Walking around boat shows these days I see plenty of boat dealers boasting about the 400 and 500 mile range of the boats that they’re selling. I’m sure that with new technology and modern hull designs they are pretty close but how can you be sure of what your fishing or cruising range really is?

The most common phrase I hear when a boater runs out of fuel is, “My Gas gauge still say’s I have ¼ tank!” During the last 10 years Vessel Assist San Diego has delivered fuel to over 5000 boaters; about 80 percent of them report that their fuel gauge shows that they still have fuel, about ten percent think that there is a problem with their fuel system, five percent have no idea that they are out of gas and believe they are suffering a mechanical issue, and finally, about the last five percent are just flat out honest and say, ”oops, looks like I went a little too far with my boat today.”

Well here is a simple way to find out what the actual range of your boat is* (as well as an opportunity to “sea trial” your boat so that you can address any issues your boat might have so you can lessen the chance of a major breakdown during the middle of your boating or fishing season):
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” The thin veneer we call civilization can disappear where a shipwreck is concerned.”
Richard Loran, Shipwrecks of Great Britain and Ireland

Understanding the difference between towing and salvage can save boaters money and aggrevation. Historically and legally, salvage is any voluntary and successful rescue of a boat., its cargo and/or its passengers from a peril at sea. BoatUS, however, narrows this definition. When contracting for towing services on behalf of its 600,000 members, it requires that marine assistance companies distinguish between simple towing and/or soft groundings and the more serious and expensive salvage efforts where distress or danger exist.
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