The biggest recreational hazards is fishermen and hunters.  Fishermen collisions and deaths are at least 30% of boating accidents.  These occur from high speed boaters seeing a fisherman at the last minute, fishermen themselves not paying attention, and more.

Almost all fishermen that die in the water from drowning are not wearing life jackets.  The problem is not that they do not know how to swim.  The problem is hypothermia kicks in and then they drown.

Fishermen don’t act responsibly when they are fishing.  They stand in boats and they fall in the water.  They also don’t wear their life jackets. 

One fact that might throw you is that more hunters die each year from drowning off of a speed boat then from a gunshot wound on a hunting trip.

If you are riding your speed boat and you come upon fishermen or hunters it is a rule that you go away and do not ride around them. Never distract a hunter or a fisherman. 

If you are driving too quickly around a fisherman standing in his boat and your wake throws him in the water this will make you responsible for what happens to him.  If he dies you are at fault for negligence.  Do you want this hanging over your head?  Just steer clear from people who could be injured from a speed boat wake.

The biggest reason for boating accidents is due to human error.  You don’t want to be the reason an accident occurred.

Propeller Strike

A propeller strike is when you accidentally run over someone with your propeller.  It happens all of the time.  A propeller can kill, mutilate, mangle, and permanently disfigure someone because it is not visible to anyone.

When you are driving your boat there are many things to think about when it comes to using your boat and riding near others.  Here are ways to avoid and minimize accidents from happening with a propeller strike:

• Engine should be off when people are boarding and unloading
• Before moving be sure everyone is seated
• While moving everyone should be seated
• Never operate near people in the water
• Pay attention

There are devices designed to avoid a propeller strike.  These devices include a propeller guard, interlock, and sensors.  Propeller guard are devices that fully surround the propeller.  Interlocks are designed to automatically shut off the engine.  Sensors are devices that people wear and then they go overboard the sensor immediately triggers the engine to shut down and sound an alarm.

Capsizing

Small speed boats can be unstable and even tipsy when you are driving them improperly and other conditions are present.  There are many ways you can avoid this.

Capsizing is when you boat turns over on its side or completely upside down.  If the boat is upright and filled with water it is called swamping.  This can be just as dangerous as capsizing.

A boat can capsize for many reasons.  One of the reasons that causes a boat to capsize is by overloading it.  The boat will slow down and the water line will be even higher than it is supposed to be.  Swamping often occurs when there are too many people or too much gear in a boat.  This can cause the boat to overturn or just sink.

When weight is distributed improperly on a speed boat it is easy to turn it over or capsize.  When you turn corners and weight is not right a boat will flip right over quickly, especially if you are driving at high speeds.  The boat will be unstable.  The people and the equipment should be distributed by weight.  Put children with equipment and adults on the other side.  Just make sure the weight is evenly distributed on the boat.

When you are driving a speed boat and not paying attention to the current, rough waters and waves you can definitely flip the boat over.