Boating With Children

For a great way to make memories and enjoy time with your family during the warm months, consider boating! You can teach your kids about marine life, navigation, the environment and weather systems when you’re out on a boat together. However, your kids will need a little more attention given to their particular needs in order to have a good time out on the water. A hungry or cold child will only be miserable the whole time, which ruins their enjoyment of what was meant to be a fun endeavor.

So when you take your family out in your boat, you want to make sure you’re doing everything you can to ensure your kids are safe and content for the duration of the voyage. This guide to boating with children by Richardson’s Boat Yard should get you off on the right track. We have locations in Windham and Standish, Maine to best serve you!

Teach Your Kids To Swim

Children can begin taking introductory water courses with their parents holding them as early as one year of age. This helps them become accustomed to being in the water, which will lessen their fear of it. Actual swimming lessons can begin during the preschool years. You should make sure your children are reasonably good swimmers before you take them out on the water.

Kids should be able to perform basic swim strokes, float and tread water to keep themselves OK until rescue should they fall into the water. You can also teach them how to deal with unique water conditions, like riptides. When caught in a riptide, a swimmer should swim parallel to the shore until they’re free of it before swimming diagonally towards the shore. Also, swimming is a fun form of exercise that many kids enjoy, and plenty of boats offer swimming platforms and ladders to encourage passengers to get in the water!

Acclimate Them To Life Jackets

Every child, even the strongest swimmer, should wear a well-fitting life jacket suited to their weight and size from dock to dock, just in case they fall into the water at the marina. For children, you’ll want to seek out life jackets that have head flotation, crotch straps and a self-righting capability. This way, a kid who falls overboard and isn’t immediately able to begin swimming will be held over the surface by their life jacket until they can be pulled out.

Attach a marine whistle to their jacket so they can blow on it in case they drift further from the boat. They can also use the whistle on board to alert the boat operator or passengers to an emergency, such as an upcoming obstacle in the water.

Test life jackets in a shallow pond or swimming pool to ensure they fit correctly, are reasonably comfortable for the child to wear and that they don’t slip off easily. You’ll also want to wear your own life jacket and encourage other teenage and adult passengers to do the same in order to demonstrate good safety practices to kids, which will make them feel more comfortable about wearing their own flotation devices.

Keep Kids Warm & Dry

Temperatures out on the water, whether it’s the lake, river or open ocean, are often several degrees cooler than they are on land. This means that on a sunny 70°F day, you might have a water temperature in the low 60s or high 50s, which can be downright chilly without adequate clothing. Pack a waterproof jacket and a sweater for each child and have them wear long pants with socks and closed-toe shoes on the boat for warmth and safety.

When kids come out of the water after swimming or watersports, encourage them to dry off quickly and change into dry clothing so they don’t catch a chill in wet bathing suits. Have blankets on hand for them to wrap up in until they feel warmer.

Pack Supplies

Hungry and bored kids are sad kids, and no one wants that. Pack a cooler full of snacks to keep your kids fueled up and content on the trip, including bottled water, juice, milk cartons, granola bars, string cheese, fresh fruit, nuts or sandwiches. You’ll want to have some wipes or paper towels on hand to deal with any spills so that they don’t attract insects.

You should also pack some things for them to do. Encourage children to get involved in the process of boating by looking at a map to compare it to their surroundings, pointing out landmarks, identifying marine life and learning how the boat controls work. You can also pack some small travel games, coloring books, cards and a pair of binoculars so they have ways to occupy themselves during the journey.

Go Over Safety Rules

All your passengers will benefit from a review of safety rules before you set sail or rev your engine, but a repeat will be of particular use to your kids. Remind them where necessary safety gear is located and how to use it. Tell them to avoid running on the boat and walk around it with them so they can be aware where obstacles are that might trip them up. Encourage them to keep their arms and feet inside the boat at all times and to not shout or distract the operator while the boat is in motion.

Seeking boats for sale near Portland? Stop by one of our dealership locations in either Windham or Standish, Maine, to see our selection of new and used boats. With so many different styles of boats to choose from we are sure we can find something to fit your family's needs! Pontoon boats, deck boats, cruisers, cuddy cabins, fishing boats, bow riders and personal water crafts available!