New Year Resolutions for Boaters in 2025 (that you’ll actually want to keep)
Fed up of making New Year's resolutions that you’ve given up on by the end of January? With our list of awesome New Year's resolutions for boaters, you’ll stay motivated all year long.
We all know that New Year’s resolutions are made in good faith, but more often than not, they get abandoned in the first month. With our list of 10 awesome NewYear resolutions for boaters, we’ll help you make promises that you’ll actually want to keep, as well as some top tips for sticking with them over the next 12 months.
Remember, studies show that it can take between 18 to 254 days to create a new habit – so don’t be disappointed if you’re not immediately motivated or slip up every now and then. The important thing is that you’re trying. By tracking your progress, you’re far more likely to remain motivated until your resolution becomes a fact of life.
Good luck!
1. Go green
Make 2025 the year you finally make the most important commitment of all: to protect our oceans and planet. Take the Green Blue Boating Pledge and check out our top tips for sustainable boating and feel good all year long.
Remember, even the smallest actions can have a huge impact, so this resolution is a gift that will keep on giving.
Go green by making a pledge to keep wild spaces free from litter, recycle more, and consider joining a local beach clean.
2. Join a sailing club
Make your boating experience more exciting by joining your local sailing, yachting, or boating club. Meet like-minded individuals and enjoy listening to their stories, learning from their experiences, and maybe even finding a helping hand or two to assist with the big projects you’ve been putting off or to join you as crew on your next trip.
Meet new, like-minded people at your local sailing club. From organised events to simply swapping stories, you’ll love it here.
3. Try out a new water sport
While we like to think of ourselves as flexible, us boaters can often get stuck in our own ways. Get outside your comfort zone this year by getting out on the water in a different way.
Whether swapping sails for a powerboating experience or trying foiling or paddleboarding for the first time, you might be surprised how different (and fun) it is to be on the water in a new vessel.
To give you some inspiration, why not check out some of our other guides and see what floats your boat (we’re not even sorry):
- Engine-free thrills: 7 top watersports
- Watersports: Towable boat toys
- Fantastic foiling boats
- 25 best beginner sailing dinghies
- The world’s fastest powerboats (2018)
- Which type of boat is best for you?
4. Get some exercise
It’s a classic for a reason. Who among us hasn’t promised themselves they will start their fitness journey in January, only for that gym subscription to be gathering dust by Feb?
Make this year the year you finally get in shape by trying out some new hobbies. Double the benefits with an outdoor workout – Couch25K is great for motivating runners and non-runners alike (I started using it myself in 2024 and have already noticed a difference), and many outdoor parks have calisthenics equipment that’s free and lets you enjoy nature while getting fitter!
While it’s cold, I’ve also included some great exercise equipment for boats and other small spaces in this year’s gift guide for boaters.
Many parks around the UK offer exercise equipment, allowing you to get fit while spending more time outdoors. Image: PSCopywriting
5. Improve your skills
Have you been putting off getting your boating qualifications (sail or power)? Or perhaps you’re embarrassed by your lackluster boat knotting skills. Or maybe you’ve always dreamed of being able to read the stars or predict the weather before your weather app.
No matter whether it’s improving an existing skill or learning something new altogether, make a pledge to learn something this year. And, to keep yourself motivated, be sure to track your progress throughout the year. Then, next December, look back to see how far you’ve come. You’ll be amazed how much better you can be!
Don’t just consider hobbies above the water! Deep sea diving is an awesome way to discover the hidden world beneath you.
6. Have more adventures
I’m going to make an educated guess and say that most boaters make a resolution to spend more time on the boat and in the water every year. But do you ever keep this promise? Life so easily (and quickly) gets in the way!
To make sure you actually get out this year, why not spend the next few months researching some places you want to visit? Be realistic about timeframes – if you only have a weekend, you don’t want to be planning anything more than a couple of hours away (whether by sail or power).
Next, decide when you’re going to go and write it in your diary/calendar, the same way you’d block out time for a meeting. Then GO.
If you’re tight on timeframes, it can also be a good idea to plan where you’ll leave the boat and alternative transport home in case the weather isn’t good enough to boat back. There’s nothing worse than taking a dangerous sea to keep up with a strict timetable! In fact, leaving the boat at different ports can even help motivate you to get back aboard, as you’ll need to bring her home eventually.
The UK has so many stunning beaches and hidden treasures, make 2025 the year you finally get out and explore some of them! Image: PSCopywriting
7. Do some safety admin
It’s not the most exciting New Year's resolution, but keeping up with safety is possibly one of the best resolutions you can make, especially if you pair it with a plan to get out on the boat more this year!
Start by making a checklist of all the safety equipment you’ve got on board, then go through each item to make sure it’s in-date, recently serviced, and stowed somewhere you can easily access in an emergency.
To get you started, here are a few items from my list this year:
- Check emergency flares have not expired.
- Service and clean lifejackets and buoyancy aids.
- Check firefighting equipment is in-date and easily accessible.
- Complete gas safety checks, ensuring all pipes are in-date, alarms have batteries, etc.
- Re-read 10 boating disasters and how to avoid them.
- Check the rigging.
Be sure to also check out our guide to checking your safety gear is in order for more tips.
Every vessel should carry at least one lifejacket per person onboard. Lifejackets should be regularly serviced and appropriately sized for the crew. Photo by Ian Wagg on Unsplash
8. Stop putting off THOSE boating projects
Once you’ve checked all your safety gear is in order, it’s time to finally get around to those boating projects you’ve been putting off.
Start by making a list (yes, another list, sorry!) of all the boating projects you’ve started but never finished. Jot down what you need to finish the job and GET STARTED.
Remember, you don’t need to finish everything all at once, but you’ll be amazed at how just ticking off just one job will make you feel. Keep tackling the projects one at a time and make an effort to actually finish each task before starting the next one, and it might surprise you how quickly you get through the list that’s been bothering you for years.
And while you’re at it, take the opportunity to declutter with our boat organisation and storage tips.
Whether you need a full haul-out or just to finally put the trim back after upgrading your headliner or hatch covers, make 2025 the year you actually tick some boat jobs off your list. Image: PSCopywriting
9. Take non-boaters out on the water
And experience boating from a new perspective.
If you’re anything like us, you’ll constantly be offering to take people out on the boat to share the experience. But how often do these trips actually happen?
When you take people out, not only is it an amazing experience for them, but it will also make you feel good to do something nice, as well as give you the chance to see things from their perspective. All those boring pre-passage jobs? Far less boring from a non-boater’s eyes!
Rekindle your love of boating and the water by inviting more people aboard this year and share the experience.
Taking non-boaters out on the water will help you reignite your love for the seas. Photo by Luke Bender on Unsplash
10. Practice random acts of boating kindness
Random acts of kindness has become an increasingly popular addition to new years resolutions in recent years, as people strive to bring a little kindness back into the world. And we can take inspiration for this to be kinder on the water, too.
Some ideas of how to practice random acts of boating kindness could include:
- Offering to catch someone’s lines
- Letting someone else go ahead of you in the lock or on the boat ramp
- Buying gift cards or treats for the marina staff
- Lending tools, advice, or a pair of hands to other boaters
- Donating to someone’s fundraiser
- Sponsoring the RNLI
- Litter picking around the marina or taking part in a local beach clean
- Sharing food and/or drinks
- Leaving some electricity on the pontoon if you’re a visitor
- Leaving sanitary items or smellies in the showers for the next visitor
- Keeping an eye on unattended boats in strong weather
Obviously, you don’t have to do all (or even any) of these! They’re just some ideas to inspire you to live a kinder boating life. You might even be surprised by how many of these things end up coming back to you just when you need them. After all, what goes around comes around, or so they say.
Happy New Year from all of us at boats.com!
Happy New Year from boats.com. Image: PSCopywriting.
