Marine Accessories

While the first official day of summer is still a few weeks away, the weather is nice, the water is warm, and now is the perfect time to begin all those fun summer activities. Inflatable water sports are some of the most enjoyable summer activities, and it can be a lot of fun getting out on the water a few weekends before all the lakes and beaches are crowded. Whether it’s a rousing game of water volleyball, or being pulled behind a boat in an inflatable inner tube, water sports can be a whole lot of fun. However, it’s still important to be safe, especially when it comes to children. When pulling a child in an inner tube, always ensure that they’re wearing a life vest. While it’s unlikely the child will fall off, it’s still important for them to be prepared just in case. It’s also important to ensure the tow rope is secured to the boat, and that the rider has a firm grip on the line, or that it is secured to the inner tube. 

Make sure to have a flagger in place just in case the rider goes down, and that the flagger knows the signals to indicate a downed rider in the water. This will ensure that other boats don’t travel in the area and hit the rider by mistake. 

There are a number of simple practices that can improve boat engine performance and fuel economy on the water. For example, it’s important to scrape the hull of the boat on a regular basis. When barnacles, grit, and other particles build up on the hull, it can make the boat move at a much slower pace, as the drag is increased. It’s also important to perform regular checks of the boat propeller. Throughout their lifetime, most boat propellers will scrape on a rock or the bottom a few times; it’s unavoidable. Thus it’s important to inspect the boat propeller for chips and cracks. Even a small chip or a little damage can have a big impact on engine performance. Make sure to perform regular maintenance on the engine or outboard, and also be sure to winterize the engine during the off-season.

 Though it might sound a little intuitive, the weight of the boat also affects how fast it can move on the water. Make sure that excess supplies, equipment, and gear don’t build up inside the boat, as this will weigh it down and cause a decrease in performance. Make sure if a lot of people are in the boat that the cruising speed is adjusted accordingly, and remember not to push the engine too hard. 

If you are new to boating or even if you grew up on the water you should always use caution and learn some basic tips for boating safety. The safer you make boating the better time you and the whole family will have.

Make sure you have one life vest per person on the boat and one throwable floatation device and all must be coast guard approved. If the boat is going down do you have a life vest close by for you and everyone on the boat? If not you are already breaking the law in some waters and playing a very stupid and unsafe game. Invest in Coast Guard approved life vests.

Always fill out a float plan about your boat trip before leaving the dock and leave a copy with someone who will not be going on the trip with you. You can get a float plan template from the Coast Guard website or make up one of your own. A float plan details the time you are setting sail, where you are going, who is on the boat, the name of the boat and other information the Coast Guard will need in the event they need to find you. It takes less than 10 minutes to fill one out but could mean the world of a difference.

You may not be planning on staying out until it is dark, but you never know what could happen. Check all the lights on your boat to make sure they are working properly. You do not want to get caught out in the dark with no lights. It is unsafe, stupid and you would be breaking the law.

Pack extra maps, flares, a whistle, first aid kit, and an extra hand held radio or CB. In the event of an emergency you want to make sure you have extra supplies that could mean the difference in a making a bad situation better or worse. Maps in case you go down the wrong river, a whistle in case your boat’s horn is not working properly, first aid kit for injuries, and the extra radio in case the one your boat has stops working. Always abide by murphy’s law, and that is anything that can go wrong, will.

Monitor the weather for the day you will be out on the water. If they are calling for a good chance of rain of severe weather conditions do not risk it. Stay off the water that day. If it turns out to be a nice day, then oh well, at least you are safe. Tomorrow will always be another opportunity to enjoy the water.

Boating is meant to be an enjoyable experience and fool of fun for the friends and family. When you do not exercise caution it could turn into a deadly disaster. Whenever in doubt about a situation always be conservative and use common sense. If rough water conditions make you nervous or unsure about yourself or your abilities then it is best to stay off the water that day. Take the necessary steps to not endanger yourself or those that are on your watercraft.

Innertubing is one of the most enjoyable water activities for children and people who are not balance inclined.  Innertubing is fun, and when the proper precautions are taken, is also much safer than waterskiing or wakeboarding.  For innertubing, you will need at least three people, one person driving the boat, one person flagging, and one person being pulled in the innertube.  The person flagging is necessary to alert other boaters when the innertuber is down in the water, and also alert the driver in case the innertuber asks for the boat to be stopped.  You’ll also need a special tow rope to pull the innertube; the strength of a regular rope isn’t enough to support an innertube. 

With the proper safety measures, you’re sure to have an entire day of fun innertubing with your family and friends.  Remember to let the driver have a chance now and then too (if they’ll let someone else drive their boat!).  

Boating is the type of sport that people spend alot of time doing.  Most boaters use up an free time to take the boat out and cannot wait for the weekends.  There are so many activities that can be done on a boat, which keeps the sport exciting and entertaining.

It is important to have the luxuries that you normally have on land with you on the boat.  Freestyle Audio has a waterproof MP3 player that is submergible up to 10 feet and comes with waterproof earbuds.

While boating over the last weekend I was amazed at how many boats do not have Trim Tabs, I can tell the boats that do not have Trim Tabs as it takes them a long time to get on plane and their ride is not as smooth as it should be.

Boating should be a fun experience both for the driver and the participants.  Having a smooth ride in a boat will make it more enjoyable.  No one likes to get sea sick!  Make sure that you are using Bennet Trim Tabs so that you can enjoy your boating experience.

The first question to ask when considering what type of tow rope to purchase is how valuable whatever you are towing behind your boat really is.  Ski ropes are constructed to withstand consistent loads, while tube ropes will slacken and tauten quickly without control over either.  Some ropes of either type have handles that cannot be removed, which may also be a factor in your choice.

One of the more common causes of fatalities or serious injuries in water sports involve broken or malfunctioning tow ropes.  WSIA, the governing body of the water sports industry, has done extensive testing and research to determine the standard recommended tensile strengths for water sports tow ropes, which are 3,350 pounds of break strength for 3 people or less; 4,100 pounds break strength for four people or less; and 6,000 pounds of break strength for 6 people or less.  Tow ropes may also not be 20 feet or less in length.

Boating has been a family growing sport starting in the early 1900’s (the young man in the picture is not from the 1900’s) and is growing at a very fast pace all over the world.  Many of the boats that are being used today are running with damaged parts such as propellers which is not good for the boat and even worse the economics of the boat will not be good.