Lets get Out There

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Welcome, and today is all about anchors away. So today
we're going to talk about you know, anyone that's dreaming
of the open water, but you're afraid of being that
person at the marina, all right, So we're talking about
boating for beginners. Everyone wants a boat sometimes until they

(00:25):
get a boat and they realize as care free and
easy as it looks, uh, sometimes it just really isn't.
It takes some time to learn. So whether you're envisioning
a peaceful day on the lake or imagining yourself as
as Captain Jack Sparrow, this episode will help will help
you dip your toes in without capsizing the experience.

Speaker 2 (00:48):
Right.

Speaker 1 (00:48):
So, there's just some things we want to cover here today,
the basics of boating and getting started. Does and don'ts
for first timers. Learn from other people's mistakes so you
don't repeat them. Essential gear and safety tips, basic yes,
funny boating mishaps you don't want to repeat. And man,

(01:10):
there are so many out there. There are some things
on Instagram that will absolutely blow your mind. I wish
I could remember the name of them on top of
my head, but worth a look for on that excuse me.
The first things need to be first, what kind of

(01:30):
boating are you interested in? The boating world is like
a buffet. There's something for everyone, from kayaks and canoes
to speedboats, to pond toms to yachts. You know, so
for beginners, a small motor boat. I don't like using
the word motor boat, but you know, as a smaller boat,
a runabout so to speak. You know, twelve fifteen feet

(01:53):
might be a good place to start. Or one of
my favorites on the lake is a pontoon boat. Great,
easy to drive, easy to captain. Not a whole lot,
not a whole lot to it, as long as it's
not too windy, because that thing can.

Speaker 2 (02:06):
Be like a sale. You know.

Speaker 1 (02:08):
They're very stable, easy to maneuver, and you're less likely
to end up in someone's viral fail video, which they're
all over the place. Things to do before you hit
the water, and I know a lot of people aren't
going to do this, but you could think very seriously
about it. Take a boating safety course. A lot of

(02:31):
states require this, and even if they don't, it's like
a driver's ad for the water. It's worth every penny.
Of course, most of them are online. You don't have
to go somewhere. Get that done so you know the
basic the laws, the rules, regulations, and just some basic
things about boating. Get your license certification. Some states require it,

(02:55):
most do not. But if it's if it's out there,
why not go ahead and get it. It's not hard,
just a little bit of practice and you can certainly
get it done. Learn the basics. Now, if you have
a friend that has a boat, or just someone that
has a boat and you have a chance to go

(03:16):
out with them, let them let you drive so that
you can practice some things that look really simple when
you're sitting on the dock, but when you want in
the boat doing it, it's a little bit different. So
things like docking, steering, Understand basic navigation rules, especially if
you're in the ocean with the buoys, whether you're leaving

(03:39):
or you're returning. What's right, what's left? What color? What
does red mean? What does green mean? All that kind
of stuff. It's very important, and like we touched on earlier,
if it's your boat and you just got it, bring
a friend who knows what they're doing, or hire someone.
There's a lot of captains out there that would love
to come out and spend a day with you on
the boat and teach you every thing, and it won't

(04:01):
cost your arm and a leg, be a whole lot
less expensive than you really screwing up your boat and
doing something stupid. So get some help to practice the basics.

Speaker 2 (04:13):
So, but voting is the.

Speaker 1 (04:14):
Only place where someone yelling starboard at you isn't an insult. Now,
someone you know told me that was funny. I don't
get it. I really don't anyway. Anyway, it's too late
to take that back. So now for the good stuff,

(04:36):
what to do and what to absolutely avoid. Trust me,
these tips will save you from embarrassment, fines or worse dues.
Wear a life jacket. It's not just for kids, it's
required for kids under fifteen, I think, and certain weights
if you're under a certain weight, and not just if

(04:57):
you're a bad swimmer. Right, life chat or it's your
insurance policy. Right, So if something does happen you do
get thrown from the boat, you got a little life
insurance there so that you don't sink. What if you
get knocked out as you're exiting the boat, you know
that took a turn that you weren't expecting, or or

(05:20):
the whoever's captaining, and it's not you hit a boolie
or had too much to drink or whatever. You know,
it doesn't hurt, and it's not a fashion faux pas
to wear.

Speaker 2 (05:33):
Your life jacket.

Speaker 1 (05:35):
Check the weather, especially if you're in the southeast. Thunderstorms
pop up like all of a sudden. So you're out there,
it's a beautiful sunny and you go to a little
island somewhere and you're not paying attention, and then you
look up and man, it is too late. It's tough
going when you're in a center console or a small

(05:57):
boat that doesn't have that's not covered, and it's windy,
and the rain is pelting you and those big summer
thunderstorm drops and it hurts like crazy, and of course
you didn't bring a coat or rain gear or anything
like that. So if that happens to you one time,
you'll learn check the weather and check it constantly, you know,

(06:17):
every now and then. Just take a look AT's all
on your phone. Now, just look at your phone. See
what's going on around you. Here's the thing that is
particularly difficult in the ocean and in tidal creeks and
things like that. Learn how to anchor properly. You know
the boat is gonna drift, and it's well number one.

(06:42):
It's embarrassing if you just drift away and you have
no idea, and it's also very expensive if you end
up on the rocks or hitting somebody's dock or somebody
else's boat. So learn how to anchor. Every boat's a
little bit different, So practice with your boat on to how.

Speaker 2 (07:04):
To anchor it.

Speaker 1 (07:04):
Again, have a captain or somebody go out with you
the first time, teach you all of that, and it's
so much easier than a bunch of trial and air
trial and air where you're getting more errors than positives.
Bring plenty of food, snacks, sunscreen, make some sandwiches before
you go. Obviously, plenty of water is key. Water bottles,

(07:29):
take the cooler full of ice, and again put extra
water in there. And you definitely want to have a
marine tool set for emergencies.

Speaker 2 (07:40):
You don't know what's going to happen.

Speaker 1 (07:41):
Your battery connections could come loose, and it can be
difficult to try to get that tightened. You know, with
your bare hands, there can be all kinds of things
that can go wrong.

Speaker 2 (07:50):
With a boat.

Speaker 1 (07:50):
That's an easy fixed with the right tool. So keep
that in mind. Respect the no waight zones. I mean,
especially on the lake Guys one, there's nothing worse than
you're trying to put your boat in or out, or
you're you're anchored in a no wake zone because you
want to be in a no wake zone and suddenly
you've got or you're fishing in a no wake zone

(08:11):
and then suddenly you got some yahoo coming by, you know,
at forty miles an hour with this huge wake and
it's just rock and everything. You only make some people mad.
That'll make some people mad, and it'll also get you
a ticket. So keep that in mind. Here's some don'ts,
and you know it's always seems common sense, but it isn't.

(08:34):
Sometimes you got it, especially if you're not an experienced boater.
These are things that you need to take into account.
Overload the boat. Do not overload the boat. Your pond
tu might say it seats ten, but it doesn't mean
ten adults with full coolers, and it could be ten
large adults. So you know there's a weight limit to

(08:54):
so you know, keep it, keep it, keep it where
everything is under control and everybody's comfortable on the boat.
And if everybody's on one side, of the boat. The
boat isn't going to capsize or list way too far
to one side. Always fuel up. Running out of gas

(09:15):
on the water is just not a good thing, and
it will quickly become you will quickly become the punchline.

Speaker 2 (09:23):
And a joke.

Speaker 1 (09:24):
So don't do it. If you're trailing your boat, go
by the gas station to fill it up. If you're
already in the water, go by the red and make
sure it's full. Even if you don't think you're going
far that day, you never know how things can change.
Don't push it. Don't push it. Do not ignore navigation rules.

(09:46):
There's no stop sign on the water right there are
no stop lights, but.

Speaker 2 (09:52):
There are rules. Learn them.

Speaker 1 (09:55):
Each lake can be different, but there are some basic navigation.
Just learn what they are. Do not drink too much.
And this is hard for a lot of people because
you get out there in the water, that's what you
want to do. You want to have cold beers, you
want to stop and have a a bottle of white wine, whatever.
Don't drink too much, keep it moderation. Let some of

(10:17):
the people on the boat maybe have a little bit
too much if that's where we're going to go. But
if you're the captain, you're in charge, and you are
ultimately responsible, So don't drink too much, keep yourself in control.
Don't assume that boats have brakes because they don't give
yourself plenty of room to stop. And again, every boat's
different on how quickly it's going to slow down, and

(10:38):
every boat's different on how well that boat is going
to maneuver once you once you try to slow down quickly,
so keep that in mind. That's another bad joke. But
I'm not even going to read. So here's a list
of things that you have to have on the boat
for you. If this is for first time boaters, right,
so for people that are really experience, I might be

(11:01):
bored you a little bit, but this is very important
if you're just getting into boating or you're thinking about
getting into boating. Life jackets for everyone you know in
size doesn't matter here, so make sure they fit and
fit snugly. Don't try to put a two hundred and
forty pounds adult man in a child's medium life jacket.

(11:24):
It's not going to work and it's not going to
help him either. Make sure you have a map or GPS.
I mean you can you can download GPS on your phone,
you can save if you don't. If you're not going
to have any kind of cellular where you are on
the boat, you can easily download the maps to your

(11:45):
iPad or your phone, so you'll have an idea of
where you're going to what you're doing. You don't want
to get lost, and it happens more than you think.
Pay attention to the depth. We're in the Charleston area,
and if you go on a boat, sooner or later,
you're gonna run around. You're gonna get stuck because the
tides changed, the sandbars change, it's constant. Stay on top

(12:09):
of the depth. Don't get stuck because if you get
stuck and the tide's going out, you're not going anyway
here until the tide comes back in, and that that
could be six eight hours.

Speaker 2 (12:18):
Get a marine radio. I think that's common sense.

Speaker 1 (12:21):
That way, if you get in trouble, you have a
way to contact somebody to come help you.

Speaker 2 (12:26):
Ropes.

Speaker 1 (12:28):
Don't forget your lines, or you don't call them ropes.
We call them lines. So for docking, towing, or just
feeling like a pirate, I guess you know, just just
have your lines, keep them neat, learn how to tie
the right knots in your lines, and don't be sloppy
with them if you have. If you have bumpers on
your boat, you know, once you get going, pull them in.

(12:51):
You know, look like you know what you're doing, even.

Speaker 2 (12:53):
If you don't.

Speaker 1 (12:58):
Well, you know, every season and boater has a story
of a beginner mistake, and lots of times it's that
person right because they've learned the hard way. So let's
make sure you don't become one of those people that
has that story. Do your homework. Okay, So here's something

(13:18):
that I got to be honest with you. I've done
this before in a John boat launching without a plug,
So don't forget to put the drain plug in your
boat wherever it is. Make sure it's in there. I mean,
if it's a nice boat, expensive boat, you're going to
have a billche pump and all that.

Speaker 2 (13:33):
It's not that big of a deal.

Speaker 1 (13:35):
But for the smaller boats, once if you leave it
in the water or take it out of the water,
you have to pull that plug out in case it rains,
so that that water has someplace to go and it'll
drain out. Now, if you don't put that plug back
in and then you launch your boat back in the water.
Guess what the water's coming back in. And sometimes you
don't know it until it's too late. And sometimes maybe

(13:56):
it's not going to sink your boat, but it can
do can do damn aster your battery and some of
the electrical systems that might be near where your plug goes.
Slow and steady wins the docking race. Don't don't try
to do this super fast. I mean, my brother in law,

(14:17):
I'm telling you right now, he can dock a boat
at almost full speed.

Speaker 2 (14:21):
I mean, but that's what he does.

Speaker 1 (14:23):
He is an amazing captain, and he does it like
it's a blindfolded it almost.

Speaker 2 (14:29):
I wish I could do it like that. I can't.

Speaker 1 (14:32):
I take it slow. I'm very careful. I get as
close as I can. I hope that I have someone
on the dock already that I can toss a line to.
If not, I make sure I'm up next to the
dock and either I cut the engines and get out
and tie off, or I have someone in that's in
the boat with me, get off on the dock and

(14:53):
tie off. If you're fishing, don't cast a line with
too much enthusiasm because you don't know who's watching and
you could What are you going to do if you
get caught up somewhere you end up with a lure

(15:14):
in somebody else's boat or on their dock. There you
are like crawling over somebody else's docks. You don't want
to lose a lure, So just be careful when you're casting.
Boating is about learning on the fly, absolutely, but it
doesn't mean that it has to be learning the fly
by yourself. Take somebody with you that knows what they're doing.

(15:35):
There's a big learning curve and boats, and there's a
big learning curve and boats from the smaller boats to
the medium sized boats, to the bigger boats to the yachts.
So every step you take in this process, you're going
to have to relearn some things. So don't forget that
boats are amazing. Just think about the great family time

(15:57):
you can have. It's like nature's therapy. The stories that
you're going to have from boaters, other boaters and people
that want to be boaters. People love boating stories and
your experiences and adventures.

Speaker 2 (16:10):
On your boat.

Speaker 1 (16:12):
So just to close real quick, whether you're looking to fish, crewise,
or just float lazily with a cooler which is always nice,
full of snacks and refreshments. Boating has something for everyone.
Start small, follow the rules, and most importantly.

Speaker 2 (16:30):
Have fun.

Speaker 1 (16:31):
So thanks for joining me for boating one oh one.
If you're looking to get that boat, you know, do
your research and just and jump on it and go
for it. That's all I can say. Just go for it,
but do your homework, and do your homework before you
go out on the water. So I hope that there's
a little bit of help for people interested in getting

(16:52):
started boating. I enjoy being here. I hope you all
enjoyed it. We'll talk y'all soon.