Safety Tips |
Plan for Failure!
It is well documented that when a small boat sinks endangering the lives of all aboard, it happens very, very quickly. You must look at all of your safety measures and be able to improve your chances of survival within 60 seconds. If there are children on board you need to work at double this speed! |
Drill Your Passengers!
Do your passengers know where the safety equipment is? If the Captain is incapacitated can someone else drive the boat or call for help using the radio? Conduct a "Site Induction" of your boat's safety gear and basic operations when you are slowly motoring away from the dock. This should take less than a minute but could save lives! |
Storing Safety Gear
Store your safety gear (life jackets, flares, V-Sheet, etc) in a cheap, large sports bag placed on the floor next to where you sit to drive your boat. Handy for a few reasons as it's easy to get at in a hurry in emergencies or when the inspectors come along side. Most importantly, if the boat sinks, the bag with life jackets inside will float. Place items that aren't waterproof in ziplock plastic bags. |
Emergency Signal
Keep a a small, cheap mirror in your "safety bag". If you're ever in serious trouble in daylight, it'll make an excellent signalling device. |
Man Overboard - Dolphin Torch
When travelling in the dark have a dolphin torch on the Dash-Console. If somebody falls overboard simply turn on the torch and throw over to the person. Makes it a lot easier to find a person bobbing up and down if you have a torch floating in the water as a reference. |
Test Your Life Jacket!
Throw you life jacket in the water, jump in fully clothed and put the jacket on (not easy eh?). Next do it blind folded to test yourself in darkness. When you are in the water, lay face down and see if your life jacket will roll you over on your back. If not, replace it with one that will! |
General Boating |
Personal Windshield
Carry a pair of cheap, clear safety glasses to travel a night. This stops the wind drying your eyes. |
Anchoring
If you've ever suffered the indignity and cost of having to cut your anchor rope because the anchor is snagged on the bottom, try this tip:
Drill a hole at the front of the anchor and screw a D-shackle in it. Hook your chain to it then run the chain along the centre bar of the anchor to the normal hole via 2 zipties (6mm wide and 300 long and cut them off -carry spares). When you get a snagged anchor, simply start-up and pull away until the zip ties break. Your anchor will pull free easily! |
Anchor Rope
Mark your anchor rope using a felt pen every 10m ... 10m - one mark, 20m - 2 marks, etc. Very handy if the missus is setting the anchor ("tie off at 30m - the 3rd mark - please love!")! |
Fishing |
A Big Garbage Bin
You will be amazed at how useful a big plastic garbage bin is in a boat - even small boats. So useful when landing fish as it contains the fish and it's sharp teeth while you get organised, keeps blood off the floor, stores rubbish (of course) and great for on-board or backyard fish cleaning. Takes up very little floor space. |
Safe Storage
Store knives and tools in a couple of pieces of 100mm diameter PVC pipe which have screw tops at one end and stop plugs glued at the other. These are convenient because they just lie down out of the way in the trays of the boat. |
Bait
Empty plastic bottles with the tops cut off are good for keeping bait in. Strap or velcro a few to the side of the boat so different baits can be stored without having to open the esky. |
