Get your boat ready for the lake

Although the calendar doesn’t show it yet, it is Summertime!

Schools out! So grab the boat, sunscreen and head to the lake!

With summertime comes lake time. The American Boating Association predicts that more than 100 million American adults will head to the water at some point this summer. That is roughly the population of California, Texas and New York, combined.

During the pandemic the recreational boating industry saw record sales. So much that manufacturers could not keep up with the demand. Since then, sales have declined but new boat sales were still 258,000 in the US, but personal watercraft sales rose sharply by nearly 25 percent.

Last month, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) announced the agency’s Boating Infrastructure Grant (BIG) program will provide more than $21 million in grant funding for 21 states to construct, renovate, and maintain marinas and other boating facilities for waterway access. So if you were thinking about pulling the trigger on a new boat, now is the time.

If you are planning to pull the old Bayliner out and head for a day on the water, there are some things that need to be prepared first. Here are some tips for prepping one of the 15.8 million ski, bass, or jet boat for a day at the lake.

The American Boating Association (ABA) suggests that you create a pre-underway checklist like the Coast Guard Auxiliary has for their boat crews. Each time before an Auxiliary boat leaves the dock the entire crew reviews a standardized checklist together. Once all the items on the list are checked off it is time to get underway.

It does not have to be complicated; this is just an example of a pre-underway checklist you could use:

· Driver’s license

· Current registration papers and boating safety course completion card

· Check fuel supply and oil level

· Working proper navigation lights for night operations

· Enough lifejackets, the right size for all

· Marine radio

· GPS

· Float plan left in your vehicle or with a friend

· Other emergency equipment such as flares, first aid kit, signaling devices and tools

Before heading out, make sure to check or change all fluids in your motor. Test and charge batteries for engine and trolling motor. Now may be the time to replace a battery that does not hold a charge. Also check electrical and steering cables to make sure nothing has dry rotted or been chewed up during the dry dock.

A good cleaning of inside and outside surfaces is a must. A once over of engine and mechanicals, including trailer goes without saying before the trip.

Required equipment- Now that you have got everything all spiffy, it’s time to think about eh making sure your boat is legal. Oklahoma boating laws requires some items for most powered watercrafts, including personal watercrafts (PWC), boats under 16-feet, and boats over 16-Feet. Here is the checklist of what you need to have:

All watercraft on public water have to have certification numbers

Other required validation decals must be displayed

All watercraft must have (and be worn) personal flotation devices (PFD) 1 for personal water craft, 2 for others

Boats over 16-ft must have a throw type PFD

Children under 13 must wear a PFD whenever a boat is underway

Those on a PWC must wear a FPD at all times

All watercraft must have a type B-1 fire extinguisher

All watercraft must have a horn, whistle or bell