Some No-Nonsense Tips to Keep You Boating Safely for a Long Time to Come

A boat running 60 mph travels about 88 feet in a second and more than a hundred yards in four seconds. With unlimited visibility, that fact alone doesn't mean much. But when conditions restrict your visibility, especially on a busy lake or river, that same fact can spell the difference between safe passage and a collision or allision.

If you don't know what "allision" means, don't feel badly. I didn't either until I looked it up today. As I learned, some folks mistakenly use collision and allision interchangeably. However, a collision occurs when two vessels hit each other, and an allision occurs when a vessel hits a stationary object, such as a bridge or dock.

Years of experience on the water give you a leg up on boating safety, but it in no way ensures you won't one day have an accident. With that being the case, here's a list of tips I happened across earlier today while rootin' around the Internet:

     * Never leave the ramp without visibility of at least 200 yards.

     * Keep GPS in perspective--it's not radar. It shows shoreline and navigation marks but not other boats or objects in the water.

     * Don't get distracted by your electronics or something else or someone in your boat while running. It's risky to tweak the gps or take a cellphone call while operating a boat on step.

     * Never start the outboard without wearing your PFD and having the safety lanyard on the kill switch attached.

     * If the bow seat obstructs your vision, take it down every time you run.

     * If you can't be sure of the intentions of an approaching boat, slow down and give way.

     * Anytime fog or rain is present, use your running lights--even in daylight or when you're stopped and fishing.

     * Never make a turn without checking behind you for overtaking boats.

     * Never approach another boat at high speed from behind or head-to-head at such close quarters you can't evade him if he makes a sudden turn.

     * Remember that you usually lose forward vision in most bass rigs as you come out of the hole.

     * It's illegal and stupid to operate a high-speed boat under the influence of drugs and/or alcohol.

     * Make all passengers stay seated anytime you're running on step.

     * Keep a sharp eye out for wakes from tugs, barges and yachts. They can send a 60-mph boat airborne.

     * Slow down around bridges and restricted channels where boat traffic is heavy.

     * Though your boat has no brakes, you can use the trim control to quickly slow it down. Run the lower unit all the way down as you cut power, and the boat will quickly come to a stop.

Follow these rules and you stand a better-than-average chance of not becoming just another boating statistic.