By Capt. Mark Hotze, 30A Light Tackle
Your boating safety equipment doesn’t matter as much if you can’t make it to the ramp.
We spend a lot of time talking about PFD’s, fire extinguishers, flares, VHF radios and other safety equipment – and we should. Those things can save your life when something goes wrong.
But there’s another side of boating safety that doesn’t get nearly as much attention: Preventing the breakdown in the first place.
I’m a full-time charter captain in Florida. I spend a lot of time on the water. I also spend a lot of time driving to and from the ramp. Luckily, I’m also an engineer so fixing things is kind of in my DNA now. I’ve had WAY more boat and trailer problems than I have had on the water safety incidents.
A boat can have every required piece of safety equipment onboard and still leave you with a problem because of a poor electrical connection, clogged fuel filters, failed steering, and especially a failed trailer on the way to the ramp.
There are a lot of statistics and reported boating accidents. I won’t get into that here. You’re probably not going to see reports on failed trailer hubs and dead batteries – things people usually just fix and move on, but basic maintenance deserves to be considered part of your safety equipment. Here, I’m going to show you some of the things that I look for to prevent an issue before it happens.
Before I leave for the dock, I check the things necessary to get me to the dock, specifically the trailer. A quick look at the tires, lights, safety chain, couplers, winch strap, and brakes will go a long way. I’ll also check the hubs after a good driving distance to see if anything is hot. Finding a warm or hot bearing before it seizes can save a day. I see guys on the side of the road trying to repack a bearing. If you do that once, you won’t want to do that again. Things don’t just usually give out; you’ll see them coming.
I’ll also check the things I depend on to get home: batteries, fuel, steering, props, bilge pumps, and electrical connections.
Batteries don’t just die… they usually show some symptoms beforehand. Even though I usually keep my batteries plugged in on a charger, I found it invaluable to invest in an amp checker. Regardless of battery type, knowing the status and life of your batteries goes a long way. Without getting into too much science, voltage isn’t the only thing important for these batteries. Cranking batteries for your engine and deep cycle house batteries all have different properties, but a dead battery doesn’t help anyone. Just because it shows 12v on a multimeter doesn’t mean it has the amperage to work properly. A good charging system is important, and even using the battery selector switch the proper way can help keep things topped off while you’re on the water.
Fuel is another thing. Yes, even I’ve run out of fuel (give me a break, I was on the way to the fuel station). I was glad I had a friend nearby with a gas can that day but following the rule of thirds is always good. A third for the ride out, a third for the ride home, and a third for reserve! Not just that, but staying ahead of your fuel system, including fuel water separator filters, will not only help keep your boat running but will greatly increase the lifespan of that engine. I also throw in fuel stabilizers sometimes and I’m really weird about general engine maintenance!
Props and steering are pretty straightforward. Line wrapped around the prop obviously makes for a bad day, and whether you have cable steering, hydraulic, or electric steering, just familiarizing yourself with the systems and looking them over helps. Anything out of the ordinary is pretty easy to spot. If you think “is it supposed to look like that?” – it’s worth looking into.
I use a lot of dielectric grease on my connections too. Saltwater can do a number on connections (especially dissimilar metals), and throughout the years of maintaining my boats and helping others, usually corrosion is the killer, usually easy to see, and often preventable before there’s a problem. I also like to keep a basic toolkit on board, with wrenches, screwdrivers, pliers, fuses, a way to temporarily rig things to get home (hose clamps/zip ties/metal brush to clean corrosion). Knowing how a multimeter works really helps, too!
You don’t have to be a mechanic, you just have to know your boat well enough to recognize a problem before it becomes an emergency.
Safety equipment is essential – wear a PFD, have your VHF, keep your required equipment on board. But before you leave the dock, take 5 minutes to look over the machines you’re trusting to bring you home. Find the problem at the dock before you find it 10 miles away. That’s boating safety, too.
Capt. Mark Hotze
30A Light Tackle
www.30alighttackle.com
www.onmymarks.com