While talking about mainstream kayak and boating tips the first thing to say is that experience is the best teacher. When you don’t the chance to rack up experience in order to teach you, we often have to make do with the learned experiences of others.
Keep an eagle eye out for weather reports preceding and on the day of your boating trip
Weather is everything when it comes to mainstream kayak and boating. You can make plans as much as you possibly can but if the weather isn’t good for boating, don’t be stubborn about it. Yes, it can be frustrating since you’ve invested time, effort, and money into this activity. However, losing that is better than losing your life.
A lot of reckless would-be sailors tend to ignore the weather or brave what seems to be calm after a patchy day. This often leads to accidents and loss of property that could otherwise have been totally avoided. It’s best to stay ashore and wish you had gone out than going out and wishing you hadn’t.
Overdressing is smart
More is often better than less. You can always take clothing off, after all.
Don’t be stingy with the snack and water stock
Mainstream kayak and boating is hungry and thirsty business. This is particularly true if you’re bringing along friends, particularly their kids, on boating trips.
Everyone is bound to be happier and in a more pleasant mood if they aren’t hungry or dehydrated. Just keep an eye out for that one person who will probably drink as much of the water as they can. A lot of people don’t really appreciate drinking water until they’re surrounded by water the *can’t* drink.
Never overload your boat
This is something to keep in mind while the previous point is taken into consideration. It’s great to stock up on food and water but if it’s going to risk overloading your boat, you may need to consider cutting back on stock or people you’re taking on.
Don’t feel bad about turning some people down. It is ultimately for the safety of everyone on board.
Secure your gadgets and personal effects in a zip lock bag while going for mainstream kayak and boating.
Don’t be like me whose wallet took a dip while boating out at Lake Tahoe. It was actually pretty lucky that we weren’t that far out yet so I was able to fish it out.
So take it from me. Your keys, wallets, and cell phones will be better off in a waterproof or zip lock bag. Not only will it keep them safe from getting drenched–if it somehow makes its way into the water, zip lock bags that aren’t heavy will float.
Make sure than more than one person knows how to drive or hail for help
This is particularly important in case of emergencies. It’s pretty much the same on a long road trip. It’s best to have another person who knows how to drive to relieve the driver in case of emergencies or fatigue.
Diving & Boating
Shore diving can be immensely exciting if you can find a suitable place, but nothing can be compared to a boat diving and usually most beautiful place on the Earth can be reached by boat. Diving boats are pretty expensive and you need to invest a lot in their maintenance. If you are visiting some place and you want to experience scuba diving, it may be cost effective to look around for some boating company. They will provide you all the equipment you need, but still, what kind of boat you should look for and what should you expect from it?
When you are considering to visit some diving center, the most important thing is to review the shape and the conditions of the boats – they all should have safety equipment and to run smoothly
Every boat should be equipped with safety and diving equipment. This equipment needs to be regularly maintained and checked. The boat company needs to meet certain regulations and standards and in the most cases to exceed them. Ask them about emergency procedures, in case something goes wrong.
You cannot choose one specific style of a dive boat. Depending on sea conditions or types of diving, the dive boat should have specific features that will accommodate its function. For example, if you are diving in the UK, where is cold water and large waves, you will need a bigger boat that has a lift on the back because it will provide you easier exit and entry. On the other hand, if you are diving at some tropical island, you will require a smaller boat to get you faster to the sites.
Regarding the facilities, they all should be well maintained and designed, but all of this also depends on the size of the boat. You should ask the boating company if they have showers there, a place to sit down, wash mask and if they provide refreshment and snacks.
Depending on a diving company, they may decide to bring one or more staff on board, if they are experienced you shouldn’t be too stressed how many staff is on board, you only need to follow their instructions.
The boats which have proven to be the best for scuba diving so far are:
Ribs: known also as Zodiacs in the U.S.; they have a rigid bottom, but they are also lightweight and sensitive, they can carry from 4 to 12 people, depending on the size, their engine is strong and it can go 60 nautical miles per hour. Ribs are excellent boats for short trips.
Day boats: they can carry from 10 to 30 people, made of wood or steel. They have very comfortable facilities from showers and toilets to a pantry.
Live-a-boards: there are the large boats, usually 100 feet long or more and they have full living quarters. These can accommodate from 20 to 40 people. They have a platform designed for diving and you can live on them for several weeks and explore diving in a best possible way.
The first type of boat is a rowboat. These are usually between 10 and 20 feet long and weigh up to 150 pounds for a heavy duty one. Most come with 2 larger seats that can fit an adult or two children, and sometimes a small seat in the front. The oars are typically hooked to the side of the boat and held in place so the user can simply moved the oars to go forward or backward. Rowboats are best for a romantic date or some exercise.
The motorboat is the next kind. These come in all shapes and sizes as there are thousands of brands of them. The price range varies tremendously based on a multitude of factors like brand, size, seating, motor, and even location of purchase. Motorboats are a good one to rent if it’s available because they’re generally pretty cheap for a few hours of use and you can zoom around the lake, river, or ocean and cover a lot of distance in a little bit of time, especially if you’re looking for a good fishing spot. Speed to your location to get in position, toss the anchor overboard, and start catching fish!
Canoes are a smaller kind of boat that typically fit the same amount of people as a row boat, except it’s usually only one person paddling. Make sure you take turns. This is a major arm workout and wears you out quickly. Canoeing is another great date idea, much like the rowboat. The local sporting goods store will have a canoe for $100 or so.
Sailboats are just as expensive if not more than motorboats, depending on many of the same factors. These types of boats have a huge sail, connected to a rudder in the back of the boat that’s used to steer. Bring one of these out on the water on a windy day and you’re going to have an amazing time sailing around. Better hope the winds stay up though, otherwise, you’re stuck
A raft can be classified as a boat because it floats and carries people. A raft is usually a collection of wood beams held together by nails, screws, or rope and meant to carry a reasonable amount of weight in the water. They float nicely until you add a little too much weight and they start sinking. Not a fun time! Look for one that has slightly raised sides if you want to use it because you don’t want the water constantly flowing over the wall into the middle of the raft as you’re paddling around. Out of all the boats, this is your slowest method by far.
The next kind of boat is a kayak. These are really fun! It’s basically a way cooler version of a canoe. They come in one and two-person setups, but don’t get the 2. Go for the 1 person so you can paddle around freely. It’s more fun that way. Plus, you can race your friends. Kayaks are what people use when they want good exercise or want to take on some white water rapids, anywhere from class 1 to 5. I’ve never tried the rapids before, but I have friends who did and it sounds amazing. My kayak is an obnoxious yellow color, so I’ll need to buy a new one soon that better fits my style.
