Memorial Day Checklist
Memorial Day is the first big boating weekend of the year and before you hit the lake you will want to make sure that you have properly checked through your boat. Running through a quick checklist can ensure that your time out on the water is both safe and enjoyable.
1. Be Prepared for a Safety Check
First thing you will want to check is how many life jackets you have in the boat. You must have an equivalent number of life jackets to passengers in the boat as well as a throw cushion to remain legal on the water. This helps keep everyone legal and avoids an unnecessary ticket. Other important safety features that can be overlooked is your fire extinguisher and noise making device. Make sure that your fire extinguisher is both filled and not expired. Hopefully you will never need to use it, but in the case of an emergency it becomes very important to have. Check the horn on your boat to make sure that it is making noise, and if not you can always have a whistle on board in case you need to get someone’s attention.
2. Proper Maintenance
Make sure your boat has been properly serviced. Your inboard should have been winterized to protect the engine over the winter, and then summerized to get ready for the season. Make sure your batteries are charged, engine fluids have been changed, all plugs are in and all of your navigation/trailer lights are still working. If you bought your boat here at Waterski America, our service department will always be able to make sure that your boat is running at its full potential.
3. Run your Boat
Before you completely drop your boat into the water sit with the trailer in the water, start your boat and get your engine up to temperature. While the boat is running, open up your rear engine compartment to check for leaking fluids. This way you can make sure that everything was put back properly after the winter season.
4. Check your Registration Stickers
Check your registration stickers on your boat and trailer to see if you are completely up to date. For more details on registration you can visit the Parks and Wildlife and Texas DMV websites through the links provided below.
5. Have Fun
Most importantly, have fun, but not too much fun. Everyone is out to celebrate our vets and have a great time with family, but it is imperative that you stay safe by always checking your surroundings, handling your boat at safe speeds and of course, never drink and drive.
