May 16 2013
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How-to

How to Fuel a Boat

So, it’s time to fuel your boat.  It sounds simple enough — sidle on up to the gas pump, open the fuel tank and fill ‘er up.  But fueling a boat isn’t as mindless as fueling a car. For starters, boats have many openings and if you aren’t paying attention, you could end up mistaking a water or waste valve for the gas tank.  Unlike cars, boats have many cracks and crevices where spilled gas and vapors can accumulate, potentially causing an explosion.  Follow these tips to avoid disaster.

Get Geared Up

Who’s in charge?  If it’s you and you’ll be filling the tank, let everyone know. Too many cooks and your boat could turn into a flambé.  Once at the gas dock, all crew and passengers should disembark.

Give your boat a check-up. Salt water is corrosive and can cause leaks.  Make sure to inspect hose lines, engine fittings and strainers for wear-and-tear.  If you spot a leak, patch it.

  • Secure your boat to the gas dock and have everyone go ashore.
  • Turn off all engines and electrical equipment: generators, radios, galley stoves, batteries, etc. Do not smoke or fire up the grill.
  • Seal the boat by shutting all windows, hatches and doors. This will help keep the gas fumes out.

Fill the Tank

Decide how much fuel you’ll need and find the gas fill. Make sure it’s really the gas fill! Take some precautions to safeguard against static electrical sparks and gas spills.

  • Hold the gas nozzle steady when filling the tank, keeping it in constant contact with the fill opening to avoid sparks.
  • Wrap a towel or other absorbent fabric around the nozzle to prevent backsplash.
  • Leave some room in your tank for the gas to expand.
  • If you spilled any gas, make sure to clean it up completely.

 Ventilate 

Now that you’ve filled your tank, make sure the boat is free of all gas fumes and vapors.

  • Turn on your boat blower for about five minutes.
  • Open up all hatches, windows and doors.  Lift the engine hatch and sniff for gas fumes.  If you smell any, find out where they’re coming from and fix the problem.
  • Turn on the engine and check it to see that everything is working properly. Make sure there are no fluids in the bilge.

Relax

Congratulations.  You have fueled your boat and steered clear of crisis. Just make sure you didn’t leave any oil or fuel behind — that would be a federal crime.  Fair winds!

 

 

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May 13 2013
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How-to

How to Kayak

kayaksAhh the kayak.  That little palindrome conjures up such sweet reveries of sunny lakes and uncharted independence.  What could be more freeing than hopping into a small boat and paddling away? The Inuit used them for hunting walruses and whales, stealthily approaching their prey in the quiet, nimble vessels (we’ll cover this later). For now, read on to learn how to get started with these swift, agile boats.

Suit up

Choose the best apparel for your kayaking trip.

  • If the water is cold, keep warm in a wet suit or dry suit.
  • Protect yourself from sunburn with long sleeves when necessary.
  • If you are going whitewater or sea kayaking and using a spray skirt — a neoprene or nylon piece of apparel that keeps water out of the boat — step into it as you would a pair of pants, pulling it up so the top of the skirt is around your hips.  The skirt’s grab loop — a tab for releasing the skirt from the kayak — should hang in the front.
  • Remember to have a life jacket stowed in a handy place, if you’re not wearing one. 

Launch your kayak

 Bring your kayak to the water and get in.

  • Pick up the kayak and carry it with one shoulder inside the cockpit. Once at the shore, place the kayak on the edge with the bow facing out into the water.
  • If the water is shallow, you can get into the boat while it’s still partly on the bank. Step into the cockpit first and push off from shore with your hands.
  • If the bank is rocky or steep, get in the kayak by placing it in the water parallel to the shoreline, resting your paddle across the boat behind the cockpit. Climb aboard using the paddle for support.
  • If you’re wearing a spray skirt, attach it to the kayak by stretching it over the cockpit coaming — the lip around the cockpit of the kayak. Start behind the seat, moving your hands along the sides until the skirt is secured in the front.  Use the grab loop for leverage if needed.

Paddling

Below are some different strokes you’ll use when kayaking. Keep good posture while paddling to conserve energy.

  • Grasp the paddle with both hands slightly wider than shoulder width apart.  If you raise the paddle over your head your arms should make an angle just under 90 degrees.      
    • Forward: Put the paddle blade in the water near your feet and draw it back while keeping it close to the boat.  If the paddle is too far out, it will cause the boat to turn. Alternate sides after each stroke, twisting your torso to give you more energy as you paddle.
    • Reverse: Use the same stroke, but move your paddle in the opposite direction, starting at your side.
    • Sculling draw stroke: Imagine you’re spreading peanut butter on your boat by moving the blades of your paddle back and forth along its side.  This stroke can be used to position your kayak parallel to another boat or a dock.
    • Sweep stroke: Start with the paddle close to your feet but instead of pulling it straight back, make an arc around the side of the boat.  This will cause you to turn.

Wet Exit

If you capsize in a recreational kayak, the cockpit is large enough so that you’ll just fall out.  If you’re using a sea kayak, white water, or other cruising kayak, however, it’s important to practice a wet exit — exiting the boat after a capsize. In these kayaks, you’ll likely be wearing a spray skirt that needs to be released from the boat.

  • Make sure to leave the grab loop of your spray skirt out.  If you capsize, you’ll be able to grab it quickly and pull on it to release yourself.
  • Once capsized, duck your head in a downward position and pull the grab loop, releasing yourself from the boat.  Try and hold on to your paddle with one hand, or tuck it under your arm.
  • Push yourself out of the kayak.  You should end up doing a forward roll out of your boat.  The whole process should last several seconds.

Keep in Mind 

Kayaking is a fun and free-spirited sport, but you still need to follow the rules of the road and use caution.

  • Practice capsizing with a friend nearby.
  • Pay attention to water currents, wind shifts, and boat traffic. 

That’s it!  Visit Starboard Thoughts again soon for more tips and boating advice.

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May 10 2013
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Product

Boat Owner Response Rate

As summer and boating season begins, we want to make sure our renters are getting the best service from GetMyBoat.com!  To encourage rapid responses to rental inquiries, we are now displaying each boat owner’s Response Rate and Response Time.  Renters can find this info underneath the owner’s photo on the right-hand side of each boat listing.

The Response Rate will let renters know how responsive the owner is with their messages. A score of 100% means the owner replies to every message they receive. The Response Time will indicate how quickly an owner responds to a renter, down to the minute. Renters can use this to gauge when they can expect to hear from the owner in response to their rental inquiry.boat owner responsiveness

GetMyBoat is the first boat rental and charter marketplace to display and score the responsiveness of each boat owner.  We believe this feature will allow our renters to make fast decisions – especially for those last minute outings when the inspiration strikes!  And we believe it will increase business opportunity for our boat owners by encouraging faster response times.

GetMyBoat is changing the rental and charter industry for boating by increasing transparency into what is currently a fragmented market.  With over 7,300 listing in over 40 countries, GetMyBoat continues to lead the boat rental and charter industry in technology innovation. Also as the largest rental and charter marketplace, GetMyBoat is making boating more affordable and accessible to those who otherwise wouldn’t be able to enjoy it.

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May 08 2013
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Product

Advanced Pricing and Scheduling for Boats

After getting some great feedback from our customers and clocking in some serious hours at the office, we have just finished up the latest round of updates to our watercraft pricing pages.

As many people in the industry know, pricing for boats fluctuates based on the time of the year. We are happy to announce that we have pushed several updates that will help accommodate seasonal pricing and scheduling of boats.

Price Ranges

advanced boat pricingWe are now offering two types of pricing: Simple and Advanced. Simple pricing allows users to set a steady hourly, daily or weekly rate for their boats. If a user wants more control over pricing, they can click into the “Advanced Pricing” tab. This display is used when an owner would like to offer different rates for durations of time rented.

For instance, some companies rent jet skis at a set hourly price. However, if you rent a jet ski for 4 hours, the hourly price could be lower. We now give you, the owner, the ability to set pricing based on any rental duration you choose. You can set durations based on hours and days.

We didn’t forget weeks, don’t worry. We decided not to set weeks as a unit of measure on purpose. We have found that weeks can be based on 5 days or 7 days, depending who you ask. Instead of over-complicating our advanced pricing, we decided to let you choose the number of days to set a price for. This means you can now have separate day rates for 1 day, 2-7 days, 8-14 days, or any number of days you determine.

With this update we had to add a new field to take into account a rental minimum.  This was another feature that was requested multiple times by users and we have included it as part of this massive enhancement.

The Renters View

This update isn’t all about the owners — we also took this opportunity to simplify the view for the renter.  We are now offering just two rate choices for the renter to select from: Hours and Days.

We have received a lot questions from owners about why their weekly rate is not viewable on the listing view. Since implementing the minimum, we have discovered that renters are more willing to reserve if we display a day rate rather than a per week rate. When they try to book for a period of less than a week, if that is what you have set, then they will be hit with a message to book the minimum set number of days. This is just a different way of looking at rates that we hope will lead to more rentals and charters.

General Availability

We have now given owners the ability to turn off a day of the week completely, with just one click of an “ON/OFF” button. It’s that easy.

Seasonal Pricing

advanced watercraft pricing schedulingWe have always allowed users to set unavailability of a watercraft by clicking within the calendar. However, now we are unveiling two new, exciting updates. The first update is seasonal pricing. Click into the desired date that you would like to set as the start of seasonal pricing. Set the times of operation and pick an end date for the season.

Once you have the dates and times set, you will need to indicate which dates are available, whether or not this schedule will repeat, and then choose the custom rates for this set duration of time.

We also let you track these dates by giving you the ability to label them. This way when you see the blue bar in your calendar, you can have a quick look and know what rates are set for that time.

The possibilities for advanced pricing are endless. If you have suggestions for how to enhance this feature, please let us know! We are always excited to hear from you.

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May 08 2013
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Press Release

Got a Phone? Get a Boat!

May 8, 2013– San Francisco, CA – GetMyBoat.com, the world’s fastest-growing boat rental and charter marketplace, is now accessible through smartphones and tablets, making it easier than ever for users around the world to find and rent any kind of watercraft on the go. GetMyBoat mobile

“Most of us at some point have looked out on the water and dreamed of being on a boat,” said Bryan Petro, Head of Product for GetMyBoat. “Now, all you have to do to make that dream a reality is take out your phone and visit our site, where you can immediately choose from an ever-expanding inventory.”

Since its official launch in March, GetMyBoat listings have grown by roughly 100 boats a day to over 7,000. Users can rent boats across 40 countries worldwide, and in 41 of the 50 US states.  By optimizing the site for mobile use, the GetMyBoat platform can now be leveraged from virtually anywhere— whether in Sydney Harbor in Australia or on the shores of Saint-Tropez, from California to Croatia.

GetMyBoat.com provides the widest representation of rentable boats available online, from kayaks to 100-foot yachts.  The site allows boat owners to list their boats at no cost, including photos, boat specs, pricing, capacity and contact information, and also has a chat function that lets owners interact directly with renters prior to purchase.

GetMyBoat charges no fees, commissions, or monthly membership dues. Everything from signing up on the site, listing watercraft, and completing reservations is completely free of charge. Boats can be rented by the day, hour or week, depending on the owner’s preference. Renters have the option to rent or charter the boat with a captain or without (bareboat).

For more information about GetMyBoat, visit www.getmyboat.com.

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May 02 2013
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How-to

How To Coil A Line

coil a lineIf you’ve ever tried to store a garden hose neatly in a nice, compact circle, then you are half way to coiling a line. Nothing helps make a boat look shipshape better than neatly coiled lines. When done properly, a coiled line will last longer, be ready to use quickly, and reduce the risk of auto-knotting.

Here are the steps for a basic coil — it works the same way whether you’re left or right-handed.

1. Lay one end of a line over your left hand, letting the line end dangle to about the length that the loop, or coil, is going to be. Try two feet from your hand to the end of the line.

2. With your right hand, begin to lay the line to be coiled clockwise over your left hand, allowing each loop to dangle the same distance — about two feet.

3. Sometimes line, like the garden hose, will have a memory. It will try to lay down differently than the clockwise, round coil you want to create. By twisting the line clockwise between your thumb and forefinger as you coil it, the line should smooth out, giving you the round coil you want.

4. When you are near the end of the line, take the last bit of free line and wrap it twice around your coil, just under your left hand. Pull it tight. Congratulations! That loop around your left hand is called a bight.

5. Changing your grip on the coil, take the remaining line from your two wraps and thread it through the bight. Then, holding onto the line, let go of the coil.

6. The coil is now ready to hang from any hook. The extra line through the bight can be used to make a slip knot from which the coil can hang. Line should generally be hung, not laid on the deck or cabin floor, for the line to keep its shape, and help prevent mildew.

Nice and neat. Shipshape.

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Apr 30 2013
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How-to

Basic Visual Navigation for Boating – Day Marks

For the new boater, looking at a paper chart or chart plotter for the first time and matching it up with what you see on the water can be a humbling experience. Without a chart, just knowing what those navaids mean can be confusing. Listed below are three basic Day Marks. Day marks are on pilings stuck in the mud, and are used in shallow water. These navigational aids are universal throughout North and South America. For Europe, and other parts of the world, you will find that the colors and how you pass the marks will be reversed.

Lateral Buoyage System

Red and green day marks are part of the Lateral Buoyage System. That means their function is to tell the boater where the lateral edge of the channel is. These marks are the only marks that are numbered. So, when you see a number on a mark, match that number up with your charting tools to know exactly where you are. The numbers should increase as you move up the channel, and decrease heading out towards open water. If you find that the numbers are not increasing or decreasing in order, don’t panic. Stop the boat and retrace your course. Chances are you followed a red or green day mark for another channel. Always check your number sequence.

Red Day Mark

Red Day MarkerRed Right Returning is the way to remember this mark. Pass it on your right – starboard — side heading from open water into a harbor or river. These marks are a red triangle, with even numbers, and the numbers increase numerically as you follow the channel to your upstream destination. “2”-“4”-“6”-“8”. “2” will be the first red day mark going into a channel.

Green Day Mark

Green Day MarkGreen Day Marks indicate the other side of the channel. Keep them on your left – port – side going upstream. They are always green, square, and have odd numbers, starting with “1”, and increasing going upstream, or from open water into a harbor or channel. “1”-“3”-“5”-“7”. “1” will be the first mark you will encounter heading into a channel.

Preferred Channel Marker

Preferred Channel MarkerAs you head towards your destination, you’ll arrive at a split in the waterway. In the middle, you’ll see a mark with no number — but possibly with letters — that can’t seem to make up its mind whether it’s red or green. No worries. It’s called a Preferred Channel Marker, and it’s giving you a choice of which way to go. On this marker, the green band on top indicates that the preferable waterway is to starboard, leaving this mark to port. You could also take the other waterway, but it is not as Preferred. In this case, “SC” stands for Sunset Creek, the non-preferred channel. To go to Sunset Creek, leave this mark to starboard. To take the preferred channel, leave this mark to port. Either color band, red or green, might be on top. Honor the mark based on the band color on top.

Plan Your Boat Outing Ahead of Time

Before you head out on your water adventure, review the chart for your boat outing so you will have an idea of what you’ll be seeing. Check the weather report, and let someone know where you are going, and when you’ll be back.

These are the most basic navigational aids you might see on the water. As you gain more experience, even on your local waters, you’ll realize there is much more to learn about navigation. The safe boater will know about a lot more than lateral and preferred marks.

Having said that, red and green day marks, and preferred channel markers are a good place to start. Stay tuned to GetMyBoat and “Starboard Thoughts” for more posts about fun and safe boating.

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