Firstmate Controls

This year, the annual St. Charles Boat Show will be taking place on March 7-10 at the St. Charles Convention Center. You can bet  Firstmate Controls  will be there showcasing our state of the art  boat lift remote control systems ! Don't miss the opportunity to check out an abundance of boats and boating accessories from all over the state. The Lake of the Ozarks Marine Dealers Association is made up of over 40 Lake of the Ozarks area marine dealers, including the  best boat lift control manufacturer in Missouri ,  Firstmate Controls . All attending vendors have one common goal in mind: to promote fun on the water! We're Happy to Answer Your Questions Whether you have questions about your current boat lift, or have an interest in upgrading your  boat lift electronics  to make your boating experience more enjoyable, we'll be there to help. You may be wondering if our lift control will work with your boat lift size. Lifts are often categorized by...

Boating navigation rules are essential for every boater to know because they establish a consistent way to navigate safely and avoid collisions when two boats are crossing paths, are on course to meet head-on, or when one boat wishes to overtake another  Since collisions are the number one type of accident on the water, Firstmate Controls wants to share with you these basic navigation rules that all boaters should know. Passing Another Boat To overtake another watercraft going in the same direction, the craft being overtaken must maintain its course and speed. The passing watercraft must keep a sufficient distance to avoid a collision or endangering the other craft from its wake. Meeting Head-On Two watercrafts approaching each other head-on must alter their course to the right to avoid a collision. If the two watercraft are far enough to the left of each other, no change in direction is needed. Crossing Paths If two watercraft approach each other at a right angle, th...

Each year hundreds of lives are lost, thousands are injured, and millions of dollars of property damage occurs because of preventable recreational boating accidents. Too often pleasure outings turn tragic all because of carelessness and recklessness. While high-speed boating is a rush for many, it can be dangerous. You may be excited to get out on the water and get to your destination, you have a responsibility to yourself and to others around you to practice boat safety, especially when boating at high speeds. Take a look at some of the safety tips you should be following when boating at higher than normal speeds. Watch Your Speeds and Stability Running your boat at high speeds can create stability issues. Always keep an eye out for larger waves that can throw off your stability, and know whether the water ahead is rough or smooth before you drop the throttle. Keep an eye on the tachometer for any signs of instability. If the tach is jumping around, you may be losing stability....

When you buy a boat, seldom are you taught the boating rules of the road or launch-ramp etiquette. Ramp rage is a real thing and is often provoked by boaters who don't know the rules of the ramp, or worse, don't care that they're inconveniencing other boaters waiting in line. So, this week, Firstmate Controls is sharing with you a few boat ramp etiquette rules to follow to avoid ramp rage from ruining your day on the water! Don't Block the Ramp if You're Not Ready to Launch There are a lot of things to check and recheck before launching your boat. Waiting until you’re in the middle of a long line at a busy boat ramp is not the time to perform these tasks. When you pull into the parking lot, move to the side and let others go ahead and dump their boats. Put your plug in, take your straps off, take your motor toter off, plug in your graphs, put your lights in—whatever you have to do—before clogging up the line. Not only does this drastically help the flow of tra...

Boating season is almost here! Some of you have probably already taken your boat out because you just couldn't wait to get out on the water again. If you haven't taken your boat out yet for the season, have you considered what items you should carry on your boat all season long? When your boat has been stored away all winter, sometimes it takes a while to figure out what you need to put back on your boat. Even if you have taken your boat out, there may be a few items you forgot about. Firstmate Controls has put together a list of items you should have on your boat. 1. Jumper Cables  Most people carry jumper cables in their car, but often people don't think to carry jumper cables in their boat. If your batteries die, you may be left stranded out on the water. If you have a trolling motor, you can always switch your cables over to the trolling batteries. 2. Life Jackets  Make sure that you keep plenty of life jackets on hand. You are required to have a life jacket...

The colder weather has us boaters jonesing for next year's boating season to get here as quickly as possible. You may even be spending time longingly staring out to the water or just sitting in your boat offshore reminiscing about the great times you had on the water this past summer. Firstmate Controls know your pain. BUT! Just because it's fall and the temperatures have dropped, doesn't mean you have to completely give up your love of boating. We've got some great ideas - check out 5 things you can do NOW to gear up for next year's boating season! 1. Inspect Your Life Preservers Lifejackets that don't get used much and spend most of their shelf life tucked away in the wells of your boat may not be in as good of shape as you think. And while you may be thinking "well, we don't ever use them anyway, so it doesn't matter," if an incident were to arise that you did need to use a lifejacket, if yours aren't in good condition they're ...