| If you are looking for a fun activity that the entire | | | | capacity empty. And never, ever "top off" your tank. |
| family can enjoy, consider boating. It has the added | | | | This practice can lead to overflows and larger spills. |
| benefit of being educational, and relaxing as well. | | | | 3. Maintenance out of the water: Routine boat |
| Bear in mind, though, that boating can be hard on the | | | | maintenance should be performed out of the water. |
| environment if not managed properly. If you are | | | | Doing boat chores while the boat is on the water can |
| reckless or careless, you can pollute the water and | | | | lead to paint flecks, fuel, and debris falling into the |
| disturb marine habitats. To keep your boating | | | | water. This is environmentally damaging. |
| experience enjoyable as well as environmentally | | | | Just to be sure, it's best to have an 'out of the water' |
| sound, follow the tips below: | | | | policy for all boat maintenance. |
| 1. Bring a trash bag: It may seem like a no brainer, but it | | | | 4. Use clean non-toxic paints: When you paint your |
| bears mentioning just the same. To be a responsible | | | | boat, use non-toxic paint. Even though the paint will be |
| boater, you must bring a trash bag so that you don't | | | | dry by the time it goes into the water, using a toxic |
| leave anything in nature that wasn't already there | | | | paint is dangerous to marine life. Paint can chip, and the |
| when you arrived. | | | | chips can then dissolve into the water. |
| 2. Stop fuel drips: Be careful when refueling your boat. | | | | Cheaper paints are especially likely to be toxic. Check |
| Spilling fuel can be very damaging to marine life. Add | | | | ingredients to gauge whether a paint should be used |
| fuel slowly, and keep any spills from dripping by using a | | | | on a marine craft. |
| rag to sop them up. Always leave 10% of the fuel tank | | | | |