every damn weekend

i hear at least 2 stories of people drowning while boating

yes i know lifevests are not kool to show off but can save your sorry ass when u go overboard

at least sars will find your body before blowing up to a water corps (who ever had the plessure of seeing/smelling one knows what i mean - no open casket )

just a reminder to everyone that what we do as hobby can end up as a tragedy - especially when u go at nite in a unknown spot (like myself often does )

- be prepared for worst have a 1st aid heat blanket, carkeys, a lighter and ur cell in a ziplock on a waistbag

- be careful and let people know where exactly u go give updates

- dont jump in the water HEAD FIRST !! and not from a boat doing 20 mph

- at nite go fkn slow ad have lights on ! if you ever hit a treestump with 15 pmh on the water you know

- wear a life west with a water activated beacon

- tell your buddy not to fool around when hes being an idiot - his wife will appreciate when he comes home again and his kids too

just a reminder for all of us - last thing i wanna read here is a obituary about some poor fool die trying to get larry out of the weeds

be safe everybody - it can happen to anybody anytime

I don't have a boat but I really appreciate that people are thinking about this and taking boating responsibly.

My wife the ER nurse always reminds me that no one plans on their accidental injury or death.

You never know when or how that grim reaper is going to make a move. I almost drowned a few years ago..... it is a long story but to sum it up .... it was a freak accident doing what I've done a hundred times before, always took the proper precautions to make it safe, a spur of the moment decision with hindsight showing not a great decision and it was almost over. Moral of the story is that you never know and even though you may be the most cautious person and think that you always plan for the worst it is always these strange scenarios that can get you.

Great advice skoda thanks for posting.

- tate

For all the small boat fisherman, I think there is a law in Mass that states you must wear a life jacket in the cold months (Nov-March or something), on a boat less than 15'...jon boat, canoe, rowboat, kayak, whatever. In some states they're making it mandatory year 'round, but I don't think Mass has passed the same law just yet. It's coming soon!

Good post, always a good idea to remind people about safety, kinda like a Tool Box Talk at the job site!

For all the small boat fisherman, I think there is a law in Mass that states you must wear a life jacket in the cold months (Nov-March or something), on a boat less than 15'...jon boat, canoe, rowboat, kayak, whatever. In some states they're making it mandatory year 'round, but I don't think Mass has passed the same law just yet. It's coming soon!

Good post, always a good idea to remind people about safety, kinda like a Tool Box Talk at the job site!

September 15th through May 15th in a kayak or canoe, personal watercraft and children under 12 at all times, all others must have them aboard for each passenger..because the colder the water the quicker you will go into shock/hypothermia and/or go unconscious, thusly needing the jacket more.


Also good to know are Hypothermia effects and time tables

Another thing to keep in mind is it is ok to be prepared...I don't care if you won the Olympic gold medal for swimming..things can go wrong when you least expect it. Security is not weakness.

Last edited by blackstonecarp on Mon Aug 01, 2011 10:36 pm; edited 1 time in total

Good call...I learned from a Bill Dance episode that you have a 50% chance of living in 50 degree water for 50 minutes..not sure if that makes any sense, or is actually true, because it was from Bill Dance, but it was a quote I remembered from one of his episodes.

absolutely 50 degrees is nearly half our body temp. You lose heat fast and the blood starts to flow to your organs to protect them. If its 50 minutes or not, you definitely can get hypothermia and even die in 50 degree water.

Same is true with the wind, even at 60 degrees, if it is blowing constant and you cant escape it, it wicks all the heat away. I dont know the exact temp of the body that is considered hypothermia, but pretty sure its in the 80's

i can only recommend going in the water with full gear once and try to swim with boots, pants and sweatter - learned that at DE navy - and gives u a realistic sense of how hard it is to keep afloat with gear and what to take off first to make it to the shore

just makes me sad to see all season long boating bodies being pulled out o the water

I agree 100% it happens everywhere people going out on baots withouut the appropiate safety equipment or using the equipment correctly ie. wearing a pfd(personal floatation device) without pulling up the zipper or pulling the straps so that it fits properly you may as well not be wearing one, also even if there is a law in place is it enforced and what are the penelties. it is always a good idea to test your equipment . it will do no harm at the end of a day on the water to jump in (with your pfd on) and learn how it feels.

Agreed ..panic comes from facing the unknown without a plan...if you know what to expect ( ie how the pfd feels and works and as Skoda said have an idea of what you need to do) you are far less likely to panic, which in turn will allow you to focus and think, which will save your life.

Great Subject guys! Hopfully everyone takes this stuff to heart. Safety first, We've got a great group of anglers here, let keep it that way!