Browsing: BoatUS

Cruising Life
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Heading Offshore? Rent an EPIRB from BoatUS

There’s no doubt that an EPIRB could save your life if you have a problem while cruising offshore. But new ones are expensive. BoatUS now offers an affordable program where you can rent one for $65 a week, plus $25 for shipping. Read about it here: SPRINGFIELD, Va., March 25, 2024 – The majority of the nation’s nearly 12 million recreational boaters don’t often travel far offshore, beyond cellular or VHF range. But for those who only do on a rare occasion, having an Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon (EPIRB) is important, allowing you to summon rescuers if there’s a…

Cruising Life
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How To Prepare for a Hurricane: BoatUS

Hurricane season has now started, but are you ready yet? Here’s a trove of information from BoatUS about how to make your boat ready: SPRINGFIELD, Va., May 30, 2023 – Arlene, Bret, Cindy, Don and Emily are the first five names NOAA will deploy for incoming storms this Atlantic hurricane season that began June 1 and runs through November 30. However, with researchers from Colorado State University predicting 13 named storms – six officially hurricanes with winds of 74 mph or greater – boaters in storm-affected parts of the country may be meeting Margot, too. The BoatUS Hurricane Center from…

Cruising Life
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5 Ways To Summon Help: BoatUS

National Safe Boating Week is coming up (starting May 21), and BoatUS is taking the occasion to remind everyone about how they can be seen, and heard, if they run into trouble this summer. Here are their five tips that can help you summon help if you need it: VHF Radio – A VHF (Very High Frequency) radio is the most reliable way to communicate with other boats and emergency responders on most waterways. New Digital Selective Calling (DSC) radios with a red distress button can even send an emergency call and other important information such as your location to…

Cruising Life
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Top Ten Videos of The Year: Boat US

Here are the Top 10 Videos that BoatUS added in 2022. Take a look: 1. How to Back a Boat Trailer 90 Degrees Into a Driveway 2. New Disposable Fire Extinguisher Regulations 3. What’s the Difference Between Outboard Trim & Tilt? 4. This One Secret Will Improve Your Boat Docking 1000% 5. Master the Pivot Turn in a Single Engine Outboard Boat 6. Tie a Bowline Knot 7. How to Coil Rope or Line 8. Tie a Boat Fender Using a Clove Hitch 9. Dock a Twin Engine Powerboat 10. Do This One Thing After Every Boat Outing View these…

Charter
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BoatUS and The Moorings Forming BVI Flotilla

BoatUS and The Moorings just announced that they’re forming a new cruising flotilla in the British Virgin Islands next May. In normal (non-pandemic) years, The Moorings hosts a week-long BoatUS Flotilla in the BVI, where BoatUS members can charter power and sail boats to cruise as a group through some of the best cruising grounds in the world. The next flotilla will be from May 20-27, and will include stops at some of the BVI’s most popular destinations. A flotilla offers a feeling of security for people who may not have a lot of charter experience. There’s safety in numbers,…

Cruising Life
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Beware of Ethanol This Summer: BoatUS

SPRINGFIELD, Va., April 18, 2022 – There’s been a lot of pain at the pump lately with gas prices. The Biden administration’s April 12 move to give a waiver from the Clean Air Act to allow the sale of gasoline containing 15% ethanol (E15) during the summer months is intended to lower costs and stretch the nation’s fuel supply. However, Boat Owners Association of The United States (BoatUS) says the unintended consequence of the waiver could inadvertently put a harmful fuel prohibited for use in recreational vessels into your boat’s gas tank. BoatUS notes recreational vessels are never compatible with…

Cruising Life
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5 Tips To Keep Your Boat Safe This Winter

Here are some important tips from BoatUS about how to keep your boat safe and protected this winter: SPRINGFIELD, VA., Jan. 24, 2022 – Storms have hammered the U.S., and many recreational boats are sleeping away the winter under a layer of ice and snow. If you store your boat outside and haven’t checked up on her lately, Boat Owners Association of The United States (BoatUS) has five tips for a midwinter checkup that could help prevent an insurance claim, help keep you safe, and also make spring commissioning easier. If your boat is stored in the water over the…

Cruising Life
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New Holiday Gifts for Safe Boating from BoatUS

It’s that time of the year again. What to give your favorite boat owner, or crew? Here are some great ideas about holiday gifts that will keep everyone on board safe for years to come.  ANNAPOLIS, Md., Nov. 12, 2021 – Bulky, square orange life vests have given way to more comfortable belt- or harness-style inflatable floatation devices, yet many recreational boaters still carry only the former aboard. Are boaters up-to-date on today’s newest technology-inspired boating safety gear? With the holidays around the corner, the nonprofit BoatUS Foundation for Boating Safety and Clean Water offers a buying guide for technology…

Cruising Life
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Winterizing Facts & Myths from BoatUS

SPRINGFIELD, Va., Sept. 27, 2021 – Recreational boat owners are preparing their boats for a long winter’s nap, but sugarplums aren’t dancing in their heads. What may keep them up at night is hoping cold temperatures won’t damage their boats. Freshwater expands in volume by about 9% when it freezes and can push outward with a force of tens of thousands of pounds per square inch, cracking engine blocks, damaging fiberglass, splitting hoses and waterlines, and destroying refrigeration systems. Boat Owners Association of The United States’ (BoatUS) marine insurance provider, GEICO, shares that boaters often don’t become aware of the…

Cruising Life
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More People Boating, More Boating Accidents

Many more people were boating last year, during the pandemic, including many who were boating for the first time. The result, according to the Coast Guard: about 25 percent more deaths, and 26 percent more accidents, than the year before. Now, BoatUS has looked into the reasons behind the statistics. The top five: Operator inattention, operator inexperience, improper lookout, excessive speed, and machinery failure. Read the BoatUS report here: ANNAPOLIS, Md., July 16, 2021 – The U.S. Coast Guard recently released the 2020 Recreational Boating Statistics, and reports of accidents, fatalities and injuries were significantly up over the prior year.…

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