Basic Knots Boating Basics Glossary of Terms

7 Useful Tips for Eco-Friendly Boating: Submitted by Daniela Baker http://www.creditdonkey.com/blog.html

Boating of any sort can be a fun way to enjoy the water, whether you're fishing on a small lake or cruising in the Atlantic. However, due to fuel expenditures, spills, oil leaks, trash, and sensitive areas in waterways, boating can also be incredibly harmful to the environment. If you want enjoy boating while making minimal impact on the waterways and the ecosystems they contain, take these seven tips before your next boating trip:

1. Keep your boat properly maintained throughout the year

Keeping your boat properly maintained is eco-friendly in the same way keeping your car properly maintained is: it helps make your boat more efficient, which saves fuel. Also, though, a boat that is properly maintained is less likely to leak fuel and oil. Remember, it only takes a little bit of oil or fuel to contaminate a large area of water, so making sure that your boat isn't leaking is absolutely essential!

2. Don't overfill the fuel tank

If you're filling your fuel tank until the automatic shutoff on the nozzle clicks, you're probably overfilling your fuel tank. Because fuel expands as it heats and because fuel tanks on boats are often subject to much shaking during an outing, over-full fuel tanks can easily spill into the waterways around the boat. Instead of listening to the automatic shutoff, check for air escaping from the vent in your built-in fuel tank. As soon as the air flow increases, the fuel tank is full enough.

3. Clean up the boat and trailer before leaving the boat launch

One interesting thing that many boaters don't consider when leaving the boat launch for the day is what they're unintentionally taking with them. Your boat, propeller, trailer, and live well are probably all covered with plant life, mud, and maybe even a few tiny animals that you've jerked from their normal habitat. Cleaning up the debris and mud from the boat and trailer will ensure that you don't take these natural items to another place, where they could contaminate the natural ecosystem of that environment.

4. Study the waterways

Before you go boating, make sure you study the waterways where you'll be going very carefully. In most waterways, there are certain areas that are more sensitive than others, and some areas where you have to be more careful to look out for aquatic animals. If you aren't sure which areas to avoid or to be sensitive of, ask someone who is familiar with the environment in the area.

5. Choose the right engine

According to the Massachusetts Office of Coastal Zone Management, typical two-stroke outboard engines allow 20-30% of the fuel to go straight into the air or water. If you're buying a new marine engine, choose a newer four-stroke or lean-burn two stroke engine with an efficient fuel-injection system. These engines are also easier to start and smoother and quieter to use, so there's a bonus for you, too!

6. Maintain the boat out of the water whenever possible

Performing boat maintenance while the boat is in the water makes it more likely that you'll contaminate the water with oil, fuel, paint chips from scrubbing the boat's sides, and harsh chemicals you use to clean and maintain the boat. Whenever possible, clean up the boat in the boatyard, and you can do a world of good for the environment. If you must perform maintenance in the water, take as many steps as possible to prevent contamination, and only use environmentally-friendly cleaners.

7. Reduce, reuse, recycle

Just as with any other sport, it's important to think about the most basic of green living tenets when it comes to boating: reduce, reuse, recycle. Can you reduce your consumption of goods by keeping your boating gear in good repair so that you don't have to replace it as often? Can you reuse your old dishes from home on your boat so that you don't have to use paper or plastic? Could you recycle all of the paper and plastic that you do use when on board the boat? These are all simple things that can make a world of difference in the environment.

Boating in New Areas

Boating can be a great way to travel to and explore new areas if you have a large enough boat to take it far into the ocean. Daniela Baker from CreditDonkey says, one way to be smarter about how you treat the environment while you are boating is to look at different travel credit card deals for your boating excursions. Many of today's credit card companies actually allow you to put points you've earned towards different causes and non-profits, so you could choose to put your earnings towards a non-profit geared towards cleaning up and maintaining the health of your favorite waterways.

Like any other sport, boating isn't inherently bad or good, but when boaters don't care about the environment, the consequences of their choices can be far-reaching and devastating. If you do care about the waters you're boating on and the eco-systems they contain, these seven simple eco-friendly boating tips can help you go green while enjoying your favorite sport.

BASIC HULL DESIGNS

Boat hulls are either displacement hulls or planing hulls. A displacement hull moves through the water, while a planing hull is designed to skim on top of the water and can travel at a much higher speed. Each design has its limitations and advantages.

A displacement hull requires very little power to move through the water. Large trawler yachts, fishing boats and large sailboats are displacement hull boats. They can easily move through the water with small, economical engines or sail power. They ride very comfortably even in rough seas, but cannot go very fast.

As you increase speed, a planing hull rides up on top of the water allowing the boat to travel at much higher speeds. Unless the water surface is flat or nearly so, a boat with a planing hull must be properly designed to prevent pounding with each wave. Planing hulls require considerably more power for their size and are therefore generally limited to fairly small craft.

Examples of the five most common hull designs are flat bottom, round bottom, vee, deep vee and multi-hull.

RECREATIONAL BOATS

More than half of the recreational boats in this country are less than 16 feet in length, and more than 90 percent are less than 20 feet in length. Ninety-five percent of all recreational boats are trailerable, allowing boaters to explore different bodies of water while enjoying their sport. Among this group, there are many types of boats used for a variety of water sports.

Small utility boats and jon boats are widely used for fishing in protected waters. Most are made of aluminum and can be powered by a small outboard engine. Many can be used as car-toppers because of their light weight and small size. A word of warning: be careful not to overload or stand in these small boats, as they can be very tippy. Standing up or changing position can unbalance and capsize a small boat.

Cruisers

A cruiser is larger in size than a runabout, and offers more accommodations. Cruisers generally start at about 18 feet in length and go up to 50 or 60 feet and more. Cruisers generally have sleeping berths (bunks), a head (lavatory), and a galley (kitchen). Smaller cruisers are suitable for overnight or weekend outings. Larger cruisers may provide the features of a luxury home. Some people choose to live aboard such boats.

Runabouts

The popularity of the runabout seems to increase every year. Most runabouts are made of fiberglass or aluminum and are powered by outboard engines. A growing number of runabouts are now powered by stern drives. The runabout can be used for fishing, water skiing, and cruising - it is a jack-of-all-trades. This versatility is what makes the runabout so popular.

Many manufacturers build specially designed runabouts for one activity. An example would be the bass boat. This runabout is a well-equipped fishing boat. Other examples include water ski boats and high speed cruising runabouts.

Personal Watercraft

Personal watercraft are small, agile boats powered by an inboard engine and a jet pump mechanism. The U.S. Coast Guard considers them to be "Class A Inboard Boats." These vessels are also identified as "Thrill Craft" by the State. They are subject to the same laws and requirements as larger, more conventional boats. Personal watercraft are not high speed toys. While personal watercraft may have a number of differences from other boats, there is no difference between personal watercraft operators and other boaters. For this reason, it is valuable for you to know boating basics.

All personal watercraft have certain common characteristics. The most important of these is the inboard engine with a jet drive propulsion system, and the fact that the operator is expected to be able to safely fall overboard and re-board this vessel. These features are related because the jet drive system eliminates any moving parts, such as a propeller or rudder, on the exterior surface of the hull. The propulsion system parts present no risk to the operator while falling or re-boarding.