BoatUS remains the premiere advocate for boaters and boating safety on all waters and SSECN is proud to have BoatUS as a SPONSOR!

NEWS From BoatUS
Boat Owners Association of The United States
880 S. Pickett St., Alexandria, VA 22304
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Press Contact: D. Scott Croft, 703-461-2864, SCroft@BoatUS.com

BoatUS Asks FL Governor Scott to Veto Special Anchoring Carve Out
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. March 15, 2016 – Allowing a select few to carve out their own special anchoring restrictions, and bypassing a pilot program designed to provide practical, uniform anchoring regulations statewide is a mistake, says BoatUS President Margaret Bonds Podlich in a letter sent today to Florida Governor Rick Scott. Podlich, who represents over 115,000 members in the state and over half a million nationwide, is asking the Governor to veto House Bill 1051, which would ban the overnight anchoring of boats in three specific areas of South Florida, providing special privileges to these select areas.

Said Podlich in her letter to Governor Scott, “BoatUS believes that creating special carve outs directly counters the years of effort that have gone into developing rational statewide anchoring regulations.”

“For many boat owners one of the joys of boating is to travel to new places, drop anchor, dock or pick up a mooring and then spend time and money exploring the local community. Prior to 2009, boats cruising Florida faced a hodge-podge of inconsistent local anchoring rules that made boaters feel very unwelcome in some of the state’s waters. We heard from many of our members who found communities whose ordinances banned or severely limited anchoring in their jurisdictions.”

“BoatUS actively supported the 2009 legislation to create the Florida Mooring and Anchoring Pilot Program and thereafter we worked with all five of the local jurisdictions as they developed their ordinances.”

The BoatUS President highlighted Pilot Program provisions designed to promote the use of mooring fields, promote public access, enhance navigational safety, protect maritime infrastructure and the marine environment, and to deter improperly stored, abandoned, or derelict vessels.

“We remain firmly convinced the Pilot Program can provide some elements that local governments might use to manage their waterways while still allowing a full range of mooring and anchoring options for active cruising boaters. Local governments throughout the state have patiently waited for a balanced approach, one that will emerge in 2017 from the Pilot Program results,” added Podlich.

“Enactment of House Bill 1051 – with its provisions of special exceptions when it comes to overnight anchoring in three very specific areas of the state – is directly counter to all the time, effort and financial resources that have gone into creating anchoring rules that are fair to everyone.”

The full text of the letter to Governor Scott can be found at BoatUS.com/gov.

BoatUS remains the premiere advocate for boaters and boating safety on all waters and SSECN is proud to have BoatUS as a SPONSOR!

This shore power pedestal inlet and cable aren’t that far away from sparking a major boat fire.

NEWS From BoatUS
Boat Owners Association of The United States
880 S. Pickett St., Alexandria, VA 22304
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Press Contact: D. Scott Croft, 703-461-2864, SCroft@BoatUS.com

BoatUS Fire Facts: Claim Files Show Six Ways Boat Fires Happen

ALEXANDRIA, Va., March 10, 2016 — Fire ranks number five among all boat losses according to the BoatUS Marine Insurance Program claims files. Dig a little a deeper, and those claims files also tell you the six specific areas that lead to most reported boat fires. If every boater paid attention to these six things, over a third of all fires aboard boats would be prevented. So what are the top six ways boat fires happen, and some lessons to take home?

26% of fires are due to “Off-the-boat” sources: Over a quarter of the time, a BoatUS member’s boat burns when something else goes up in flames – the boat next to theirs, the marina, their garage, or even a neighbor’s house. It’s every boater’s responsibility to prevent fires, but when all else fails, having a good boat insurance policy is the last backstop.

20% of fires are due to “Engine Electrical”: For boats older than 25 years, old wiring harnesses take a disproportionate chunk of the blame here. A good electrical technician can put one together for you as most boats of this age had relatively simple electrical systems.

15% of fires are due to “Other DC Electrical”: The most common cause of battery-related fires is faulty installation of batteries – reversing the positive and negative cables or misconnecting them in series (when they should be in parallel). So take a picture. Label the cables. Use red fingernail polish to mark the positive lug. By gosh do everything to hook it up right the first time.

12% of fires are due to “AC Electrical”: Most AC electrical fires start between the shore power pedestal and the boat’s shorepower inlet. Inspecting the shore power cord routinely (connector ends especially) and for boats older than 10 years, inspecting or replacing the boat’s shorepower inlet, could prove wise.

9% of fires are due to “Other Engine”: This one is all about when an engine overheats due to blocked raw water intake or mangled impeller, the latter of which can also happen after experiencing a grounding or running in mucky waters. Be sure to check the engine compartment after getting underway and replace impeller every other year.

8% of fires are due to “Batteries”: This fire fact is for the outboard folks to pay attention to. On older outboards, by far the most common cause of fires is the voltage regulator. At 10 years of age, failure rates on these important electrical components begin to climb. Once it hits 15 years old, it’s time to replace.

Does your boat insurance cover boat fires? Get a free boat insurance check up and quote by calling the BoatUS Marine Insurance Program experts at 800-283-2883. Or get an online quote at BoatUS.com/insurance.