Today’s “What the Friday” question is…
👉🏼 How long does it take to get your boater’s license??
If you’re looking to get out on the water for a houseboat vacation, one of the first steps you need to take (aside from booking your rental!) is getting your boaters license!
This is something we require all our renters to have… & yes, we are (at the moment) the only houseboat company on the TSW with this requirement.
Luckily, it doesn’t take long to get your license & once you have it, it never expires! (& is valid in both Canada & the US).
Get your license by completing the online boat safety course in conjunction with the Transport Canada PCOC Test.
Watch the video to find out…
✅ How long does it take to get your boater’s license?
✅ How long do you have to complete the course once you purchase it?
✅ What’s the cost to get your license?
Do you have more questions about boating licenses or the rules of navigating the TSW?
Comment below & we’ll answer your questions in an upcoming edition of WTFriday!
#boatinglife #boatinglicense #boatsafety #safeboating #houseboatrentals #houseboatvacation
3 THINGS WE LEARNED 👇🏼
In September 2005, we bought Marlan — our 46’ Pacemaker that we lived aboard for 10 years.
In August 2006, we took a 3 week trip alone (see our previous post for pics & details!)
During our first trip, John & I learned 3 important lessons about boating…
1️⃣ The journey is often more important than the destination (John already knew that from boating as a kid with his family, but it was new to me! 😉)
2️⃣ How to communicate while on the boat without yelling. When we were docking, I was on the bow, 25 ft away from where John was, so we learned how to lock & dock successfully using hand signals, head gestures & reading body language.
3️⃣ The importance of trusting our own skills when docking & locking — you can’t rely on others to know what you need.
This lesson came early on…
The first dockage of our journey was at the Murray Canal. The wind was blowing us off the dock, so when someone offered to take the line, I said, “Thanks — just wrap it tight around that cleat & John will bring the stern in”.
Unfortunately, this ‘gentleman’ thought he knew what we needed better than we did & tied it to a different cleat, in spite of my repeated requests...
Which resulted in what could have been a disastrous situation!
Fortunately, J&I managed to get the boat in safely...but after that, I was very, very careful about who I gave our lines to.
These 3 lessons have served us well in the many years of boating since then! 😄
Now, when we host guests on our houseboats, we like to remind them…
👉🏼 There are plenty of great stops along the Trent-Severn Waterway, but the best part of renting a houseboat are the adventures on the water.
👉🏼 Communicating with your crew & working as a team is essential.
👉🏼 Locking & docking is a new challenge for many people. We give all our guests on-the-water training, but the most important thing is trusting your crew & your own instincts!
Lookin
What’s John wearing around his neck? 🤔
Well, it’s not just a fashion statement…haha!
🌟 It’s the remote that controls the bow & stern thrusters 🌟
These thrusters are like having a 4hp motor that pushes you sideways in whichever direction you want to go.
The thruster remote is extremely helpful — especially for a crew of 2!
The captain can easily look out the side window of the boat, judge the approach to the dock, & use the remote to make adjustments to the boat’s position.
👉🏼 For example, if the bow is too close to the dock on the starboard side, the captain can hit the left bow thruster button on the remote to shift away from the dock.
At the bow, the thruster is on a deployable hydraulic piston…
✅ When you hit the deploy button, the thruster lowers into the water to use when locking & docking.
✅ When you’re cruising, it retracts up & out of the way so it doesn’t get caked with weeds or put unneeded strain on the thruster or boat.
For the newest addition to our fleet, Ms. Meyers, we’ve started the process of installing the thrusters.
So far, we’ve had custom welded brackets added at the bow & stern to mount the motors on.
Next, John will install the motors, cabling, controllers & joystick, so the thrusters can be controlled from the newly designed dashboard.
Do you have any questions about the thrusters? Comment below!
#boatthrusters #houseboat #houseboatlife #houseboatvacation #boating #drivingaboat #trentsevernwaterway #trentsevernwaterwaycanada
