Everyone remembers to bring the fishing rods and bait when going fishing. Similarly, wakeboarders always have a tow rope handy. But the most important items on a boat are safety gear. You never know when an emergency situation will occur. Life jackets are mandatory, and should be worn on the boat. But beyond that, emergency beacons, first-aid kits, life rafts, flares and other products might be vitally important to have on your boating excursions. Check out today’s available boating safety gear.

The U.S. Coast Guard is your life-saver on the water. When an accident or health issue leaves you dead in the water—something that a tow service can’t handle—the U.S. Coast Guard will be there to save you. When a boater doesn’t return home from a trip, the Coast Guard boats and helicopters are the first ones out there searching for the missing person. The U.S. Coast Guard has an entire site dedicated to boating and safety tips that all boaters should be familiar with. Safety gear, navigation, seamanship, emergency procedures and safety tips are all covered in detail. 

When you buy a boat, no one explains how to best captain and run the boat. You probably took a boating course at some point in your life, but that’s more of a “rules of the road” course than actual boat handling. Thankfully, Boating can help you! Our boat handling section has loads of articles teaching you how to handle your boat, including seamanship, docking, riding tips, along with plenty of other categories. Search through it, and you’ll likely find what you were looking for.