Safety first is a term you hear often, but is not always practiced.
Although most vessel owners have safety at the forefront of their thoughts when operating their vessel, “there is always room for improvement,” as the saying goes.
One way to improve safety is to practice good preventative maintenance, to ensure your vessel is well-prepared for the season or the trip ahead.
There is often reluctance to invest into maintenance when there may not be any apparent reason to spend the money. The goal should be to ensure that the vessel and the equipment and systems onboard are at optimum operating condition — the result will be fewer breakdowns and hence improved safety.
As with many safety-related topics, the obvious may not be so obvious. Often it’s the obvious things that get overlooked because most of us take them for granted.
One way to ensure you have considered all maintenance and safety-related items is to create a checklist that can be filled out at the beginning of the season or even at the beginning of each fishing trip.
The list below is an example of some of the primary items the owner/operator should consider before starting a fishing trip.
- Does the vessel carry current charts for the fishing area
- Are spar, rigging and fittings in good condition
- Are scuppers/freeing ports free and clear
- Can all hatches and covers be secured
- Is all electronic and navigation equipment working well
- Is high-water bilge alarm operational
- Is fume alarm operational
- Is engine room monitor/camera operational
- Is foghorn operational
- Are engine controls operational
- Is generator cooling system operating well
- Is engine cooling system operating well
- Are engine, gearbox and shafting running smoothly
- Is shaft stuffing box secure
- Is rudder stuffing box secure
- Is exhaust trunk/casing in good condition
- Is engine room operating temperature normal
- Is engine room ventilation operating normal
- Are all bilge pumps and systems operating
- Are all through hull valves easily accessible
- Are all through hull valves in good condition and operational
- Are all rubber hoses on bilge system in good condition
- Are all hose clamps secure and in good condition
- Are all hydraulics and fuel lines in good condition and protected from chafing
- Are there any hydraulic fluid leaks
- Are there any fuel oil leaks
- Are fuel filters clean and operational
- Are fuel oil tank remote shut-offs operational
- If gasoline is carried, is it stored outside in an approved container
- Is electrical system, panels and breakers operating properly
- Are batteries well secured, protected from shorts and properly vented to the outside
- Is voltage properly regulated
- Is furnace operating properly
- Is furnace drip tray clean
- If propane is onboard, is it operating properly
- Are propane tanks secured outside
- Are there any propane leaks
- Is stove clean and operating properly
- Is propane alarm operational
- Are all fire extinguishers charged and easily accessible
- Is engine room fixed fire fighting system (Co2) accessible
- Is all firefighting equipment operational and accessible (fire hose, buckets, axes, etc.)
- Are all bilges clean and dry
- Is engine room clean and tidy
The above list is not meant to be all inclusive, but it goes a long way to covering off most of the potential risks of something going wrong. Although, ensuring your vessel is operated within the safe limits of the stability booklet and practicing good seamanship with consideration for the wind and sea conditions are critical to ensuring safety; good maintenance practices will also contribute greatly to keeping you and your vessel safe.
A mechanical breakdown, electrical problems or an unexpected ingress of water while you are fishing could put your vessel in a very unsafe situation.
Help improve safety by completing a survey of your vessel and repairing any maintenance items prior to leaving the wharf. The couple of hours of your time will be a great investment and your repairs and maintenance cost will be much lower over the long term. Most importantly you would have peace of mind that you did your best to improve safety.
