What is BoatUS Foundation?

by Boat Alert / Last Updated: July 24, 2023 / Understanding Boats

If you’ve ever wondered about the role of BoatUS Foundation in the marine industry, you’ve come to the right place. This article comprehensively covers everything related to the BoatUS Foundation, its mission, projects, and more. Having been in the industry for many years, we give the best explanation so you can equip yourself with everything there is to know!

Who is BoatUS?

Established in 1966, the Boat Owners Association of the United States, also called BoatUS, is an American association of boat owners with over 800,000 members who offer different services supporting the TowBoatUS. It is the country’s largest recreational boating advocacy, safety, and services group making boating experiences pleasant for recreational boaters.

BoatUS offers a host of services and benefits, represents boaters’ rights, and provides savings opportunities to its members. The association also educates new boaters on water safety and cleanliness through its Boating Safety and Education programs. Moreover, it provides towing and roadside assistance to tow vehicles and boat trailers, boat insurance programs, and other benefits, including West Marine and marina shopping discounts.

What is BoatUS Foundation?

The BoatUS Foundation for Boating Safety and Clean Water is a groundbreaking leader that advocates for safe, clean, and responsible boating. The Foundation offers educational outreach to boaters and supports partner organizations across the country.

They aim to minimize accidents and deaths, promote stewardship of the waterways and maintain the safety and recreational value of boating. Since the BoatUS Foundation is a 501 © (3) non-profit organization, its primary funding comes from individual donations and grants.

BoatUS Vision and Mission   

BoatUS exists to make boating better. The organization provides excellent service and savings for boaters, including towing and marine insurance. Their vision is to stay dedicated to educating boaters and safeguarding their rights –making the experience safer, more accessible, and affordable. Since the organization is a pioneer in fighting for legislation on behalf of boaters, its original mission was “service, savings and representation,” which still rings true even today.

BoatUS Magazine

BoatUS Magazine is the official publication of BoatUS that provides news, recreational boating skills, lifestyle and personality profiles, DIY maintenance, and insights from boating experts. The award-winning magazine sheds light on different issues every year and is an exclusive perk of BoatUS Membership. The issues can be found in both electronic and print formats. Members may still be able to access several past archives.

TowBoatUS

TowBoatUS is the largest on-the-water towing service provider, with thousands of successful salvage, towing, and marine assistance operations over the years. The organization is committed to providing quick, specialized, and timely assistance to its customers, with special attention to safety. Services include but are not limited to:

Towing

TowBoatUS has the experience to professionally and safely tow your vessel to and within the marina and facilities. Different states will have different requirements, so be sure to search for its services in advance.

Salvage Services     

The TowBoatUS has conducted countless successful salvage operations thanks to its special equipment.

Emergency Towing   

TowBoatUS vessels are available 24/7 to respond to emergency towing and dock-to-dock towing circumstances at any point. The crew is an expert in long-distance towing, and the boats can handle the task effectively.

Launch Services

Launch services include crew and cargo transportation, supplies, lubricants, provisions, spare parts delivery, and other important items.

Vessel Hard Aground

Vessels Hard Aground is when two or more towboats are needed to refloat the boat, or other special services, such as airbags, dive teams, cranes, jetting crews, or pumps. In such a situation, TowBoatUS captains will fully explain your options before they can salvage the boat.

Wreck Removal

Boats beyond salvage or recovery become a wreck and must be removed effectively. These jobs are completed by a signed contract and be billed on a material and time basis.

Jump Starts and Fuel Drops

If you ever require an engine jump start or need to find a solution for fuel drop, you can rely on TowBoatUS to do the job. You will be required to pay for the oil/fuel.

Single Vessel Soft Undergrounding

Vessels are known to be soft aground when not in danger and can be refloated using a towboat with no additional services. If the first attempt remains unsuccessful, the TowBoatUS specialist will wait for a higher tide to return to fix the issue.

In the meantime, they will safely board the passengers on shore. If several attempts to salvage the boat remain unsuccessful, the team will discuss their options with you and go ahead with the one you are most comfortable with.

What Does BoatUS Foundation Do?

The BoatUS foundation works to promote clean, safe, and responsible boating. For this reason, it provides direct educational outreach to boaters and partner organizations.

Online Courses

The BoatUS Foundation offers a host of online courses, such as:

• Free Boating Safety Course – This course is free of charge and developed specifically for each state.
• Advanced Courses –These courses are in-depth and geared more toward industry experts. The BoatUS Foundation, Offshore Sailing School, and US Power Squadrons design them.
• State Study Guide –This course provides an overview of study topics found on the State Boating Course and is presented precisely and easily.
• Clean boating course –This course is designed to teach boaters how to have a close connection to the waterways, how to keep them clean, and how to be a responsible boater.

Licenses

BoatUS Foundation only offers online classes. Boaters can apply for training in three qualifications, with the most reviewed qualifications being Boater’s License, Boat Safety Certification, and driving and boating license. The time it takes to complete these training sessions ranges from 2 hours to 2 weeks, depending on your chosen program and your pace. However, the average time to complete BoatUS Foundation’s training is 2 weeks.

BoatUS Foundation Clean Boating Programs

Cigarette Litter Prevention

This program is done in partnership with Keep America Beautiful, a countrywide non-profit organization that promotes boaters to take greater responsibility for bettering the environment of their local community.

It aims to prevent people from throwing cigarette butts in the water by providing every marina with a $500 cash grant to buy a supply of portable ashtrays for use on boats. They are also required to educate their customers regarding the significance of proper cigarette disposal.

Fishing Line Recycling Program

One of the primary goals of the BoatUS Foundation is to make recycling old fishing lines easier. In 2007, it launched the Fishing Line Recycling Program, which has since built over 2000 recycling bins for fishing areas throughout the country and helped other individuals and organizations to build over 11,000 more. BoatUS also offers decals and signs for fishing line recycling bins, which has resulted in over 13,000 fishing line recycling bins across the United States.

Waterway Cleanup Guide

The Waterway Cleanup Guide is created for marinas, towing companies, and boaters to cover everything they need to know to craft their cleanup event, including what they need to do before, during, and after the event. This covers recruiting volunteers, getting donations and sponsorships, and marketing the event. The guide also offers tips on how to work with larger events.

How is BoatUS Contributing to Boating Safety?

The BoatUS Foundation has several programs dedicated to boating safety, including:

Equipment Rentals

The Foundation has offered boaters and marinas low-cost boating safety tools since 1997. It also has the country’s largest inventory of emergency beacons for rent. It also included Personal Locator Beacons for the crew members and Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacons for the boat. Since the program was founded in 1997, BoatUS Foundation has never experienced equipment malfunction due to regular maintenance.

Life Jacket Loaner Program

This program focuses on kids’ safety by putting them in properly fitting life jackets. You can borrow a life jacket from your nearest location; provide all the necessary personal details, including the anticipated return date, then return the jacket as needed.

Kids Afloat Program

This program offers local non-profit companies a chance to buy kid-sized life jackets at a discounted cost of $5 per jacket (generally, a jacket costs around $30) to be used for their on-water programs. This program aims to educate kids about on-the-water safety and environmental protection.

The life jackets come in four sizes: infant, child, youth, and adult. They are blue and yellow with the BoatUS Foundation’s logo.

BoatUS Foundation Grassroots Grants

For 25 years, the BoatUS Foundation has given over a million dollars to local yacht clubs, community organizations, squadrons, and flotillas. The organization is constantly looking for innovative projects supporting clean and safe boating on your local waterways.

If you are enthusiastic about improving the boating industry through your ideas, suggestions, or funding, you can learn more about the application guidelines here.

Conclusion

This article talked about the BoatUS Foundation, its aims and objectives, ongoing projects, and overall contribution to the boating industry. If you want to become part of the process by offering financial assistance, you can donate to the Foundation here.

#BoatUS #BoatUSFoundation

Foundation for Boating Safety and Clean Water [BOATUS.ORG]

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