Safe Boating Checklist
When you're preparing for a day on the water, always cover the basics:
Arm yourself with swimming and boating skills:
Enroll in a swim course and boating
course in your area.
Buckle up with a comfortable and properly fitted life jacket.
Install and maintain a CO detector in accommodation areas. Remember that you can be
exposed to dangerous levels of carbon monoxide both inside and outside the boat.
Watch the weather to prepare for local conditions and electrical storms. Because water
conducts electricity, it is time to stop boating if you can see or hear a storm.
Communicate your trip details in case of emergency. Tell your plan to a friend on the
mainland: who is on the boat, where you will be, and how long you will be gone.
Never operate a boat while or after drinking alcohol.
Remember to keep all boat maintenance chemicals in their original containers. Keep
these, as well as medications, lighter fluid, bug killers, lamp oil and alcohol out of sight
and reach of children.
Post the Poison Control Center number, 1-800-222-1222, on the boat and call its 24-hour
hotline for any suspected problems or questions concerning carbon monoxide or other
poison emergencies.
List CPR instructions and a local emergency number on the boat. Keep up-to-date on
CPR procedures.
Maintain constant supervision of children, regardless of their swimming abilities or use
of life jackets.
Do not swim or wade near a boat's exhaust pipe, sit on the swim platform when the
engine is running, or hold onto the deck while the boat is moving.
Keep your boat a minimum of 20 feet from the nearest running generator or engine.
Never, ever enter theenclosed exhaust vent area under a swim platform! Exhaust from boat engines can be
deadly sources of carbon monoxide poisoning.
Courtesy of:
THE AMERICAN ASSOCIATION OF POISON CONTROL CENTERS
AND
THE NATIONAL SAFE BOATING COUNCIL