Weighing-In On Boating Safety
By Craig Lamb
Since the beginning tournament anglers have been
in the public eye, from showing off enormous catches of fish on
the weigh-in stage to zipping across the lake in their shiny,
logo-festooned bass rigs. But there is another major, though
less obvious, way that professional tournaments have had an
impact on the way you and I fish today.
Early on, leading tournament organizers took a
proactive roll in boating safety, and those initial efforts
still impact the sport today. In the early 1970s restrictive
limits were placed on horsepower allowances for tournament
boats, even though outboard manufacturers were introducing
faster models.
Early in the same decade, bass boat
manufacturers began equipping boats with a “kill switches”
designed to disengage the connection between the ignition key
and the outboard engine. The thought was that if the operator
unexpectedly exited the driver’s seat that the engine would
stall, to prevent the boat from spinning out of control.
The concept was taken a step farther, with
tournament organizers of the day requiring the angler driving
the boat to wear a fully-zipped personal floatation device (PFD)
with the kill switch lanyard attached to the vest. Both rules
were adopted universally by tournament organizers and remain
intact today.
The “double-whammy” rule was highly
publicized, much to the favor of the marine industry and bass
tournament organizers, who took full advantage of promoting
boating safety standards in tournament rules and across their
media platforms.
The bass boat industry also took a leadership
role in promoting boating safety by introducing ground-breaking
innovations that would be adopted industry-wide. For example,
Ranger Boats pioneered U.S. Coast Guard flotation and horsepower
standards in 1973.
In recent years, bass tournament officials and
anglers lobbied for boating safety
regulators to approve self-inflating, low profile PFDs to meet
legal requirements. Nearly 90% of people who die on the water
drowned, and 1 out of 3 were fishing at the time. But wearing a
traditional foam jacket in many parts of the country just isn’t
realistic-especially on hot summer days. Modern inflatable
jackets offer many styles that offer great protection, and can
be worn on any type of day. After passing stringent tests and
meeting the approval of boating law administrators, the
inflatable PFD is now approved by the U.S. Coast Guard for legal
use, and are now seen regularly in tournaments.
All of these positive moves have proven that
bass boaters, when they exercise boating safety at top of mind,
are advocates of keeping the nation’s waterways safe.
“We are highly visible on the water and off,
and it’s our responsibility to set a positive example about the
importance of boating safety,” said Gary Klein, an 18-year
veteran of the pro tour.
“Now, it’s even more important than ever for
us to have it top of mind, since we are seen by millions of
people on television and the Internet.”
More recently, Triton Boats introduced a re-boarding ladder that
remains recessed in the transom until released by a person in
the water. The innovative lifesaving product won an award from
the National Safe Boating Council, when it was introduced as an
exclusive feature.
“The inflatable PFD and re-boarding ladders
offer prime evidence that our industry continues to be conscious
of keeping bass boating safe and fun,” said Klein.
“We as anglers in the public eye place a lot
of focus on conservation, and it’s our responsibility,” said
Texas pro Kelly Jordon. “Boating safety is a topic that we
practice by always wearing a PFD on the run. The same thing
applies with boat operation.
“A little courtesy on the water can go a long
way. I like to keep that in mind when boating on a strange
lake.”
Jordon makes it a point to pay special
attention to the lake’s boating laws by checking the state
regulations and being sure there aren’t any special scenarios to
look out for.
“Certain areas of lakes we visit have speed
limits and unless you know ahead of time you can unknowingly
break the law. Even then, you are liable for the infraction.
Since we are already high profile in the eye of the public, the
media would certainly take the opportunity to publicize it,” he
said.
What is more, most highly regarded tournament organizers require
their contestants to follow local marine laws. Break their laws
and you have done the same in the tournament, setting yourself
up for disqualification.
Klein is also an advocate of boating safety certification.
“We are required to pass a driver’s test in
order to get a license to drive on the highway, so what not on
the water?” Klein said.
“If you fish in tournaments outside your home
state, you might be required to have passed a boating safety
course and carry the proof with you. So it makes sense to take
the course to better be safe than sorry.”
“We come and go from a tournament fishery. And
after we leave town it’s important that we do so on good terms
with the locals. Otherwise, we leave a bad example and the local
anglers and club tournaments take the hit, and that’s not good
for anyone,” Jordon said.
“What we try and convey is that boating safety
isn’t always about following the rules of the water or wearing a
life jacket. Boating safety can be as simple as practicing
common courtesy on the water,” Klein said.
For more information on local boating laws,
and information on how to obtain a boating safety certificate,
vist BoatU.S. Angler at
www.boatusangler.com
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