be aware of that.
Next, the trailer tongue will extend
past the bow or the boat but there’s a
neat solution called a swing tongue
trailer. The tongue folds back on a
hinge to shorten it to fit your garage.
Talk to your dealer for specifics.
Q: Should you tow the boat with
the cover on or off? I see people doing both on the highway and
some have the full top and windows
on – the works. What’s best?
A: The best solution is a highway
trailer cover. It has special fasteners to keep it tight and it is
designed not to beat in the wind or
rip. The covered boat creates less tur-
bulence, saving on fuel, and it keeps
loose items like life jackets from flying out.
We strongly recommend NOT towing with the regular mooring cover or
with the convertible top and side curtains up. They were not made to
withstand hours at 100 km/h.
Q: Occasionally when fishing, I
travel longer distances and will
be out of sight of land in the Great
Lakes from time to time. Do I need to
get a VHF radio in case of emergency?
A: A VHF radio is an essential
piece of cruising equipment.
Every boat on a large body of water
should have one. You can do more
than just communicate. The Coast
Guard (Canadian and American) monitor VHF and there is important
marine weather information available
too. The new VHF radios have a great
emergency feature called DCS (Digital
Selective Calling) that can be programmed to give the vessel’s location
in case of emergency. Don’t leave
home without it!
Q: This year, instead of storing
my boat for the winter, I am
planning to keep it on the trailer at
my home so that I can trailer the boat
down to Florida to go fishing on my
winter vacation. Is there anything I
need to add to my insurance policy to
make sure I’m covered for this?
A: Yes – You should know that
most policies have a geographic territory; for example, you can’t go
below the 49th parallel. This allows
you to just go into the US, but not far
south. Some policies have a trailering
limitation of 500 miles from your
mailing address. It is best to discuss
these points with your agent and get
the coverage you need.
Q: We are hoping to do some
cruising with our cuddy cabin.
We do have a refrigerator on board
but how do we find out how long we
can safely store various types of food
on board or in our 12 volt refrigerator?
A: Visit the web site for the
Canada Food Guide. It has
detailed charts for this. Visit
www.canadafoodguide.ca
Q: I will be buying a new
4-stroke outboard and plan to
store it on the boat, on the trailer. Is it
OK to leave it on the transom in the
upright position or would the crankcase
oil be better in another position?
