Small boats and rough weather don’t mix.

It is surprisingly easy to get caught in a sudden weather front. The wind can come up out of nowhere with a ferocious blast that has you scrambling to haul in your set line so you can head for home. I’ve been there and it is not a good experience.

I am not expert on boat handling but I suspect many of the people who buy the small outboard motors I sell are new to boating. I have no wish to have one of my outboards swamped when a boat is flipped. Besides, a drowned customer is not likely to give me any repeat business.

I have here a video on small boat handling. Please watch it, even if you’ve got a fair bit of seatime behind your belt. You might even learn something and it never hurts to be reminded of some basic skills.

Small Boats And Rough Weather

Wear a life jacket!  It doesn’t make you a tough guy simply by not wearing one.

I was in a boat that capsized and it was very reassuring to easily bob around, collect my thoughts and get onto the upturned hull.  The capsize happened so quickly I didn’t see it coming. In an instant I was in the water. If I had not had the jacket on I think I would have survived in this incident; but I’d have been in a very desperate state for a while.