Article by Capt. Franky Pettolina
When Larry Jock first approached me about writing a weekly column for the Coastal Fisherman we had a lengthy discussion about creative control and content. Of course I wanted full say on both and Larry reminded me several times that he, in fact, owned the paper and would only publish what he deemed acceptable. Ultimately we decided that some fishing talk with the occasional “how to” topic would be a mutually agreeable concept, and Fish Stories was born. Over the years there have definitely been more columns just shooting the breeze about fish and people that I have known, but I do occasionally try to share some tidbits of knowledge that I have picked up along the way. And this week will be one of those columns.
As most of you know, I do a majority of my fishing from a boat. Boats are an interesting thing. While people tend to like boats, boats have no feelings towards their humans. In fact I would venture to say that some boats are just plain old mean!!! But it doesn’t have to be that way. If you show your boat a little love, it will be a little nicer to you in the long run. To that end, the best advice I can offer any fisherman that plans to go fishing on their boat is to never, and I mean never, buy cold beer!
Those of you that know me are probably trying to pick your jaws up off of the floor right now. Like Marshall Reuben “Rooster” Cogburn, I have definitely been known to “pull a cork” or two when I am off the clock, but let me reiterate what I said a couple of sentences ago... Never buy cold beer!
Here is the deal. When you are heading to your boat on Friday afternoon to prepare for a weekend of fishing you will undoubtedly be bringing provisions for your excursion. Things like bait and tackle, towels and sunscreen, snacks and beverages. And what could go better with getting the boat ready than a frosty can of suds. It has been a long work week and you deserve a little happy hour in your life, and everyone knows that beer tastes better on a boat. But what did I just tell you? Never buy cold beer! (I think I have driven that home with enough repetition now)
When you get to the boat the first thing I want you to do is to put your warm beer in the cooler and pack it down with ice. Now you are ready to give your boat a little attention. Start by opening the bilge compartments and machinery space (if you have inboard power). Look, and equally importantly, sniff around. Make sure that there is not any fuel or oil in your bilges. Also there should not be much, if any, water in your bilges. So long as the bilges are clean and dry you can move on to the next step in giving you boat the attention it deserves. If they are not clean and dry, you have to try and figure out what went wrong. If the boat is gasoline powered, and there is gas in the bilge it would be prudent to exit the vessel and seek some professional help. But for the purpose of this article let’s say that everything is clean and dry.
Now I want you to go to your helm and turn on the navigation lights and toot your horn. Even if you leave the dock in perfect visibility in broad daylight, foul weather or fog can creep up on you and sound signaling and proper light display may be necessary on any trip. After you have verified that the lights are lit and the horn trumpets it is time to double check that your life jackets and throw-able flotation device are accessible and still where you left them. Double check the expiration date on your Visual Distress Signal kit (if you do this weekly you won’t ever get caught unaware that your flares are out of date). Also check your hand held fire extinguishers. Make sure that the gauge is in the green. Take them out of their mount and shake the chemical. I like to smack the bottom of the extinguisher to make sure the chemical has not compacted. This is going to sound extreme, but the things in this paragraph alone could save you or a loved one’s life. Before you leave the helm area, be sure to check your fuel gauge too!
Remember those bilge compartments I had you open up? Now that they are all properly aired out I want you to go back and check on your bilge pump float switches and through hull valves. Flip the float, hit the test button, or at least make sure the green light is lit on electronic float switches. It doesn’t hurt to test the manual switch at the helm or the electrical panel. Test your high bilge water alarms. What, you don’t have high bilge water alarms??? Man. If you don’t please install or get them installed. Every boat should have some sort of high water indicator, either audible or visual or both. After that exercise you’re through hull valves. It is also a good idea to spray some Corrosion Block or CRC on the valve to keep them ship shape. After that is done in the bilge compartments you can close them up.
Except for the machinery space for those of you with inboard powered boats. Now I want you to take a look at your engines. Check your oil. Check your coolant. Check your transmission fluid. Take a look at belts, hoses, and clamps. Sit back and take a look at the bigger picture. Does everything look right? No broken clamps or bad hoses? I should have said this earlier, but if you have a gasoline powered boat, or a diesel powered boat that is so equipped, run your machinery space ventilation blower. While the machinery space is open put your hand over the end of the blower hose. Is it moving air? Is the hose in good condition? If there are issues with any of these items either address the issue or call someone who can. Once all of this is accomplished you can close the machinery space up.
Guess what? You are now finished with a good once over on some of the vital systems on your boat. Know what else? This took just long enough that the beer is cold! You can now reward yourself with that can of suds. Just be sure to drink responsibly.
I will leave you this week with a quote my friend Capt. Monica from the “A Salt Weapon 3” shared with me some time ago. I don’t really know where it is from, some movie I guess, but I know Matthew McConaughey said it (now you can read it in his voice).
“Don’t buy a boat dude”
But I love boats!!
“No, you don’t love boats you love the idea of a boat but the reality of it is, they’re just a drain on your time, wallet, and emotions. And in the end she will break your heart. See because no matter how much you care for her, she’s got no feelings for you. I mean look at her, she’s a boat, she’s wood. So forget buying a boat. You wanna feel pain? You’re better off slammin’ your hand in a car door... HA!!!”
But Matthew McConaughey isn’t a fisherman and he didn’t have me around to offer him advice… Now where was that cold beer?…..
