Program

Newsroom

Current info to keep you safe, smart & clean out on the water.

Boating with Friends: Tips from a “Pro - Part Two”

I’ve been meaning to do this for so long, but I finally got around to asking a near and dear friend to join me for an afternoon outing aboard my bowrider power boat. We both needed this after the year we’ve had.
Read more

Boating With Your Dog 🐾 - Dana Bowers

If you’re like me, you hate leaving your dog at home, especially if you’re headed out for an outdoor activity. I’m the type of person who would rather stay home with my dogs than go somewhere without them.
Read more

My Summer Vacation - Amanda Perez

As a life-long boater, my vacations usually include some form of sailing or boating no matter where the destination may be - whether it is sailing a charter-boat from St. Martin to Nevis
Read more

Don’t Let Alcohol Crash America’s Birthday Celebration On the Water

More recreational boaters than ever are expected to hit the water over Fourth of July weekend, and for some it will be their first spent aboard a boat during this uniquely American holiday
Read more

Ever Think About Donating Your Boat? Here’s Why Waiting Until the End of the Year Could Cost You

Boat owners wishing to do good or take advantage of potential tax benefits may consider donating their boats to charity. Often this decision is made at the end of year just before the start of the new tax season.
Read more

Boaters: 5 Things You Can Do to Take the ‘Search’ out of Search and Rescue

“Do I know how to be found in an emergency?” That’s a question every boater should ask at the beginning of the boating season. The answer, however, is likely to go far beyond simply having a cellphone aboard.
Read more

Spring Season Boating and Fishing Alone

If you are anything like me, the first few warm days of Spring get you thinking about pulling the cover off the boat and dusting off your fishing tackle to make that first shakedown trip of the season.
Read more

National Safe Boating Week Is May 22–28: How Can You Make Boating Safer This Season?

ANNAPOLIS, Md., April 26, 2021 – The nation’s biggest recreational boating safety event of the year, National Safe Boating Week, is right around the corner, May 22–28. The annual event helps remind boaters to keep boating safety front and center all season long.
Read more

These 5 Earth Day Tips Keep Waters Clean All Season Long

ANNAPOLIS, Md., April 13, 2021 – Back in 1970 on the first Earth Day, going out boating often meant tolerating polluted waterways. We’ve come a long way since then. Largely gone are the foul-smelling air and unswimmable waters, remnants of a prior age. How can boat owners keep the momentum going?
Read more

You Have Until May 14 to Think of a Better Way to Recycle Fishing Line, Soft Bait: $30,000 in Prize Money Is at Stake

ANNAPOLIS, Md., April 5, 2021 – You’ve likely seen the fishing line recycling bins in many marinas and boatyards, but what really happens after that line is collected?
Read more

How to Get a Vessel Safety Check This Season

SPRINGFIELD, Va., March 31, 2021 – No cost, no penalty vessel safety checks, which up until last season were given more than 150,000 times each year by hundreds of U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary and U.S. Power Squadrons volunteers at launch ramps, boat clubs and marinas, are back.
Read more

Southport, NC - Take To the Water with 3-Hour On-Water Boat Training Courses

SOUTHPORT, N.C., March 29, 2021 – If you have never tried getting behind the wheel of a boat before, now is your time. US Powerboat Training together with the nonprofit BoatUS Foundation for Boating Safety and Clean Water are offering an easy way to try out recreational powerboating.
Read more

Highlands, NJ - Take to the Water with 3-Hour On-Water Boat Training Courses

HIGHLANDS, N.J., March 22, 2021 – If you have never tried getting behind the wheel of a boat before, now is your time. Bridge Marina is partnering with the nonprofit BoatUS Foundation for Boating Safety and Clean Water to offer an easy way to try out recreational powerboating.
Read more

New Boat Engine Cutoff Switch Law Goes Into Effect April 1

There are new engine cutoff device wear requirements for recreational boat operators as part of the January 1, 2021, passage of National Defense Authorization Act that included a U.S. Coast Guard Reauthorization.
Read more

Boating with Friends: Tips from a “Pro”

Whether you are taking new friends boating or you are new to boating and have been invited as a guest, consider these pro-tips so all aboard have a fun, safe time.
Read more

An Angler’s Winter Chore Could Help Spark an Idea that Increases Fishing Line Recycling

Winter is annual maintenance time for many anglers, and respooling with new line and recycling the old is a common task. Ever thought about what happens once you dispose of the old line in a fishing line recycling tube?
Read more

Try the Boating Life By Taking Affordable 3-Hour On-Water Boat Training Course on Lake Allatoona, Georgia

If you have never tried getting behind the wheel of a boat before, now is your time. Beginning February 12, Georgia Boat Safety & Training together with the nonprofit BoatUS Foundation for Boating Safety and Clean Water are offering an easy and affordable way to try out recreational power boating...
Read more

Simple Tips to Maintain and Use a PLB

Personal Locator Beacons (PLBs), those pint-sized, individual rescue beacons used by boaters, sailors, and paddlers to summon emergency help have saved hundreds of lives since their authorization for use 17 years ago.
Read more

[Video] See How Easily You Can ‘Clean, Drain, Dry' Your Wakeboat

A new video from Wildlife Forever, funded in part by a BoatUS Foundation Grassroots Grant shows watersport boat owners how to easily follow “Clean, Drain, Dry” at the boat ramp to help prevent the spread of Aquatic Invasive Species (AIS).
Read more

Labor Day Boating Safety Tips for an End-of-Summer Ritual

For the nation’s 12 million boat owners, Labor Day weekend is the last blast, with many enjoying the end-of-summer boating ritual with family and friends aboard, according to Boat Owners Association of The United States (BoatUS). The national advocacy, services and safety group cautions, however, that boating traffic and complacency could be safety concerns.
Read more

Enter to Win $15,000: BoatUS Foundation and Berkley Recast & Recycle Contest

Have you ever wondered how old, discarded fishing line is recycled and reused? You may be surprised to learn that turning fishing line into new products is labor intensive, requiring a series of workers to comb through, sort, clean, remove hooks and weights, and separate out miles of encrusted debris in entangled fishing line.
Read more

[Video] Facing the Legacy: Lifecycle Solutions for Fiberglass Boats

With the move to phase 2 of the Rhode Island Fiberglass Vessel Recycling (RIFVR) Pilot Program to address the disposal issue of recreational boats, project managers have released “Facing the Legacy: Lifecycle Solutions for Fiberglass Boats.” The short video shares the compelling story of how those efforts have evolved into a first-in-the-nation boat recycling project.
Read more

On the Water, Separation Isn’t Just About Safe Distancing

The coronavirus pandemic is leading to more recreational boats and paddlers hitting the water, all trying to have fun in a safe way. So what are these two groups doing this season to safely share more crowded waters?
Read more

Do You Make These 3 Boating Safety Mistakes?

Most boaters don’t like making mistakes, especially when it comes to safety. With the recent release of the U.S. Coast Guard’s 2019 Recreational Boating Statistics, the BoatUS Foundation for Boating Safety and Clean Water recommends avoiding these three common boating mistakes to increase safety for all aboard.
Read more

TowBoatUS Beaufort, N.C., Removes Tons of Marine Debris Through NOAA Grant

The Town of Beaufort and the adjacent Rachel Carson Reserve knew they had a problem with abandoned vessels. For years, a pristine set of barrier islands had become an illegal dumping ground for old boats, tires and other debris.
Read more

A New Boating Safety Concern This July 4

Celebrating America’s birthday, thousands of boaters are expected to hit the water this Fourth of July holiday weekend, recreational boating’s traditional busiest time of the year. With COVID-19 it certainly won’t be the same.
Read more

Planning a Sailboat Race with Fewer Crew Under COVID-19?

For America’s boat and yacht clubs and other groups organizing sailboat racing this summer, the rules have all changed with COVID-19. Captains know that having success with COVID-19’s social distancing could mean having fewer (nonrelated) crew aboard this racing season.
Read more

BoatUS Foundation President Chris Edmonston Elected to Center for Sportfishing Policy Board of Directors

The Center for Sportfishing Policy, the nation’s leading advocate for saltwater recreational anglers, elected BoatUS Foundation for Boating Safety and Clean Water President Chris Edmonston to a three-year term on the group’s board of directors.
Read more

This Year, a National Safe Boating Week Like No Other

National Safe Boating Week, which begins this Saturday, May 16, and runs through Friday, May 22, is the traditional early boating season reminder to help recreational boaters embrace safety all season long.
Read more