All The In’s and Out’s of Boating: A Blog

Here are some tips on what to do in an emergency to make repairs:

1.     If your engine stalls, start from the obvious and work toward the more complicated solution.

o  Do you have fuel?

o  Have you run aground?

o  Has the propeller fouled with line?

o  Is the engine overheated due to no water flow?
 

    2.     Should you have a broken drive belt and not have a spare you can fashion one temporarily from some small line, the draw string from a bathing suit or a pair of ladies hose. Tie the ends together tightly with a square knot.

    3.     If you are losing engine oil, find the leak, catch the oil in a container and continue to pour back into the engine until you can fix the leak.

    4.     You can repair a broken hose or pipe with rags or a tee shirt tied tightly with a line or a belt. Or duct tape may work.

    5.     If you find you are taking on water, first find the source. You should carry on board assorted sizes of tapered wooden plugs or bungs. If the water is coming from a through hull opening or small hole use the appropriate plug to jam into the opening. If the hole is large, use pillows, clothing, or blankets to stuff the damaged area.

Many people enjoy participating in water activities for recreational purposes. One of these recreational activities may be to take a trip on a boat. However, many people may experience sea sickness while on a boat, and this can quickly end up causing a luxury trip to turn into a nightmare. A lot of people may not realize that they will experience sea sickness until they actually experience. Then, there are people who have traveled on a boat frequently, and do not ever experience, yet may experience it in the future. Sea sickness results in the fact that the inner ear experiences a large amount of activity when waves and water move the boat around. This can lead to flu-like symptoms that can make any boat trip unbearable. Here, you will find many useful tips on how to prevent sea sickness while boating.

Medication

If you will be traveling on a boat, you should consult your doctor or local pharmacist for any medication that may be available for sea sickness just in case it is experienced. This is a great way to prevent sea sickness while on a boat. Even if you have never experienced sea sickness before, it is a good step to take. This way, if you start to experience sea sickness while on a boat, you can take medication to stop it. You may even consider taking the medication prior to taking a trip on a boat in order to prevent any possible sea sickness.

Hydration

It is important that you remain properly hydrated in order to prevent sea sickness while traveling on a boat. This has been proven to be an effective means of prevention with sea sickness. It is important that you avoid beverages that contain caffeine and alcohol as these types of drinks can actually lead to dehydration and increase your chances of experiencing sea sickness while on a boat.

Small Meals

It is extremely important that you eat a small, healthy meal prior to traveling on a boat in order to prevent sea sickness. Many people choose to stick to something simple, such as a bowl of soup and a few crackers. Once you are on the boat for a while, you will be able to tell if you will experience sea sickness or not. If things are looking good, then you can indulge in eating something a little heavier. However, you should ensure that you are certain that you are not feeling sick in any way before doing so.

Candy

When traveling on a boat, you may want to consider taking an assortment of hard candy to suck on. This will assist in any type of nausea that you may experience as a result of sea sickness while on a boat.

Focus

Many people focus on the moving and rolling waves while traveling on a boat and then become sick with sea sickness. It is very important that you focus more on other things, such as the horizon and the sky. This will help to keep the sea sickness while traveling on a boat to a minimum.

Sometimes boating terminology can get lost on beginners, so lets look at some of the most common boats and what they’re called.

Bass/Fishing Boat

These boats are exactly what the name implies.  They are meant to be used for fishing.  Most fishing boats are powered by outboard motors, and many also have a trolling motor mounted on the bow.

Bass boats can be made of aluminum or fiberglass.  Aluminum is lighter and easier to maneuver thus requiring a smaller motor than would be required of a fiberglass boat.  An aluminum boat is easier to transport and requires a smaller vehicle when towing on a trailer.

The most common size of fishing boats range between 16 and 20 feet long and provide anywhere between 50 and 200 horse power in the motors.  Almost all will have bait and fish well for storing your catch as well as separate compartments to store rods, reels, and tackle.

Aluminum bass boats can be a little cheaper than the fiberglass variety with prices between $7,000 and $30,000 new depending on the package you choose.  The most popular size of aluminum fishing boats is 17 feet with a 50 horsepower motor.

Pontoon Boats

These are great boats to choose when you like to enjoy leisurely boating with a lot of people.  They are lightweight vessels designed to make maximum use of space.  They have wide open decks with lots of seating so they can accommodate large numbers of people.

Pontoon boats have a variety of uses.  You can use them for fishing, cruising, and over night trips.  Depending on the size of motor you have, it’s not uncommon to be able to use a pontoon boat for skiing or tubing as well.

These boats are very appealing to new boating enthusiasts because they are usually lower priced than other boats and they have a variety of uses.  They are easy to customize to your unique needs as they are made in a variety of models.

If you love boating and want to share that love with others, why not join our boating blog? It’s easy, fun, and lets you pass on your experiences to others who might enjoy the same things. Being a boating blogger is simple. Here are some tips to get you started.

When you start, introduce yourself. Be careful not to reveal too much personal information such as your last name, a specific address, or things like that. You will have all sorts of people viewing your web site – even bad ones – so be careful what you tell people.

Take some pictures of your boat. Tell us a little bit about it. Why not give us a description of your boat from a first person viewpoint that could to be quite interesting. Tell about her features, what her name is, and where she likes to go.

A good post will have a personalized touch speaking from experience. Write about places you’ve been on your boat and what you recommend (or don’t recommend) to others as far as boating destinations. You may also want to write about your dream boating trip as well as places you want to go to in the future.

By all means, share your boating expertise in our blog! Have you learned a valuable lesson about boating safety? Got a tip on engine maintenance? Know about a great, secret place you want to tell others about? Write about it!

Consider putting an e-mail link in your blog. You never know who you might meet!

You don’t have to be a professional writer to start and we will maintain this boating blog. All you need is a love of boating and desire to share what you know. This boating blog can become a modern day captain’s logs.

Join us today

Whether you believe it or not, there really is a new trend in boating communities – naked boating. Now this isn’t something that occurs on every lake or river in the world, but it is happening mostly as an extension of the nudist lifestyle. Advocates of naked boating say that there is nothing better than being on a boat au natural and feeling the sun warm every part of the body without the encumberment of a swim suit.

There are thousands of people all over the United States who embrace nudism as a lifestyle. They allow this to spill over into their recreational activities as well which is why naked boating has become the way to go for many nudists. European people are not as paranoid about showing their naked bodies, so naked boating in European or Caribbean destinations is especially popular.

If you think that naked boating might be something you may want to try, we must warn you first. There are laws in many states that prohibit showing a naked body in a public place. That includes public waterways. Check with your state’s regulations before stripping down.

You may want to find a secluded place to drop anchor while you try naked boating. There are usually private coves and out-of-the-way portions of even the busiest lakes and rivers that can give you the privacy you want on a public waterway. Just be sure that you are alone before you show what God gave you.

You may want to check out a number of naked boating cruises that are available. Some boating companies specialize in naked cruises and they often travel to some pretty exotic locations. They tend to be affordable and because you will be with other people who love naked boating, you won’t be self-conscious at all if it’s your first time.

Many people like to also participate in water sports naked as well. Some say that there’s nothing better than diving into cool waters to go snorkeling or scuba diving. But, of course, you have to be a little careful of the marine life or else you could find some of your personal spaces a little violated!

If you are someone who enjoys naked boating and you will be having guests on your boat with you, please respect the other people’s comfort levels. If they are not nudists like you, consider giving them a heads up before the trip or keep yourself covered for everyone’s comfort. Naked boating can be a liberating experience, and if it’s what you want, by all means take it off. Just make sure you are doing so legally!

No family vacation is quite as fun and interesting as a house boating vacation. If you are lucky enough to own a house boat, that’s wonderful. However, most people can’t afford the luxury of a house boat. That’s why if you’re interested in house boating, you’ll want to look into renting one.

House boats are amazing vessels with all the comforts of home. They have separate sleeping quarters, a galley (kitchen), and even bathroom facilities. Many house boats even have microwaves and televisions.

When you begin researching your house boating rental, there are a few factors to keep in mind. First, make sure it can handle the amount of people who will be along on the house boating vacation. If you have a family of 6 and there’s only sleeping for 4, you’ll be awfully cramped.

Be sure that the place you rent from gives you a boating course before you get out on the water. You will most likely be captaining your own boat, and if you have no house boating experience, you’ll need a crash course for safety, if nothing else!

Make sure you know whether or not fuel costs are included in the rental price. If you will be responsible for buying your own gas, you will want to know ahead of time so you can budget. Also, ask for a copy of the insurance policy on the boat. You may have to add a temporary rider to your own insurance to be covered, so that’s a good question to ask.

When you are on your house boating vacation, take the time to enjoy where you are at. That means you should by all means stop along the way and take advantage of the shoreline sights and offerings. For example, if there’s a beach along the way, drop anchor and enjoy the sun and sand for a day.

Some house boat rental places will also rent water equipment to you like jet skis. If you will be towing them behind, be sure you know about safety concerns that need to be adhered to. Many companies will also let you tow boats behind so you can enjoy whatever area you decide to dock up to.

Rates for house boating rentals are about what you would pay for a land locked rental like a condo. Depending on where you are, rentals for the week can run anywhere from $1,000 to $5,000. If you want a larger craft, you will, obviously, pay a little more. Just consider what nightly motel rental is and multiply out the cost. You won’t have restaurant costs when house boating because it has a kitchen you can stock for your entire trip.

House boating can be an immensely enjoyable experience for you and your family. Vacationing really can be leisurely and fun. For your next getaway, try house boating and know why so many people enjoy it!

Welcome to “All the Ins and Outs of Boating Blog”. This is our first post. Join us and start blogging! Everyone welcome.

Brought to you by WWW.BoatingInsideOut.com