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HMS BOATING SAFETY REVIEW:
OUTBOARD MOTOR / SMALL BOAT USE

Available boats:

12' Gamefisher (aluminum skiff)
12' Livingston (smallest one with pneumatic wheels & grey interior)
12' Livingston for Gilly lab use only (wheels & blue interior)
14' Livingstons (2)

HMS motors:

15 hp (2)
25 hp (3) (to be used only with the 14' Livingstons)

HMS outboard motor/small boat rules:

  • Recreational use of HMS boats is not permitted.
  • Solo use of small boats between dusk and dawn is not permitted.
  • Only Agassiz Beach is to be used for launching/recovering boats.
  • HMS boats only are to be used for SU research or teaching (i.e. no UCSC, MLML, or personal boats).
  • Skipper must be checked out to the level of boating being conducted.
  • Small boats with outboards may travel west as far as Pt. Pinos and east as far as Del Monte Beach, conditions permitting, and should never be more than a mile from shore. Other conditions may be imposed on specific users.
  • Outboard users must take the California Boating Safety Course test or document equivalent knowledge, and must crew on these or similar boats under local conditions or equivalent before being checked out to skipper.
  • Tell someone you're going and when you expect to return.
  • Fill out the float plan in the fuel shed before leaving and complete it upon return.
  • Boats must have the following before leaving the beach:
    - Oars
    - Anchor
    - Life jackets with attached whistle, one per person
    - Plug(s) securely in the bottom
    - Dive flag, if diving
    - Fuel tank of appropriate size. (Please be gentle with the tanks: don't drop or slam, or place heavy objects on the fuel line fittings)
    - Fuel line (spare line highly recommended)
    - Outboard motor of appropriate size (15 hp for the 12' boats, 25 hp for the 14' boats) firmly attached to the boat, with safety line connected and "kill switch" cord in place
  • Use common sense and take appropriate safety equipment if traveling more than a few minutes from Hopkins.
  • Use clamp-on navigation lights and take emergency signal pack for boat use between dusk and dawn.
  • Do not exceed the weight or number of people listed on the capacity plates.
  • Launch small boats bow-first, lifting or wheeling (not dragging) to water's edge. Do not immerse boat wheels in seawater when launching or recovering.
  • Row the boat out from shore before lowering & starting outboard. (Divers may hold the boat in waist-deep water and start the motor, if conditions permit this to be done safely).
  • Rinse life jackets, oars, and anchor with fresh water after use.
  • Rinse boats well inside and out with fresh water after use. Flush wheels thoroughly.
  • Rinse, flush, and stow motor
  • Top off fuel tanks

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Additional notes:

Check weather reports and watch the ocean before going out. Don't go out in strong winds and chop. Remember that the conditions just outside the HMLR and to the west are usually rougher than the protected side of the point off Agassiz beach.

Pay attention to outsider waves at Pt Pinos and along Del Monte Beach especially when anchoring.

Distribute weight of equipment and passengers evenly.

Pay attention to wind, waves, and tidal currents at Agassiz beach when launching and recovering.

Procedures for starting, running, and flushing the outboard motors:

- Shake gas tank well (to ensure mix of gas/oil), attach the gas line, and prime the bulb; vent
- Gear lever in neutral
- Choke out, throttle on start, engage, choke in
- Motor warm up ~ 60 seconds
- Check regularly and often for stream of water to make sure motor is cooling
- Travel with caution within the refuge
- Outside refuge, full throttle (if safe) then back off to safe cruising speed
- Do wider turns when at speed
- Approach waves at an angle; speed with a following sea
- Use reverse to clear intakes after being in kelp
- Beach approach and landing: cut motor and lift before beach
- Rinse, flush (with gas line connected, 3 minutes), and stow motor
- Fill the gas tanks as needed from the plastic 5-gallon jerry cans stocked with pre-mixed 50:1 gas/oil (in the center cabinet). Shake well to mix, and pour with the built-in spout

Be aware of the limitations of the small boats and equipment. When in doubt, ask. Be conservative.

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BOAT / OUTBOARD MOTOR TRAINING AND CHECKOUT:

Take the California Boating Safety Course test or demonstrate equivalent knowledge. The U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary's "Boating Skills and Seamanship" course is highly recommended and may be required depending on the scope of planned boating.

A practical check-out during which the candidate performs the following:
· Set the boat up with motor, gas and other required gear (check-list)
· Fill out float plan
· Make sure the motor is firmly attached to the boat, and safety line connected
· Shake gas tank well (to ensure mix of gas/oil), attach the gas line, and prime the bulb; vent
· Check that the "kill switch" cord (the red cord attached to the red button) is in place
· Launch the boat using oars at first, rowing away from shore
· Gear in neutral
· Choke out, throttle on start, engage, choke in
· Motor warm up ~60 seconds
· Check regularly and often for stream of water to make sure motor is cooling
· Go forward through sand channel to right of seal rocks (slow, no wake)
· Outside refuge, full throttle (if safe) then back off to safe cruising speed
· Wider turns when at speed
· Speed into waves; speed with a following sea
· Maneuvering in kelp; find path through kelp, reverse, buoy location and tie-off
· Anchor, anchor set
· Using reverse to clear intakes after being in kelp
· Beach approach and landing: cut motor and lift before beach
· Rinse, flush (with gas line connected, 3 minutes), and stow motor
· Fill the gas tanks as needed from the plastic 5-gallon jerry cans stocked with pre-mixed
gas/oil (in the center cabinet). Shake well to mix, and pour with the built-in spout
· Rinse and stow boats and gear
· Complete log in gas shed
· If there is any problem with boats, motor or fuel, please note on the log sheet and tell the boat master.

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