Whether you’re boating at a serene lake or going on an offshore fishing trip, you must have a safety inspection of your Quintrex boat before you leave the dock. You want to ensure your boat is in top condition while on the water and to prevent unfortunate incidents from happening that could range from inconvenience to life-threatening. A boat safety inspection checklist is important to ensure that all safety practices will be followed before setting out into the waters. Here are the items you should include in your checklist:

Exterior Inspection

The exterior part of the boat is one of the most vital parts of a boat as this will be the one that has direct contact with water. Make sure to closely inspect the hull, keel, deck, moulding trims, hardware, hatches, windshield, navigational lights, and life rails to check if they are in good condition. Make sure there are no damages or anything that could compromise anyone’s safety onboard. If you ever find any issues, call a professional marine mechanic and have them fix it right away.

Interior Inspection

Don’t forget to inspect interior items and check if they are in proper working condition. The boat’s interior should be warm, dry, and comfortable. Check all nooks and crannies for traces of water. If there are cracks, no matter how tiny they are, patch them up to prevent water from leaking in. Ensure your upholstery is dry and free of mould and mildew.

If your boat has a cabin, make sure it’s always safe and secure. For example, exhaust fumes from the boat engines should not seep inside the cabin. The doors and windows must have security locks to prevent anyone from entering them without your permission.

Make sure all the equipment and items you store inside the boat are bolted and back-mounted or kept inside its storage container so they don’t move around when the waters are rough.

Safety Equipment

Check if the safety equipment in your boat is ready for use and accessible in times of need. Life jackets and wearable personal floatation devices (PFDs) should be in your boat at all times. Check if there are enough of them for everyone who is going on board. In case of an emergency, the first thing you should do is to calmly instruct everyone onboard to immediately put on their life jackets. Aside from PFDs, you should also bring throwable floatation devices. They are useful if you need to throw one during a man overboard incident.

Don’t forget to bring fire extinguishers as well in cases of fire. Remember to check their expiration dates.  

Avoid getting stranded especially in offshore locations by ensuring you have visual and sound signalling devices and EPIRBs in your boat. Examples of visual signal devices are light flares, strobe lights, gun flares, and flags while sound devices examples are foghorns or bells.

Don’t forget to bring these important items on board at all times:

·         First aid kit (for cuts, scrapes, and seasickness)

·         VHF radio (to call for help)

·         Extra anchor and anchor line

·         Heavy-duty flashlights and headlamps

·         Safety grab bag

Operating Gear  

Last but not least, Make sure the engine, electrical systems, and propulsion systems of your boat should be in tip-top shape. If any issues require immediate attention, take your boat to an expert marine technician. Don’t try to fix things on your own, especially if you’re not sure what you’re doing. A marine technician is qualified to diagnose and fix your boat engine issues.