BoatUS Membership eLine is produced by the BoatUS Membership
Department and is an update on seasonal issues, helpful
suggestions and friendly reminders. This has been sent
to you because you are an active Member of BoatUS.
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Please join me shopping and saving at the
first ever West Advantage Members-Only event on November
21st and 22nd at your local West Marine store. I'll be
there getting ready for the holidays and stocking up on
specially priced items for everyone  on
my list. From Annapolis to San Diego, every West Marine
store will have special storewide savings exclusively for
Members! Of course, as a BoatUS Member you will still earn
your West Advantage Gold Rewards, the highest level of
shopping rewards at West Marine during this special weekend.
Here at BoatUS, we're really excited about this event
and will be visiting select stores around the country.
From BoatUS Headquarters in Alexandria, VA to our service
centers in Jacksonville, FL and Newport Beach, CA, we'll
be out shopping with you! And we'll be joined by towers
from both of our fleets of red boats - TowBoatUS and
VESSEL ASSIST. So mark your calendars for November 21
and 22...we hope to see you at your local West Marine
store!
Use our online Member Services Locator to find a West
Marine near you BoatUS.com/msl.
See you on the water!
Nancy S. Michelman
President@BoatUS.com
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Each
year, as boaters everywhere prepare for winter lay-up,
a thorough and well thought-out winterizing plan is often
the difference between a
boat that incurs damage in the off-season and one that's
sound and ready to launch in the spring. But with so many
chores to keep track of, even the most organized boater
is bound to forget a critical winterizing task or two.
To assist in your lay-up efforts, BoatUS
Marine Insurance has scoured our claim
files to identify the top winterizing tasks most
commonly overlooked each year. From hull to engine,
your boat's systems deserve special attention. Read
on to find out if your winterizing efforts cover
all of the essential steps!
Plan on visiting your
boat regularly, at least once or twice a month.
A lot can happen in winter, from animals moving aboard
to sudden leaks caused by expanding ice. If you can't visit
your boat frequently, consider using a buddy system with
other boat owners. Another alternative is to ask your marina
manager to keep an eye on the boat. Many marinas will inspect
boats, although usually for a fee.
Did you add extra lines
and chafe protection?
Blustery winter winds should never be confused with gentle
summer breezes. All it takes is one good winter storm to
abrade a dock line -- and maybe bash a hole in the hull.
If the boat is left in the water, double up on docklines
and add chafe protection.
Click
Here to Read the Full List.
As you prepare for the winter, make sure
your boat is protected by quality insurance coverage at
the best price. Click
Here for a fast, free rate quote or call 800-283-2883 for
personal service.
* All BoatUS policies subject to limits
and exclusions
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Time is running out for your
chance at winning $25,000 from the BoatUS
Wave of Fortune Sweepstakes! Chances are,
you've already been entered once already this year, as
you are automatically entered in the sweepstakes after
joining or renewing or for each new BoatUS Member you
sponsor.
Remember, you can earn up to 10 extra entries a day just
by playing DockIt!, the boating game of skill where you
are tasked with safely navigating your vessel around various
hazards and obstacles and safely docking at a marina.
We're also giving away weekly and monthly prizes in addition
to the $25,000 grand prize! This month's prize is a SIDEBAR
Beverage System (retail value $600) where you can make
your favorite drinks with the push-of-a-button! A lighted
keypad is clearly labeled and offers five selections of
your favorite beverage making a perfect drink every time.
Play
DockIt! today - the BoatUS Wave of Fortune Sweepstakes
ends November 30th!
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By Kevin Ritz
We were a live-aboard family
with three active children at a freshwater marina on
a tributary of the Willamette River near Portland, Oregon.
Other kids were already swimming in the cove because
it was that kind of day-hot and lazy. This was a common
practice by adults as well as children during the warm
summer of 1999.
Lucas Ritz: 1991-1999 |
Our sons Ian, age 10, and Lucas, age eight, asked to swim
with their friends. Permission was granted, subject to close
adult supervision by parents including their mother, a graduate
nurse. The boys were both wearing Type II PFD life jackets,
so it was great fun and a presumably safe to play in the
water. Our children were schooled in aquatic safety. Being
young professional people, my wife, Sheryl, and I had taken
every precaution we could for peace of mind in a water environment.
On the inside of the dock, the kids were having a great time
floating down with the river current on an inner tube. Lucas
moved away from the others toward his mother, who was keeping
pace on the dock with the children's water activity. As he
approached the ladder to get out of the water, he let out
a loud gasp, immediately rolling onto his back in his life
jacket, apparently unconscious. Sheryl yelled to the other
kids to help him and jumped into the water herself.
Click
here to read the complete story.
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 A
bill now in Congress, S.
1666, could help ensure that all ethanol-blended gasoline
sold is compatible with boat engines currently in use as
well all other types of gasoline engines.
S.1666, the "Mid-Level
Ethanol Blends Act of 2009" requires the U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency to study the compatibility
of blended fuels with current engines and fuel systems
before it could allow ethanol concentrations higher
than 10-percent.
The current, 10-percent ethanol blend known as E-10 has
caused significant problems for marine engines and boat
fuel systems, in some cases necessitating expensive replacement
of in-hull fiberglass fuel tanks. No boat in use or on
the market today has been designed - or is warranted -
to run fuel with greater than 10-percent ethanol.
S. 1666 is supported by BoatUS and a diverse coalition
of organizations, including environmental groups, engine
manufacturers, food groups, consumer groups, and refiners.
To ask your Senators to cosponsor S. 1666, click
here.
Click
here for more information on the ethanol problem,
at the National
Marine Manufactures Association website.
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Selecting
Underwater Lights
Lights that illuminate the underwater world, mounted
on outrigger spreaders, on the transom or under the hull,
have aided anglers for decades in powering-up nighttime
fishing, calling up baits and the fish that forage on them.
The new generation of underwater lights, aimed straight
down or horizontally and located between 12" and 48" below
the surface, are more reliable and electrically efficient.
They add action to a nighttime trolling spread with the
flip of a switch. They also look really cool when fired
up at your dock.
Click
here to explore the ins and outs of underwater lighting,
including bulb types.
Click
here to join in on a lively discussion of underwater
lighting with your fellow Members on the BoatUS Clubhouse
Message Boards.
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E-mail: Membership@BoatUS.com
Website: BoatUS.com/Membership
Members-Only website: my.BoatUS.com
Call: 800-395-2628 |
· Renew
Your Membership
· Change
E-mail Address
· BoatUS
Logo Items
· BoatUS
Credit Card
· Marine
Insurance
· Towing
Services |
Sign up to receive your FREE
subscription to the ESPN Outdoors
Saltwater Magazine, the insider's guide to everything
about the ESPN Outdoors Saltwater Series, from tournament
news to proven tips on catching several different types
of sportfish including redfish, striped bass, tarpon,
sailfish and bonefish. It's a must-read for any saltwater
angler! PLUS you will have access to the digital version
of the magazine.
Click
Here to Sign Up Today!
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 This
year, make your holiday
cards unique by custom imprinting the inside of the
card with a personal seasonal greeting. And with some cards
offered by the BoatUS
Foundation, you can even imprint the front of the card
with your very own boat name! What could be better? With
each box you order, you'll also get:
- 25 FREE personalized return address labels
- 25 FREE decorative seals for your envelopes
- FREE imprinting with your order of three or more boxes
So why not select a nautical holiday
card to send to friends that shows your love of boating
and support the BoatUS
Foundation at the same time? A portion of each purchase
is used to expand and improve the many life-saving and
environmental programs BoatUS
Foundation offers.
Need a holiday gift for your
boating buddies? Give the gift of BoatUS Membership! Click
here for more information.
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Open a BoatUS checking account today and receive award-winning
benefits such as online banking and Keep the Change®,
a unique savings program. With Keep the Change, each
purchase with your BoatUS debit card will be rounded
up to the next dollar and the difference will be transferred
from your checking account to your savings account. Bank
of America will match your Keep the Change transfers
at 100% for the first three months and 10% thereafter,
up to a maximum total match of $250 per year. Learn more about BoatUS checking and Keep the Change
or to apply online, visit BankOfAmerica.com/BoatUS2009.
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The
shopping season is upon us-and here's a great boater gift
that gets shipped to your door for about $25.
DIY Boat Owner magazine
offers more than a dozen Archive
Collections on CD-ROM, each containing scores of
articles on important topics like marine mechanics,
electronics, plumbing, rigging, refinishing, electrical
systems and more. Every disc is packed with expertise
from the pages of DIY.
DIY Boat Owner is the
only maintenance and repair magazine endorsed by BoatUS.
Each disc costs just $19.95 plus shipping, and we can have
them to you for the holidays.
Looking for something more substantial? Try the Hands
On Boater CD, which has all 56 issues of DIY from
1995 to 2008 on a single disc for $99.95 plus shipping.
Order now and get a great gift
for a serious boater.
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For skippers making a late season
delivery or a race down the Pacific coast, the BoatUS
Foundation has EPIRB's available to rent. You can have
peace of mind knowing these units are ready to be shipped
to your front door for your winter voyage. Reservations
can be made online 24 hours a day, or by phone (888-663-7472)
Monday through Friday, 12-5p.m. EST. Current rates are
$40 per week for EPIRB's or upgrade to a GPS enabled
EPIRB for $65 per week.
Special Discount: rent
a GPS enabled EPIRB for three weeks or more through May
1st and receive 20% off via discount code: enews09.
For more information, click
here, or call 888-663-7472.
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 Yes
you can! Members selling their boats can get a picture
in the classified ads section of BoatUS
Magazines - sent to over 600,000 Members
- for only $200. To see your boat photo in the January
issue, just place any web ad with at least one photo along
with your magazine ad by the November 19th deadline - choose
the option 'ADD A PHOTO
TO THE MAGAZINE'. By doing so you will get the added
bonus of an online
classified ad on BoatUS.com, plus an ad in the weekly
classified e-Newsletter, and a feature in the Weekly Web
Specials - sent to 90,000 each week - for free.
Whether you're ready to sell or buy a boat, go to BoatUS
Classified Ads to place an ad or find your next boat!
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Members
