Summer boating
1 article in Articles
Crocpad’s Summer boating articles — gear and setup for boats, pontoons, docks and open water.
You will find what changes when the water is moving and the depth is unknown: anchoring and tethering, getting people and dogs in and out safely, keeping gear dry and aboard, and stowing equipment that has to live in salt air.
What’s covered in Summer boating
- Pontoon Slide Setup: Complete Guide for Aussie Boaties — Learn how to set up an inflatable slide on your pontoon or boat safely. Aussie-tested tips on anchoring, sizing, safety and the best water slides for the lake.
About boating, docks and open water
Open water removes the two things a backyard pool gives you for free: a known depth and a fixed edge. Everything you tether has to account for drift, everything you stand on has to account for wake, and everyone in the water has to be accounted for by someone who is not. Gear that is perfectly good in a pool — an untethered mat, an unweighted ramp — becomes a different proposition once it can drift away from the boat with someone on it.
Summer boating: common questions
Do I need to tether a mat or slide off a boat?
Always. Wind and current move an untethered inflatable faster than a swimmer can follow, and the gap opens quickest with someone already on it. Tether to the vessel, check the line, and keep a spotter watching the water.
How do I stop salt water ruining the gear?
Rinse with fresh water and dry fully before stowing, every trip. Pay attention to buckles, valves and fittings — salt crystals in a closure are what wears a seal out long before the fabric gives up.
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