Five Tips to Keep Winter Away From Your Boat Trailer

If your boat trailer is going to spend the off-season outside exposed to the elements, Boat Owners Association of The United States has five tips to protect your investment and eliminate problems down the road:

 A little spray will do you: Spraying lubricants such as WD-40 on metal trailer roller assemblies, winch gears and electrical connections will keep moisture away and rust at bay. It’s also best to take care of any rust spots now on the (galvanized) metal trailer frame: sand, prime and paint. (Trust us, this will be the last thing on your mind come springtime.)

 

Don’t park under trees: Some boaters think their boat will be protected by storing it under trees but the opposite is true – ice, snow, and howling winter storms can snap off tree limbs which come crashing down. Falling leaves and needles can also stain boat covers and gelcoat, or make their way inside where they can block transom drain holes.

 

Turn it around in the driveway: If you’re going to leave the boat on the trailer in your driveway for the winter, face the hitch away from the street if possible, and put a lock on the trailer hitch. The name of the game in avoiding boat theft is to make your rig as difficult as possible to steal.

 

Take care of the tires: In addition to being a theft deterrent, removing the tires and storing them in the garage or shed will keep the sun from damaging them. With the tires off, this may also a good time to repack the bearings (Another thing you won’t want to do in the spring). Block the frame and secure plastic (contractor grade) trash bags over the hubs and brakes to keep them dry. If tires won’t be removed, position the trailer so that the tires rest on a piece of plywood or plank to prevent dry rot, and cover them (again with plastic bags) to keep the sun off and hubs and brakes dry. To avoid flat spots from happening, move the trailer periodically a few inches throughout the winter.

 

Help water drain: Keeping the boat and trailer rig in a slightly nose-high (bow up) position will allow water to drain out the transom drain hole. This can be easily done by placing a small block under the trailer jack. (Don’t forget to remove drain plug and tie it to the ignition key where you will find it in the spring). Also ensure that the boat’s cover is tight and periodically check inside throughout the winter – critters love to hide aboard boats and find them appetizing.

 

Like an auto club for boaters and anglers, BoatUS offers a Trailering Club that includes “Trailer Assist” roadside assistance services for both disabled tow vehicles and boat trailers. Trailer Assist service is $14 annually, plus association membership of $24. For more information on the BoatUS Trailering Club and all of the services provided, visit www.BoatUS.com/trailerclub

Lack of Concern among Boaters about Accuracy of Navigational Tools

Survey Reveals Significant Lack of Concern among Boaters about
Accuracy of Navigational Tools
Only One-third of Respondents Regularly Update Navigational Data

 

The Alliance for Safe Navigation, whose mission is to raise boater awareness about the importance of up-to-date navigational information, today announced the results of a recent survey of 7,570 recreational boaters. The survey revealed that an alarming 64 percent of respondents are not concerned enough about the accuracy of their navigational aids to seek out or make updates.

Intended to measure the use and awareness of available updates to navigational tools, the survey revealed a general lack of concern among recreational boaters regarding the accuracy of their navigational data. While most boaters use aids such as GPS, electronic charts and paper charts, 79 percent fail to track the updates—issued weekly by the United States Coast Guard—that are necessary to maintain the accuracy of their
navigational aids. These updates, called Local Notice to Mariners, contain critical information about changes such as shifting shoals, moving buoys and newly submerged obstructions, and they can be easily accessed by boaters.

“Unfortunately, these survey results indicate that boaters simply are not aware of how often conditions change and how those changes can affect their safety,” explains President Ron Walz of OceanGrafix, a founding member of the alliance. “The truth is that waters do change—and inaccurate chart information can turn a safe and enjoyable cruise into a dangerous situation.”

“Boaters cannot assume that their data is current: changes on and under the water happen, and they are significant and frequent,” says David Enabnit, technical director at NOAA’s Office of Coast Survey. The Alliance for Safe Navigation strongly suggests that updated navigational tools are the best approach to safe navigation.

Unlike commercial mariners, who are required by law to carry up-to-date charts, recreational boaters are not held to the same regulation. In fact, recreational boaters aren’t required to have any charts onboard.

To see the latest USCG Notice to Mariners for your location, visit Notice to Mariners. For more information or to find out how many changes have been made to your charts, go to www.allianceforsafenavigation.org.

About the Alliance for Safe Navigation

The Alliance for Safe Navigation (www.allianceforsafenavigation.org) consists of industry leaders that all share a commitment to boating safety. The goal of the alliance is to raisethe boating community’s understanding of and appreciation for up-to-date navigational information. The alliance encourages mariners to recognize the high number of changes made to their charts and to keep their electronic and paper charts accurate, which is inexpensive and easy. Sponsored by NOAA, the alliance is made up of BoatU.S., Jeppesen, OceanGrafix, the Sea Tow Foundation for Boating Safety and Education, and the United States Power Squadrons.

New Alliance to Promote Navigation Safety

NOAA Sponsors New Alliance to Promote Navigation Safety

Public-Private Partnership to Educate Recreational Boaters

NOAA reminds all recreational boaters that regularly updated navigational charts are available online.
High resolution (Credit: NOAA Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary)

As summer nears and some 12.5 million registered boaters hit the water, NOAA’s Office of Coast Survey is launching an effort to remind people about the importance of using up-to-date nautical charts. NOAA is a co-sponsor of the newly formed Alliance for Safe Navigation, a public-private partnership that raises awareness of safe boating practices and offers an instructional Web site to get people started.
“Recreational boaters, unlike commercial mariners, are not required to carry nautical charts,” explains Captain John Lowell, director of NOAA’s Office of Coast Survey. “We are sponsoring this new nationwide educational effort because we want people to understand that NOAA’s nautical charts are easy to find and easy to use. By using ‘Print on Demand’ paper charts or multi-functional electronic charts that are updated by NOAA cartographers, people have a better chance of avoiding potential groundings and other accidents.”

Some of the nation’s 12.5 million recreational boaters enjoying a day on the Columbia River.
High resolution (Credit: NOAA)

Charts can become outdated quickly because storms may alter seafloors, with shoals building up and water depths changing. NOAA conducts hydrographic surveys along U.S. coasts, measuring ocean depths and recording seafloor shifts. The agency uses the survey information to continually update nautical charts.
Joining NOAA in the Alliance for Safe Navigation are the Boat Owners Association of the United States (Boat U.S.), Jeppesen Marine, the United States Power Squadrons (USPS), OceanGrafix and the Sea Tow Foundation for Boating Safety and Education. The Alliance for Safe Navigation will encourage boaters to be aware of the significant and frequent changes that are occurring in their boating area.

Recreational boaters can now obtain continuously updated nautical charts at www.allianceforsafenavigation.org, a site developed by NOAA and the Alliance for Safe Navigation.  
High resolution (Credit: NOAA)

As the nation’s official nautical chartmaker, NOAA maintains a suite of 2,000 navigation products that support safe recreational boating and marine transportation along coastal waterways and in the Great Lakes. NOAA and other alliance members provide many tools that give mariners the latest information, distributing a range of products such as print-on-demand paper charts and digital updates for electronic charts.
“The alliance members identified a widespread lack of awareness among boaters regarding the accuracy of their charts, whether electronic or paper,” explains David DeGree, president of OceanGrafix. “The truth is that inaccurate chart information can turn a safe and enjoyable cruise into a dangerous situation.” 

Unexploded Munitions

What do you do when you come across unexploded munitions while boating or fishing?

Fortunately,there is help in the form a brochure that NOAA has made available on their website in a pdf so you can just download it and not have to wait for it to arrive in the mail.

The main thing to remember are the "3R's"

Recognize  
Retreat 
Report.

Read the complete brochure here: Explosives Safety Guide

More information can be found on one of the Department of Defense pages: UXO Safety

U.S. Aids to Navigation System

Boaters should be familiar with the buoys and markers that act as the "yellow lines" on the water.  In addition to marking channels, these buoys also mark hazards and safe water.

More information on boat safety can be found on the Take Me Fishing website.

Check out this Youtube video for a brief refresher.

New York Boat Launches Get Boost from Saltwater License

Three boat launches will benefit from major rebuilding this year.  Moriches in Suffolk County will see improved parking and shoreline stabilization near the boat ramp. The boat launch will be available for this year's fishing season. The estimated cost for the project is $180,000 and came from sport fish restoration program (Wallop-Breaux).

A second boat launch project at Mattituck in Suffolk County began in the fall of 2009 and opened on June 5, 2010.  Improvements include a new two-lane concrete boat ramp and parking for 60 vehicles and trailers, marine pump-out stations and a boat wash-down area. New landscaping, observation areas, benches and picnic tables are among the list of amenities added to the facility. An old dilapidated, sunken barge was removed which improved marine habitat at the site. Future improvements are planned to include creating more tidal wetlands and a buffer habitat, as well as universally accessible recreational opportunities for launching canoes and kayaks.

NY DEC will also help the Town of Babylon with updating their existing boat launch ramp and boat slips at the Venetian Shores Park in Lindenhurst. This project will refurbish  4,000 square feet of wood decking on either side of the 60' x 40' ramp, as well as 300 feet of breakwater. This is a very popular access site and one of the few public launch ramps that provide access to the Great South Bay.

Free Pennsylvania Basic Boating Course

PA FISH AND BOAT COMMISSION ANNOUNCES BASIC BOATING COURSE 

Sweet Valley, PA – The Clymer Library in Pocono Pines will be hosting a Basic Boating Course instructed by the Pennsylvania Fish & Boat Commission on Thursday July 22nd and Friday July 23rd.  The course will be held from 1:00pm to 5:00pm day.

There is no charge for the course. All participants must pre-register and must attend both sessions.  Please call the Clymer Library at 570-646-0826  to register. 

The Basic Boating Course is designed to supply boaters with practical information so they can make better informed decisions on the water. Instructors will provide students with information via a classroom setting to help them reduce the risk of injury and conflict on the water. Students who successfully complete the course may apply for a Boating Safety Education Certificate for a $10 fee.  The certificate is required of all operators of personal watercraft (PWCs) or anyone born on or after January 1, 1982 who operate a motorboat of more than 25 horsepower. More information about this course or boating safety can be found by visiting the Commission's website at www.fishandboat.com.

The mission of the Fish and Boat Commission is to protect, conserve, and enhance the Commonwealth’s aquatic resources and provide fishing and boating opportunities. For more information about fishing and boating in Pennsylvania, visit www.fishandboat.com.