It's that time again - the end of the boating season and time to begin long-delayed maintenance projects.  To maintain the life of your boat's drive system, winterizing the engine should be one of your top priorities.  Some boaters have their local boat mechanic winterize their boats, other choose to do it themselves.  If you fall into the latter category, try these handy tips to winterize your boat this fall:

• Complete Boat Maintenance Plan
• How to Winterize a Boat
• How to Winterize Your Boat's Drive System
• Boat Winterizing Checklist

It's time for the fall boat show season.  Frankly, this year there are a lot less boat shows than last year, but boaters who are in the market for a boat, or just want to something fun to do, will still find a boat show near them.  September is the best month for fall boat shows, as they dwindle considerably toward the holidays and pick back up again in 2011.

Boat Show Tips
Best Time to Buy a Boat
2010 Boat Show Calendar

One time, as a Coxswain in the Coast Guard, we got a call from a concerned person who thought they had seen a flare in the north Puget Sound.  I don't mind telling you that flare sightings were the worst calls we received because they often turned out to be nothing.  Nevertheless, we got underway to investigate in the middle of a moonless night.  It was one of those pitch-black nights where nothing was visible except flashing buoys to guide our way.  To make matters worse, the area where we searched was directly in front of a populated area where lights on shore reflected on the water, confusing us.

As we searched, driving back and forth through the inky water, I sometimes thought I saw a white light.  It seemed to be there, and then gone again, but I couldn't tell because of the reflection from land lights.  Not only that, it was brief and didn't appear like any light I had ever seen.  The rest of the boat crew thought I was insane, and so we decided that it was time to depart, assuming the caller had been mistaken.  Just as we were about to leave, I saw the white light again.  It glowed just long enough for the rest of the crew to see it, too.  Realizing that it wasn't the lights from land, we motored forward toward the spot where we last saw it, shining our spotlight in that direction.  Sure enough, after a minute or so, a small boat with 7 teenagers came into view.  We later learned that their boat engine had failed and they had only one flare - the one that was spotted by the person who called us.  They had seen our blue lights flashing as we searched, and without any other resources at hand, they started burning their socks to get our attention.  Although this story had a good ending - we found them and they made it home safely - it could have turned out very differently had they not had any flares, or if in burning their socks they created an even more dangerous situation with an open flame aboard a small boat.

I tell this long story to make a brief, but vital point:  Keep plenty of flares on your boat and you won't have to burn your socks.  The Coast Guard requires both day and night flares for a reason.  Be sure your flares are in excellent condition and replace them when they expire.  If you do find yourself in a situation where your boat engine fails, night falls, the temperature is dropping fast and a storm is moving in, like one these teenagers unknowingly faced, by all means do whatever you can to get attention.  But, it would be a lot safer, not to mention easier, if you had the required safety equipment aboard your boat.

To learn about the Coast Guard Safety Requirements for your boat size, visit:

Coast Guard Safety Requirements

Sounds formal, doesn't it?  Filing a float plan sounds like something you might do with a lawyer and that might take a lot of time and effort.  Well, it's actually a very simple process that could save your life in the event of something unforeseen happening while you are boating.

At it's simplest, filing a float plan is telling another person who will not be getting underway with you what your itinerary will be.  That way, if things take a turn for the worse, and you don't return when you planned, the person can notify rescue agencies to initiate a search for you.

All float plans should have a minimum of information including: the name of your boat, where you will launch from, where you intend to go, how many people are on board, a description of your boat, and the intended time of return.  To learn more, visit: File a Float Plan