Hunting with Mike

It’s that time of year again when many of you will be hitting the great waterways of our land.  Boats, big and small, powered by wind, motor, or oars will once again need to be inspected before you sailors take to the water.  Most seafaring vessels have been sitting all winter, and need a good “look-see” to make sure it is safe for you and your fellow crew.   The main reason I bring this up is because it’s the little overlooked things that can put a huge dent in your outing on the water.

I don’t own a boat myself, but we have a few in the family that do.  Over the years I have done some inland lake fishing, and have cast a line into all of the Great Lakes.  Here are a couple stories, that may keep you out of harms way, as this boating season gets started.

Story number one:  Several summers ago we were able to use a friends cottage on a small inland lake.  He had a 14 foot aluminum boat, that was laying on the shore, in front of his cabin.  I was taking one of my daughters out for some early morning fishing, and flipped the boat over to get it ready.  Of course a nice fat water snake was under it, and scared my daughter pretty good.  We got it ready, poles, tackle, life jackets, oars, and net!  We were ready.  I shoved off from the dock and we headed to a grassy area across the lake.  About half way there I looked down to see water surrounding my feet!  Opps!  I forgot to check the plug.  I found it, in place, but the rubber that formed the seal was “dry rotted,” and we were taking on water fast.  Rowing is not easy when there is an extra 200 pounds of water sloshing around the bottom of your craft.  I made it back to shore, and I never fail to check the drain plug anymore.

No matter what lake you are on make sure you have the legal limit, and size, lifejacket  for each person on the boat.  Inspect those jackets to make sure they will keep you and your passengers afloat.  Lifejackets can, and do, go bad.  No sense in having them aboard if they won’t do the job.  If you are pulled over, and inspected by the C.O. you will get a ticket for missing lifejackets.

Lastly it is good to inspect your gas lines for dry rot.  Better to have a leak by the dock, than in the middle of the lake.  It also is advisable to check your prop for wear, dents, and make sure the pin is properly attached.

I’m no ship Captain, but those are a few of the “easy” fixes I have come across, over the years, that can save grief later on.  If you pay attention to the little things you too can enjoy the waterways (like brother Brett in picture) this summer.

Mike

This entry was posted on Tuesday, June 9th, 2009 at 4:20 pm and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.