What You Need to Know About Ethanol and Boat Insurance Before You Put the Boat Away

Are you putting your boat away for winter soon? Boat Owners Association of The United States (BoatUS) says recreational boat owners need to take special precautions with E-10 gas and review their insurance policy before they put their boat to bed for a long winter's nap. Otherwise, they may be in for trouble next spring when they try to start the engine:
 
Keep ethanol at bay: Today it's highly likely that your boat's gasoline contains a mixture of up to 10% ethanol, which is known to damage engines and boat fuel systems, especially over the long winter storage season. If you have a portable gas tank on your boat, try to use as much gas as possible before you put the boat away at the end of the season. Any remaining gas or gas-and-oil mix that's left in the portable tank can be put in your car or outdoor power equipment, respectively. The goal here is to use it up as quickly as possible.

If your boat has a built-in gas tank that cannot be emptied, add a fuel stabilizer, and then fill the tank as much as possible, leaving just a smidgen of room for expansion. This will greatly reduce the amount of moisture laden-air that can enter through the tank's vent and potentially condense on inside tank walls over the long storage season. The goal here is to prevent water from being absorbed into the gas and ethanol mixture, which if left unchecked, results in phase separation and damage to the boat's fuel system and motor. For a more detailed look at ethanol and winter storage, go to www.BoatUS.com/seaworthy/ethanolwinter.asp.

Look for "ice and freeze coverage" in your boat's insurance policy: Many boat owners think they don't have to worry about freeze damage if they live in temperate states or if they keep their boat in an indoor, heated storage area in Northern states. But every year, BoatUS gets multiple freeze damage claims for boats in Southern states hit by a hard freeze and for boats stored in indoor facilities in Northern states where a storm took out the power. So the first rule of winter storage for any boat is to winterize it properly.

Even then, small winterizing mistakes like not draining all of the areas of the raw water system can easily destroy an engine. For that reason, BoatUS recommends ice and freeze coverage just in case something got overlooked when the boat was winterized. Typically offered as a policy "rider" to boats stored in northern climates, it's inexpensive (BoatUS offers the add-on coverage for as low as $20) and can go a long way toward protecting you from a catastrophic engine loss. Ice and freeze coverage may also be a smart option for do-it-yourselfers who want peace of mind, or for trailer boaters who store their boat in a heated garage or travel between warm and cold states.

However, there is a deadline to purchase this coverage as most insurers don't offer it once temperatures get cold, usually the end of October. BoatUS says that boats in warmer, temperate states often have this feature added to their policy automatically, but you should check with your insurer. For more information on boat insurance or ice and freeze coverage, go to www.BoatUS.com/insurance or call 800-283-2883 .

Two rescued by US Coast Guard after drifting for eight days at sea

A Coast Guard helicopter crew safely hoisted two Bahamian citizens from their capsized vessel east of Riviera Beach, Fla., Saturday.

Coast Guard Sector Miami watchstanders received a report of a capsized vessel with two people sitting on the hull in the vicinity of Riviera Beach Saturday afternoon. Watchstanders quickly diverted the Coast Guard Cutter Comorant and authorized the launch of an MH-65 rescue helicopter from Air Station Miami. The helicopter crew arrived on scene, assesed the situation and lowered a rescue swimmer to render assistance. The two people stated they had been drifting for eight days and had ingested salt water.

The rescue swimmer determined the people needed to be medically evacuated immediately and safely coordinated a hoist with the helicopter crew.

The two people were transferred to Del Ray Medical Center for further treatment.

The Coast Guard urges all boaters, especially those transiting offshore or to remote areas, to carry an Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon or a Personal Locator Beacon. EPIRBS and PLB's save valuable time during maritime emergencies by transmitting electronic distress signals and GPS coordinates. When EPIRBs are properly registered, they also provide first responders with owners’ contact information and vessel descriptions, which is vital information during search and rescue cases.

For additional boating safety tips, go to http://www.uscgboating.org.

Boating Infrastructure Grants to aid Sandy-impacted marinas

The New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT) today announced the award of more than $370,000 to three recreational boating marinas through the federal National Boating Infrastructure Grant (NBIG) program.

The grants, provided through the U.S. Department of the Interior U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, advance ongoing Superstorm Sandy recovery efforts along the Jersey Shore.

The three NBIG grants, awarded in August as part of a package of more than $6.9 million in competitive grants awarded to six states and one U.S. territory for projects to support recreational boating through the NBIG Tier II program, will help restore the marinas to their pre-storm conditions with safety and operational upgrades.

• Belmar Municipal Marina in Monmouth County will receive $270,059 to help fix and update damaged docks, gangways, utilities and other facilities. A new security system and WiFi service will be installed as well.

• Silver Cloud Harbor Marina, a privately owned marina in Forked River (Lacey), Ocean County will receive $65,710 to help renovate a section of existing bulkhead along the Barnegat Bay to provide six new boat slips. Additionally, the marina will install power, water and new lighting.\

• Grassy Sound Marina in Middle Township, Cape May County will receive $36,364 to help repair damaged gangways and utilities and rebuild the fueling facility. New bathrooms and showers will also be installed at the marina.

Since 2001, NJDOT’s Office of Maritime Resources (OMR) has accepted proposals from privately and publicly owned marinas for funding under the NBIG program, obtaining more than $3 million in grants to date.

NBIG funds are provided to states “to construct, renovate, and maintain tie-up facilities” for transient, recreational vessels 26 feet or more in length, and are distributed annually. Some examples of development and programs allowed under NBIG include navigational aides, one time dredging, breakwaters, dockside utility service, recycling and trash receptacles, marketing materials, and other services that serve to increase transient boating nationally.

NJDOT/OMR is currently accepting Letters of Interest (LOI) for FY 2014 NBIG funding. Once a LOI has been approved, draft NBIG applications are due to NJDOT’s Office of Maritime Resources by September 18, 2013 and final applications will be due by October 16, 2013.

NOAA mobile app provides free nautical charts for recreational boating

As recreational boaters gear up for a summer of fun on coastal waters and the Great Lakes, NOAA is testing MyNOAACharts, a new mobile application that allows users to download NOAA nautical charts and editions of the U.S. Coast Pilot. The app, which is only designed for Android tablets for the testing period, will be released on May 20.

MyNOAACharts, which can be used on land and on the water, has GPS built-in capabilities that allow users find their positions on a NOAA nautical chart. They can zoom in any specific location with a touch of the finger, or zoom out for the big picture to plan their day of sailing. The Coast Pilot has “geotagged” some of the major locations -- embedding geographical information, such as latitude and longitude, directly into the chart so it is readable in the app -- and provides links to appropriate federal regulations. The app can be downloaded from the Google Play™ app store. 

“Easy and workable access to nautical charts is important for boating safety,” said Rear Admiral Gerd Glang, director of NOAA Office of Coast Survey. “I’ve seen a popular t-shirt that has a ‘definition’ of a nautical chart splayed across the front: ‘chärt, n: a nautical map that shows you what you just hit.’ As creative as that is, a boating accident can kill. Keeping a nautical chart on hand – to avoid hitting something – can save lives.”

The beta test for MyNOAACharts will expire this Labor Day, Sept. 2. Coast Survey will then evaluate usage and user feedback to decide whether to release a finished version of the app. 

“Expanding the app across a multitude of platforms, ensuring easy accessibility to over a thousand charts and nearly 5,000 pages of U.S. Coast Pilot, will take considerable resources,” Glang said. “We can do it if the boating community likes the app. We truly want the users to let us know if the app meets their needs.”

Boaters without an Android tablet should not despair. The Office of Coast Survey provides free BookletCharts, which are 8 ½” x 11” PDF versions of NOAA nautical charts that can be downloaded and printed at home. The U.S. Coast Pilot is also available in a free PDF version. Those products, and information for purchasing other nautical products, are available at www.nauticalcharts.noaa.gov.

Important notice for commercial mariners: The mobile app MyNOAACharts and the BookletCharts do not fulfill chart carriage requirements for regulated commercial vessels under Titles 33 and 46 of the Code of Federal Regulations.

NOAA’s Office of Coast Survey, originally formed by President Thomas Jefferson in 1807, is the nation’s nautical chartmaker. Its hydrographers survey the coastal seafloor, respond to maritime emergencies and search for underwater dangers to navigation. Join Coast Survey on Twitter and check out the NOAA Coast Survey Blog for more in-depth coverage of surveying and charting.