Gear Tests & Safety Guides
More than 40 articles have been published in this product testing and education series on boating safety equipment and issues. Tests provide practical information to educate boaters and to help with purchase decisions.
Safe • Smart • Clean
Our goal is to keep our waterways safe and enjoyable
The BoatUS Foundation for Boating Safety and Clean Water is an innovative leader promoting safe, clean and responsible boating. The Foundation provides educational outreach directly to boaters and supports partner organizations nationwide.
Explore our Gear Tests & Safety Guides (formerly called “Foundation Findings”)
Gear Tests & Safety Guides: Table of Contents
Tests & Guides
Cleat Tests
You’ve heard the expression, “only as strong as the weakest link.” And so it is with cleats. Whether you’re using a cleat for docking, mooring, towing a dinghy, or securing a halyard, it’s important to think of the cleat as only a single part of an entire system (and not necessarily the most important part of the system).
Tests & Guides
Flare Tests
We test and compare a wide range of marine distress signals, from SOLAS parachute rockets to smoke flares and lasers, to help boaters choose the right safety gear.
Tests & Guides
Boat Covers Tests
Debating whether to use a reusable cover instead of shrink wrapping this winter? We put a number of common boat storage covers to the test.
Tests & Guides
Green Boat Cleaner Tests
We examine so-called green boat soaps to see if the soaps live up to their environmental claims and, if truly green, if they still clean well.
Tests & Guides
FRS Radio Tests
The VHF, however, has more uses than just emergency communication: Radio ahead for a berth at a marina; hail the passing boat for advice on entering a new channel; send the crew to a restaurant ashore with a handheld VHF to report back on the wait … Whoa! That’s illegal.
Tests & Guides
Life Jacket Tests
Boaters can go to a store or on-line and see not only a wide array of life jacket styles, but also a wide array of performance options and related government approvals.
Tests & Guides
Doggie Life Jacket Tests
You know the importance of wearing life jackets aboard, but what about for your four-legged crew members? We put doggie life jackets to the test.
Tests & Guides
Engine Cut-off Device Tests
In this test, the Foundation looked at lanyard-style kill-switches and Wireless Crew-Overboard Systems.
Tests & Guides
Fire Extinguisher Tests
The Coast Guard minimum requirements have not changed and the way fire extinguishers are rated follows the same standards. Our recommendation from 1988, to have tri-class (1A:10BC) fire extinguishers onboard your boat, and to have more than the Coast Guard requirements still stands as our best advice.
Tests & Guides
Bilge Pump System Tests
To be conversant about bilge pump systems, you need to know about “head,” which may be broadly defined as resistance the pump has to overcome. There are several sources of head.
Tests & Guides
Alternative Outboards
When looking around at the options available in outboards in the market today there are a lot of places you could go. We put the best to the test.
Tests & Guides
Visual Distress Signal Tests
If there is one type of boating safety equipment you are unlikely to use until you need it in an emergency, it’s pyrotechnic visual distress signals – as in flares, rockets, smoke signals, and other attention getting devices that burn, sputter, smoke or explode.
Tests & Guides
Boarding Ladder Tests
U.S. Coast Guard statistics show that the vast majority of boating fatalities occur on boats under 20 feet. In a number of cases, the victims drowned because they couldn’t re-board their boats.
Tests & Guides
Fuel Spill Prevention Guide
No matter what kind of boat you have and no matter how careful you are during fueling, it is really quite easy to spill fuel out into the water if you don’t take a few simple precautions.
Tests & Guides
Stabilized Binocular Tests
Unless you do your boating from the bridge wing of a Navy destroyer, chances are the binoculars you use get the jitters. When you need them the most, it seems – to read the number on a channel buoy, sort out the lights on an approaching vessel or read the name on a pitching transom – conventional binoculars just leave something to be desired.
Tests & Guides
Navigation Light Tests
Running lights, which are generally installed by manufacturers, are Coast Guard certified for color, arc of illumination and distance.
Tests & Guides
Alcohol & Boating Test
As more states adopt strict operating-under-the-influence (OUI) laws that mirror stepped-up alcohol enforcement on the roads, boaters are coming under increasing scrutiny. Venturing out on the water after drinking, even after moderate social drinking, can be very hazardous.
Tests & Guides
Portable Fueling Container Tests
For this Foundation Findings, we took a closer look at portable fueling containers, also known as jerry jugs.
Tests & Guides
Low-cost Marine VHF Radio Tests
Next to life jackets and flares, the VHF marine radio is arguably the most important piece of safety equipment you can have aboard your boat.
Tests & Guides
Mooring & Docking Line Tests
Foundation staff tested nylon and polyester mooring lines to evaluate their strength and durability, finding that braided nylon retained the highest percentage of its rated breaking strength under realistic conditions.
Tests & Guides
Crew Overboard Maneuvers Tests
More than 100 seasoned sailors and powerboaters, from international racers to high-level instructors, converged this summer in the shadow of the Golden Gate Bridge to test crew overboard maneuvers and products.
Tests & Guides
Commercial Shipping & You Guide
Foundation staff wanted to learn more about these encounters with commercial vessels and the constraints under which big ships operate, so that we could offer some sound advice on how recreational boaters can safely share the waterways with commercial boat traffic.
Tests & Guides
Man Overboard Safety Device Tests
We tested five MOB wearables — wireless safety devices that detect and alert when someone falls overboard — and came away with useful observations on their value.
Tests & Guides
Boat Fire Safety Tests
Regardless of how a fire aboard starts and is detected, observations from our day of conducting staged boat fires emphasized the need for having a plan should a fire break out.
Tests & Guides
Oil Spill Product Tests
We all know accidents can happen, but when the accident involves oil or fuel near the water’s edge the consequences can be serious. For years there have been a range of products on the market for boaters and marinas to address or prevent spills.
Boating Basics
Boating Safety
Whether you’re a seasoned captain or a first-time boater, our Boating Safety section covers everything you need to stay safe on the water. Explore expert guides and practical tips to ensure every trip is a safe one.
Boating Basics
Preserving Clean Water
Explore our Preserving Clean Water resources covering everything from proper fueling and boat maintenance to waste management and ecosystem care. We aim to give boaters the practical knowledge to enjoy the water responsibly and keep it clean for generations to come.