BATH

While it is possible to purchase a new boat and immediately head out on the water, there are a few things that new boat owners need to know.

Each state has rules regarding the types of vessels which must be registered and the deadline for such activity.

When you pay your application fee, you will be given a registration, a state validation decal and a registration number. You are required to have the certificate of registration on board and ready at all times when any enforcement officer asks for it. The registration number must be displayed on your bow in a configuration established by state law.

In Maine, the block letters must be at least 3-inches high, reading left to right on both sides of the bow, and the letters must be separated from the numbers by a space. It is your responsibility to know these specifications. Without it, it is illegal to operate a boat.

In the event of a lost or stolen boat, you will need your hull number. It is the only way to identify your boat. You will find this number on a metal plate or stamped into the fiberglass on the hull of your vessel. Be sure to locate it and record it in a safe place. If you brought your boat from another state, check on the new state’s registration requirements and deadlines.

Most boat dealers will provide what they call a “basic safety package,” but it is up to the owner to know whether its items meet boating regulations. State requirements vary, but the U.S. Coast Guard requires that any boat over 16-feet has to have on board three emergency signaling devices for day and night, as well as a sound producing device audible for at least half a mile, and, according to boat size, a number of Type B Coast Guard approved fire extinguishers (in marine stores type “ABC” is the norm).

Of course, you are required to have a life jacket for each person on the boat. It must be Coast Guard approved, in useable condition, and fit the individual person. These vary in size from those suitable for children to those for crew members all sizes. Life jackets are also available for pets.

While your waters may look wide open to you, they are actually one water highway, with channel markers identifying the shoulders of the road. Many other road signs indicate anything from speed limits, to safe water, to hazardous areas. So the safe thing for you to do is to attend a United States Power Squadrons’ ABC boating class to learn more about that highway, the meaning of the various markers and the definitions of “minimum wake” and “no wake.”

Failure to do so may well result in injury and financial loss to you and your crew.

Be sure to start out on your recreational boating adventures as a ready and informed captain. You owe it to your friends and family to keep them safe as they enjoy our gorgeous Maine waters.

So boat safely, my friend, and take a United States Power Squadrons’ ABC Boating class.

Wawenock Sail & Power Squadron will be offering an ABC class at Brunswick High School beginning March 1. Registration is through Merrymeeting Adult Ed.

For more info on upcoming boating courses, contact John McMullen at [email protected].