Boat U.S. - March 2008 - (Page 18)

memberforum LettersToEditor@BoatUS.com Too Many Boaters? I received my January issue of BoatU.S. Magazine yesterday and as is typical for me I read it cover to cover in one sitting. I was particularly taken by your editorial column, “Behind the Buoy,” about boating and the declining sales and apparent interest in the sport. I disagree with you, and others, who feel there is a strong need to bring more and more new boaters to the sport. The sad truth is that there are too many boaters with less than a modicum of education and nothing more than a fat checkbook or good credit purchasing boats. They come to boating with only one thought in mind: “How fast will she go?” or “Where’s the stereo controls?” or “How many TV sets does she have?” To them the rules of the road are simple — I’m going this way and you’re in my way so move over. No, gentlemen, boating doesn’t need to reinvent itself. It needs to add new restrictions to ownership. Today’s boats are magnitudes faster than their counterparts of a few decades ago and the operators are unable to handle them. I’m not a big fan of legislation but boating has come to the turning point of regulation by necessity. There are simply too many uneducated boat owners plying the waters taking much of the pleasure out of boating. Bring on the $4- to $5-per-gallon fuel and develop more of the waterfront into condos to eliminate slips. From my perspective it might actually be helping those of us who do want to enjoy boating and get away from all the “ships of fools.” Paul J. Tabone Patchogue, NY boaters stopped by the Harbor Police, U.S. Coast Guard, Lifeguards, Border Patrol (now Homeland Security). One time a Border Patrol agent stopped my boat (an 18-foot runabout) and jumped in from his two-foothigher deck and almost went through the bottom of my boat. Another time a Navy security boat pulled alongside at high speed almost swamping us, and soaking the friends sitting up forward, they pulled away before I could say anything (probably for the best). Steve Knierim San Diego, CA faults found on far too many boats, including very expensive ones. The way we must empty waste tanks on boats borders on primitive. And the list goes on. Boating is an excellent way to get away from it all, even if for a short time. But it will never realize its full potential until engineers, designers and manufacturers join together to seriously address what can be done to make boat operation more dependable, more desirable, with less costly and time-consuming repairs. Bob Bell Jekyll Island, GA Digital Magazine Gets Rave Reviews Why He’s the ‘Ex’ The new digital version of BoatU.S. Magazine is indeed a grand opus, and oh so good looking! This online edition had me a little worried, as most folks set these things up with a strong preference for Microsoft software, from browser to operating system, and leave the rest of us smarter Macintosh users to drift idly away but not BoatU.S. This version is fully Macintosh OS-X Safari and FireFox compatible. Kudos my friend, kudos. You know your HTML. This is a veritable tour-de-force of what a top-quality online magazine can be. Thanks for the wonderful holiday surprise gift, and for doing it so darned well. Bob O'Lary Tallahassee, FL I was relieved to hear that my ex-husband was not the only husband to turn into Captain Bligh as soon as his feet touched the deck. I have subscribed to the theory for decades that “males should never teach females they are related to how to drive vehicles, ride motorcycles, or captain a vessel.” I am glad to finally hear of a service that may give courage to more women to get out there with their own boats. Great way to meet guys, girls; get with it! Kathleen A. Baxter Palm Beach Gardens, FL Briefing the Landlubbers Keeping Up with Upkeep Too Many Enforcers Out There I read with interest the January ‘08, "Behind the Buoy," which outlines the steps manufacturers are taking to help slow the decline in boat sales and usage. I have read many other articles dealing with the subject and all mention the same things — cost of boats, fuel, video games. However, I can offer my explanation for what I think it is for many folks. What I see and hear when boating is the heavy hand and sheer number of law enforcement on the water. Sometimes on San Diego Bay and nearby Mission Bay, the number of different agencies outnumber pleasure boaters. In the ‘90s I saw many 18 BoatU.S. Magazine March 2008 Over the last 18 years, I have cruised more than 30,000 miles on three inboard cruisers. And I continue to be frustrated by how much time has been required to simply keep them running. I hate to think what would happen if planes were built to the same low standards as are many boats. Some examples: Pumps, especially bilge pumps, potable water pumps and water pumps on engines are a constant headache because they constantly need repairing or replacing. Too many light fixtures are difficult to nearly impossible to easily disassemble when a bulb needs replacing. Galleys are stuffed with appliances only to fall far short in providing enough counter space. Steep steps, low headroom and the inability to easily access mechanical components are BoatU.S. Magazine and Seaworthy address pertinent and insightful topics and your January 2008 article, “Company’s Coming — Understanding Your Legal Liability to Guests,” is no exception. Safety afloat is the owner’s legal and moral responsibility to guests and crew. We frequently invite guests to visit, some of whom have no prior boating experience, so we are especially sensitive to safety and potential hazards that we take for granted. Over the years, we’ve prepared a pre-sail guide for keeping everyone safe. A derivative of the briefings that the U.S. Navy prepares, the guide covers topics such as man-overboard procedures; locations of fire extinguishers, distress signals, first aid kit, and life preservers; and bilge pump, head, and engine operation. We also address general safety items like swimming procedures, sail safety and movement on deck. We provide the twopage guide to our guests to read and also use it to provide talking points for a verbal

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Boat U.S. - March 2008

Boat U.S. - March 2008 Contents Behind the Buoy BoatU.S. Reports Member Forum Cap'n Drew Sailing the Sidewalk Aviators Ahoy Docking and Duffing Waterfront Living: Charleston Waterfront Marketplace Grady Right 2nd Time Around DIY: Keeping the Water Out Hot Tips Boat Smart Ask Chuck Foundation Findings Tangled Line At Your Service Good Foundations BoatU.S. Exchange Behind the Boat Where Our Flags Fly

Boat U.S. - March 2008

For optimal viewing of this digital publication, please enable JavaScript and then refresh the page. If you would like to try to load the digital publication without using Flash Player detection, please click here.