Department of Homeland Security logo
United States Coast Guard Auxiliary
Division 3 - The Roaring Thirties
District 11, Northern Region
Chartered May 1943
auxline_690.gif
America's Waterway Watch  America's Waterway Watch Tracker
   

Division 3 Home

Helpful Links

Division 3 Calendar

Member Training

Photos

Boat Training/Safety

Vessel Examination

Speakers

Marine Visitor Info

Join Us!

 
Boating
Safely
Course		 Boating Safely - Book Cover
Boating Safely is an eight-hour, eight-chapter course designed to appeal to hunters, anglers, personal watercraft operators and other boaters who cannot find time for a full, comprehensive course. Boating Safely was developed by the U. S. Coast Guard Auxiliary in cooperation with the U. S. Power Squadrons and Mosby Lifeline, and is approved by the National Association of State Boating Law Administrators (NASBLA). It is also approved by most of the states that require formal instruction in order to operate a boat.
  • Topics include:
  • INTRODUCTION TO BOATING -- types of boats; different uses of boats; outboard, stern-drive, and inboard engines; jet drives.
  • BOATING LAWS -- boat registration; hull identification number; required safety equipment; operating safely and reporting accidents; protecting the marine environment; boating laws and PWCs.
  • PERSONAL SAFETY EQUIPMENT -- personal flotation devices ("life jackets"); fire extinguishers; sound-producing devices; visual-distress signals; first aid kit; anchor; safety equipment and PWC.
  • SAFE BOAT HANDLING -- bow riding; substance abuse; entering, loading, and trimming a boat; fueling portable and permanent tanks; steering with a tiller and a wheel; docking and mooring; knots; filing a float plan; checking equipment, fuel, weather, and tide; using charts; choosing and using an anchor; safe PWC handling.
  • NAVIGATION -- the U.S. Aids to Navigation system; types of buoys and beacons; navigation rules; avoiding collisions; sound signals; PWC "tunnel vision."
  • BOATING PROBLEMS -- hypothermia; boating accidents and rescues; capsizing; running aground; emergency radio calls; engine problems; boating problems and PWC.
  • TRAILERING, STORING, AND PROTECTING YOUR BOAT -- types of trailers; trailer brakes, lights, hitches, tires, and bearings; loading, balancing, and towing a trailer; towing (and backing) a trailer; boat launching and retrieving; boat storage and theft protection; launching, retrieving, and storing a PWC.
  • HUNTING AND FISHING, WATER-SKIING, AND RIVER BOATING -- carrying hunting gear and weapons in a boat; fishing from a boat; water-skiing safety guidelines and hand signals; water-skiing with a PWC; navigating rivers. Many insurance companies will offer discounts on boat insurance to individuals who successfully complete this course. Individuals who successfully complete the course and exam are awarded certificates and cards.
Boating
Skills and
Seamanship		 Boating Skills and Seamanship - Book Cover
The U. S. Coast Guard Auxiliary's Boating Skills and Seamanship (BS&S) course is a comprehensive course designed for both the experienced and the novice boater. The course consists of 6 required two-hour lessons plus elective modules, providing up-to-date knowledge for handling boats in all conditions.
    Thirteen Chapters include include:
  • WHICH BOAT IS FOR YOU? -- boater's language; types of boats; outboard motors and stern drives; hull design; uses of boats; other power plants; materials for constructing boats; your intended use; the Coast Guard Customer Info line; marine surveyors; buying a boat.
  • EQUIPMENT FOR YOUR BOAT -- requirements for your boat; your boat's equipment; legal considerations; substance abuse; boating accident reports; Courtesy Marine Examinations.
  • TRAILERING YOUR BOAT -- legal considerations; practical considerations; the towing vehicle; balancing the load; handling your trailer; pre-departure checks; preparing to launch; launching; retrieving; storing your boat and trailer; theft prevention; Zebra mussels; float plan.
  • HANDLING YOUR BOAT -- leave with a full tank; fueling your boat; your boat's propeller; cars and boats; twin screws; jet drives; loading your boat; getting started; leaving a pier; "man" overboard; docking; mooring to a permanent anchor; anchoring; towing a skier; heavy weather; small boat safety.
  • YOUR "HIGHWAY" SIGNS -- protection of ATONs; buoyage systems; waterway marks; how waterways are marked; light characteristics; chart symbols; light structures; lights on bridges; electronic aids to navigation; a word to the wise; navigation publications.
  • THE RULES YOU MUST FOLLOW -- two sets of rules; to whom do the rules apply; what is a vessel; the general responsibility rule; general considerations; conduct in narrow channels; traffic separation schemes; vessel traffic services; stand-on or give-way; rules for special vessels; risk of collision; bend signals; restricted visibility; vessel lights and shapes; vessels at anchor; diving operations; distress signals; drawbridge signals; penalties.
  • PILOTING YOUR BOAT -- piloting tools; maps and charts; chart features; your chart's general information block; other charted information; your magnetic compass; position on the earth's surface; locating a point on a chart; distance on the earth's surface; measuring distance; course plotting; sources of compass error; correcting a compass reading; positioning; speed-time-distance; dead reckoning; practice your art.
  • POWERING YOUR BOAT -- types of marine engines; marine engines; selecting a propeller; induction systems; ignition systems; flame arresters; cooling systems; gasoline considerations; batteries; maintenance; winterizing your boat; spring fitting-out; troubleshooting.
  • LINES AND KNOTS FOR YOUR BOAT -- line or rope; rope materials; kinds of rope; measuring rope; selecting your ropes; care of rope; making up line; knots, bends, and hitches; splices; securing lines; dipping the eye. (Did you know that 'rope' is not a 'line' until it is made up for a specific purpose? Then, depending on size, it is either a line or a hawser!
  • WEATHER AND BOATING -- sources of weather information; wind and boating; wind and waves; understanding weather; weather and heat; fog; non-frontal weather.
  • YOUR BOAT'S RADIO -- radios used on boats; functions of radios; licenses; selecting your VHF-FM radio; installation; operating your VHF-FM; maintain a radio watch; channels have special purposes; copies of the rules; calling another station; procedure words; phonetic alphabet; routine radio check; distress, urgency, and safety calls; crew training.
  • INLAND BOATING -- types of inland waters; inland navigation; inland seamanship; river currents; maintaining inland waterways; dams; locks; river charts; commercial traffic; before you go.
  • THE REST OF OUR STORY -- small boat safety; personal watercraft; hypothermia; motorboats and sailboats; carbon monoxide poisoning; float plan; U.S. Coast Guard District Offices; instructions for using a course plotter; metric conversion system. Many insurance companies will offer discounts on boat insurance to individuals who successfully complete this course. Individuals who successfully complete the course and exam are awarded certificates and cards.

 
 
NOTICE/DISCLAIMER Links to non-Coast Guard entities are not under the control of the United States Coast Guard or the United States Coast Guard Auxiliary, and are provided for the convenience of our customers. They do not, in any way, constitute an endorsement of the linked pages or any commercial or private issues or products presented there. We cannot make any warranty or representation concerning the content of these sites, or secondary sites from the pages to which they link.
This web site adheres to the District 11, Northern Region, Privacy Policy Statement.
Copyright ©2005 Coast Guard Auxiliary Association, Inc. All rights reserved.
Questions, concerns, or comments? Email the Webmaster.