Your Phone, A Boat Tool

Are you the type of smartphone user that downloads a new app every day? Perhaps you're the opposite and you've only downloaded the few you need to get by. (Though you should make sure to have Facebook, Twitter and Google+ to keep up with us on the go!) But now, turn your attention to your nautical side and consider a few apps that can enhance your favorite hobby: boating.


New and experienced boaters alike can learn from the Boater’s Pocket Reference, an app chock full of information like U.S. and Canadian navigation rules, tips on boat handling, how to tie marine knots and much more. When your boat is out of the water, you can refer to Boater’s Pocket Reference for information on trailering and regular maintenance. Visual learners will appreciate the variety of charts, graphs and illustrations throughout the app that makes the content extremely easy to understand. While the app isn’t free – in fact, it’s $4.99 – it is highly ranked by iPhone users and includes a search function so you can quickly and easily find the information you need, right when you need it.


Keep your finger on the pulse of current weather and tide forecasts with the NOAA Buoy and Tide Data app, which accesses data from NOAA’s National Data Buoy Center. You can search for buoys by name or location and view a range of weather data, including wind speed, gusts and pressure. Tide predictions are also included, as are moon phases. The app is very reasonably priced at $1.99.


If, heaven forbid, something goes wrong on your next voyage, the free Sea Tow app can come to your rescue. You can contact their 24 hour dispatch center through the app, a handy feature if your VHF radio is on the fritz. In addition, the app contains tide and forecast information, and you can save up to seven locations for continued weather monitoring. Finally, the app features a compass and speedometer so you can always pinpoint your location on a map.


But before you can use any of these apps, you need to get your boat into the water. That’s where Boat Ramps comes in. This (free!) app allows you to search for ramps near your location, by zip code or by city. Once you’ve chosen a ramp, the app will provide you with directions. Reviews for the app, however, lament that it doesn’t provide more information about ramps, like fees (or lack thereof), restroom facilities or bait shops.

What are your favorite boating apps? How has your smart phone enhanced your boating experience, on and/or off the water?

Winterizing Tips and Tricks

Like it or not, it's reaching that time of year where us boaters tuck away our watercraft and dream of warmer days. Let it be clear: we are by no means encouraging you to put away your boat this weekend. But when you're ready to winterize, here are some tips and tricks you should keep in mind.

1. Treat your battery like a princess.
Batteries are what you need to get going each time you crank that engine, so make sure you give them a little TLC before tucking them away for the winter. Charge the battery, and then remove the negative cable. Let it rest for several hours before checking its status. If using a voltmeter, a fully charged battery should read 12.5 volts. While you wait for spring, check the charge monthly. Also, don't believe that myth that tells you that storing batteries on a concrete floor shortens their lives!

2. Make sure your tarp stays put.
Sharp edges and things that stick out wear holes through tarps. Prevent this by covering sharp places with strips of old carpet or rags, and use duct tape to secure them. When tying down the tarp, crossing lines under the boat works, but that makes it tough to get inside the boat throughout the winter. An alternative is to fill one-gallon jugs with sand and hang them from the tarp. When you need to get into your boat, just lift a jug or two to remove the tension. To prevent those sags that hold water and rip, use a stepladder, placing it on the deck to support the low spot. Stretch a big cotton T-shirt over outboard cowls to protect glossy finishes from flapping tarps. Hate the residents that move into your boat over the winter? A battery-powered AM radio left tuned to a talk station will deter creatures from shacking up.

3.  Make a list, check it twice.
Use a handy dandy checklist like this one from iBoats to make sure you follow all of the necessary steps while winterizing your boat. You don't want to get distracted and miss a key step, only to regret it in the spring!

When are you winterizing your boat? What are some winterizing tricks you like to make use of every winter?

Are You a Green Boater?

The phrase “green boater” might evoke one of two images in your mind: one of a poor landlubber clutching the side of a boat, miserably seasick, and the other of a boating rookie struggling on his maiden voyage, unable to dock his new vessel or tie a good knot.

But there is a third type of “green boater” you may not have considered before, one that is neither affected by rough waters or new to boating. This kind of green boater is the eco-conscious boater, who makes sure that he treats the valuable water resources we use with care. Green boating does not require an entire lifestyle change and can make a positive impact on surrounding waters and wildlife, as well as reduce the chance of damage to your boat and engine. If each of the 22 million registered recreational boaters in the United States took more interest in being a green boater, pollution levels and water health might be dramatically better.

Here are a few easy ways to become a green boater:

1. Don’t throw it, stow it: Don’t throw your trash overboard. Instead, stow it somewhere on board so you can easily dispose of your trash next time you make landfall. Remember, if you wouldn’t swim in it, don’t put it in the water! Further, there are federal regulations on the type of waste that can enter the water. Make sure you are familiar with these laws as well.

2. Spill-proof your fueling practices: Prevent fuel spills by carefully and slowly filling fuel tanks and by using absorbent pads or rags to catch drips and spills. Don't top off or overflow your fuel tank. Leave five percent empty to allow fuel to expand as it warms. Remember: using detergent to disperse an oil spill or sheen is illegal!

3. Rinse and dry your boat before trailering: Aquatic hitchhikers are harmful plants and animals that ride your boat from one body of water from another. When introduced into new water, they can damage existing organisms and change the ecosystem. They can also damage your equipment, so make sure that your boat is hitchhiker-free before leaving the ramp.

Have you added these or other green boating practices into your routine? Where or when do you think boaters should especially focus on being green?