Owning a boat can be a fun experience for the whole family. Everyone can enjoy a little time out on the water, after all.
Nevertheless, any time you take your kids on your boat, you have to see to their safety. You have an obligation to protect your little ones. Given that boats are heavy machinery, you often have to take many precautionary steps. Don’t ever embark on a cruise without seeing to the safety of your little ones.
Boat Safety for Children 
Your children might not understand the insecurities that exist on boats. Propellers, moorings and other machinery might pose injury risks. Let’s also not forget that if a child doesn’t know how to swim. Entering the water around the boat might therefore prove threatening. Make sure your kids have every element of security available to them to keep the excursion safe.
- Check your boat insurance to see if you have medical payments and bodily injury liability coverage. Should your children or guests get hurt on the vessel, your policy might come in handy.
- In most cases, the law requires all children on boats to wear flotation devices or life jackets. Never pilot a boat with children unless they wear functioning, approved safety vests.
- Teach your children proper safety practices for the boat. In some cases, parents even enroll their children in boat safety classes. This can help teach them what to do in case of emergencies.
- If using water toys, tow toys or swimming, supervise children at all times. It’s often a good idea to only use items designed for child use. Never let a child use water skis, floater devices or other items that don't have approval for child use.
- Establish clear rules on where children can and cannot go on the boat. If you must, rope off certain areas of the vessel. You should enforce these rules at all times.
- Never allow children to attempt to pilot the vessel unless the child has specific training to do so. In most cases, the law specifies when children can and cannot pilot boats.
Most often, keeping your children safe on your vessel means using your own good judgement. You should always keep a watchful eye on your children during all stages of your excursion. Never let your children play on or near the boat without direct supervision by adults. Impress on your children the importance of water safety.
In the event of a problem, your boat insurance might provide some help. However, your priority should be to never allow these accidents to happen to begin with.