Newsroom

General “House Rules”

• Everyone wears a life jacket while out on deck, and while the boat is underway.

• No exceptions, ever. That means you, too, Mom and Dad, need to set the example.

• No running aboard, or playing in the stairways, ladders, or companionways.

• Nobody sits on the bow while underway – it’s illegal in some states, and can be extremely dangerous.

• Nobody can go out on deck at night or while docking or anchoring, unless they have permission or a job to do.

• Nothing goes over the side – not bottles, paper, cans, food waste, plastic, or trash of any kind.

Emergency Procedures

• Get in the habit of reviewing age-appropriate safety and emergency procedures as well as conducting drills with your kids before you leave the dock.

• Show kids where lifejackets are, how to put them on and take them off, and how to help their younger siblings with their lifejackets if appropriate.

• Show them where the fire extinguishers are and how to use them.

• Explain what to do if they get injured or see someone else who needs help.

• When they’re old enough, teach kids how to operate the VHF radio responsibly.

Navigation and Operation Procedures

• Designate a safe place or “kids only” zone to send younger children during line handling, anchoring, or rough weather.

• If your children are old enough to take the helm or run the tender, be sure they know and understand the basics of proper navigation, rules of the road, and boating courtesy.

• If your tender has an outboard motor, insist (and model by example) that everyone who operates that motor uses the “dead man’s lanyard” around their wrist.

A bonus “boating sanity” reminder:

Outback Kids under 5 Years Old

• Designate one area inside your Outback as the “kid friendly” zone and make it a safe, comfortable, and interesting place to be. Consider assembling a collection of toys, books, games, and movies that are available ONLY on the boat as an incentive for children to look forward to cruising and entertaining themselves. Focus on an ocean theme, so kids can learn about the ocean and boating life while they play.

• Take young children on dinghy rides along the shore, through the mangroves, or around the boat and help them look for wildlife. Children love spotting bugs, crabs, fish, and birds, and can be fascinated by them.

• Whether from your Infinity Deck or the beach, take the kids into the water to swim, wade, or play. If they’re lucky enough to have had early swimming lessons, take them in from the swim step and monitor them while they swim. If your children don’t know how to swim, go ashore with inflatable toys, inner tubes, or rafts. And if they’re very young, have your child sit on a float with you.

• Go ashore with a bucket and shovel and let your kids burn off energy running, wading, digging, building sandcastles, or just turning over rocks and shells.

Outback Kids from 6 to 12 Years Old

• As children become better swimmers and more skilled at playing safely in the water, add a mask and snorkel, fins, and maybe a wetsuit or diving skin to help them keep themselves entertained for hours.

• Add more active “boat toys” for those times you’re sitting at anchor. Consider kites, wildlife guides or checklists, and marine-themed books about pirates, explorers, or historic ships.

• Teach the children how to tie useful and essential knots, and as they become proficient, let them help you with knot-tying tasks on the boat. Add practice line, cleats, rings, and assign them common knots.

• Get kids involved in navigation by showing them how to plot a course on your plotter or on paper charts, then have them sit at the wheel with you as you teach them about buoys, channel markers, ranges, and boating courtesy (overtaking or meeting other boats).

• When they’re old enough, assign them “crew” tasks that help them learn responsibility and consequences. Tasks like setting fenders, handling mooring lines, stowing gear, or preparing for sea help them feel like they’re an essential part of the crew.

• Teach your children to fish, and get them their own size-appropriate gear. Show them how to work with lures, how to bait a hook with live bait, how to identify what they catch, and how to clean and put away their fish for supper.

Outback Teenagers

• Encourage your teen to work toward getting a boating license. Use your time onboard with them to get more active with navigation, course plotting, and boat handling so they learn the boating skills that make them valuable crew on anybody’s boat.

• Add more challenging and active water sports like water skiing, wake surfing, or kite boarding to your Outback. These sports are some of the best fun you can have on the water, and will help your teens and their friends burn off some of that energy.

• Get involved with your teen by taking SCUBA certification together, especially if they’ve shown more than a passing interest in snorkeling. You’ll be able to share spectacular experiences and develop a special sense of companionship.

• Add more sophisticated games and movies to your Outback’s library so your teens can play backgammon, dominos, poker, or board games when they’ve had enough sun and wind or just chill with a movie when it’s too cold to go out.

• Keep on fishing! If your kids are interested, invest in serious adult-sized gear so they can join you out on the flats boat, trolling from your Infinity Deck, or bottom fishing while you’re sitting at anchor.