Do You Have a Pre-Start Boat Checklist?

Example manual page - Full .pdf example below.

One of the pleasures of owning any boat is making her your own. Every owner leaves their mark, whether it's a new chart plotter, upgraded engines, modern electrics or simply relocating equipment to better suit the way they cruise.

The downside is that, over time, every boat becomes unique.

Over the past few years, Trevor has been carrying out a major refurbishment on a friend's Nelson. Although she's now around 90% complete, there are still a few finishing touches planned for this coming winter. As with most boat projects, there's always another improvement waiting around the corner!

The refurbishment has involved a complete redesign of the electrical system, new electronics, changes to the fuel system, gas installation, engine controls and much more.

Every decision has been carefully discussed with the owner and his wife, and the boat has been built around their exacting requirements.

If you’re interested in seeing what has been done, then join the NBOC Boat Tour Day, where the owner will take you through all the things they have had done. It’s fascinating and insightful.

Our friend is by no means a stranger to boating. As an experienced mariner, he has owned numerous boats over the years, including several Nelsons, and has been involved throughout the entire refurbishment. Even so, I realised something important.

Although he knew what every system did, remembering exactly where every isolator, switch, seacock, fuel valve and control was located was another matter altogether.

That's when I suggested they might find a bespoke pre-departure start manual and checklist helpful – especially as they own more than one boat, all with different configurations.

Not an Engineering Manual...

I should probably explain what this manual isn't.

It doesn't contain wiring diagrams.

It doesn't explain how the fuel system was installed.

It doesn't include plumbing schematics or maintenance procedures.

Instead, it answers one very simple question:

"What do I need to do, and in what order, to safely prepare this boat for sea?"

Every instruction is written in plain English and supported with photographs showing the exact switch, valve or piece of equipment being referred to. There is no ambiguity and no searching around lockers wondering if you've found the right handle.

As I worked through the boat, I grouped everything into logical sections so that each stage naturally flowed into the next.

Thinking Like a Checklist

One thing I quickly realised was that writing the steps in the order I happened to walk around the boat made very little sense.

Instead, I thought about the sequence someone would naturally follow when preparing for a passage.

The manual begins with opening the various seacocks before moving on to the domestic electrical systems. From there it covers safety checks such as the bilge pumps, fuel and water levels, shore power and gas systems before progressing into the engine room for fuel, oil, belts and coolant checks. Finally, it moves to the helm, where the navigation equipment, engine controls and engine start sequence are completed.

Breaking the process into sections makes the whole routine feel calm and logical rather than overwhelming.

Once the manual was finished, I produced a second version - a laminated, double-sided A4 checklist. The manual explains; the checklist simply reminds you. Together they make a very practical combination.

If you would like a downloadable .pdf as a working example to give you a starting point to create your own version, then please let me know and I'll email you a copy of one of the ones I have done.

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Why Bother?

Some people might think a manual like this is unnecessary. After all, you'll remember where everything is...

...until you don't.

We've all done it.

"Which locker was the battery isolator in?"

"Should this fuel valve be open?"

"Did I disconnect the shore power?"

Memory is a wonderful thing, but it's surprisingly unreliable when you're distracted, under pressure or simply haven't used the boat for a few months.

Professional pilots don't use checklists because they don't know how to fly an aircraft. They use them because experienced people understand that memory should never be relied upon when safety is involved.

Boats are no different.

It Made Me Think About Our Own Boat

Writing this manual also made me think about our own Nelson, Alliance. Trevor and I each have our own routine before we leave the marina. He carries out most of the engine checks and start-up procedures, while I prepare the boat for the conditions we expect to encounter once we're underway.

If we're expecting a lively passage, the fruit bowl and kettle go safely into the sink, the dog's water bowl is emptied, cupboard catches are checked, sliding doors are secured on their latches, and every hatch and window is closed. On a calm summer cruise, many of those jobs simply aren't necessary.

Like many couples who boat together, we've naturally fallen into our own roles over the years.

But writing this manual made me stop and ask myself an important question.

What if Trevor wasn't able to do his part?

We often cruise on our own, just the two of us. If he were taken ill or injured at any point, I would need to feel confident that I could safely prepare the boat, start her, and get both of us to a place of safety.

That made me realise something.

Although I don't normally carry out all of the engine and start-up procedures myself, I absolutely should know how to do them.

Not because I expect to.

Because one day I might have to.

For me, that's every bit as much a part of boating safety as wearing a lifejacket or carrying the correct safety equipment.

The manual has been written so simply, with photographs and clear step-by-step instructions, that even someone who doesn't routinely perform those tasks can follow them confidently and safely. That wasn't by accident; it was one of the main design objectives from the very beginning.

Every Boat is Different

The important thing to remember is that no two boats will have the same manual. Even two Nelsons of the same model may have completely different layouts after years of upgrades and improvements.

Your battery isolators may be somewhere completely different.

Your fuel valves may operate differently.

You may have a bow thruster, solar panels, lithium batteries, diesel heating or equipment that another owner doesn't have.

That's perfectly normal.

The purpose of the manual isn't to copy someone else's boat.

It's to document your own.

A Template for Your Own Boat

If you're thinking of creating something similar, I'd suggest breaking your manual into sections rather than trying to write one long list.

For example:

• Before boarding and visual checks

• Opening seacocks

• Domestic electrical systems

• Safety checks

• Fuel, water and gas systems

• Engine room inspections

• Helm and navigation equipment

• Engine start procedure

• Final checks before casting off

  
  

Walk through the sequence with your manual in your hand and don't be afraid to revise it several times. You'll be amazed how many little details only become obvious when you physically carry out each step.

Most importantly, include photographs. A picture of the actual switch, valve or seacock removes any uncertainty and makes the manual far easier for someone unfamiliar with your boat to follow.

The Day We Learned Never to Skip the Checks

During the first six months of owning Alliance, we headed out for a day trip to Cowes with my husband’s two brothers. Both are extremely experienced yachtsmen, and one of them is a Yacht master. Between them, like Trevor himself, they had decades of boating experience, so naturally I felt we were in very capable hands.

With Trevor at the helm and my brothers-in-law helping with the lines and fenders, I think I became a little complacent. Normally, I would go out on deck and carry out my usual final checks before we left the berth, but on this occasion, I didn’t. I assumed that with two very experienced boaters handling everything on deck, there was no need.

How wrong was I!

As we pulled away, something immediately didn’t feel right. I became concerned when I realised Alliance wasn’t moving as she should as we exited our berth. It didn’t take long to discover the problem - we were still attached to the pontoon by our electric cable!

Thankfully, disaster was averted. No damage was done, and we were able to quickly rectify the situation. But it was a valuable lesson, and one I have never forgotten.

The reality is that it didn’t happen because anyone was inexperienced or careless. In fact, it happened because everyone involved was experienced enough to feel confident that everything had been taken care of. That is exactly when a simple routine check becomes even more important.

Had conditions been less favourable, had there been a stronger wind or current, or had we been unable to react quickly, the outcome could have been very different. Damage could have been caused not only to Alliance but potentially to neighbouring boats and the marina infrastructure.

It was a timely reminder that checklists are not there because you don’t know what you are doing - they are there because even experienced people can miss the obvious when routines change or when assumptions creep in.

Now, regardless of who is helping, we always go back to the basics. The final checks are done, every time.

One Final Thought

Here's a question worth asking yourself.

If you handed your boat keys to a trusted friend tomorrow, would they know exactly how to prepare your boat for sea safely?

Better still, if you normally boat with your partner, could they confidently do it without you?

If the answer is "probably not", perhaps it's worth spending a rainy afternoon creating your own start-up manual.

Hopefully you'll never need anyone else to use it.

But if that day ever comes, you'll be very glad you took the time.

And who knows... your future self - or someone you love - might thank you for it.