Raritan Engineering Company your boat head manufacturers would like to share with you these topics we thought would be of interest to you this month regarding navigating lakes and rivers with ease.

Your boat head experts talk about how changing water levels is just one hazard among many on rivers, as well as lakes subject to flow control by dams. Here are a few other things to concern yourself with when boating on lakes and rivers.

Unmarked Hazards

Many smaller bodies of water have not been charted, and on many that have been, the charts do not contain extensive detail in areas outside the main channels. Use extreme caution to avoid shoals as well as unknown obstacles such as rocks, submerged tree stumps and even old dock structures. 

Blind Curves

Oxbows and other bends in rivers are great for fishing but can be terrible for boaters trying to pass through them. Why? Sometimes you can’t see what’s coming around the bend the other way. Navigational rules call for boaters to keep to the right to pass each other, but not everyone follows the rules. 

You Too Can Be a Master of Boating

Find marine toilets here at Raritan Engineering, where we always take care of your marine sanitation supply needs.

Rough Waters

On a narrow body of water with a shallow depth, wind can churn up tight-period waves at a moment’s notice. I’ve seen it happen on rivers, and on small lakes nestled in low valleys that act as wind funnels when it blows in the right direction. 

Commercial Traffic

On the St. Lawrence near my family’s place, Great Lakers pass through the shipping channel on a daily basis, throwing huge wakes that can swamp small boats if they are unprepared. Boaters at anchor, hopefully smartly well away from the shipping channel, should be at the ready to quickly raise the hook if a ship is set to pass nearby.

The alarm was raised by Valentia Coast Guard radio at 12.26pm this afternoon.

A Castletownbere RNLI lifeboat was launched to go to the assistance of the vessel, which had to be abandoned south of Derrynane.

The two men on board were forced to take to their liferaft after the boat caught fire and began taking on water.

The two fisherman, who were both uninjured, were successfully rescued and transferred from the Ballinskelligs lnshore Rescue boat to the Castletownbere Lifeboat.

They arrived back Castletownbere at approximately 3.45pm this afternoon.