Category: Best Boat Practices

My crew and I rescued three beautiful souls yesterday. They were on inexpensive pool rafts that were being pushed out to sea with ease, given the strong westerly gales. Several boaters had passed them and didn’t offer assistance, despite their distress signal (arm/hand waving). They estimated they spent ~2 hours […]
Some boat chores are seasonal, and that includes washing mooring lines for me. This may seem like yet another manufactured OCD activity of mine, but there are functional benefits to doing this: * It maintains flexibility and prevents hard spots* Your lines don’t stink* It’s a perfect time to inspect […]
For the non-trailering crowd, most boats go in the water at the beginning of the season and come out at the end. That’s lots of time for growth to occur, adding weight and drag to your boat. Just because there’s anti-fouling paint on the bottom doesn’t mean a good cleaning […]
There’s no way to spin it: when a boat breaks down, and it will, it ruins the day. Most breakdowns, however, are usually due to consumable parts failing as opposed to a severe malfunction in the engine itself. Because boats can break down in areas with limited access (i.e. the […]
Even the most experienced captains will have an anchor drag on them every once in a while. It’s easy to fix a dragging anchor; although fixing it after you’ve slid into boat or breakwater is a bit more frustrating. One of my favorite hacks to monitor the anchor hold is […]