The lack of preparation for your boating trip can make for a very frustrating and unsafe situation. Having an assortment of tools and replacement parts on hand can get you on your way quickly when these incidents occur.

Boating Safety:
Ten Tips for the Road

Archived Articles Boat Running a Little Slow These Days? Boating Safety: Ten Tips for the Road The Perfect Set-Up One Brand Tournament Series Underway

You and your bass club buddies have spent much of the winter planning the imminent road trip to bass fishing fantasyland. At home, snow is in the forecast with temperatures expected to dip into the teens. Meanwhile, the temperature in sunny Florida is in the 80s with nothing but clear skies in the forecast. You cannot wait to trade the shivering cold for a pair of
sunglasses and bottle of sunscreen.

You’ve spent the past two weeks on the final preparations: studying topo maps late into the night, surfing the Internet for the latest fishing reports, packing and repacking lures and otherwise making a menace of yourself around the house with the wife and kids.

The morning finally arrives when you open the garage door, back up the SUV and hitch it to the boat. Then you make a beeline for Florida in a
convoy of three boats and trucks driven by your giddy travel companions and their passengers. The farther south you travel the better life gets. Big bass, great weather and good times are just down the road.

Somewhere along the way things literally go south. You find yourself on a
desolate stretch of interstate late in the night somewhere in south Georgia,
stranded on the roadside with what appears to be a problem with the trailer. Eighteen wheelers whiz by at 75 mph as you aim a flashlight at the tire, only to discover you’ve burned a bearing. Fortunately, someone else in the travel party had the foresight to bring spare parts. They were obviously better prepared than you.

This story could have had a much worse ending if you’d been alone. And
this unavoidable yet preventable mess could have unfolded closer to home.

There is nothing worse than an unplanned fiasco. A bass fishing trip is
meant to be spent taking in the solitude of the outdoors while setting the hook on bass from daybreak to sunset. But stuff happens. And the only way to prevent stuff from happening is by preparation.

If you keep your fishing gear in tiptop shape it only stands to reason that you follow the same principle with your tow vehicle and boat. According to the BoatU.S. Foundation, simple preparation is the key to avoiding problems on the road before you arrive at your destination, be it far away or down the street. Regardless of the distance, when you are on the road or the lake you cannot turn back around and go home if you forgot to pack something important.

Follow this checklist and you’ll avoid the frustration of ruining a good day on the road that leads to the water.

Check your tow vehicle: Driving to work and back during the week is one
thing. Hitch a fully loaded 21-foot bass boat on a trailer to the same vehicle and it’s a different story. Make sure tires are properly inflated and that transmission and differential fluids are within the manufacturer’s recommended maintenance schedule.

Pack a toolbox: It’s heavy and takes up space. But tools are indispensable
when it comes to roadside repairs. Spare parts are worthless without the proper tools with which to use them.

Miscellaneous stuff: Roadside emergency strobe light or flares, spare prop,
tow rope, No. 10 and 14 gauge wire, cable ties, electrical tape, two-part epoxy, bungee cords, assorted electrical connectors. In other words, the small stuff that can come in handy in a pinch.

Tires: Inflate tires to the proper PSI and inspect for spider web cracks on
the sidewall. If present, then it’s time to replace them. Look at the tread and measure its depth. If less than 2/32 of an inch, the tread is considered worn. Also inspect the spare tire. Remember that most trailer tires need replacing not because of use, but because the trailer tends to sit for long periods of time. Lights: Connect the trailer and tow vehicle lighting harness. Turn on the headlights and inspect for burned out bulbs. Apply
the brakes and use the turn signals while having a buddy watch from
the rear. Shift the vehicle into reverse to confirm the backup lights are
working.

Safety chains: Inspect for wear and check the “S” hooks for possible
bending. It’s also a good idea to replace the standard factory hooks with screw pin shackles that have wire running through the pin eye. This setup provides a connection that is considerably more reliable and solid than “S” hooks.

Bearings: Inspect the grease in the hubs. Replace grease periodically,
especially if the trailer spends the winter outside in dampness. Inspect the grease seal and if you decide it needs to be replaced, make sure a double-lip seal is installed. Inspect the bottom of the boat or the inside of the trailer tires for grease. If it’s present, the bearings are definitely in need of
attention.

Winch: Uncoil and inspect the webbing material or rope, looking for broken or worn areas. Clean and lubricate the wench. Make sure you have a
strong tie down for the bow as well as the stern of the boat and that both are properly secured to the trailer.

Keep the fuel tank empty: If you are taking an extended road trip keep the
boat’s fuel tank empty to improve fuel economy and for safety’s sake. Today’s boats can carry more than 50 gallons of fuel. Enough said there.

File a float plan: No, this is not for the canoe crowd. You need to leave
behind pertinent information at home or with a reliable person. The basic highway route, your expected time of arrival, where you are staying, launching the boat and more. BCD

 

Copyright 2008 Bass Club Digest.

Web site designed and hosted by Roe Graphics.