Article by Capt. Steve Katz
Time in Type
The beginning of a new fishing season always brings new boats, new captains, new mates, and new boat owners. These are not always “showroom” new boats or the first day on the job, but often a new boat, a mate turned captain, or a weekend angler turned full time charter mate. In the above examples, our egos and time “hanging out” at the marina often convince us that we are prepared for the new role onboard a sport fishing boat or even a weekend family bay boat.
Except for the maritime Standards of Training and Certification of Watchkeeping (STCW) credentials for seafarers working on board commercial vessels such as offshore fleet, tankers, ferries and passenger vessels, there are not many hands-on requirements testing for operating or working on a pleasure boat or even a 6-passenger type charter boat. Yes, the proverbial “Captains License” is a popular and critical credential, though USCG testing does not require a hands-on “sea test” like a vehicle driver’s license test. On-the-job experience and hands-on training are critical for the non-commercial boating and fishing activities. As a “Captain” operating your boat safely in all conditions and ensuring the safety of your passengers is of course the most important task while on the water. When it comes to fishing, knowing how, where and what to catch is important whether it’s for a fun family trip or as a charter boat crew where the customers are looking forward to a memorable fishing trip. This fishing experience is just as important as other on-board jobs.
Parallels in Aviation
The aviation world has many similarities to the boating world and a popular aviation phrase draws parallel to our maritime needs – “Time in Type”
In Aviation, “the number of hours in your logbook does not determine if you are a good pilot” though total flight hours is a popular measuring stick for pilots. Every year pilots with thousands of hours of flight time find ways to be involved in accidents. Turns out many of these experienced pilots were transitioning to new airplane types – both more complex and less complex. This is why the FAA and other international aviation licensing bodies require “time in type” where there is specific training time required in a specific type of aircraft to legally fly the aircraft.
Many non-pilots may understand that operating a more sophisticated aircraft requires a lot of learning, though some may not realize that flying a simpler aircraft requires training too. These simpler planes have many manual systems that must be operated by the pilot versus the automatic systems in a more modern aircraft. For example, a simpler plane requires the pilot to manually turn on the heat to the pitot tube vs an automatic heated tube in a sophisticated aircraft – knowing this is a big deal since an iced pitot tube can adversely affect accurate velocity readings.
This aviation parallel of “time in type” carries over to pleasure boats. Whether it is the propulsion system, steering system, fuel systems, bilge pumps or navigation electronics – learning the way these systems work on each boat is of utmost importance for a successful and pleasurable time on the water.
New Beginnings
Just like in aviation, an older boat may require more manual intervention than a newer boat. For example, an older boat may have a complex system of valves and or pumps that need to be operated to transfer fuel or allow fuel to flow to the engine tanks, whereas a newer boat may have an automatic fuel system or even been designed with larger tanks that don’t require any fuel transfer systems. If your experience is with a modern Viking sportfish and you are now running a custom Carolina boat – you may need to manually retract the trim tabs when fishing as compared to the automatic tab systems on modern Vikings.
Operating the marine electronics on a new boat may not be as intuitive as an older boat that has a few screens, often new boats have complex systems behind the scenes presenting the navigation and fishing information on the captain’s displays, requiring many switches and breakers to be turned to their proper position. Additionally, many manufacturers are incorporating virtual switches (in place of mechanical switches) on the chartplotters or dedicated screens. Something as simple as turning on the navigation lights or operating a bilge pump manually is not as intuitive as it once was in an older or less sophisticated boat.
How to Learn
Here is a good example of learning: A long time proficient mate recently moved up to a captain’s position on a boat he had never fished or operated, the boat is 30 years newer and much more sophisticated than he was experienced with. The boat owner has a busy travel schedule that didn’t allow for downtime to take the time to learn as you go. This new Captain was not the least bit shy to immediately reach out to other captains with similar boats and those industry professionals familiar with that model boat and ask for tips and training before he began traveling on the tournament circuit. This allowed him to get accurate and relevant information for his exact boat and allowed him to become proficient very quickly. Unfortunately, there are some captains who don’t do this and learn a little at a time, though when something unexpected comes up the repair or fix takes longer than expected due to inexperience with that boat.
If you are buying a new boat, often the boat dealer or manufacturer has orientation classes to familiarize you with the model and options included in your boat. The manufacturer often functions as a support department, helping you along the learning curve. When you buy a second-hand boat, often the sales staff or manufacturer are not as helpful due to lack of training or resources, in this situation it’s often best to reach out to others with similar boats or those trades people familiar with your boat.
Same goes for fishing mates, there are a lot of different types of fishing techniques and learning on the job might be too frustrating for charter guests or owners – it’s best to learn from a more experienced crew, even if it means riding along on another boat to learn a technique that’s new to you.
Working on improving your “Time in Type” when it comes to boating and fishing is a lifelong pursuit, keeping an open mind will help you learn and improve for all on-the-water adventures. §
