Boating is enjoyable, educational, and relaxing. It’s good wholesome fun that the entire family can enjoy.

It’s important to take care of nature while having fun boating. Boating can be hard on marine ecosystems if proper precautions are not followed. If you are careful, you can avoid polluting the water or disturbing ecosystems. The tips below will help you to be a more green and eco-conscious boater.

1. Bring a trash bag: One of the basic rules of nature is that you take nothing but memories (or pictures) and leave nothing but footprints. Everything you bring in, you have to bring back out.

2. Stop fuel drips: Slow and steady are the words to remember when refueling a boat. Avoid spills by using a rag to catch any extra fuel dripping around the nozzle, and never top off the fuel tank. Leave 10% of the tank empty to further minimize chance of spilling.

3. Maintenance out of the water: Routine boat maintenance should be performed out of the water. Doing boat chores while the boat is on the water can lead to paint flecks, fuel, and debris falling into the water. This is environmentally damaging.

Whenever possible, follow the rule ‘fix it on land.’

4. Use clean non-toxic paints: When you paint your boat, use non-toxic paint. Even though the paint will be dry by the time it goes into the water, using a toxic paint is dangerous to marine life. Paint can chip, and the chips can then dissolve into the water.

Inexpensive paints are often toxic paints. Don’t think that because the paint will be dry before you go back in the water that this will be safe for wildlife. Even dry paint can be toxic to marine life. Paint chips can come off of the boat and dissolve into the water.

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