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Tennessee Boating Safety
Education Certificate Full Test
Exam Questions with Correct
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1. Before Fuelling - ANS ✓Tie the boat securely to the fuel dock.
Ask all passengers to leave the boat and go onto the dock.
Do not allow anyone in your group or others at the fuel dock to smoke or strike a
match.
Check to see that fuel lines, connections, and fuel vents are in good condition.
Turn off anything that might cause a spark—engines, fans, or electrical
equipment.
Shut off all fuel valves and extinguish all open flames, such as galley stoves and
pilot lights.
Close all windows, ports, doors, and other openings to prevent fumes from
entering the boat.
Remove portable fuel tanks from the boat and fill them on the dock.
Make sure that your fire extinguisher is within reach
2. While Fuelling - ANS ✓Keep the nozzle of the fuel-pump hose in solid
contact with the tank opening to prevent producing a static spark.
Use caution and fill the tank slowly to avoid spilling fuel into the boat's bilge or
into the water. Use an oil-absorbent pad to catch drips or spills.
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Never fill a tank to the brim—leave room for fuel to expand.
Wipe up any spilled fuel and properly dispose of the used paper towels or rags on
shore.
3. Bilge - ANS ✓Interior of the hull below the floorboards; lowest part of a
vessel's interior where the sides of the vessel curve in to form the bottom
4. After Fueling - ANS ✓Put the fill cap on tightly to prevent vapors from
escaping.
Open all windows, ports, doors, and other openings.
If your boat is equipped with a power ventilation system (exhaust blower), turn
it on for at least four minutes before starting your engine. This will help eliminate
fuel vapors in the bilge.
Before starting the engine, sniff the bilge and engine compartment for fuel
vapors. Continue ventilating until you cannot smell any fuel vapors. Consider
installing a gas vapor detection and alarm device.
Start the engine and then reload your passengers.
Remember...
Evaporating gasoline creates vapors or fumes that are heavier than air. These
fumes settle to the bottom of the boat where they could explode if enclosed areas,
such as the bilge, are not ventilated properly to remove fumes.
5. Choosing the Right Trailer and Towing Vehicle - ANS ✓Use the size of
your vessel to determine the dimensions of the trailer needed. Today, most
trailerable boats are sold as a package with a trailer of the appropriate
size.
Look at the load capacity of the trailer stated by the trailer's manufacturer. If the
combined weight of your vessel and its engine is more than 90% of the
recommended load capacity, buy the next larger trailer. This is because your gear
(fuel, PFDs, anchors, lines, etc.) will increase the overall weight by at least 10%.
Check the owner's manual of your towing vehicle to ensure that your vehicle is
rated to tow the combined weight of your vessel, engine, and trailer.
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Remember...
It is very important to have proper lighting on trailers, including turn signals and
tail and brake lights. Also make sure you have a jack that fits properly under the
trailer—most car jacks are too large to fit under a trailer.
6. The Towing Hitch - ANS ✓The coupler on a trailer connects to a ball hitch
on the towing vehicle. A frame-mounted hitch on the towing vehicle is
better than a bumper-mounted hitch. If you are using a bumper-mounted
hitch, do not exceed the weight rating of the bumper.
•Make sure the size stamped on the ball hitch on the towing vehicle is the same
size that is stamped on the trailer's coupler. If the ball hitch is too small, a bump
in the road could cause the coupler to lift off the hitch.
•"Tongue weight" is the amount of the loaded trailer's weight that presses down
on the towing hitch. The tongue weight should be about 10% of the combined
weight of the vessel and trailer ("gross trailer weight" or GTW). If the tongue
weight is too light, the trailer will tend to swing from side-to-side (or "fishtail"). If
the tongue weight is too heavy, the rear wheels of the towing vehicle will be
weighted down, making it difficult to steer.
7. Trailer Safety Chains - ANS ✓Two strong safety chains should be
crisscrossed to support the trailer's coupler if it becomes disconnected
from the towing vehicle. The chains should be strong enough to hold the
combined weight of the vessel, engine, and trailer.
Crossed chains under trailer's coupler
Crisscross the safety chains under the trailer's coupler when attaching them to
the towing vehicle.
8. Before Leaving Home With Your Boat and Trailer - ANS ✓Secure all
gear in the vessel firmly to keep it from shifting. Arrange the gear so that
its weight is balanced side-to-side and front-to-back.
Secure the vessel to the trailer with several tie-down straps and/or safety lines to
prevent the vessel from shifting. Use extra tie-down straps in case one fails.
Never trust the bow winch alone to hold your vessel onto the trailer.
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Put the engine or drive unit in the raised position and secure it.
Attach the safety chains between the trailer and the towing vehicle, crisscrossing
them under the trailer tongue.
Inspect and maintain trailering equipment.
Check the pressure of all tires on the towing vehicle and the trailer. Make sure
you have a spare tire in good condition for both the vehicle and the trailer.
Tighten the lug nuts/bolts on the wheels of both the towing vehicle and the
trailer, and grease wheel bearings.
Make sure that all lights and brakes on the towing vehicle and the trailer work
properly.
Examine tie-down straps, lines, winch, safety chains, and hitch for signs of wear.
Replace or adjust as necessary.
9. Launching Your Boat From a Trailer - ANS ✓Transfer all equipment and
supplies to the vessel.
Disconnect trailer lights from the towing vehicle.
Remove all tie-down straps before backing down the ramp but leave the trailer
winch line securely attached to the vessel.
Make sure the vessel's drain plug is in place.
Tie a rope to the vessel's bow to use to control the vessel if necessary during
launching.
10. Figure Eight Knot - ANS ✓has several uses, including connecting
two ropes to make a longer line or making a "stopper" knot in a single line
in order to prevent the line from slipping through a hole or a gap in a block
or a cleat
11. Bowline Knot - ANS ✓a multi-purpose knot that is essential for
boat operators to know. Forming the knot creates a fixed loop on the end
of the rope or line—a loop that can be used for hitching, mooring, or lifting.
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