Prepared for:
Transport Canada
POR Registration #: POR 022-18
Contract #: T8053-180055/001/CY
Contract Award Date: July 25, 2018
Delivery Date: February 6, 2019
Ce rapport est aussi disponible en français
For further information:
TC.Publicopinion-Opinionpublique.TC@tc.gc.ca
Prepared for Transport Canada
Supplier name: Sage Research Corporation
February 2019
This public opinion research report presents the results of web-assisted telephone interviews with 50 rental boat agencies, between October 2 and October 30, 2018.
Cette publication est aussi disponible en français sous le titre : Mise à l’essai ciblée concernant les practiques exemplaires de communication en matière de sécurité à bord d’embarcations de location
This publication may be reproduced for non-commercial purposes only. Prior written permission must be obtained from Transport Canada. For more information on this report please contact Transport Canada at: TC.Publicopinion-Opinionpublique.gc.ca or at:
Communications Group
Transport Canada
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Catalogue Number:
T29-150/2019E-PDF
International Standard Book Number (ISBN):
978-0-660-29400-1
Related publications (Registration number: POR 022-18):
Catalogue Number T29-150/2019F-PDF (Final Report, French)
ISBN 978-0-660-29400-8
© Her Majesty the Queen in Right of Canada, as represented by the Minister of Transport Canada, 2019
As part of its mandate to develop and promote boating safety guidance, Transport Canada (TC) is developing a rental boating safety campaign. The campaign’s goal is to equip rental agency staff to promote safe boating.
Recreational boaters are not always aware and informed of the risks involved in boating and do not always follow safe boating practices. Occasional and vacationing boaters who follow safety procedures can help reduce the number of boating incidents/accidents that lead to loss of life, injuries and property damage.
Transport Canada’s Marine Safety and Security Directorate has been developing and providing tools and information on boating safety to the public and to rental boat agencies through the Canadian Safe Boating Council website. TC is migrating the material to its website and looking to expand its reach.
Qualitative research was conducted with rental boat agencies. The research objectives included:
The results of the research will be used in TC’s national rental boating safety communication campaign to help determine the most effective ways to reinforce the safety behaviours of boat renters, and how to better assist rental boating agencies in order to determine the most effective ways to reinforce the safety behaviours of boat renters.
Web-assisted telephone interviews lasting 45 to 75 minutes were conducted with 50 rental boat agencies. Interviews were conducted October 2 to October 30, 2018.
Most participants rented to customers spanning a wide range of experience, from none to a lot although the mix of customers within this wide range varied by business. There are more safety concerns with novice boaters, and most of the safety concerns described in this report apply particularly to novice boaters.
Participants felt they know the safety features and required safety equipment for the types of watercraft they rent out. That said, our impression is that there is not a single “go to” authoritative source for safety requirements that is regularly consulted (i.e. at least annually) by everyone. It also appears that quite a few are not checking for any updates to requirements on an annual basis. The following are sources mentioned by participants.
Safe Boating Guide: About one-fifth of participants said they were not familiar with the Safe Boating Guide. Of those who said they knew of the Safe Boating Guide, the majority said they used it as a reference for safety requirements, although some said they do not use it or haven’t looked at it in recent years.
Some participants said they provide – or have provided in the past – copies to customers, either by putting a copy on the boat, or by having them in the rental office for people to look at or pick up. However, a significant limiting factor on use of the Safe Boating Guide, particularly to share with customers, is that participants said they have found it difficult or impossible to get hard copies. It was noted that it used to be easier to get hard copies, but now the impression is that it is either only available online and not available in hard copy, or available only in very limited quantities – and with no easy way to get copies.
Transport Canada: TC was mentioned as a source of information in three ways: visiting the TC website, meeting with a TC representative, or contacting TC via phone or email:
Personal experience: Quite a few participants said their long experience in boating and the boating industry was at least in part how they knew about the safety features and requirements for the watercraft they were renting out. However, while personal experience was undoubtedly important, this is inherently about what the requirements have been in the past, and may not address new requirements and technologies in the future.
Manufacturer or vendor: The manufacturer or vendor was generally not considered to be a significant source of safety information. The main exceptions were manufacturer information on load capacity, and user manuals for large boats or houseboats.
Industry associations: Some participants, albeit a minority, mentioned that they rely on an industry association to keep them up to date on regulatory developments. These participants perceived the industry association to be good at keeping them informed and looking after the interests of the industry. They suggested TC could work with industry associations to get information to rental agencies.
The two core components of the safety-related briefing are the paperwork and the on-boat (while docked) orientation:
Many participants emphasized the importance of the on-boat orientation beyond the basic need to point out the safety equipment and give operation instructions:
There can be two other components of the safety briefing:
With regard to a rental boat safety checklist, this is of course done with all customers who will drive the boat who do not have a PCOC or other recognized proof of competency.
Not paying attention/Not taking it seriously enough: Participants said that while this is not usually a problem, it is a problem that does occur from time to time. Factors that contribute to this problem include the following:
The following are approaches mentioned by participants for dealing with the challenge of not paying attention during the safety briefing/not taking it seriously enough.
Language barrier: Quite a few participants said there is sometimes a language barrier. This could be with an international customer, but they said more often it happens with some newcomers to Canada. It was observed that often there is a member of the group who is more fluent and acts as a translator – this is often a younger person, or may even be a child. However, some participants commented that sometimes they are not really comfortable with this, and are not fully confident that the translator is translating fully and properly. In this regard, one participant said they were uncertain what their legal rights were in terms of refusing to rent, and suggested TC issue guidance on the business’s legal rights and obligations in these circumstances.
Participants were shown an example of the current TC rental boat safety checklist, and asked if they had seen a checklist like this, and their overall opinion about it. About one-third of the participants had seen the current TC rental boat safety checklist, and about two-thirds had not.
Among those who had seen it, the majority were using it, although some were using a customized version to include such things as their company name, the telephone number the renter should use to call the business if there is an issue on the water, and customized safety information.
Among the approximately two-thirds who had not seen the current TC rental boat safety checklist, some said they could not clearly remember where they got the form they are using with customers who do not have a PCOC. Otherwise, the most commonly mentioned source was Transport Canada. Some mentioned this as having 15 checkboxes, which appears to be the sample checklist in TC’s document, Rental Boat Safety Checklist Standard. Other sources mentioned included study materials for the PCOC exam or their insurance company.
The majority of those not familiar with the current TC rental boat safety checklist said they were interested in using it, perhaps with customization, or using parts of it. In this context, quite a few suggested TC should be proactively sending materials/resources to rental businesses, since otherwise businesses may not know to look for the materials.
Although participants were not specifically asked to list instances of customer injury or death, many nonetheless commented that in their time in business, serious injury or death was rare to nonexistent. The more common issue they all faced was risk of damage to the watercraft, albeit recognizing that circumstances resulting in damage can pose a safety risk to the customer.
Therefore, the discussion of safety concerns involved both the safety of the customers and safety of the watercraft.
In general, participants have more safety concerns with renters who have little or no prior boating experience. Many of the safety concerns described in the report are particularly applicable to novice boaters.
The following are some more specific types of customers mentioned by at least some participants in connection with safety.
Rental purpose – Watersports
Particular concerns included:
Rental purpose – Party: A group renting a pontoon or houseboat for a party are perceived to be at much higher risk for alcohol consumption, and the problems that can come from drinking and driving. Several participants said they will not rent to party groups.
Group of young men: Many participants identified “young men” as being a group more likely be associated with safety concerns – although from their comments it appears to be more accurate to say “a group of young men,” because the group dynamic seems to exacerbate the issues. By young, most participant meant men 20-30 years of age.
The issues cited were:
Participants speculated the reasons for this were such things as:
There were no particular tips for how to deal with this target group, other than being firm and clear in the safety briefing.
Renters with a combination of language barrier and lack of boating experience: The issue of dealing with a language barrier in the safety briefing was described earlier. It was also the case that some participants said these renters sometimes seem to behave in riskier fashion on the water. Some attributed this to cultural factors, but some others said they believed it is really more a lack of full understanding the orientation session due to the language barrier combined with a lack of previous boating experience.
Alcohol consumption: The majority of participants said that drinking and boating is a concern they have. While they say it is not a frequent problem, there are incidents from time to time. Renters perceived to be a higher risk are groups renting a boat for a party, and groups of younger men. Beyond that, though, it could be anyone. The main reason offered by participants why people might drink on the boat is that they are in a “vacation mode” of thinking, and this can include drinking alcohol.
Some other contributing factors sometimes mentioned included:
Many participants said that to reinforce the instruction not to drink alcohol on the boat, they make a point of emphasizing that:
The last point is something they say renters are often unaware of, and definitely gets attention and helps discourage drunk driving.
Hitting rocks/debris: A majority of participants said a concern is the renter hitting submerged rocks or debris. Hitting a rock may not result in any injuries, but it can cause serious damage to the watercraft.
The ways mentioned for addressing this risk were:
Lifejackets/PFDs: Boaters are required by law to have a lifejacket or PFD (Personal Flotation Device) on board for each person on a watercraft, including both powered and human-powered watercraft. The law does not require the lifejackets or PFDs to be worn. Note that participants used “lifejacket” in a general sense to refer to both lifejackets and PFDs, and that term is used in this general sense here. Participants said that, as required by law, they provide a lifejacket that fits for every person on board.
As context for the lifejacket discussion, participants were asked about the potential for hypothermia and swimming ability:
The typical stance of the rental agency is that they equip the renters with lifejackets and show them where these are, but they leave it up to the renters to decide whether or not to wear them. There are, though, variations and exceptions across participants:
Participants were asked why they thought people might not wear a lifejacket, and various ideas were given:
Overloading/Adding new people: A boat has a capacity limit expressed in terms of weight and number of people. Quite a few participants mentioned they had concerns about the boat getting overloaded. The main concern expressed is about renters who pick up other people (without telling the rental agency) after leaving the dock.
There are several negative consequences that can happen in these circumstances:
Two other issues were mentioned by some participants in connection with overloading/adding new people:
Leaving/Docking: The main concern is damage to the watercraft and/or to other watercraft. This concern particularly applies to less experienced boaters. However, it can also be an issue with more experienced boaters: a renter may have prior experience on smaller boats, but if they are renting a larger boat – such as a pontoon or houseboat, or a much larger boat – they may not realize that it responds more slowly to controls. Ways of addressing this concern included having boaters do a test drive to get a feel for the controls, or having the agency staff handle these maneuvers.
Hitting other boats: This can be a problem if the renter driving the boat is focused only on what’s ahead of them, and then turns the boat without first looking back. The participants try to stress to the renter to always be aware of what’s all around them, and to generally stay away from getting close to other boats.
Problems caused by other boats: One way the safety of a renter may be compromised is by the behaviour of other boaters. The main concern mentioned by some participants in this regard is the wake produced by other boats. A large wake may be produced by a boat speeding too close to the renter’s boat. Some also said a particular concern is the increasing popularity of wake boats: they said that these can cause large waves from up to 200 to 300 feet away. A large wake can cause a small boat to become unstable, and can cause damage to a larger boat such as a houseboat. There is not much the renter can do in these circumstances. Ideally the renter would turn the boat into the wake. However, they may not have been given instructions about what to do in this situation, or they may not have time to maneuver the boat, or they may not appreciate how far the wake from a wakeboat travels.
Personal watercraft: Among participants who rent out PWCs, most said their biggest concern is renting to a group, and particularly to a group of younger men. The problem is they may drive too fast and too close to each other, causing a risk of collision that will cause damage to the machine and possibly injury to the riders.
The perceived contributing factors include:
The participants said they try to address this by emphasizing the damage deposit and the cost to the renter. A few tell stories of injuries from PWC collisions – e.g. “you could break your buddy’s leg.”
Canoes/Kayaks – The safety concerns mentioned particularly for canoes/kayaks included:
A general instruction participants said they give to paddlers is to stay close to shore, to reduce the risk if there are issues with tipping over or with the wind.
Houseboats – The following are safety concerns associated with houseboats:
Participants were encouraged to offer suggestions for things TC should focus on or do in the upcoming rental boat safety campaign. Many participants had to think a bit about this, and some did not have any suggestions. It was also the case that while some types of suggestions were more common than others, the suggestions did not strongly converge on a few particular priorities. Our impression is that this is probably because overall participants felt that they are doing a good job of managing safety risks, and so suggestions for TC’s priorities for the campaign do not always immediately come to mind. Some of the suggestions were as follows.
Provide a section on the TC website for rental businesses: This would put everything pertinent to rental businesses in one easy-to-find location in order to provide a single “go to” source for information. It could also have a consumer-oriented section that businesses could point to for people interested in renting a watercraft.
Make hard copies of the Safe Boating Guide more easily available: Hard copies of the Guide are difficult to come by, and hard copy can be better as a format for the purpose of sharing with renters.
Proactively send information to rental agencies on resources developed by TC: This suggestion was triggered in particular by TC’s current Rental Boat Safety Checklist, which quite a few participants had not seen. The larger point is that if TC does not send information on the resources it has developed, rental businesses may not become aware of these resources.
Address alcohol and boating: Focus on improving awareness of the rules and of the consequences if caught breaking the rules.
Address cannabis and boating: Cannabis became legal in Canada part way through interviewing for this study. When asked if it would be helpful if TC proactively sent information on this topic incorporating both federal and provincial regulations to boat rental agencies, participants said that would be a good thing
Inform rental businesses of their rights and obligations with respect to cannabis: Because cannabis was only very recently legalized, most participants have not yet gotten any information on what it means for their business.
Provide handouts/display materials: Some version of this was mentioned by quite a few participants. These participants would appreciate having safety-oriented materials in their rental office that customers can see and perhaps pick up. It can be nice to have something to show or give to people when they come in. More importantly, they said it can help to reinforce safety messages because it can add more authority to the message: “it’s not just me saying this, the government is saying this also.” This is helpful generally, but particularly for messages that may be met with some resistance or skepticism, such as “don’t drink alcohol,” or “wear a lifejacket.” Therefore, it would be important that the materials be clearly branded as being from the government.
Message to renters – Be aware of what’s around you: A frequent concern of the participants was risks to the watercraft in the environment around the renter: running into shoals, going into water that is too shallow, collision with other boats, people in the water, the impact of the wake produced by other boats. A communication theme of “be aware of what’s around you” could encompass all of these types of safety risks.
Lifejackets: Some participants suggest the campaign include promotion of wearing lifejackets. It should be noted the majority of participants do not actively encourage renters to wear a lifejacket all the time, but some do, and some encourage it in particular circumstances. Our impression from the interviews is that a lifejacket message should give reasons for wearing a lifejacket, and focus on circumstances where it is particularly important to have one on.
Contract value: $78,252.50 including HST
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I hereby certify as Senior Officer of Sage Research Corporation that the deliverables fully comply with the Government of Canada political neutrality requirements outlined in the Communications Policy of the Government of Canada and Procedures for Planning and Contracting Public Opinion Research. Specifically, the deliverables do not include information on electoral voting intentions, political party preferences, and standings with the electorate or ratings of the performance of a political party or its leaders.
Rick Robson
Vice-President
Sage Research Corporation