Diver Flags: A Helpful Tool For Everyone In The Water

There are a lot of great ways to enjoy the open waters in the rivers, lakes, and oceans that are around you. Boating is an exciting pastime that many people love to take part in during the warm months of the spring and summer. Underwater adventures such as snorkeling and SCUBA diving are other hobbies that are enjoyed by many. Unfortunately, when these two pastimes meet, the result can be deadly. The key to keeping people safe while boating is to avoid snorkelers and scuba divers. The primary tool used by these divers to be seen and avoided is through the use of dive flags.

The standard American dive flag is a solid red flag with a white diagonal stripe from the upper left corner, across the center of the flag, and to the lower right corner. It was based on the solid red “Bravo” flag used to denote danger in the Navy. Developed in 1953, the dive flag has become a ubiquitous symbol for divers and diving culture. Its primary purpose, however, is still to indicate to other vessels on the sea that divers are present in the immediate area around the flag, and that caution should be to used to avoid the area to prevent hitting and potentially injuring or killing one of the divers present in the water.

Causes Of Boating Accidents

Boating is one the most exhilarating and entertaining ways to spend a day, and activities like swimming, tubing, and skiing enhance the boating experience even more. Personal water craft like jet skis and kayaks become more popular every year, and in 2009 there were almost thirteen million registered vessels in the United States. Unfortunately, every year there are accidents on the water that could have been avoided completely by understanding the common causes of boating accidents. It is quite surprising how deceptively few causes there are for the vast majority of boating accidents, and knowing these causes can help you and your passengers from becoming statistics.

Boating is the very essence of recreation, and as such, one the most common causes of an accident while boating is intoxication. Just as with automobiles, drinking and other forms of intoxication will inhibit an operator’s ability to make decisions and reduce their response time. Boating parties are a common site in the rivers, lakes, and coastal waters in the summer months, and when alcohol is involved, there are almost always tragic results. While accidents due to operating a vessel intoxicated are common, so are drownings, broken bones, and other injuries from passengers being intoxicated. Many times passengers fall out initially unnoticed, sometimes striking objects like floating branches, submerged rocks, or even getting hit by another boat before anyone knows they are even in the water.

Building Boats with Plywood

Building a boat out of plywood can be a very neat project to take on. There will be a few things to decide on before building a plywood boat. The size of the boat and the shape will be important factors when deciding. There are plans available for different styles of plywood boats. After picking out the plan or going with your own design you will want to make sure you own or have access to the tools you will need. Table saws or skill saws work great for cutting plywood to the right lengths. A jig saw may be needed for cutting holes or curves in the plywood. A good drill and some drill bits and a driver for the drill will make easy work of wood screws.
Materials should be gathered before starting the project as well. Plywood, wood glue, screws and a lot of sand paper in different grits. You will also need a fiberglass kit that has enough material to cover the bottom and sides of the boat. This is how you will make the boat water tight. If you are going to try and make a V bottom boat you will need the thinnest plywood you can find. The ply wood for the V bottom will need to be able to bend enough to achieve the right contour on the sides of the boat. Quarter inch thick plywood will work nicely. If you are going to make a flat bottom john boat you will be able to use a thicker plywood. This will be the faster and easier of the two styles to build.

After cutting the pieces out for the flat bottom boat start putting them together using lots of glue and screws. Make braces along the interior of the boat trying not to make the boat to heavy. After the boat takes its shape and the exterior is finished sand the plywood down leaving the surface rough. Start applying the fiber glass resin and material in small workable sections until the exterior of the boat is covered and you are confident the boats exterior is water tight. After the fiberglass has cured you can sand it smooth and prepare it for primer and paint. Priming and painting should be done with marine grade products and can be applied with a brush if you would like.
For the V bottom boat you will want to build the frame first using the jig saw to cut the contour of the boats side. Start bending the plywood onto the frame pieces. Attach the plywood with screws and plenty of wood glue. Leave a seam down the center of the boat because if you try to bend the plywood around the V you will crack it. After completing both sides add a second layer of plywood directly on the first layer using plenty of wood glue between the layers. Sand the plywood and water proof it using the fiberglass kit making sure you fill the center seam of the boat. After the fiber glass is dry enough you can sand it and prepare it for paint and primer. Make sure to use marine grade primer and paint for maximum paint durability.

Boat Owners Spring Time Checklist

For boaters, the first annual spring fishing tip is highly anticipated, and they can’t wait to get out on the water and haul in that very first catch of the new season. However, before putting the boat into the water, there are a number of checks that should be performed on the vessel to ensure that it is safe to navigate the lake or river that is being targeted.

1). It is necessary to begin with evaluation of the electrical system. This means first inspecting the battery terminals for any corrosion. They must be cleaned off to ensure proper contact between battery posts and cables. A light coating of grease should be applied to prevent this problem in the future. The water levels of the cells inside should also be checked using a flashlight to see if any water needed to be added. If necessary slowly add distilled water until the proper level is reached. The final step is to charge the battery using a slow trickle charger that will top it off to the proper level. Finally carry spare fuses with the electrical equipment in case they are ever needed on the water.

10 Ways To Secure Your Boat In the Hurricane Season

Boating is a luxury, but safety and precaution are vital. If you’re a keen boater, then you want to be well prepared for any kind of possibility. Hurricanes are a frequent occurrence and it is best to be fully prepared if you’re caught in one. This is true for all kinds of boats, be it a pontoon, a sail boat or a yacht. Having a hurricane plan always helps.

Follow these few simple steps to keep your boat prepared in a hurricane: