Summer Boating Safety: Childproofing

In our previous blog, we examined some of the essential features for keeping your kids safe on your board. As childproofing your boat can prevent injuries, a little planning and preparation goes a long way, especially if you have toddlers and infants. The following tips can be considered to effectively childproof your boat to give you the peace of mind you deserve. In addition, a CT Boat Insurance policy will take care of your liability and financial obligations.

Luckily, a boat comes already childproofed to an extent. Due to the nature of features on boats, cabinet locks and outlet covers come standard. However, depending on the type of boat you have and the age of your children, these needs will vary.

Secure the cockpit.

Whether your boat comes equipped with a latch or a strap (or both), be sure to get in the habit of fastening it securely when walking in or out. Especially with small children, making sure this is locked can prevent wandering kids from being somewhere they shouldn’t be.

Lock cabin doors.

You can’t really put up a childproof gate on boat cabin doors, so while your child is crawling or learning to walk its best to keep the door closed and locked. You’ll want to keep an eye on them going down stairs into your cabin and coming up the stairs. From a water safety standpoint, you can also keep the door locked when you are in the cabin so that a child does not go up on deck when no adult is there, explains Boater Kids.

Protect the helm.

Bright lights and plenty of buttons are a perfect combination to entice curious kids. If possible, protect the helm with a cover and keep the keys out of arm’s reach.

Cover outlets.

Even outlets that aren’t at floor level, or at a level where they can be easily reached by kids, a cover should still be put in. Better safe than sorry, and the covers are inexpensive and easy to put it or take out.

About Byrnes Agency

At Byrnes Agency we are proud to offer the complete watercraft insurance policies specifically designed to minimize your losses as a boat owner should your boating adventures go awry. We can also provide coverage for your personal property and fishing equipment in addition to protection against injury to you caused by an uninsured boater. Contact us today for more information about our comprehensive Windam County boat insurance policies.

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Dayville Office

Phone: (860) 774-85
394 Lake Rd
Dayville, CT 06241
United States
info@byrnesagency.com
Hours of Operation: Monday- Friday 9:00am-5:00pm

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Norwich Office

Phone: (860) 886-5498
6 Consumers Avenue
Norwich, CT 06360
United States
info@byrnesagency.com
Hours of Operation: Monday- Friday 9:00am-5:00pm