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Protect Yourself During DIY Boat Maintenance

As a boat owner, it’s inevitable that you’ll begin to undertake some of your own boat maintenance and upkeep. With anything from painting to mechanical maintenance, it’s important to protect yourself.

Protect Your Eyes

Regardless of what type of maintenance you’re performing on your boat, you should be wearing safety goggles. And, no, your regular prescription glasses or sunglasses won’t do. Particles can still blow into your eye with a gust of wind and they likely aren’t strong enough to protect your eyes if something were to fly at them, such as a rogue piece of metal. It’s better to be safe than… well… blind.

Protect Your Lungs

Many paints used for boats are polyurethane and that is not something you want to be inhaling. A simple paper mask won’t be good enough. You need a respirator and filter fitting the type of work you are doing. For fumes, use an organic vapor filter and for fine particles (such as sanding fiberglass), use a particle filter. As a general rule, if you can smell the fumes you’re trying to avoid, you need to change the filter in your respirator.

Protect Your Skin

At the very least, cover your hands with surgical gloves (not just regular latex gloves) to keep the chemicals you’re using from contact with your skin and toxic exposure. When sanding fiberglass or using a spray polyurethane paint for the boat, you may want to wear a cover suit to protect every inch of you. If those fine particles of fiberglass touch your skin or even get on your clothes, it can cause severe skin irritations. And the chemicals on your clothes can cause you to inhale the fumes even after you’ve completed the job.

It may not look stylish to wear all of these protective accessories while working on your boat, but it’s worth missing the mark on fashion trends to remain healthy and whole.

Try these boating hacks to improve your next excursion

Pontoon Depot was founded out of a love for boats and the boating life. Over the years, we’ve learned a number of tricks that make life on the water a little easier, and we want to share what we’ve learned with you!

Ban the bugs

Anyone who hauls their boat back and forth to the water for a measurable distance knows that by the time you arrive, your boat isn’t looking its best. If you don’t have a cover, the front of the boat and the windshield are probably covered with bugs. Here’s our trick - spread liquid soap on the front of your boat and windshield before you hit the road. When you arrive at your destination, simply rinse the bugs away!

Fight the mold

Mold on your boat doesn’t mean you’re a bad boat owner. It just comes with the territory. To kill it on your boat seats quickly and cheaply, use white vinegar.

Stop cooler slide

If you bring a portable cooler along on your boat (and who doesn’t?), you know that it can slide around on your deck when you’re cruising. Here’s a really simple way to keep your cooler in place - just put a wet towel beneath it. That’ll stop cooler slide in its tracks!

Leave the bananas at home

This one is a little tongue-in-cheek, but it’s something many boat owners, especially fishermen, swear by. Bananas on boats are supposed to be bad luck and keep the fish away. Do you really want to take that chance?

Bring extra

Extra sunglasses, sunscreen, towels, life jackets, flip flops, even boat keys. Trust us. Someone will forget something, someone will lose something, and you’ll be very thankful you have a backup. We speak from experience.

We hope you take our advice and have fun out there!

Bad Boating Habits You Should Avoid

Like with anything else you do frequently and get over confident in, if you’re in your pontoon boat out on the water often, you’re likely to cut corners and possibly develop some bad boating habits. It happens to the best of us! So, we thought maybe we’d bring some things to your attention so you can avoid them in the first place.

Keep the Water Clean

This may seem the most obvious, but we feel it needs to be mentioned anyway. Animals live in and drink the lake water, so it’s important to keep it clean to the best of your ability. First of all, no littering. Bring trash bags on your boating excursions, fill them with your trash, and throw them in a dumpster at the end of your day.

And, yes, you need to clean your boat on occasion, but, no, you shouldn’t clean it in the lake! Clean your boat when it’s out of and far away from lake water. Similarly, if you’re filling your boat gas tank at a dock station, do it carefully to avoid gas spilling into the water, which is toxic to the water inhabitants. In fact, according to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), as little as one quart of oil or gasoline can contaminate up to 250,000 gallons of water!

Boat Ramp Etiquette

Be courteous of others that are using boat ramps and docks. Practice backing up a trailer before you head out to the lake. When the time comes to unload, try and get it done as quickly as possible to avoid congestion. For example, before you back up to the boat ramp, have your boat ready to launch -- take the straps off, etc.

Protect Others While on the Water

We know that going fast in your boat is fun. But we also know that the wake your boat creates can be dangerous for other boaters, those enjoying water sports (like water skiing or tubing) and those on jet skis. Be considerate of others on the water as you would someone in the bicycle lane when you’re driving through town. Watch your wake and minimize the damage it can do by lowering your speed if necessary.

Boating on the lake is a great pastime. Don’t ruin it for yourself or others with these bad boating habits. Be aware, be courteous, and have fun!

Anchor - The New “Uber” for Boating

Have you ever thought that it might be nice to use your pontoon boat as a source of income like those ride-share services on land? Well, your dream is now becoming reality with the new Anchor App.

Launched in the summer of 2017 out of Lake of the Ozarks in mid-Missouri, Anchor provides a boat-on-demand service on waterways. So, if someone needs to get from one dock to another across the lake, they can essentially charter a water taxi to get there, and the driver could be you.

Passengers can request you take them straight to their destination or, if you’re willing, you can stop for them to swim a bit, or take a joy ride on the water. The idea is, first and foremost, water safety. Some lake tourists have no idea how to navigate the waters that you’re accustomed to, so this gives them the opportunity to rent a boat but still be safe, and for you to make a little money just being out on the water.

You can sign up to be a driver on the Anchor website; you need a valid driver’s license and, well, a boat. Depending on the laws in your area, you may also need a boater’s license, but that’s something you should already have if it’s required in your state. Since the app and program are relatively new, you may be one of the first to help launch it in your waterways!

You determine how available you want to be for passengers. You decide when you’re “working” simply by turning on the app and logging in, and logging out when you’re done for the day. You make your own hours. 

Why not make some extra bucks while getting more time on the water? If you like meeting new people, it’s a win-win!