Boating Safety Topics

The USPS America's Boating Course (ABC) safety course topics include:

• Introduction to Boating:
  
  Types of power boats; sailboats; outboards; paddle boats; houseboats; different uses of boats; various
  power boating engines; jet drives; family boating basics.


• Boating Law:
  
  Boat registration; boating regulation; hull identification number; required boat safety equipment; operating
  safely and reporting accidents; protecting the marine environment; Federal boat law; state boating laws;
  personal watercraft requirements.


• Boat Safety Equipment:
  
  Personal flotation devices ("life jackets"); fire extinguishers; sound-producing devices; visual-distress
  signals; dock lines and rope; first aid kit; anchors and anchor lines; other boating safety equipment.


• Safe Boating:
  
  Bow riding; alcohol and drug abuse; entering, loading, and trimming a boat; fueling portable and permanent
  tanks; steering with a tiller and a wheel; docking, undocking and mooring; knots; filing a float plan; checking
  equipment, fuel, weather and tides; using charts; choosing and using an anchor; safe PWC handling; general
  water safety.


• Navigation:
  
  The U.S. Aids to Navigation system; types of buoys and beacons; navigation rules (sometimes referred to
  as right-of-way rules); avoiding collisions; sound signals; PWC "tunnel vision."


• Boating Problems:
  
  Hypothermia; boating accidents and rescues; man overboard
  recovery; capsizing; running aground; river hazards; strainers: emergency radio calls; engine problems;
  equipment failures; carbon monoxide (CO); other boating and PWC problems.


• Trailering, Storing and Protecting Your Boat:
  
  Types of trailers; trailer brakes, lights,hitches, tires, and bearings; loading, balancing, and towing
  (and backing) a trailer; boat launching and retrieving; boat storage and theft protection; launching, retrieving
  and storing a PWC.


• Hunting and Fishing, Water-skiing and River Boating:
  
  Carrying hunting gear and weapons in a boat; fishing from a boat; water-skiing safety guidelines and hand
  signals; water-skiing with a PWC; navigating rivers, and other boating tips.