Boating

[1] Recreational boats (sometimes called pleasure craft, especially for less sporting activities) fall into several broad categories, and additional subcategories.

Center console (18 to 75 ft. (18-23m) power boats that have a large interior typically used for fishing, with its high speed performance design and engine also used in water sports.

Anchoring is helpful to boaters who fish or swim off of their boat and provides a stable and established site to achieve whatever activity is being done.

Some marinas will also offer electric hoists that can lift a boat from a trailer and swing it into the water (generally less than 6 tons).

Larger boats are kept at marinas, which offer a berth protected from the weather and a variety of support services, such as fuel and equipment.

Some marinas will offer dry storage yards, where boats on trailers or dollies are stored on a hard surface.

They include a flashlight, first aid kit, paddles, whistles, anchor and rope, engine spare parts, bilge pumps, a VHF radio or mobile phone, etc.

Credible courses are recognized by the US Coast Guard, approved by NASBLA and work in conjunction with state agencies.

A Pleasure Craft Operator Card (PCOC) is the most common proof of competency and it can be obtained by taking an online course and a Transport Canada exam.

Recreational boating deaths could be dramatically reduced with increased use of personal flotation devices or life jackets.

This has led to the possibility of legislation requiring personal flotation device usage on boats under a specified length when underway.

[11] In 2014, the U.S. Coast Guard announced a new labeling system for personal flotation devices, aiming to align US and Canadian standards.

[14] A Canadian study published in 2011 examined 18 years of data on recreational boating, and concluded that a "true figure" of alcohol-related deaths in that country "may lie between 46% and 56%".

Metal surfaces of a boat leaking power into the water can create zones of high-energy potential.

In the early 2000s, several high-profile deaths due to carbon monoxide poisoning (CO) led to increased scrutiny of boating habits (especially the practice of towing participants immediately behind a boat, known as "teak surfing" or "platform towing") and the implementation of various warning placards to educate boaters of the hazards arising from these activities.

This has led to improved pollution controls on modern generator sets, and changes in the designs of houseboats so that they discharge exhaust gases in a way that they can dissipate.

Some of the member states of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe issue the International Certificate of Competence.