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Boating Safety
When climbing back on board isn’t so easy
By Craig Lamb
You’ve just performed one of the ultimate
blunders of all in fishing from a bass boat. Standing on the bow platform, your
misstep on the trolling motor foot-pedal has made you lose your balance. Now,
you’ve found yourself taking a swim in the lukewarm water of the lake on an
otherwise enjoyable summertime day. Unless you strike an object while going
overboard or upon entering the water, the faux pas, for the most part, is not
life threatening.
On the flip side, you’ve got to first re-board
the boat before saving face and doing damage control to your dampened ego. How
do you get back into the boat?
The answer is sometimes easier said than done and
even more so if you are alone, without the aid of a partner or boater nearby who
can aid you. Unless your boat is equipped with a ladder, like those found on
sailboats or cruisers then you might actually be at risk of being in trouble.
Re-boarding a boat after falling overboard
becomes a danger even when wearing a personal flotation device and even more so
when the water temperature is cold enough to inflict hypothermia. In the latter
case, getting back on board quickly can become a matter of life or death and
even more so when you can be waterlogged by heavy clothing.
Boating safety experts point to documented fatal
incidents when a man overboard was unable to climb back into the boat, even with
the assistance of a partner. Such unfortunate cases highlight the difficulty of
climbing aboard boats that lack swim platforms or transom ladders.
A low beam boat makes the job easy, but most bass
club anglers don’t fish from a johnboat or skiff that you can re-enter by
grabbing hold of the gunwale and hoisting yourself back aboard.
Although you can re-board over the side, boating
safety experts recommend climbing back over the stern. For one thing, the fore
and aft stability of the hull is much greater than its side-to-side stability.
In a lightweight aluminum fishing boat, coming back aboard over the side can
force water to flow that direction as your limbs and body put pressure on the
rail. About the time you are well on your way and lifting your body up to the
gunwale level, the boat can become flooded as the water rushes over the top with
your weight.
At least one manufacturer has come up with a solution for bass boaters. Garelick
Manufacturing Co., which makes parts for boat-builders such as seating and
upholstery, also makes an integral re-boarding ladder that remains recessed in
the transom until released by a person in the water.
Garelick’s innovation, called the “EEZ-In II
Ladder,” is completely hidden from view when not in use. When needed, the man
overboard can unlock the ladder and slide it’s retractable shaft aft and into
the water in one fluid motion. This unique combination of stowability and
simplicity provides boaters quick, easy, and safe re-boarding with no on-board
assistance.
This innovative lifesaving product won an award
from the National Safe Boating Council, when it was introduced as an exclusive
feature of Triton bass boats. On the convenience side, the innovation can add
another dimension to bass boating by making it easy to re-board for skiers,
wake-boarders and swimmers. The telescoping ladder is now available in boats
made by eight other builders, including Tracker Marine and others.
The product requires custom installation and is
therefore only available to manufacturers. However, Garelick offers other types
of transom ladders that are portable in design or that can be installed by the
consumer (www.garelick.com ).
The process of re-boarding a boat without a
ladder still is doable and again, if you attempt to climb aboard from the stern
of the boat. The process is made safer by following what boating safety experts
preach repeatedly to recreational anglers. And that message is to always wear a
personal flotation device, even when actively casting and fishing from the boat.
Taking the safety mantra one step farther, the experts add the “kill switch”
lanyard should always be attached to the life vest. Today, self-inflatable vests
have become most popular with anglers since they allow unencumbered movement
while fishing.
That all said, if you fall overboard under the
above scenario you have the peace of mind knowing the kill switch will prevent
the accidental cranking of the outboard motor as you climb aboard from the
stern. In the process, you can use the topside of the lower unit’s cavitation
plate as a step to place a foot upon, as you grip the rail of the boat to pull
your weight upward and into the boat.
Even when this unexpected circumstance occurs it’s always worth the effort to be
prepared for the situation. Regardless of the water temperature or the weather
it’s advisable to pack an extra set of clothes in your boat’s dry storage. Also
keep extra CO2 replacement cartridges in the event you are wearing a
self-inflating or operator-assist inflatable life vest. The extras will come in
handy, and keep you legal and within club tournament rules, if the vest inflates
as it should upon coming in contact with water.
Boarding Ladders Tested By BoatU.S. The BoatU.S. Foundation for Boating Safety & Clean Water recently completed
testing on boarding ladders and self-rescue on small boats. Ten volunteer
testers evaluated eleven different ladder styles on a 17-foot Boston Whaler, a
14-foot johnboat and a 12-foot inflatable.
In this report you’ll learn that not only is the ladder-type important, but it
must be well suited for the boat. And more importantly, you need to test your
ladder in advance to find out what height, ladder position and technique work
best.
To read about the testing and view the ladder ratings visit
www.boatus.com/foundation.
You can also watch video of the testing in action as well as demonstrations of
the favorite ladders for each boat.
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