Summer Boating Checklist

Aaron Dumont

Regional Sales Manager - South East

With warmer weather knocking on our door. It’s time to get ready for some Summer Boating. For some this means de-winterizing their boats and for us in the south it means time to start applying the higher SPF sunscreen.

We are lucky enough to boat year-round down in our slice of paradise known as the space coast of FL. But when the summer months come around, we have an additional list of items that we throw in our boat bag and cooler to prepare for those longer days on the water. With two little ones who are obsessed with boating and going to the sandbar, we need to be prepared.

Maintenance Items:

•Make sure you are up to date on your registration as there will be a more frequent presence of law enforcement on the water.

•Have the boat services up to date as there will be more wear and tear during this time of the year with all the on-water activities as well as longer wait times in the summer for most service departments.

•Do a full systems checks, (lights, bilge pump, stereo, electronics). The more you can fix before season, (if needed) the more time you will have on the water enjoying your family time.

•Check your trailer tire condition and air pressure as well as bearings grease condition and level. Hot weather and changing a blow out on the side of a busy highway are top 10 worst things you can deal with as a boat owner. ( side note, please always fill your tires to max air pressure, that is where they are made to carry the reccomeneded load). For a full trailer maintenance breakdown check out Technical Sales Rep Chase Schelble's post on General Trailer Maintenance.

•Check your trailer lights.

•Pre season is also a good time to give your boat a through detail, This way you are maintaining a clean boat all summer and not working around a dirty one. If you want to see some great boat cleaning content check out my episodes of Tech Talk. Here's a quick glimpse into some of the content we covered.

The Essentials:

•Make sure to have the right sunscreen, I highly recommend 30-50SPF Sun Bum or Surface Brand. I also recommend a spray-on application type, this is something that is easy to apply multiple times a day and the two brands I mentioned are water resistant. (I use these when surfing as they also don’t leave me feeling oily).

•Make sure to pack more water and ice than you think you will need; we keep some spares outside the cooler in one of the deck boxes so when we start running low, we can refill the cooler.

•Invest in some hooded SPF sun shirts, they keep your neck and ears from getting burned and are breathable, so you won’t get overheated.

•Find a good Sunscreen stick for your nose and lips, Sun-bum makes a 30SPF stick that smells and tastes good, and keeps your lips from getting fried.

•Invest in a comfortable pair of water sneakers, these will save your feet from any underwater obstructions and rocks as well as give you better traction on the deck. Most of the major brands make them and there are some on amazon for under $35 that our whole crew wears and they have held up well for a few seasons.

•Spend the money on a quality pair of polarized sunglasses, These are key to noticing water color changes and seeing down in the water. For recommendations on great boating sunglasses, see Sportsman Regional Sales Manager, Daniel Robinson's Top 5 Sunglasses For Fishing.

•Buy a good cooler, The hype about the rotomolded coolers is a reality, we put two big cooler packs on the bottom then fill coolerwith drinks and snacks, we then fill with ice and it will keep ice for over 24hrs. The key to them is keeping the lid latched shut when not in use and having the cooler packs on the bottom to keep the base of the food/drinks cold. If you'd like a good recommendation for a cooler you can view Michael Cheser's article on the Top 5 Marine Coolers.

•Have a quality accessible bow and stern anchor (or sand spike for stern).

Summers on the water is where some of the best memories are made as well as some of the worst experiences. Being prepared, aware of your surroundings and cautious will the memories good and the family wanting to go out more.