Boating Info Prominent at 2007 Ohio State Fair

Visitors to the ODNR Pavilion at the Ohio State Fair encountered some "required" reading at the Division of Watercraft area. Required safety equipment was the focus of a new wall display: Four acrylic panels featuring necessary safety equipment were mounted on a large fishing net and accompanied by oversized posters of the required safety equipment charts. (Watch for this information at a boat show near you this winter!)

Daily stage shows on boating safety for kids were scheduled in the ODNR Amphitheater and the SplashTest(TM) Dummies were at the booth regularly, encouraging visitors to try on a lifejacket.

The large selection of lifejackets helped boaters become familiar with the sleeker, more comfortable choices in lifejacket styles. Adults seemed more interested in the inflatable PFD demonstrations – especially if they could hold the spent gas cartridges used to inflate the lifejacket bladders (see the sidebar on gas pressure and temperature). The heat didn't deter any little ones from wanting to impress Splish or Splash with their well-fitted and all-buckled-up flotation devices. And everyone who tried on a lifejacket received a blue wristband promoting lifejackets.

Boaters were able to take home the new edition of the Ohio Boat Operator's Guide, which contains a summary of Ohio's laws and regulations for recreational boating (and a handy required equipment chart). The full text of the Operator's Guide is available on the Division's web page (see the "Laws" link from any page) or get one in the mail by requesting it from the Publications web page.

Fairgoers also were invited to take the “Capacity Challenge” -- to guess the weight of assorted gear assembled for a fishing trip on a 14-foot jonboat with a 15-horsepower outboard motor. This activity emphasized the importance of loading a small boat properly as well as being aware of your boat's capacity plate. Many visitors under-guessed the weight of coolers, fishing tackle, gas cans, and bait buckets. More than half of all boating fatalities involve boats under 21 feet, so small boat safety is a worthy focus for the Division's safety displays.

Many of these activities will be repeated at boat shows and displays through the fall and winter, so when you are walking indoors through a field of dry-docked boats, yearning for the heat of summer, realize that it isn't all that far away.