1. Check Boat Condition
Have a marina check-over your boat to certified boat in good running condition for season OR if you are a DIY person make sure to check: battery, navigation lights, engine fluids, bilge pump & switch, control cables, hoses & thru-hull fitting, & horn operation. It’s also a good idea to take a 15-30 minute shakedown cruise before your first trip.
2. Review Safety Items
•Each passenger must have a wearable USCG approved life jacket onboard. Children under 12 years must wear a lifejacket.
• Boats 16ft or longer need Type IV approved throw able PFD
• Fire Extinguisher
• 16-26ft hand, mouth, or power whistle. 26+ need bell and hand or power whistle
Other Safety Items that are good to have Onboard: Reliable Cell Phone, VHF Radio, First Aid Kit, Map and/or GPS Navigator, & Paddle
3. Stock-up on New Gadgets
- Boating Clothing: hats, sweatshirts, t-shirts, long sleeve shirts, tanks & youth size of Lake Winni Gear. Boat in Style. Tubes
- LiliPad Diving Boards
- Towable Tubes & Sandbar Tubes “Float in-Style”
- Sideshift—Pontoon Thruster to dock easier
Winnisquam Marine’s Lake Winnisquam & Winnipesaukee Locations sells all these Items.
4. Kid Safety
Life Jacket Fit: Check your child life jacket to see if it fits correctly. Their PFD should fit securely without being too tight—comfortably snug. If you can’t make the life jacket fit, snugly then it’s too big. If you can’t put it on your child and fasten it comfortably, then it’s too small. Place the life jacket on your child. Have them put their hands up in the air. Pull on the top part of life jacket and see how much movement the life jacket has. If the life jacket can go over the child head it’s too big. Properly fitting life jacket is important. Our Winnisquam and Winnipesaukee location offers free kid’s life jacket fitting and have in-stock infant-3XL life jackets.
Explain Basic Boat Rules and have everyone follow rules such as keeping their hand and feet inside the boat at all times, not running on the boat, stay seated when docking, wear life jacket on the dock, when boarding a boat wait for an adult to help or tell you to board the boat.
Swimming Safety: Teach your children that swimming in open water is not the same as swimming pools. They need to be aware of uneven surfaces, currents, and changing weather. Make sure kids only swim in designated swimming areas and teach children to not dive into open water. You never know how deep the water is or what might be hidden. Know the signs of drowning. 90% of children who drowned did so while under the care of an adult of teenager. https://www.rd.com/advice/silent-signs-of-drowning/
Prevent Dehydration: Dehydration can happen fast on the water with warm weather. A good rule of thumb is to drink water or sports drink every 30 minutes. Besides thirst, other signs of dehydration are dry mouth, sleepiness, irritability, weakness, dizziness, and headache.
5. Summer Bucket List Ideas
Plan trips to different lakes in NH. Make sure you research launch ramps and places to visit on the Lake. Below, is a sample day on Lake Winnisquam.
Lake Winnisquam Day Trip Highlights:
o Sandbar: As seen from RTE 3 visit by boat the best sandbar. It offers shallow water that is all sand. Perfect for kids to touch and swim.
o Anchor & Swim into Ahern State Park. Ahern State Park offers swimming and 128 acres of walking trails. Pets are allowed.
o Loon Sanctuary is located in the most northern part of Lake Winnisquam. Anchor outside the loon sanctuary and watch for Loons or swim.
o Looking for Food—Visit Winnisquam Market & Deli or Lobster Connection
o Marina: Winnisquam Marine offers boat rentals, new & used boat sales, gas, and ship store
