9 Tips For Boating With Confidence

Our experienced team at Rocket Marine and our loyal customers put together the following tips to encourage you to start boating confidently. It's surprising how easy these tips are to follow and how quickly you gain confidence on the water – even when things get choppy! 

1. Know Your Blind Spots

Just like driving a car, you want to know where your blind spots are before you start boating. Before taking off from the dock, check your blind spots from the helming position. The helming position is your view when standing behind the steering wheel. Check out where your blind spots are and know to check them each and every time you need to make a sudden turn. If you tie your boat to a dock or pier, note how the dock looks from the helming position before you take off on the water.

2. Practice Stopping and Staying Stationary 

It's more challenging than you think to stop your boat and keep her stationary for a period of time. While a difficult skill to master, it is a vital skill to have when navigating the water. A great way to practice is to keep it stationary for at least 5 minutes at a time using the mooring (any permanent structure that you can secure your boat too). 

3. Count the Seconds

Like a car, your boat will take some time to start and move on the water. Regardless of whether you're backing up or moving forward, count the seconds. Knowing how long it takes your boat to accelerate or reverse is vital. It usually takes between 3 and 5 seconds for your boat to respond and move. Knowing how many seconds it takes to respond will reduce your alarm when a gust of wind pushes you sideways, and there's a delay in your boat's response. The delay in response time won't feel as alarming because you're already prepared for it. 

4. Confidence Controlling Your Speed

Maybe you're in a tight space and having trouble navigating your boat out onto open water. Each time you move with the high throttle, the sudden jerk makes you lose confidence and feel out of control. This is usually a byproduct of not having a handle on your speed control. Either under power or sail, practice driving at specific speeds and maintaining these speeds. This will give you a strong idea about how fast or slow your boat goes at 1 knot, 3.4 knots, etc. Developing the ability to control your speed makes it much easier to feel confident in strong winds or tides in confined areas.

5. A Boat Course

A powerboating course can quickly build your confidence and give you plenty of time to get out on the water and practice valuable skills under the watchful eyes of a trained professional. A typical Introduction to Powerboating course includes several hours of on-water training with a licensed captain and two or three fellow students. It's an excellent way to practice docking, navigation, and other basic concepts. There are several courses out there, but we recommend Water Sports Foundation's courses. Water Sports Foundation encourages all boaters to become safer by growing their competence and confidence out on the water. 

6. Circle Time

Being able to turn your boat in circles confidently is another crucial skill. You never know when you'll be navigating a tight space or congested waters. Many boaters struggle to turn their boat even when they have ample space. Did you know you can turn your boat (even a 60-foot boat!) within its exact length if you use the proper techniques? Practicing turning can save you a lot of frustration and embarrassment and, more importantly, keep you safe on the water.

7. Always Have Mooring Lines In Good Repair

If the dock, pier, or mooring buoy has fixed mooring lines, always have ready-to-use lines in excellent condition on your boat. In strong winds, these lines will provide more flexibility. In addition, they will give you peace of mind knowing your ropes are in perfect working condition, so you don't need to worry about using old tired ropes to hold your expensive investment in place.

8. In Case Of An Emergency…

Emergencies happen! To increase your confidence, always ensure you have another person onboard your vessel who knows how to drive your boat or how to call for help if something goes wrong.

9. What's The Plan?

Regardless of whether you're going out for a few hours or a few days, always have a plan in place and ensure everyone on your boat and someone on the shore knows about it. Ask each crew member their roles to ensure they fully understand what part they will play in an emergency. Get in the habit of having a briefing every time you go out on the water before you set sail. We always recommend you have a float plan in place before leaving. Remember that things can happen quickly when out on the water; having a plan helps things go smoothly. 

Boating With Confidence 

Here at Rocket Marine, we love to help our customers through every step of the boating process. We especially pride ourselves on customer education and safety. We want you to have the best (and safest) time out on the water. That's why we build top-quality boat trailers, to do our part to help you get to and from the water safely! Call us today to learn more.

Check out our Facebook and Instagram to hear about our latest and greatest boat trailers, boating tips, and more!