Preparing Your Boat For a Trip to the Lake
Boating is a rewarding pastime, especially now that summer is here. You can cruise around a lake in the sunshine with your family, enjoying the views and the tranquility of the experience. But in order to ensure you have a good time and that you’re safe, you’ll need to do a bit of prep work first.
Hampton Watercraft & Marine, with locations in Hampton Bays and Eastport, is your Eastern Long Island boat dealer. Here are some of the steps you’ll want to take to prepare yourself, your boat and your passengers for a fun afternoon at the lake.
Gather Documentation
You don’t want to go out on the water without all the documentation you may need. Even if you’re out at the lake for a few hours, you need to have your boat’s paperwork with you in a secure location like a waterproof pouch or folio in a storage compartment or safe. Items to bring include your license, registration and insurance papers. You’ll also want to have your own identification in the form of a driver’s license or passport. It’s wise to have photocopies of these boating documents in a secure place in your home in case they are damaged or lost.
Pack Extra Clothing
Temperatures out on the water tend to be several degrees cooler than they are on shore. Even if it’s a hot day, you’ll want to pack some extra layers, especially if you’ve got children on board, since they’re more likely to catch cold. Bring a few light sweaters or jackets and some fleece or wool blankets so that everyone can stay warm and cozy. For children, you may need to bring full changes of clothing, especially if they go swimming. In case of rain, you may want to have waterproof ponchos or rain slickers handy, too.
Prepare Snacks
Your passengers are likely to get hungry and thirsty after some time on the water, so it’s important to have some food handy. Bring a cooler with cold drinks like soda, juice or bottled water, along with sandwiches, string cheese, granola bars, crackers and other light snacks. Saltine crackers and ginger ale can help to resolve seasickness so make sure to have these on hand, too.
Bring Medical Supplies
Your boat should always be stocked with a first-aid kit that has supplies to address minor illnesses and injuries on the water. Some items you may wish to include are as follows: bandages, waterproof medical tape, tweezers, antibiotic cream, petroleum jelly, nail clippers, painkillers, motion-sickness medication, antacids, waterproof sunscreen and aloe vera. If any of your passengers require medications, bring those as well.
Protection from the sun is important, especially if your boat lacks a canopy. Everyone should wear UV sunglasses and wide-brimmed hats along with light long-sleeved shirts to reduce sunburn, while also applying sunscreen to exposed skin.
Stock Safety Gear
Make sure that you’ve packed necessary safety gear on your boat. You’ll want to have an emergency radio to call for rescue and your phone with its charger to stay connected to shore and check weather conditions. Your boat needs to have a fire extinguisher on it as well. Pack a waterproof map or chart of the area you’re in to go with your GPS unit so that you know where you are at all times.
Finally, your boat needs to have a throwable life ring to toss at people who fall overboard and every passenger should wear a well-fitted personal flotation device (PFD), otherwise known as a life jacket.
Searching for a boat dealer near Eastport? Browse our website to see our full selection of new and used boats for sale near you at our Hampton Bays and Eastport locations. Hampton Watercraft & Marine proudly serves all of our New York customers in and around Eastern Long Island.