Browsing: BoatUS

Cruising Life
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What Boaters Want: The Top Ten Videos of 2018 from BoatUS

Here’s a fun story from BoatUS about their most popular videos last year. The top ten list starts with anchoring, and ends with maintenance. Here’s the list: 1.How To Drop and Retrieve Your Anchor: Eric Sorenson shows how to drop anchor for a nice afternoon in calm conditions. 2.How To Dock a Twin–Engine Outboard in a Really Tight Slip: Lenny Rudow shows stress-free techniques for backing into the worst slip in the marina. 3.Five Outboard Maintenance Jobs Most People Forget. Sean Stahl, a Yamaha technician, explains five often-overlooked outboard maintenance jobs. 4.How To Make a Fender Board To Protect Your…

Cruising Life
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New Problem with E15: Finding the Warning Labels at the Pump

It’s not news that E15 is a problem for marine gas engines. In fact, it voids many marine engine warranties, the federal government prohibits its use in recreational boat engines, and the Environmental Protection Agency prohibits it for sale in many states during the summer months because it contributes to smog. But now it turns out that finding an E15 warning label on a gas pump can be an even bigger problem. (Question: Can you see the E15 warning label on this pump near Cedar Lake, Indiana, in the photo above? It took us a while, too. For the answer,…

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How To Recover Your Boat After a Hurricane: Best Tips from BoatUS

Here’s some great – and timely – advice from BoatUS about how to recover your boat after a hurricane: With the remnants of Hurricane Florence now on the way out to sea and high waters still posing a threat to some regions, boat owners are starting recovery efforts. The BoatUS Marine Insurance Catastrophe Team began field operations on Sunday, Sept 16, in the Carolinas. To help affected boat owners with the recovery effort, BoatUS offers these five tips to assist boaters in recovering their vessels and starting the salvage  process. 1.Get permission first. Never try to enter a storm-affected marina…

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Six Things to Check Now on Your Hurricane Insurance from BoatU.S.

The last thing you need is for a hurricane to damage your boat. Well, that’s not quite right. The last thing you really need is for a hurricane to damage your boat when you don’t have enough hurricane insurance. To keep that from happening, here’s a list of six things you need to know about insuring your boat in a hurricane zone from BoatU.S. This may be particularly important because the experts at Colorado State University have already predicted that this year’s Atlantic hurricane season could be worse than usual, with the possibility of 14 tropical storms and seven hurricanes.…

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This Checklist from BoatUS Makes Spring Commissioning Easy. Take Heed

It’s that time of the year again, and cruisers in northern climes are starting to get their boats ready for the water again. You probably already have your spring commissioning tasks down pat; at least you probably have a routine that works for you and your boat that you follow year after year. But it never hurts to have a checklist to follow. Here’s a thorough, easy-to-do spring commissioning checklist from BoatUS that will help you get your boat ready for a full and safe season ahead. SPRING COMMISSIONING CHECKLIST Before You Launch: Hose clamps should be inspected and replaced…

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BoatU.S. Offers New Online Course About How to Use AIS. See the Video

In a move designed to improve safe boating, BoatU.S. is offering a new online course about how to use AIS, the Automatic Identification System that tracks boat movements on a radar-like screen display. The course, “AIS Electronics for Boaters – See and Be Seen on the Water,” was developed by the BoatUS Foundation for Boating Safety and Clean Water and the United States Power Squadrons. The course is a blend of practical knowledge and technical know-how and is an easy way to get up to speed on AIS, the latest collision avoidance technology that is being used by more and…

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Now You Can Get Hurricane Updates from BoatUS App

BoatUS has created a timely feature to its free smartphone app. Now you can get storm and hurricane updates that are refreshed with every NOAA forecast. The app also features tide and marine forecasts, as well as access to your BoatUS membership or insurance information, if you’re a BoatUS member. Even if you’re not a member, you can still download the app to call for help on the water or to get its tide and weather forecasting features. But it’s the storm forecasting that’s most appealing now. “As the storm nears, you’ll get more frequent updates, or you can choose…

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