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Everyone, including your marina, wants you and your crew to have a fun, trouble free summer season, so at least once a year you should perform a safety check of your boat & correct any deficiencies. Immediately prior to the boating season is the ideal time.
While this list may not be exhaustive, it will get you thinking in the right direction.
GENERAL
Get a copy of the Coast Guard’s Boating Safety Manual, review it entirely and pay special attention to the ‘Carriage Requirements’. Make sure you have everything required on board, and that it is all in good, usable condition. The manual is available from our office or Chandlery.
LIFE JACKETS
Coast Guard regulations require an approved personal flotation device (PFD) for everyone on board. Make sure they all still fit your regular crew members (did you gain weight last year? How much have the children grown?. Have a few ‘universal size’ spares for occasional guests and make sure all lifejackets are not damaged. If they are they must be replaced. Repair is not a legal option!
THROWABLE FLOTATION DEVICE
Make sure the attached line is in good repair and not tangled in a hopeless mess! As soon as possible, practice recovery of each crew-member in the water … you may be in for some surprises and identify ways you could improve your man overboard procedures.
FIRE EXTINGUISHERS
DO NOT rely on the guage … they are notoriously unreliable! Have them checked professionally. The Yellow pages will give you companies who can do this, or bring them to our office, to be done in spring when a professional mobile unit comes to the marina to check all ours. There is a small fee.
HORN
Try it! Make sure it puts out a piercing note, not the feeble blast of a dying duck! If it’s an air horn, make sure you have a spare canister on board.
BATTERIES
Check all batteries, or replace, in flashlights and any other device that requires them. Be honest about your big engine & domestic batteries. If they’re more than three years old, or gave you any problems last season, have the marina check them and be prepared to replace.
FIRST AID KIT
The first-aid kit is often overlooked until you need it. Get in the habit of emptying and re-packing it annually. Replace expired pharmaceuticals and renew any bandage materials that show signs of moisture damage. If your First-Aid manual is not with the kit FIND IT, or buy a new one and keep it with the kit.
ALL MECHANICAL SYSTEMS, INCLUDING THE ENGINE!
If the marina winterized your boat they will have inspected for any obvious deficiencies, but they will not have performed compression tests etc or removed any parts to inspect what lies underneath. If the systems are relatively new and have given you no problems then you‘re probably okay for this season. If not, if you‘ve had any problems or if you just want to be sure, have the marina perform a mechanical evaluation. The hundred or so dollars you‘ll spend now can save you thousands if the engine fails, not to speak of the trauma of a mid-channel breakdown, the towing costs and your lost time having fun!.
If you have any concerns about anything on your boat … even those ‘gut feelings’ that you shouldn’t ignore, consult with the marina … we can help!
1424 Commodore Ln, Box 41, KARS ON K0A 2E0
Tel (613) 489-2747
Fax (613) 489-1486
Email: info@longislandmarine.com
www.longislandmarine.com
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