Preparing for Boating Season - Do You Have a List?

By William L. Gills aka Bos'n Bill

One of the best parts of boating season is the anticipation of being back on the water on a clear day with a fresh breeze and good friends. When anticipation turns into reality you may once again be faced with an extraordinary list of things to do before "she" goes in the water and an equally extensive list of things to do before you can fully engage in the season without distraction. I personally enjoy this reintroduction to the boating season when I can again check off each task on a "to do" list, bringing me ever closer to that flight from the routine to the freedom of time and choice where you decide what to do, when and where to do it.

But first, you need to take a look at a typical checklist of boat prep essentials if you want to stay afloat, have propulsion, comfort and peace of mind. A look at my checklist revealed twenty-two out of the water and twenty-nine in the water "Spring" prep items. Your list may look different given the type of boat you own. In fact, yours may not look anything like mine if your not a list maker. If you're not accustomed to enumerating even the most essential of tasks, your going to forget something and it may put a hold on your season.

For me, the "labor of love" begins when your boat is on the trailer or on the jack stands when it's a good time to take care of the things that don't require you to be in the water; get them out of the way. You know, like the cleaning stuff: the vinyl, stainless steel frames and hardware, glass, bilge, lockers, cabin, scuppers, the hull and bulkhead. Then there's the pre-immersion stuff: installing zincs and battery(ies), checking the oil and transmission fluid levels and test running the engine. Most importantly, don't forget the bail plug!

In the water, check all your systems, safety equipments and deck lines. Systems like your lights, hot and cold water, steering, GPS, radar, VHF, blowers, bilge pumps and air-conditioning; safety equipment like your visual distress signals (are they up to date?), fire extinguishers, first aid kit, "whistles" (I call them horns), flashlights, handheld devices like GPS and VHF; deck lines, are they secure, will they need adjusting or readjusting?

Finally, when the last item is checked off, it's time. The moment you savor has arrived. Save the dinghy, outboard and gas you're ready to rock and roll on the body of water of your choice without concern for the mundane. Congratulations, you can now focus on the 3-P's: Pastime, Pleasure, Peace and repose.

William L. Gills aka Bos'n Bill is the author of the book, Lubber's Log published by Llumina Press; a boating primer and adventure story about a couples experiences in moving up to a bigger boat.  

You can visit his website here.

Used boat or New boat?

It's a good time of year to be thinking about making that major decision before it's too late; buying a boat before the summer boating season really begins happening. The pivotal decision in most cases is...should I buy the boat new or pre-owned? The "Boating Guy" from Discover Boating does a great job of laying out the pros and cons for beginning boaters or those who are moving on up or down...I love this guy and this site, he's really good!



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Boats "Vessels of Freedom, Harbors of Healing."

Why do people adore boats? Why do people go to great extremes to own a boat? US country singer/songwriter Kenny Chesney has a song titled Boats on his new CD Lucky Old Sun. In the song he sings:

"Boats.... vessels of freedom, harbors of healing...boats, twenty years of a landlocked job was all that Tom could take sitting at his desk all alone and depressed (he) says this just can't be my fate, went home that night and told his wife (that) you can tell all of your friends it's been real but it ain't been fun (so we are) gonna get us one of them...boats... vessels of freedom, harbors of healing...boats"

I've listened to that song a hundred times and it gets better each time. He found the words I've always known were there but never could quite find them. Good for him!

As a boater myself it sometimes becomes hard to explain to non-boaters what the love affair is all about. Perhaps it's a sickness; at least it's a bug. Some of us use our boats as a home, treating her like a member of the family. I do have a habit of talking to the Patricia Ann; she speaks back but in ways only I can hear. She has become a refuge of sorts, a protected harbor. Sleeping in a motel room when I'm on the road just isn't the same.

I have friends that use their boats for an escape from life's stormy weather, relying on their boats to unwind from everyday stress. They take their sailboats, trawlers or motoryachts out to feel the wind on their faces, the sun on their backs. Their boats bring them peace. Others friends, have their boats equipped to make a living from the sea, as do the many shrimpers and charter boat Captains that ply the waters of our Florida coast. Their boats become a life ring, protecting them from the "storm" that waits at the cabin door.

But as a full-time waterman, I can say it's more than what it seems. Yes, it's a state of mind. Leaving the regular 9-5 world behind, knowing you have everything you need to sustain yourself and your crew for days and weeks on end. If I want to stay, I do; if I want to leave, I can do that too. Oh boats can be trouble and they take tons of work to maintain but us boaters consider it a labor of love. You just can't place a price tag on the feeling when you are at the helm, everything works as designed, the air is crisp and the sea is calm. It takes only one good sunset to make it all worthwhile.

Mark Twain, an American author eloquently said "Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover."

So ask yourself, do you yearn for that feeling .

Spanish philosopher Jose' Ortegay Gasset once said, "Tell me the landscape in which you live, and I'll tell you who you are."

That pretty much sums it up. Fair winds.

Mike Dickens, the author of this article,  is the owner/Broker of Paradise Yachts, located in Florida USA. 

William L. Gills aka Bos'n Bill is the author of the book, Lubber's Log published by Llumina Press; a boating primer and adventure story about a couples experiences in moving up to a bigger boat.  

You can visit his website here.