Four Tips for Buying a Used Boat Trailer

As the boating season ends in the northern climates, some boaters may be looking to find a trailer to store the boat for the winter. If you’re looking to buy a used boat trailer now or planning on buying a boat that comes with a used trailer, Boat Owners Association of The United States (BoatUS) has four buying tips:

Bring a measuring tape: With older trailers, the capacity plate or sticker may be long gone or too hard to read after being outside in the weather for years. But if you’d like to know a rough idea of a spring-axle trailer’s capacity, simply measure the diameter of the axle. An outer diameter (OD) axle tube size of 1.75” is typically rated for about one ton; 2.375” for 3,500 lbs.; and 3” for 5,200-7,000 lbs. – remember to subtract the weight of the trailer from the gross capacity.

Buying out of state: Trailers aren’t built the same because states’ trailering regulations aren’t the same. While most states require brakes for trailers rated to carry than more than 3,000 lbs., some states require brakes on trailers as light as 1,500 lbs., while a few others let you coast up to 4,500 pounds – although that’s not recommended. It can be expensive to retrofit brakes, and some states such as Florida require brakes on each axle. State-specific trailer registration information can be found at drivinglaws.aaa.com.

Why tire diameter matters: After an hour at highway speeds, a 13-inch tire will have spun 10,000 revolutions more than a 15-inch tire, which means more heat, bearing wear and increased chance of problems. Having a fully serviced spare tire ready to go – and the tools to install it – will solve many of the most common reasons for a trailer breakdown. If all else fails, having an annual BoatUS membership with Unlimited Trailer Assist roadside assistance to safely tow both your boat trailer and tow vehicle up to a 100 miles will make a bad roadside breakdown suddenly get much better.

Watch out for paperwork snafus: Not having ownership documents can sink a sale faster than you can say, “Did you put the plug in?” If the trailer is missing the vehicle identification number (VIN), it cannot be legibly read or doesn’t match ownership paperwork, you may run into an issue with the DMV and have to apply for a replacement. It’s better to have the seller handle this before the sale.

For a full look at this topic, see “Buying a Used Trailer?” at BoatUS.com/buyusedtrailer

Boater’s Guide To Winterizing

Water expands in volume by about nine percent when it freezes, creating a staggering force that can crack a boat engine block, damage fiberglass, split hoses, or destroy a boat’s refrigeration system overnight. As cold weather approaches, Boat Owners Association of The United States (BoatUS) dug into its claims data and found that more than three-quarters of winter-related claims involved cracks in the engine block or the exhaust manifolds. Now, the national boating services, safety and advocacy group has available at no-cost a 15-page “Boater's Guide to Winterizing” that can ensure boaters don’t miss a step for any type of boat.

“Boaters up North know they need to winterize, so their freeze claims almost always involve poor winterizing,” said BoatUS Director of Technical Services Beth Leonard. “In the temperate South, the issue can be a case of no winterizing, or relying on a heater when the electricity goes off, usually when you need it most.”

The downloadable brochure addresses the reasons for more than 95 percent of the freeze claims handled by the BoatUS Marine Insurance Program in the past decade. Included are chapters on: Storing your boat - The options and the tradeoffs; a Winterizing Checklist to use as the starting point for creating your own boat’s winterizing list; Engines and Drives - The dos and don’ts; and Plumbing - Getting the water out, which is great for larger boats.

Additional information includes tips on choosing antifreeze, lessons learned from BoatUS Consumer Affairs about protecting yourself with a winterization contract, and green winterizing information.
The checklist is available at www.BoatUS.com/winterizingguide.

Pennsylvania Offers Kayak Fishing Instruction Classes

The Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission (PFBC) has scheduled two programs to provide an opportunity for anglers or kayak enthusiasts to learn about the basics of in kayak fishing.

PFBC Kayak Fishing Programs will be held at these locations: 

• July 18, Bald Eagle State Park – Hunter Run East launch, Centre County, 9 a.m. – 1 p.m.  (For more information or to register)
• August 1, Moraine State Park – Bear Run launch, Butler County, 9 a.m. – 1 p.m. (For more information or to register)

“During each program, participants will learn about basic kayak skills and safety, how to rig or outfit a kayak for fishing, and learn about black bass and panfish fishing techniques,” said Carl Richardson, PFBC Education Section Manager. “Commission staff and local kayak fishing experts will lead the instruction. Participants will then have an opportunity to make use of what they learned during an open fishing session.”

Jeff Woleslagle will be the guest instructor at the July 18 program. He is a freelance writer for the Pennsylvania Angler and Boater magazine with an expertise in kayak fishing.

Noah Heck will be the guest instructor at the August 1 program. He is an avid kayak angler who is the co-founder of the Kayak Anglers of Western PA tournament series.

Participants must be 16 years of age or older and have a valid Pennsylvania fishing license. This program is limited to 40 participants and pre-registration is required. There will be no registrations accepted the day of the event.

Pennsylvania fishing licenses may be purchased at any of the more than 900 license issuing agents and online at www.GoneFishingPa.com.

Be Safe on July 4th Weekend

Pennsylvania Fish & Boat Commission Send This Timely Reminder

With the summer season well underway, July 4 marks a major boating holiday. Boaters will take to the water in a variety of watercraft on one of the busiest boating weekends of the year. The Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission (PFBC) reminds boaters to have fun and stay safe this Independence Day and throughout the entire boating season.

 

“According to Pennsylvania’s boating accident reports, almost 80 percent of all boating fatalities happen to boaters not wearing a life jacket,” reports Laurel Anders, PFBC Director of Boating and Outreach.  “You may think the unexpected won’t happen to you. Don’t take that chance. Most boating-related deaths are preventable. Wear your life jacket at all times and insist your passengers do, too.”

 

Many boaters don’t wear life jackets because they claim they can swim, they want to look “cool” or they simply forget to carry them onboard. But the unthinkable can happen.

 

“We urge you to watch this video of family and friends as they speak about the impact of a double-fatal boat accident,” Anders adds. “Their hope is that their story will make other boaters think twice, boat smarter and prevent another tragic boating accident from occurring.”

 

Boating Safety Video

 

For more boating safety videos, visit https://www.youtube.com/user/PAfishandboat or http://WearItPennsylvania.com.

 

For boaters heading onto waters this season, the PFBC urges the following tips:

• Always wear a life jacket, even when not required. Many models are cool and comfortable for warm weather boating.
• Never boat alone.
• Keep a proper lookout. Always be aware of your surroundings.
• Leave a float plan and know the waters you plan to boat.
• Always check the weather and real-time river forecasts for the potential of hazardous high water.
• Bring a fully-charged cell phone with you in case of emergency.
• Boat smart and take a boating safety education course before you head out.
• Never drink and boat.

“Remember, life jackets are the most important piece of safety equipment on a boat and there’s no excuse not to ‘Wear It, Pennsylvania’”, adds Anders.

 

To learn more about life jacket wear, visit the PFBC website: http://fishandboat.com/lifejackets.htm.

Springtime Boating Tips

Across America at boat launch ramps, the familiar growl of boat motors waking up from their long winter nap heralds the start of the boating season. But what makes boating, fishing or sailing this time of year different from all others? When it comes to safety, Boat Owners Association of The United States (BoatUS) has three tips to answer that question:

1. The water is still cold. Darn cold. Even though the white stuff is gone and you’re in a T-shirt and can feel the sun’s warmth on your face, lurking beneath your boat’s keel is water that could make breathing difficult or disable you in minutes after an accidental fall overboard. It’s a good idea to wear a comfortable life jacket, and if solo, rig a self-boarding ladder that can be deployed while in the water.
2. Have backup plans. For a routine breakdown while underway, having an on water towing plan from BoatUS can help. However, most important is to leave a note, or “float plan,” for friends or family members advising them of your expected return. That’s because early in the season there are way-too-few boaters out there who could provide aid if something unexpected happened, and if no one knows where you are, you could be in a heap of trouble. A sample float plan can be found at: BoatUS.com/floatplan.
3. The number one reason why boats sink in the springtime is being in a hurry to get in the water. Check every engine hose and clamp. Remove leaves in scuppers and clear clogged cockpit drains. Check to see that freezing water didn’t crack the sea strainer or seacock/valves. Go to BoatUS.com/springchecklist to get a copy of a Spring Fitting Out Safety Checklist.

Top Ten Boat Names

Big and small, power or sail, there are many different kinds of boats and so many different kinds of boat owners. But the one thing they seem to agree on is how boating makes them feel, at least if your looking at a boat’s name on the transom. “Serenity” has been named the #1 boat name for the second year in a row with the release of the 2015 list of Top Ten Boat Names from Boat Owners Association of The United States (BoatUS). It is also the name’s tenth appearance on the popular list of boat names issued annually since 1992 by the recreational boat advocacy, service and safety group. “Calm, peaceful and untroubled is what boating is all about for so many boaters,” said BoatUS spokesman Scott Croft.

The BoatUS 2015 list of Top Ten Boat Names:

1. Serenity
2. Seas the Day
3. Andiamo (Italian for “let’s go”)
4. Aquaholic
5. Second Wind
6. Island Time
7. Happy Ours
8. Journey
9. Serendipity
10. Relentless

Croft says boaters frequently come to BoatUS to get ideas for a name by taking a peek at the Association’s online list of over 8,000 boat names, then use the free and easy layout program to, “Start playing around with a boat name to get an idea of what it will look like, picking letter styles and colors.” Boaters can then choose to either order online or if they want some more creative help, may use the BoatUS Premium Boat Graphics service that offers the talents of a professional designer. An online photo gallery can also help boaters also narrow down a choice.

“Picking a boat name can be harder than naming one’s own child,” said Croft, who has had to name several of his boats through the years. “Boat names can reflect your lifestyle, your relationship to loved ones or what you do for a living. And that’s only the beginning.” For the record, Croft’s first boat name was “Constitution” because, “We happened to name her on a July 4^th weekend and I had only a limited choice of ugly hardware store letters.” For his second boat name, Croft chose “Aiden R.” after his only son and used the BoatUS graphics service. “Kids sometimes think it’s pretty cool to have their name on a boat. It’s also a real safe bet for parent to choose – but only if you have one child,” he said with a smile.

 The BoatUS Graphics service also offers easy video instructions on how to remove or add a graphic to a boat as well a 30-day “Oops Assurance Guarantee” that allows the buyer to receive replacement decals free of charge if the graphic was damaged during installation. For more, go to BoatUS.com/boatnames.

Tax Provisions for Boats Extended

In Rare Act of Agreement,

Last Congress Does the Right Thing for Boat Owners

WASHINGTON, DC, January 27, 2015 -- In an exceptional act of agreement, the recently departed 113th Congress did the right thing for boat owners. It extended some boat sales tax and mortgage interest deductions when filing a 2014 federal income tax return. The catch is a boat has to include a sleeping berth, cooking and toilet facilities, and is offered to new owners who paid substantial state sales taxes on a new or used boat purchase last year. If there is a loan taken, mortgage interest paid on the loan may be also be deducted from your federal income taxes, according to the nation’s largest boater’s advocacy group, Boat Owners Association of The United States (BoatUS).

The Sales Tax Deduction

The Tax Increase Prevention Act of 2014 continues to offer a federal tax deduction for state sales taxes. Boaters must choose either the state sales tax deduction or state income tax deduction on their federal tax return — you cannot take both.

In addition, to take the state sales tax deduction, the sales tax on a boat purchase must be applied at the same tax rate as the state’s general sales tax. In order to claim the sales tax deduction, tax returns must be itemized. State sales taxes are entered on IRS form Schedule A, line 5b.

The Boat Loan Deduction

For those owners with a secured boat loan, mortgage interest paid on the loan may be deducted from your federal income taxes. Taxpayers may use the home mortgage interest deduction for one second home in addition to their primary home, and must itemize deductions on their returns. A boat is considered a second home for federal tax purposes if it has a galley, an installed head and sleeping berth.

During federal budget negotiations last year, some in Congress sought to eliminate this deduction for boat owners while keeping it in place for second home and recreational vehicle owners. BoatUS advocated for a more equitable all-or-nothing approach when applying the deduction, and boaters did not get unfairly singled out.

Some boaters may be unaware of this potential tax benefit because not all lending institutions send borrowers an Internal Revenue Service form 1098 which reports the interest paid. Not receiving the form does not preclude taking the deduction. If a 1098 is not available, boaters should contact their lender for the amount of interest paid and should enter it on line 11 on Schedule A along with the lender’s tax ID number. If a form 1098 is sent, boaters should simply enter the amount on line 10 of Schedule A.

A boat is considered a second home for federal tax purposes if it has a galley, an installed head and sleeping berth

Sorry, AMT

For those who fall under the Alternative Minimum Tax, most deductions are unavailable. Boaters are urged to contact a tax preparer or financial advisor for more information.

For more details on the mortgage deduction on boats that qualify, go to www.IRS.gov and download Publication 936 or the Fact Sheets. For state tax deduction information, download Publication 600 which also includes state-by-state tax tables.