For a strong majority of people, summer boating is the best. Warm temperatures, warm water, and warmer sun makes for a great time on the water. However, for plenty of folks, cold weather boating is great, too. Brisk, even cool autumn temperatures, the sight of the leaves onshore, the fact that you’re probably going to have more of the water to yourself — that can make for a truly memorable boating experience. Of course, our site is primarily concerned with vessel documentation and USCG form, but we always want our customers to stay warm when they’re boating during cold temperatures, too.
Dressing Appropriately
The key to staying warm in cold weather is layered clothing. However, the most important thing to wear when boating, no matter what, is your personal flotation device. The two things to keep in mind about them: make sure that it fits, and make sure that you wear it on the outside, too. In cold temperatures, it can be tempting to wear it underneath some of your heavier layers, as it seems like it could keep you warmer, but that’s not the case. As hypothermia is always a threat during cold weather boating, you always want to have your life jacket on, and you want to have it on the outside of your clothing.
Checking the Boat
Depending on how cold it is, you want to check to make sure that there’s no ice on the steering cables, fuel lines or bilge pump. You’re also going to want to look for ice on the mast, decks, antennae, or anything else that might be visible on your vessel. Get rid of it if you see it, as folks could slip, or it could even alter your boat’s center of balance. Be sure that your navigation lights work, too. Most people don’t really focus on them unless they’re going to be operating their vessel at night, but they can be important during the winter months, too. See, they can help to increase your visibility not just at night, but in the sleet, rain or even the falling snow. Make sure your signal flares are all up to date, too. If you don’t have them on your vessel already, storing some blankets on your boat can’t hurt, too.
One Place for USCG Form
We always recommend leaving the alcohol on the shore. In cold weather, you want to have water for people to drink, but you might also want to have some hot beverages on the ship, too. Can’t go wrong with something like coffee, or even hot chocolate. That can help to make cold-weather boating even better. Now that you know some of what you need what to stay safe and cozy during cold weather boating, we can help you to have all of the different kinds of vessel documentation you need to stay in compliance. You can find every necessary USCG form at our site. If you have any questions about boat documentation, you can head to our site or call us at (866) 981-8783.