We took to Instagram last week asking what boating rules/ requests our friends and followers had on their boats and we had a lot of great responses to share. We know the only thing better than having a boat is having a friend with a boat! So friends... Here are the top 10 requests to keep the captain happy...
1. STAY SEATED - This was the most popular response. Not only for a safety perspective for the passenger but also to keep the view clear for the captain. Depending on the body of water or location it may also be the law to remain seated while the vessel is underway, check with your state boating laws.
2. FOOD AND DRINK- Bring enough food and drinks for yourself and to share. But don’t bring foods that will stain or ruin the interior of the boat. No Cheetos, No Doritos and No red drinks. Orange fingers will stain the interior and most certainly put a damper on the day. When available, use cups with lids so that drinks aren’t splashing about in the waves.
3. NO TRASH OVERBOARD - Absolutely nothing goes overboard, put all garbage in a garbage bag. We challenge you one step further to clean up any debris you see in the water to help keep our lake beautiful and clean.
4. SHOES - No shoes on board is a pretty standard in boating etiquette but every captain is different. Always remove your shoes unless otherwise instructed by the captain to keep the deck clean. This also means washing off sandy or dirty feet before boarding the boat.
5. SMOKING - Never light up on a boat unless the captain allows it. Boats are very expensive and getting repairs can take the boat out of service for weeks or even months. A burn hole in the seat or flooring is an expensive repair.
6. SUNSCREEN- Don’t spray sunscreen in the boat, apply all sunscreen before boarding. Sunscreen forms a film on the seats and can be tricky to remove. No one wants to be scrubbing seats after a day on the lake.
7. PERSONAL ITEMS - The less personal items the better. It’s best to ask the captain where to store your belongings as lose items can be hazardous blowing around while the boat is underway.
8. SAFETY - The captain should have enough life jackets on board for all passengers, if you aren’t a great swimmer or feel safer, put one on. No horse play... that means don’t stand on the seats, don’t throw items in or from the boat, don’t push passengers overboard, don’t swim near the motor while it’s running, don’t push any buttons or switches, and follow the captains instructions. If it starts with “Hey Y’all, watch this...” It’s probably a bad idea.
9. STATE BOATING LAWS- There were a lot of responses for safe boating that are covered in the laws of our state. If you are driving the boat, be sure to have your boaters license and know the laws. There were a lot of great ones like, not pulling tubers in the main channels, following the NO WAKE buoys, docking lights are for docking, you are responsible for your wake if it damages property and many more. Since I can’t cover all of the safety laws here, so please visit the state boating laws and be familiar with them before operating a vessel on any body of water.
10. DOCKING - Last but not least... Docking can be a little difficult and sometimes stressful. Remain quiet and seated while following all instructions from the captain. Take all of your belongings and trash with you to dispose of and ask the captain what else you can do to help, like unloading cooler, wiping down the boat, etc. You can offer to help with the gas expense as well. A helpful and respectful guest will always be welcome back
We hope that you found this post informative and will share with your boating friends. As always... thanks for reading! - UnSalted Waters
