Boating Tips and Articles
Anchoring
- Steps to Smooth Anchoring
- Anchoring Tips - by Bill Wallace
Boat Operation & Handling
- Tilt? Trim? What Those Trim Tabs Do
- Tilt & Trim for Outboards and I/Os
- Boat Docking - An Introduction by Charles Low
- Docking Broadside to Wind by Charles T. Low
- Station Keeping by Charles Low
- Boat Docking Around an Obstacle by Charles Low
- Boat Docking in a Quartering Wind by Charles Low
- Close Quarters Maneuvering by Charles Low
- Docking Stern-to - by Charles T. Low
- Boat Docking - Alongside in a Headwind by Charles T. Low
- Maneuvering in a Narrow Channel
- Docking & Undocking
- Docking Tips continued
- Operating Around Barges and Towboats
- View from the Bridge aka The Rule of Tonnage
- What to do if you're suddenly in charge of the boat: Small Outboard Basics and Larger Inboard & I/O Basics
- Navigating Inlets By CWO Jim Krzenski, Commanding Officer, USCG Station Fort Pierce, FL
- Navigating Bridges
- How Locks Work
- Low-head dams by Virgil Chambers, Executive Director, National Safe Boating Council
- Heavy Weather Boat Handling
- Passenger/crew orientation by Janice McArthur
- Boating Etiquette
- Dockside Do's & Don'ts
- Fueling Your Boat Safely
- Facts About Fuel
- Operating your Boat in Reduced Visibility
- Your Boat's Aground - Now What?
- Estimating Time of Arrival
- Calculating the Distance to Horizon
- Taking Bearings on a Small Boat by Bill McNiel
- Lightning Protection
- Understanding the Danger of Propeller Strike
- Operating Your Boat in accordance with Homeland Security Measures
Boating Checklists & Logs - Printable
- A Float Plan
- Float Plan for Trailer Boaters from Ed Schorr
- Trip Log
- Ship's Log
- Pre-departure Check List
- New Pre-departure check list - in PDF format for printing - contains additional items for inland boaters.
- Tools & Spare Parts List
- Required Equipment for Recreational Boats
- Chartering? Be prepared with our Charter Check List
Marine Communications
- Marine Communications - Cell Phone vs VHF Radio
- Marine Radio Procedures
- When You Radio for Help on the Water By Chief Warrant Officer Jim Krzenski Commanding Officer, U.S.C.G. Station Fort Pierce, FL
- Getting Help on the Water
- International Code Flags
Boating Environment & Sanitation
- Clean Boating - Do Your Part (or get fined!)
- Environmentally Safe Cleaning Products for your Boat
- Maritime Environmental Regulations by Chief Warrant Officer Jim Krzenski, Commanding Officer, U.S.C.G. Station Fort Pierce, FL
Equipment for Your Boat
- Navigation Lights - Is your new (or not so new) boat legal?
- Required Equipment for Recreational Boats
- Canadian Minimum Required Equipment
GPS
Staying Healthy on Your Boat
- Seasickness contributed by Bob Pone
- Drug-Testing and Maritime Law by Capt. Alan E. Spears.
- Sea Doc Tips: Sunscreen & Sunburn
- Removing a stray fishing hook By Bob Pone, the Marine Do-it-Yourselfer
Hypothermia
- Hypothermia
- Beware!! The Hazards of Ice By Gerald M. Dworkin, Lifesaving Resources, Inc.
- How to Use an Icesuit - by Gerald Dworkin, Lifesaving Resources, Inc.
Life Jackets - PFDs
- USCG Approved Inflatable Lifejackets - A Review
- Test Your Lifejackets
- What kind of PFD do I need?
- How to Read PFD labels
- Care and maintenance of PFDs
Boat Maintenance
- Spring Boating Safety Checklist
- Can You Be Seen? - Check Your Navigation Lights
- Basic Electrical Theory for Boaters
- More on Electricity for Boaters
- Prolong the Life of Your Marine Batteries
- Marine Engine Cooling Systems Explained
- Marine Engine Life Expectancy
- Troubleshooting the Over-Heating Engine
- Outboard Motor Maintenance
- Electrolysis and Your Props
- How to Winterize your Boat
- Environmentally Safe Cleaning Products for your Boat
- Get Your Boat Ready for the Season - Spring Boating Check List
- Off-Season Project: Repair & Prevent Blisters
- Changing Oil - made easy
- Bright Ideas by Bob Pone, The Marine Do-It-Yourselfer
- Winterizing Your Boat
- Checking Bilge Pumps
- Through-hull Fittings
Marlinespike
Misc. Boating Articles
- Ceremony for Renaming Your Boat
- Paddling our National Parks - Part 1
- Paddling our National Parks - Part 2
- Anatomy of a Wave by Jay Holben
- Boat Insurance - What You Need to Know
- What Does SOS Stand For?
- What do Mark Twain & Your Depth Sounder Have in Common?
- Ship's Bells & Watch Schedules
- What to do if you think you've caught a world record fish!
- Nautical Mnemonics
- What does it mean to "Dress Ship" and how do you do it?
- Windsurfing Don't Get in Over Your Head by Lawrence Pearlman
Nautical Book Reviews
Navigation, Nav Rules, Rules of the Road
- GPIRB - The smart EPIRB
- Navigation Lights - Is your new (or not so new) boat legal?
- Changes to the Nav Rules
- Aids to Navigation Update
- Can You Be Seen? - Check Your Navigation Lights
- Safe Navigation Information By CWO Jim Krzenski, Commanding Officer, USCG Station Fort Pierce, FL
- Rules of the Road By CWO Jim Krzenski, Commanding Officer, USCG Station Fort Pierce
- View from the Bridge aka The Rule of Tonnage
- Identifying Aids to Navigation
- Regulatory Markers
- Aids to Navigation
- Sound Signals in Restricted Visibility
- Sound Signal Questions
- Lights and Dayshapes
- Dayshapes - what they mean
- Estimating Time of Arrival
- What Rule of the Road did the Captain of the Titanic Break?
- Nautical Mnemonics
- All About Nautical Charts
- Nautical Chart Reading 101
- NOAA's Plans for Updated Nautical Charts
- How to use Dividers and Parallel Rulers
- Taking Bearings on a Small Boat by Bill McNiel
- Nautical Miles and Statute Miles
The following online reviews are available:
(Requires Flash player to view)
Boat Ownership
- Do you need a captain's license? What is a 'passenger for hire'?
- Buying a Boat
- Preventing Boat Theft
- The Pros and Cons of Documenting Your Boat
- Hull Identification Numbers - What they Mean
Boating Safety
- Understanding the Danger of Propeller Strike
- Can You Be Seen? - Check Your Navigation Lights
- Navigation Lights - Is your new (or not so new) boat legal?
- GPIRB - The smart EPIRB
- Boat Accident Reporting - It's the Law
- When to Report a Boating Accident By CWO Jim Krzenski, Commanding Officer, USCG Station Fort Pierce, FL
- Boating Under the Influence
- Anatomy of a Boating Accident
- EPIRBs - Safety at Sea by Chief Warrant Officer Jim Krzenski, Commanding Officer, U.S.C.G. Station Fort Pierce, FL
- EPIRBs - Life Insurance at Sea
- Float Plans Save Lives By Chief Warrant Officer Jim Krzenski, Commanding Officer, U.S.C.G. Station Fort Pierce, FL
- Distress Signals by Chief Warrant Officer Jim Krzenski Commanding Officer, U.S.C.G. Station Fort Pierce, FL
- Boater's Judgment and Maturity By Chief Warrant Officer Jim Krzenski Commanding Officer, U.S.C.G. Station Fort Pierce, FL
- Help Prevent Drowning with these Tips
- Graphic Chart of Distress Signals
- Crew Overboard by Jim Smith
- Crew Overboard - quick question
- Procedure for Abandoning Ship
- Be Prepared with an Abandon Ship Bag by Doug Ritter
- What to do if you're suddenly in charge of the boat: Small Outboard Basics and Larger Inboard & I/O Basics
Safety Link Section Boating safety resources on the net - Preventing Fires Onboard By CWO Jim Krzenski, Commanding Officer, USCG Station Fort Pierce
- Firefighting Basics for all boaters
- PWC Tips - Fire OnBoard -by Scott Collier and the PWC Zone.
- Marine Fire Extinguishers - An Update
Sailing
- Quick Sailing Tips & Techniques
- How large a boat can you handle by yourself?
- Are Single-Handed Sailors in Conflict with the Rules?
- Sailing - Monohulls vs Multihulls
- Rescue Techniques for Sail Racing - from the Rescue Chiefs of Cork
Boat Trailering
- Safe Trailering by Jim Smith
- Lighting Tips for Trailers by Jim Smith
- Trailer Boaters - Is the Plug in?
- Capt. Pat answers questions about trailering
- Ramp Courtesy by Mark Fridl
- Trailer Boaters: Ramp Safety - A True Story
Boat Towing
- Towing Tips by W.J. Laudeman
Weather, Hurricane Prep,
- Weather 101 - How to read clouds to predict approaching storms
- Hurricane Protection for Boaters
- Hurricane Tips for Liveaboards
- Hurricane Preparation by Chief Warrant Officer Jim Krzenski, Commanding Officer, USCG Station Ft. Pierce, Florida
- Hurricane Preparation Checklist for Boaters
- Heavy Weather Preparations
- Weather Proverbs Tried and true?
Boating Stories, Adventures & Humor
- Salty Talk - Nautical Humor from Owen in Norway
- Buying a Boat? Here's "An Open Letter to my Creditors"
- Linda goes to The Fort Lauderdale Boatshow
- The Great Bahamas Cruise by Jim Smith
- Caution for Pontoon Boaters
- Top 10 Silliest Questions Asked on Cruise Ships
- Adventures in Galveston Bay by Jeanne Hurr
- Capt. Matt's Boating Adventure (In 4 parts)
- Nathan's Kite Boat
- Port Tack to Tortola by Jim Smith
- Murphy's Law at Work by John Sullivan
- Boating experiences on the ICW.
- Keel-Hauling In Havasu by Jim Smith
- Tortola Torture by Jim Smith
- Vicki & Ray's First Bareboating Adventure
- The Bahamas via Hong Kong by Jim Smith
- Some Humor from Jim Smith
BoatSafe Kids
- Maps and charts are flat. Our planet is round. How'd they do that? The "Limejuice Sailor" tells us!
- Play Life Jacket Tic-Tac-Toe
- Did you ever catch a fish bigger than you are? Alex did!
- What does 'pounds of buoyancy' mean when referring to life jackets?
- Fire Extinguishers
- How Fast Can a Boat Go?
- Person Overboard
- A Visit to the Niña
- Why are Boats Referred to as "She"?
- What are the Top 5 Boating Safety Tips?
- Where did the Word "Port" Originate?
- Why is it So Hard to Back a Trailer?
- How Many People Can Fit in a Boat?
- How Does a Sailboat Sail?
- What is "Hydrodynamic effect?"
- How does the moon affect the tide?
- Why do people act crazy in boats?
- The History of Navigation
- Cats and Dogs on Boats
- How to be a Storm Spotter!
- Why do cigarette boats have a closed bow?
- How Far is the Horizon?
- Do I have to wear my PFD?
- How do life jackets work?
- Stuff you should always have onboard no matter how small your boat is
- Why are life jackets orange?
- What does "abeam" mean?
- What makes a boat plane?
- How do heavy boats float?
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