As boating season approaches, it's the perfect time to practice and improve your boat handling skills. Knowledge is power, after all.
Follow these five boat-handling tips to ensure you're ready for safe and enjoyable boating adventures.
How to Improve Your Boating Skills Before Boating Season
1. Enroll in Boating Safety Courses
Most states require boat owners and operators to undergo formal educational training or even a boating license.
If you haven't already, sign up for a boating safety course from top-notch organizations on our Boat Safety Courses, Education & Training page.
If you want to start immediately, you can also study some of our step-by-step boat handling guides here on Discover Boating. We cover all the basics:
2. Practice Your Navigation Skills
If there's a secluded beach you've been dying to anchor off of, map out your route now. This way, you'll be even more confident when you cast off the lines.
Check your nautical charts or a marine navigation app for water depths, submerged obstacles, or other potential difficulties.
Marine Navigation: How to Navigate a Boat
3. Check Your Onboard Equipment
Start with life jackets. Now's the time to ensure buckles and seams are intact and that the flotation devices don't have holes. Also, ensure your kids haven't outgrown the life jackets they used last summer.
Boat Essentials: What Supplies Do I Need on My Boat?
4. Learn Your Boating Knots
Tying oneself up in knots is a good thing in this case. Can you tell a cleat hitch from a clove hitch?
Get familiar with all the basic boating knots.
Then, keep some spare line by the TV or your favorite chair to ensure you keep practicing.
5 Basics Boating Knots for Beginners
5. Ask for Advice
Lastly, ask for specific help to improve your boat-handling skills—and do it well before the spring launch.
- Is there a fellow slip holder at your marina who always seems to know what to do?
- Do you have a friend or family member who's been boating for years that could show you the ropes?
- How about the dealer who sold you your boat? Have you reached out with questions about your boat?
