The organization aims to educate all Canadians—whether once-a-year boaters, casual cottage renters, or year-round lakeside residents—about how to stay safe on the water. As a nation filled with freshwater lakes, rivers, and ocean coastlines, being aware of boating safety is relevant nationwide.

“Boating is just a way of life in Canada,” says Cameron Taylor, President of BOATsmart! Canada. “It’s a big part of our summer activities. Chances are you will be on a boat at some point in your life. Even less-avid boaters need to be prepared in the event of a boating emergency.”

BOATsmart! Awareness Week takes place from May 14 to 18, 2012, one week before North American Safe Boating Awareness Week. During this week, BOATsmart! will be hosting media events across the country, spending a day at Toronto’s Harbourfront on May 15. This event will have the support of the Toronto Police Marine Unit and will offer public safety training, equipment displays, and the opportunity for people to complete the BOATsmart! exam to obtain their Pleasure Craft Operator Card (PCOC) at no charge. Similar events will take place in Calgary and Vancouver on May 16 and 17.

For any person operating a boat, Proof of Competency is required by law, which includes having a PCOC (the most common form of proof), a Recognized Boating Safety Course Certificate (issued prior to April 1, 1999), or a Rental Boat Safety Checklist.

As of April 15, 2011, the PCOC exam has been upgraded in difficulty and anyone taking the exam must complete a mandatory 3-hour boating study course first. The process of taking the course and obtaining your PCOC from BOATsmart! is straightforward and easy, and can be done either online at boatsmartexam.com or in person at one of BOATsmart!’s facilities or events, including BOATsmart! Awareness Week.

While a 3-hour course commitment may seem daunting, Taylor says the course online is flexible, “allowing users to log in and log out as they wish.”  The website course and exam are available 24/7, which is beneficial as people tend to be busy leading up to the May long weekend.

To help the population be more informed about boat safety, BOATsmart! Awareness Week will highlight general safety tips, such as wearing a lifejacket, not consuming alcohol before or during boating, and taking a boating course. While these tips seem obvious, the advice often goes unheeded. According to Taylor, 86 percent of drowning fatalities could have been prevented had the victim been wearing a lifejacket.

So why don’t people use their common sense? “It’s a generation thing,” says Taylor. Older generations with years of experience on the water did not grow up with the same amount of focus on these issues. Fortunately, because of educators and organizations like BOATsmart! emphasizing awareness and safety education, Taylor says younger generations now seem to understand more about the risks involved in recreational boating. Another reason, he says, is that boating in cottage country is generally about having a great time on the water. When the focus shifts from straightforward matters like transportation to pleasure and recreation, people tend to shrug off safety concerns.

Choose to be smart on the water this summer. Look for the BOATsmart! Canada Safe Boating Team at various events and at select Canadian Tire retail locations. Taylor encourages people to get involved on the organization’s facebook page, blog, and website to share tips, stories, and advice with fellow Canadians. Through these safety awareness events, Taylor and BOATsmart! Canada hope to encourage people to not only be knowledgeable and safe on the water, but also to “be advocates in boating situations for their friends and family.”

Once you’ve learned the ropes, so to speak, try entering a sailboat race or even arranging one on your lake. All you need is two boats, a course, and a day with a good breeze.

1. Look for cracks in the fibreglass above and below the waterline

Small cracks, such 
as spiderwebs in localized areas, are mostly cosmetic. They tend to appear near screws that haven’t been countersunk properly around handles, gunwales, and wind-shields. No biggie
—but they may get worse if not fixed.

Cracks greater than 2″ long suggest larger problems underneath. Ask whether the boat’s been in a collision and look for signs, such as gelcoat patches, that indicate extensive repairs. Get an expert to inspect.

2. Inspect for signs of damage

Flexing, cracking, mould, and moisture in fibreglass and wooden areas, such as the hull, transom, and floor? 
These can indicate rot, the break-
down of fibreglass, delamination of 
plywood, or even 
rot in the stringers. You’ll likely want 
to walk.

3. Check for loose seats

The floor may be rotten (not good), 
or it could simply 
be that the bolts 
are stripped. (Sitting on the seat 
back as you drive strains the bolts.) Your marina can easily fix the latter.

4. Look for mildew

Do the seats, boat top, or carpet have mildew and other damage (check the storage 
lockers too)? Upholstery and covers can be cleaned or replaced, but extensive mould inside the seats 
is a bad sign. Also, mould spreads 
easily, so spores 
on these surfaces may be in the 
wooden parts as well; a mouldy 
carpet or ski locker can mean prob
lems underneath.

5. Make sure the electronics work

Burned-out bulbs and seized bilge pumps have 
cheap solutions.

Multiple devices 
on the fritz could 
mean faulty wiring 
or a faulty battery—again, not a big deal. But check to see if labels on the engine have peeled up or if insulation on the wires has melted, signs 
of engine overheating—and trouble.

6. Check the belts

Are the alternator or power-steering belts are thin, 
worn, or cracked? 
Belts should be changed every 100 hours. Your first 
service can cover it, but damaged belts hint at lax care.

7. Start the engine

Does the engine start 
rough or slip, make excessive noise, vibrate, 
or smoke? Old gas or too 
much oil are easily fixed during your first tune-up. 
However, these symptoms can 
indicate a bigger problem, such as low compression 
in the cylinders, requiring a costly engine overhaul.

8. Test the oil

Does the engine oil feel gritty between 
your fingers
? The grit is metal 
filings, which could indicate serious engine wear. If a mechanic confirms, abandon ship.

If there’s milky oil in the engine or lower unit, this means water is getting in. A bent prop shaft can be straightened and a blown or 
worn seal replaced. But an impact 
causing this kind 
of damage may have stressed the gears or, if water 
got inside, the gears may be corroded—bad news. If water is coming through 
a cracked engine block, steer clear.

• Spare kill-switch clip
• WD-40 or other lubricating/cleaning spray
• Wrench
• Voltmeter
• Spare engine pull cord
• Portable jump-starter or jumper cables
• Spare spark plugs
• Socket wrench set and extension
• Rubber mallet
• Owner’s manual for your engine
• Heavy monofilament fishing line
• Small funnel
• Spare propeller and floating prop wrench
• Landing net

Other practical items:

• Losing a gas cap overboard when refuelling can be a major headache, especially if rain is forecast. Carry a spare.
• A classic cure-all, duct tape can be used temporarily to fix anything from leaky hoses to damaged hulls.
• Green, red, and white light sticks can sub in for running lights if yours fail.
• A portable electric bilge pump that’s battery-powered can keep you afloat if your onboard pump fails or is unable to keep up with an emergency leak. Just make sure the batteries are fresh.
• Because you know you’re going to lose the original someday: a spare bilge plug.
• Found at marine supply stores in a variety of sizes, conical wooden bungs can be used to temporarily fill circular voids caused by broken through-hull fittings or damaged hoses.
• Modern engines often have a variety of 
fuses to protect their electrical systems. Carry spares in the proper sizes.

• The easiest solution 
is to carry a portable jump-starter onboard. These range from $60 
to $150 (many come with a compressor for inflating water toys) and are simple to 
use—just remember 
to keep it charged.
• If you have a set of jumper cables onboard, you can try hailing another boat, rafting up, and getting a jump-start. It’s the same 
process as with a car: Have the operator 
of the assisting vessel shut down his or her engine, then use the cables to connect the cranking battery terminals on the two boats, positive to positive and negative to negative. Have your rescuer start up their engine, then try to start yours.
• Another way to get 
the extra juice needed to start your engine 
is to link a house battery (a separate deep-cycle battery that some boats have, used to power accessories and electronics) with the cranking battery. If your boat has a battery switch with an Emergency Parallel setting, turn it on to link the two batteries. If not, you can do it manually with a set of jumper cables or two short lengths of battery 
cable (equipped with terminals). Connect 
the terminal posts of the house battery to those of the cranking battery (positive to positive, negative 
to negative) and try to crank the engine.

How to change a prop

A prop that’s bent, 
broken, or spun (when the sacrificial bush
ing or insert slips on 
the prop shaft) can ruin your day on the water. Carry a spare prop and 
a floating prop wrench. 
If you can get into 
a shallow, calm area, anchor your boat so that you can change 
the prop while standing in the water. 
Warning: Remove the 
kill-switch clip or dis-
connect the spark plugs before attempting to loosen the prop nut, 
to avoid accidentally starting the engine.

If you need to change the prop while onboard, place a towel or T-shirt inside a landing net 
and have another person hold it under the lower unit to catch any parts (such as washers, 
cotter pins, or bushings) that may fall off. Keep track of the order in which all these parts will fit back together when you install the new prop. Take a photo of the parts laid out in the right order, or make a sketch to guide you.

Another tip: Do you boat in rocky waters and regularly ding your prop? Piranha composite propellers feature removable blades, allowing you to change a damaged blade in minutes. The spare blades cost about $20 each and take up less room than 
a full propeller.

How can a day on the water go awry? 
Let us count the ways. Better yet, let us count the ways to diagnose (and cure) problems, or at least make it back to the dock under your own power.

1. Loose throttle cables

Few things are more disappointing than turning the ignition key and being greeted with stony silence. First, check to see that your throttle is in the neutral position, as most engines won’t start in gear. Seems straightforward, but loose throttle cables can complicate the issue. In this case, you may have to jockey the throttle lever back and forth several times, while keeping the ignition key turned, before you find the right spot. Don’t forget to take ’er to the marina 
to have those loose cables tightened.

2. Kill-switch killjoy

The engine won’t start if you forget to insert the kill-switch clip. If your boat or engine has a kill switch, check that the clip is firmly in place, or try removing it and reinstalling it. If the engine still won’t start, you may have a loose connection between the kill switch and ignition. Check that all wires are firmly connected and free of corrosion. If corroded, try some WD-40 or a similar spray oil. Smart boaters keep a spare kill-switch clip onboard in case they lose, forget, or break the first one.

3. Terminal conditions

If the engine still doesn’t produce any 
activity or sound, check the battery terminal connections. Terminal post nuts often loosen over time because of vibration; if they’re loose, tighten with a wrench. By the way, if you have wing nuts on your terminal posts, replace them with nylon-insert locknuts, which will not back off. If the terminal 
posts or cable terminals show signs of corrosion, spray some WD-40 on them or scrub 
them with baking soda and a wire brush. Replace all corroded cables and leads as soon as possible.

]]> http://cottagelife.com/46695/boating/maintenance/how-to-repair-your-outboard-engine/feed 0 http://cottagelife.com/47054/boating/tips-boating/wind-ninjas http://cottagelife.com/47054/boating/tips-boating/wind-ninjas#comments Sun, 01 Apr 2012 16:21:49 +0000 Ann Vanderhoof http://cottagelife.com/?p=47054 August 2011, and Don Konantz is on track for a dynamite summer. With assorted family members as crew, he’s skippered his 28-foot sailboat to victory in every regatta so far at the Royal Lake of the Woods Yacht Club. Four big wins, no “pesky” incidents getting in the way—unlike the previous summer, when eldest son Willy pitched through the mainsail in one race, or when half of Don’s thumb got ripped off after they capsized in a squall during another. Pesky. Truth be told, they did capsize in last Sunday’s race—but got back in the groove so fast that they still toted the victor’s spoils home to their camp on Spirit Island.

“Donnie’s on a roll,” says his 78-year-old father, Gordie, who knows a thing or two about winning streaks himself. He was one of the Konantzes helming a sailboat on Lake of the Woods during the summer of 1963, when the family won every club trophy. And some 25 years before that, his father (Don’s grandfather) was the one bringing home the hardware. Gordon Konantz Sr. was so passionate about sailing that he kept the Royal Lake of the Woods Yacht Club operating out of his own camp for three years during the Second World War, when most of the lake’s young men—including his eldest son, Bill—were off at war and the clubhouse was shuttered. He even passed along gas rations, so people on the lake could boat out to the de facto club.

“Coming out tomorrow?” Don calls from his runabout as he passes a cottager in another boat on a breezy Saturday afternoon. Don is heading back to Spirit Island after a quick trip to nearby Kenora, and he’s showing his colours, dressed in a polo shirt with the club crest, which he covers with a similarly crested pullover when the wind picks up. “Sure thing,” comes back over the water, and Don speeds on. A few minutes later, passing a camp on another of the lake’s nearly 15,000 islands, he points to an E Scow bobbing at its dock: one of the competition. “He’ll be out tomorrow too.”

“Tomorrow” is race day, the fifth club regatta of the summer, and Don is hoping for his fifth win. “He has this sixth sense right now and he’s on fire,” says his sister Erin, who also spends part of every summer on Lake of the Woods. “He’s a wind ninja.” Don will be competing on Sunday for the Rat Portage Cup, and he’s lined up three of his four kids to crew with him on E-motion, his own E Scow, one of 13 on the lake. His wife, Catherine, raced with him last weekend. This week, however, she’ll be at the helm of one of their runabouts, so their guests can watch the action from the water.

Though the word “scow” tends to conjure images of fat, dumpy, unexciting work boats, the 28-foot E Scow sloop is a sleek, shallow-hulled speed machine—so fast it can tow a wakeboarder or waterskier. It’s the most recent in a long line of such boats that have been mainstays of RLWYC’s racing program since the club’s founding in 1903—from 38-foot A Scows in the early 1900s to 20-foot D Scows in the late ’40s and ’50s. But scows haven’t been the Konantzes’ only vehicle for bringing home the honours. Over four generations, the extended family has made its mark in many other sailboats, including Finns, Lightnings, and Lasers, and has raked in an armload of swimming trophies for good measure.

The 28-foot E Scow sloop is a sleek, shallow-hulled speed machine—so fast it can tow a wakeboarder or waterskier

This is clearly not a bunch of hammock potatoes. When Don ties up at Spirit Island and strides up the path from dock to cottage, his youngest son, Geoffrey, 12, is learning to do backflips on a trampoline; he’s just returned from an “away race,” having recently started competing in a Laser. Nearby, a swing to beat all cottage swings hangs on heavy chains from a tree branch about 45 feet overhead; you don’t merely swing here— your legs pump, your heart pounds, and you fly. On the deck, Catherine is planning a run with guests for the next morning. Though she sometimes crews for Don, her thing is running…and cycling…and swimming. She’s been the fastest female finisher eight times in the yacht club’s annual three-kilometre Three Island Swim (the Konantzes were among the founders of this event), including the year she was seven months pregnant with their youngest daughter, Victoria. The year she was eight months pregnant with Geoffrey, she placed a mere third. “I couldn’t get my wetsuit zipped up,” she says.

]]> http://cottagelife.com/47054/boating/tips-boating/wind-ninjas/feed 0 http://cottagelife.com/46408/boating/tips-boating/cottage-country-marinas http://cottagelife.com/46408/boating/tips-boating/cottage-country-marinas#comments Wed, 28 Mar 2012 19:34:20 +0000 Cottage Life http://cottagelife.com/?p=46408 As the largest recreational marine trade association in Canada, the Ontario Marine Operators Association is ready to serve your boating needs throughout cottage country. Whether you are looking to purchase a new or used boat, require parts or need servicing or storage, OMOA-certified marine dealers are your most reputable source. Be sure to visit one of these top OMOA-certified marinas and have a great boating season!

]]> http://cottagelife.com/46408/boating/tips-boating/cottage-country-marinas/feed 0 http://cottagelife.com/46384/boating/tips-boating/northland-recreation http://cottagelife.com/46384/boating/tips-boating/northland-recreation#comments Wed, 28 Mar 2012 19:16:53 +0000 Cottage Life http://cottagelife.com/?p=46384

We are located in the heart of Muskoka cottage country.  Since 1981, Northland Recreation has prided itself in servicing the Muskoka Lakes and surrounding communities such as Bracebridge, Huntsville, Gravenhurst, Port Carling, Windermere, Milford Bay, Lake of Bays, and everywhere in between. We offer sales and service for BRP products such as Ski-Doo Snowmobiles, Sea-Doo Watercraft / PWCs, Sea-Doo Sport boats, Can-Am ATVs, Can-Am Commander Side-by-Side and Can-Am Spyder Roadster. We also carry and rent such products as Sea-Doo Watercraft and Premier Pontoon Boats – We have one of the best rental selections in Muskoka!  We are now proud to offer Springfree trampolines, please call regarding delivery and assembly in your back yard. We complementary field-test all products sold and serviced on the premises. Northland Recreation offers the best of both worlds: Great people and Great service. Our prices include Freight and PDI, without hidden charges. Our service department is factory certified and pride themselves on our excellent customer satisfaction scores. If you have any questions, feel free to email, call, or stop-by—we’d love to meet you.

 

Northland Recreation
1007 Cowan Park Rd.
Muskoka Lakes, ON
p. (705) 769-3671
f. (705)769-3398
e. info@northlandrecreation.com

 

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