Has your boat been in storage for a very long time? If this is the case, you will need to do a few things in order to get it ready to hit the open water once again. You need to make yourself a checklist to make sure that you do not neglect to perform any tasks that could jeopardize the safety of your vessel. Owning a boat is a very big responsibility. Knowing how to properly maintain your boat could very possibly save the lives of you and your passengers. Here are several of the things that you need to do before taking a trip after your boat has been in storage.
1. Make sure you have all of the necessary safety equipment.
Disaster could strike at any moment when you are driving your boat. You need to be prepared for many possible situations. You might have engine and radio trouble. Therefore, you should always have several flares on board that will allow you to signal for help. Flares will tell boats and planes where you are. You should also make sure that your boat has provisions like food and water that can feed all the people on board for several days if needed. Life jackets are also a must if you need to abandon your boat for some reason.
2. Have your boat looked at by a trained boat mechanic.
A boat that has been sitting for a long time and not being used could possibly have some mechanical problems that need to be sorted out. You do not want to discover these issues when you are already many miles from shore. Therefore, you should hire a mechanic to inspect your craft to get it running smoothly. You should also contact a store that sells replacement parts for boats if you need to buy any.
3. Test all of the systems before you depart on your trip.
Do not assume that everything will be working perfectly on your boat. Give all of the systems a complete run through when you are close to shore. This will allow you to get any malfunctioning systems fixed very easily without endangering yourself or your passengers. Be certain to make sure that you bring spare batteries for your cell phone. You do not want your phone to go dead in the event of an emergency at sea.