How to Drive a Small Boat
Driving a small boat provides an exhilarating experience, much like driving a car for the first time. As with that first driving experience, there are rules to obey and facts to remember. The physical process of driving a boat is similar to that of driving a car, with a steering wheel to control direction and a throttle to control speed. The biggest difference you'll notice comes from the lack of brakes, meaning that you anticipate your need to slow down or stop.
Other People Are Reading
Instructions
-
-
1
Learn what the controls, knobs, levers, switches and dials make the boat do by asking instead of experimenting. Some are obvious, like the steering wheel. There are no brakes.
-
2
Turn the steering wheel to change directions. Look in the direction you plan to turn before you make the turn; there may be an object, a shoreline or another boat in your way.
-
-
3
Push the throttle--the vertical lever next to your hand--forward to go forward. Pull the throttle backward to go backward. Neutral is the middle position.
-
4
Observe the Navigational Rules. They apply to you as well as to big ships, and they are similar in many respects to the rules you observe while driving: keep right, if possible (Rule 14); yield the right of way to the boat on your right that's about to cross in front of you (Rule 15); don't cut in front of a boat you're passing (Rule 13); and act responsibly (Rule 2). Give sailboats and boats towing barges or other boats the right of way (Rule 18). Don't dart in front of large ships making their way up rivers or narrow channels: they don't have brakes, they can take two miles to stop and, because of the narrow channel, they can't turn. If your motor fails, leaving you stranded in front of them, you've made a grevious error in judgment. They may be sorry for you, but they'll be blameless in your demise.
-
5
Keep a good lookout. There are no roads, and other boats have as much right to be on the water as you do. While they don't have the right to run over you, they can come from any direction at any time, doing something stupid. If you see "a situation" developing, don't be afraid to slow down--or even come to a complete stop--to avoid meeting them under unpleasant circumstances.
-
1
Tips & Warnings
Go boating with an experienced boater and "learn the ropes" before setting out by yourself.
While boating is a wonderful hobby and the best of ways to use a summer afternoon, remember that the water is your enemy. It's capricious and its power can overwhelm the largest vessel afloat. It deserves your respect and suspicion.
Boating while intoxicated violates Federal law and the laws of every state.
References
- Photo Credit speed boat image by Wimbledon from Fotolia.com
