Boating Safety (89)

Several people in the front of a boat, boat weight limits concept.

What Does a Boat's Capacity Plate Indicate?

Safe, enjoyable boating comes from paying attention to the details, from ensuring your passengers wear the right life jackets to understanding how a boat performs in different conditions. One of the most essential considerations on the water is whether you're overloading your vessel. Boat operators need…

Orange sound horns on top of a boat, ship horn signals concept.

Ship Horn Signals: What They Mean for Boaters

Responsible boating requires more than safety equipment—maritime communication skills are essential as well. In addition to navigating your journey, wearing a life jacket, and packing a first aid kit, you must be comfortable with ship horn signals. You may need to use ship horn signals…

Boats moving toward and away from an inlet, avoiding a boat accident concept.

How to Avoid a Boat Accident

If you want to learn how to avoid a boat accident and injuries on the water, dive into cases from the past where things went wrong. We have decades of data to learn from. These stats tell us: How do we know this? For 66…

Two people in kayak near icebergs, cold weather boating safety concept.

Cold Weather Boating Safety Tips: How to Stay Warm

Boating in cold weather adds to risks on the water, but taking proper precautions can help protect you and your passengers from hypothermia. Life jackets, a means of contacting help in an emergency, and a good understanding of how to dress for the weather can all…

Boat on the water at dusk, how to file a float plan concept.

What Should a Boater Do With a Float Plan?

When you're headed out for a day on the water, there's a lot to think about—including filing a float plan. If you're highly confident in your abilities and have sufficient safety equipment on your vessel, you might assume you don't need to bother with a float…