Boating safety list

[IceDog]

As an inexperienced sailor who is getting ready to take on a sailboat project, I have been thinking about the safety aspects of boat ownership and cruising. I came up with a list of items that could reduce the dangers involved through proper planning, execution and maintenance. I would like to get input on the list and ideas of what is missing or overstated.
Some of the items on my draft list could be consolidated (plumbing) but they reflect my current research on systems as I prepare to finish a custom built boat and take it to sea. Without further ado, here is my Boating Safety list, Mark 1...

Boating Safety through planning

Drowning

1. (83% of fatalities). Stay on the boat; wear a pfd, use jacklines, tethers and harnesses as a system properly sized for the boat when appropriate. Plan ahead and know you can get back on board.

Sinking (reference)

2. Carefully inspect through hulls at every haul out. Upgrade if they seem degraded or poor quality. Use only high quality fittings. Test seacocks regularly and replace if in doubt. Lubricate if they are the type that can be lubricated.
3. Inspect plumbing system for degraded hoses, hose fittings, check valves where appropriate and of proper type and installation.
4. Check toilets and sink drains for proper design and installation.
5. Check for risers where necessary in all plumbing drains (18”).
6. Check bilge pump capacity and redundancy. Are two smaller ones better than one larger pump? (2 Rule 1500’s versus 1 Rule 3500?) Would it make sense to have a secondary automatic pump a little higher in the bilge that the primary?
7. When calculating pump capacity remember to reduce by 50% for risers.
8. Keep bilges clean and pump wiring splices dry.
9. Install bilge high water alarm.
10. Check that pumps will stay operational even with DC main breaker off.
11. Make sure battery capacity is adequate and condition is good.

Fire

12. Install and inspect smoke detectors (and carbon monoxide detector).
13. Install properly sized fire extinguishers, inspect and know how to use them.
14. Inspect electrical wiring system and correct any deficiencies.
15. Inspect propane system hoses and pressure test using built in gauge.

Rigging

16. Inspect rigging regularly (how often?) using a checklist.

Auxiliary Power

17. Maintain your engine, fuel system and starting system properly.

Planning

18. Plans are nothing, planning is everything (Dwight D. Eisenhower). It’s not enough to make a plan and stick it in a drawer somewhere. Planning is an ongoing process and an integral part of safety onboard. Think about what could happen and what your response and crew response should be to that event. Safety is a mindset.
19. Cultivate common sense.
20. Learn to sail! Cruising sailboats have two propulsion methods, but if your sails are down you are reduced to one. If your “Iron Genny” fails at the wrong time, you may have a problem.
21. Keep learning. There is a tremendous body of knowledge available and it is better to learn from others mistakes.
22. Have the right safety equipment for your intended use. Offshore and remote areas require a higher standard of equipment and planning than coastal cruising in popular waters.

Personal responsibility

23. Alcohol: There is a time and place for everything (Ok, one of my favorite time and places ). Remember you are responsible for your boat, everyone on it, and the people around you.

Anchoring

24. Know how to anchor for the bottom conditions, sea condition, tidal influences and weather, use the best anchor or anchors for the conditions and ensure they are set properly.

[rgscpat]

I don't see enough about the most failure-prone component of any vehicle:

the nut that holds the steering wheel.

That is to say, training and personal preparation for skipper, crew, and pax.

What good is the safety equipment if people don't really know how to use it?
How well will people do with a $500 emergency medicine expedition kit if they've never taken even a simple first aid class?

[IceDog]

Good point RGSCPAT, it will be included in Mark 2 version. For myself, I have taken the Red Cross first aid and CPR numerous times, and a 40 hour ocean search and rescue course once, but my wife has never taken any of these courses. Also learning to swim well and be comfortable in the water might be good for all concerned as part of personal preparation. Another important one missing is practicing your plan for emergency events.

[KDH]

[QUOTE=rgscpat;1130479]I don't see enough about the most failure-prone component of any vehicle:

the nut that holds the steering wheel.

I would add that to the list...literally. If the screw that holds the sheeve/pulley that the steering cable runs through falls off....no steering!

Also, change seacock to thru-hulls. Some instruments go through the hull but have no seacock.

Don't just inspect the rigging yourself, install it yourself so you thoroughly understand it and don't waste a lot of money having to fix the "professional" riggers mistakes. That goes back to the first item on the list too.

[rgscpat]

Oh yes, speaking of anchoring, there's anchoring the skipper and crew to the boat; i.e. tethers, harnesses/pfds with leg straps, jacklines, strongpoints, etc., depending upon conditions. Much better to stay with the boat than have your mate try to crank you up... or worse.

Part of training could be finding out what emergency steering rig you have -- and how hard it is to work. And it could be fun to lash the helm centered and see how much steering you can accomplish with sail trim and different improvised rigs.

I really want to get to one of the safety at sea trainings that has a practical component. I did once get to do a live training with fire extinguishers in a fire pan, and that was night and day different from watching a training video.

[bobconnie]

Under bildge pumps I would add a good manual bildge pump of as large size as will fit ! Ive found over the years, a good hand operated bildge pump will take care of all your pumping needs in a solid cruiseing boat ! (if it leaks more then a few strokes a day ya got a problem!) Ya might find it useful to ya !! Just a thought

[IceDog]

My project comes with an emergency tiller stored in the lazarette. I will be pulling it out and making sure I know how to use it and that it works if needed. It comes with two electric bilge pumps and a Whale gusher manual one. I will be testing them and evaluating whether they are sufficiently sized and properly installed.
I've done two intensive one week fire brigade/fire academy courses and a number of fire extinguisher training classes and I definitely agree that knowing how to and actually using them in a training environment is worthwhile, before you have to deal with a real world problem.
I also got to set off a few out of date flares for training which was cool. We were at a remote Antarctic research station (Palmer) so no worries about the neighbors or the Coast Guard seeing a false alarm.

[IceDog]

We had a tough challenge trying to put out this fire during our training. The bigger the better for fire extinguishers, combined with real world training and practice.
The other photo shows small boat training at Palmer Station, one of the most beautiful places I have been to.

[IceDog]

I will upload those later. My internet is too slow at the moment to upload a 155kb file...

[IceDog]

Here they are...

[denverd0n]

Under "properly sized fire extinguishers" I would say you want don't want to think in terms of the minimum required. Rather the most and biggest that you can reasonably fit and use on the boat. Every single person that I have ever talked to, or read their account, who actually dealt with a fire on-board, has said that they wished they had more/bigger fire extinguishers available.

"If your 'Iron Genny' fails at the wrong time, you may have a problem." I would say, first, learn how to sail well enough that there are very few circumstances that you couldn't sail yourself out of, if the iron genny fails. And then, second, be very aware of, and try to avoid (or move quickly through, if unavoidable), those circumstances where you COULDN'T sail yourself out of trouble without the engine.

In any case, kudos to you for thinking these things through.

[IceDog]

Agreed on fire extinguisher size...the bigger the better. Proper technique and proper extinguisher type is important also. Use the PASS method. Pull (the pin) aim, squeeze (the trigger) and sweep. Aim at the base of the fire nearest to you, sweep the hose rapidly from side to side and work it to the back of the fire.
As far as sailing...I have a lot to learn, but I am really looking forward to it. I have 11 months to go here and a whole stack of books to read through. There's no substitute for experience though and I hope to have a lot of free time to sail by the end of the year or even sooner if I'm lucky (gotta sell some real estate in Colorado!)
-Kevin

[Woodstock]

The Checklist Manifesto, by Atul Gawande should be required reading by anyone going to sea. The subtitle is: How To Get Things Right.

It is a fascinating read and well worth the time, before you bury yourself in checklists.

Jeff

[MarkJ]

If I say something like 'dont be to over-zealous about it all' you will all have a heart attack and die... which would be a safety issue in itself.
So I wont say 'dont be to over-zealous about it all'.

I dont have jacklines.
I dont use a harness even at night unless conditions call for it, though I usually always have a harness on when I go forward, always when I work forward.
I very very rarely wear an inflating PDF.

Things like "Check that pumps will stay operational even with DC main breaker off." I have never heard of before and sounds really weird, something I would never have, but then I live aboard.


"Know how to anchor for the bottom conditions," How?????????? How do you know whats at the bottom unless you have dived on the location? And thats possible about 10% of the time. The reality is you roll up into some bay and chuck the anchor overboard not knowing what the bottom consists or, nor what junk there is there. To do otherwise will mean you at a marina 365 days a year (Unless you are in the Bahamas! Where the water is so shallow and clear you can see every grain of sand)


Changing all the rigging, all the thru hulls etc just because you buy a boat is a bit expensive and unwarranted.

If the split pin on the steering breaks why couldnt it have been any other on the boat? Its like carrying spares that you will never need and can buy at any port anyway. Just a waste of money.

More to the point is to sail and live on your boat with your eyes open at all times... a bit like finding something on your body... you didnt look for it, but somehow you found it. The boat is the same, wherever you are on your boat keep your eyes open and looking around, you may spot a problem. Keep the general maintenance up.

With deck work I doubt people maximise their learning when tussled up like a roasting turkey. Use your common sense to work out if you need a harness on. In most weather in the cockpit you certainly don't need it.


Photo below: Its safe to be on deck without a harness! Look at the sea conditions; know your physical abilities; get to know your boat, deck, hand-holds. Note: She is holding on.

[boatman61]

Originally Posted by MarkJ

If I say something like 'dont be to over-zealous about it all' you will all have a heart attack and die... which would be a safety issue in itself.
So I wont say 'dont be to over-zealous about it all'.

I dont have jacklines.
I dont use a harness even at night unless conditions call for it, though I usually always have a harness on when I go forward, always when I work forward.
I very very rarely wear an inflating PDF.

Things like "Check that pumps will stay operational even with DC main breaker off." I have never heard of before and sounds really weird, something I would never have, but then I live aboard.


"Know how to anchor for the bottom conditions," How?????????? How do you know whats at the bottom unless you have dived on the location? And thats possible about 10% of the time. The reality is you roll up into some bay and chuck the anchor overboard not knowing what the bottom consists or, nor what junk there is there. To do otherwise will mean you at a marina 365 days a year (Unless you are in the Bahamas! Where the water is so shallow and clear you can see every grain of sand)


Changing all the rigging, all the thru hulls etc just because you buy a boat is a bit expensive and unwarranted.

If the split pin on the steering breaks why couldnt it have been any other on the boat? Its like carrying spares that you will never need and can buy at any port anyway. Just a waste of money.

More to the point is to sail and live on your boat with your eyes open at all times... a bit like finding something on your body... you didnt look for it, but somehow you found it. The boat is the same, wherever you are on your boat keep your eyes open and looking around, you may spot a problem. Keep the general maintenance up.

With deck work I doubt people maximise their learning when tussled up like a roasting turkey. Use your common sense to work out if you need a harness on. In most weather in the cockpit you certainly don't need it.


Photo below: Its safe to be on deck without a harness! Look at the sea conditions; know your physical abilities; get to know your boat, deck, hand-holds. Note: She is holding on.

+A1.... its all to easy to end up sailing your garden shed...