Is winter boating a thing? Yes, though not so much in our part of the world. In the coldest months, we northerners catch most of our fish through holes drilled in thick lake ice. Winter offers great fishing opportunities and snow-kissed fun for the dedicated boater with access to open water - and who's not afraid of the cold.
Cold weather saps battery power. A battery loses 30 percent of its charge at freezing temperature (32F/0C). Keep your battery charged to avoid frustration when starting your motor. Also, watch for water in your fuel. Warm days followed by cold days cause condensation, which can contaminate your fuel. If you'll be using your boat over the winter, change your fuel/water separators and filters before cold weather sets in, as David Meeler of Yamaha Outboards advises. Adding a
Some folks are lucky to live in kind climates with warm temperatures year round. Here in the upper midwestern USA, we know winter is on the way, but the end of summer doesn't spell the end of boating season. As the leaves and temperatures start to fall, we bundle up and boat on!
Despite all the jokes revolving around beer-soaked boat rides, boats and booze don't always mix well. Having an alcoholic drink or two is all right if you're not the one at the helm, but even for passengers, overindulgence on the water isn't wise for safety's sake. Alcohol slows down reflexes and can play havoc with your balance. If you choose to drink alcohol while on the boat, please don't drive or operate any watercraft. It's not only dangerous, but also illegal. Don't let a bad decision ruin a good time.
With the right boat and a wake surfboard, the surf’s up whenever you want! No one knows for sure who was the first brave soul to try surfing a boat's wake, but the sport has come a long way since the 1960s, with specially-designed boats and boards.
Summer! It's finally time for long, sunny days, warm weather - and storms, which can cause more damage than just wet clothes and dampened spirits. Strong winds can whip up waves to dangerous heights, and lightning can be lethal.
Fact: you are 45 times more likely to lose your life to a rip current than a shark attack. We don't have sharks in our part of the world, but the dangerous currents of the Great Lakes are even more deadly. Twelve people perished in Lake Michigan just over Labor Day weekend, and two deaths occurred in Kenosha Harbor in the first week of September.
Save 10% on all boat propellers through July 22, 2018!
Before every outing, inspect your propeller(s). You can file out small nicks and burrs yourself, and bent edges can be fixed by carefully straightening them with a pair of crescent wrenches. Serious mangling needs professional attention from your local prop shop.
Save 10% on all watersports equipment through July 8, 2018!
You haven't lived the lake life until you've been tubing. Getting wet, catching air, and wiping out - it's all part of the fun. Like any activity in and around water, safety must come first. Sadly, it's all too easy for carelessness to turn a day on the water into a tragedy.
Nowadays, steering a boat doesn't require much thought; the boat goes where you turn the wheel. Those of us who use an outboard motor know that steering with a tiller is not like steering a car. You want the rudder to point the way you want to go, which means pointing the tiller in the opposite direction. After the invention of the ship's wheel about 1703, the transition from rudder orders to wheel orders was not without difficulty, and sometimes resulted in tragedy.
Spring is just 48 days away! We can't wait until it's warm enough to get the boat back in the water, and we're already thinking of ways to spend our boating time with our families. From maintenance chores to the thrill of wakeboarding, boat ownership offers lots of opportunities for kids of all ages to participate in the boating life.
