Welcome to Commander Bob's Boating Safety Guide

As huge fans of Commander Bob, we have faithfully recreated his boating safety notebook for your education and safety!

For information on boating safety courses in or near your area, contact the nearest Coast Guard Auxiliary, Power Squadron, State Conservation Department, or get your certificate on-line.

This website is the proud recipient and National Award Winner of the 2001 National Safe Boating Council “Boating Education Advancement Award”, presented to Commander Bob at the International Boating and Water Safety Summit in Nashville, 11 April 2001.

On December 23, 2002, the Coast Guard implemented a new rule requiring all children less than 13 years of age to wear Coast Guard approved life jackets while aboard recreational vessels underway, except when the children are below decks or in an enclosed cabin. The new rule was created to address the problem of childhood deaths while boating. Between 1995 and 2001, 210 children under the age of 13 died while boating. More than half of these deaths were attributed to drowning. This rule only applies to states and territories with no current children’s life jacket wear regulation.

Each year, more than 80% of those who die in boating accidents drown, most of them because they were not wearing life jackets. That means that each year, hundreds of lives could be saved by simply wearing PFD’s.

Life jackets really do save lives, but they won’t work if you don’t wear them. Little kids are so fast, that even when being closely supervised, they can be overboard in a heartbeat. Adults can make decisions about whether or not they want to wear life jackets while they’re on or near the water, but kids depend on adults to make those decisions for them. Make sure children are wearing a properly-fitted life jacket with crotch straps, while in a boat or around the docks.This simple act of love can make for a fun day on the water, and most importantly a happy trip home!

Most Recent Educational Articles

Facing Heavy Weather

Facing Heavy Weather

by | Mar 12, 2025 | Educational Articles

how to prepare for and navigate through heavy weather while boating, emphasizing the importance of safeguarding passengers, preparing necessary gear, securing the boat, and utilizing proper seamanship skills to ensure safety
Dressing to Survive

Dressing to Survive

by | Mar 11, 2025 | Educational Articles

emphasizes the importance of wearing appropriate clothing for boating during colder months, highlighting the dangers of hypothermia, the benefits of wearing bright colors for visibility, and the advantages of layering and choosing materials like polypropylene over cotton for warmth and safety
Prepare for Survival

Prepare for Survival

by | Mar 11, 2025 | Educational Articles

detailed guide on survival at sea, discussing the psychological reactions of individuals in a life raft, the importance of preparation and knowledge in influencing behavior during such emergencies, and offering practical advice

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Quick Hints & Tips!

Boat & Propeller Impact Prevention Hints & Tips

Boat & Propeller Impact Prevention Hints & Tips

by | Feb 26, 2025 | Hints & Tips

emphasizes that recreational vessels less than 26 feet long are responsible for 80% of underwater impact injuries, and it provides various safety tips, such as maintaining a proper lookout, ensuring the engine is off when passengers are boarding, being cautious in congested areas, and establishing clear rules for swim platform use, to prevent accidents and injuries related to boat propellers

This web site is Commander Bob’s contribution to the interests of recreational boating safety, and is not officially sanctioned or approved by any of the boating safety organizations or agencies referenced herein.

Opinions expressed and information displayed on these pages are for entertainment and general information only. The author and publisher of this internet web site does not warrant that information found here is accurate and up-to-date, and accepts no responsibility for accidents, injury, or death resulting from the use, misuse, interpretation, or misinterpretation of any information found herein.

Visitors are encouraged to consult competent authorities before using any information contained on these pages.

http://www.uscgboating.org – The Official Website of the U.S. Coast Guard’s Boating Safety Division

http://www.discoverboating.com/resources/article.aspx?id=137 – Boat party ideas that are safe and fun

Other coveted recognition…Winner of the “Berbee Site of the Month” Award, April 1998. First Place “Health Site” Award on September 5, 1997, by Madison “All-Info” Web Awards. Awarded the coveted Geocities “Homestead Page of the Day” on February 6, 1996, the “Site of the Week” for April 11, 1996 on the “Most of Madison”, the “Site of the Week” on the Turkish Pilots Association web site in Istanbul for the week of September 9, 1998, the Site of the Day on “Great Sports” on 27 April, 1999, and the Site of the Week in the NJSail.com e-zine for the week of February 9, 2000. In July, 2000, Commander Bob’s Marlinespike page was awarded the Links2Go “Key Resource” Award.

Also, look for an unsolicited, full-paragraph Commander Bob mention in the 1998 5th Anniversary Edition of Harley Hahn’s “Internet & Web Yellow Pages”, and in his 1999 edition in bookstores everywhere! Look for Commander Bob in McGraw-Hill’s “Internet Outdoor Family Fun Yellow Pages: The Online Guide to the Best Outdoor Family Sites”, by John Sanders! Commander Bob’s boating safety articles have also been featured on the Raytheon website, boaters.com, in the Ensign (the national magazine of the United States Power Squadrons), and in the May 2006 issue of Lakeland Boating Magazine!