. Even online, if properly studied, is a benefit.
Learn CPR. Learn to swim. Always pay attention to your surroundings.
As sad as this accident situation is, at least we are not shuffling through hundreds of FFS threads...
If you want to launch at my home lake you have to complete a boater safety course.
And present the card at the gate.
2012 Ranger Z518
Motor Info:
200 XS
Serial number 1B882317
Model number 1200P73EY
This whole mess prompted me to re-assess my boating skills and also take the Florida licensing and safety course. I have been operating bass boats since I was a kid and I'll tell you every day on the water is a learning experience for me, as veteran boat operators we have a tendency to take a lot for granted. All the points brought up in this thread are valid. Pay attention out there don't get distracted by anything and always count your blessings, remember 6 degrees of separation, that's all there is between us and disaster/success. Prayers for all the families affected by this.
Spanky
Safety courses and license to run a boat is a ridiculous idea. People are issued drivers licenses and taught the rules of the road to drive a car and that changes NOTHING as to what happens after they get their license. They speed, drive to fast for conditions, drink and drive, and do stupid shit while driving as in not paying attention while looking at their phones. Just as in driving a car there are people who have no business being on the water in a boat as you cannot fix lack of common sense. So stop trying to come up with rules to fix stupid as that just complicates the lives of those who are not stupid.
I know I'll probably get beat up for this, but wear your life jacket all the time. With inflatables now, it's too easy not to wear one. Whenever you hear about boats sinking, capsizing etc. the common theme is "it happened so fast". Many people don't have time to get to their life jacket. A lot of us fish alone and in cold water. Not wearing a life jacket just makes it even more dangerous. I'm not advocating for any laws around this, as a person's choice to wear or not wear a life jacket is for them and their family to make.
WOW!! The sky is big as well as the water, there's no white line to tell you where to drive or fly, most all the time it's your choice as well as the other people that use the lake or rivers. You're saying that when you're on a collision course or overtaking or being passed you want to guess what the other boat is going to do?
There ARE rules on what to do out there. If you don't care to know them, it's presently your choice but probably not for too much longer. My next door neighbor didn't know the rules about right-of-way when approaching another boater head-on. Both of them guessed wrong and collided, decapitating the other boater. He spent quite a lot of time in jail because on top of ignorance, he was drinking.
Let me know where and when you will be boating, I'll go somewhere else that day.
Try reading comprehension before making responses as it is obviously something needed. Just because you take a safety course or get a license just as in driving a car does not mean squat if you do not apply it. Are you saying that no ones does anything stupid and reckless on the road were there are lines, speed limits, laws, and the list goes on? People driving do not drive too fast for conditions and cause accidents? As for your neighbor that just confirms that there are people who should not be on the water in a boat as no rule can make up for common sense. What would your neighbor have done if it was an oncoming car...kept going straight into the oncoming car because he was expecting that car to do something?
All a license does it allow you to legally do something and does absolutely NOTHING to compensate for poor judgement and actions. It does not fix stupid and does not stop anything from happening.
Those who lack common sense are usually great at operating within parameters. A course will help.
Reply With Quote
