Safety
Safety before everything
We promote the standards, training, and equipment that keep people alive on the water, and we help members meet them without guesswork.
A Canadian association · Est. on the Great Lakes
Your voice for a safer, smarter boating community on the Great Lakes
We advocate for boater safety, defend boater rights, and push for regulation that lets the boating community grow instead of shrink.
0Boaters represented
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Sailing with us
Who we are
One community, one voice on the water.
The Great Lakes Boaters Association is a Canadian organization established to advocate for boater safety, with the goal of promoting best practices within regulations and laws that support the evolution, adaptation, and growth of the boating community across the Great Lakes.
Together as a community, our members unite to protect boater rights and advocate for equality on the Great Lakes, from private owners at a single slip to charter operators, marinas, brokers, and yacht clubs.
Rights
Rights worth defending
When rules are written without boaters in the room, boaters lose. We put the community's case in front of the people making the decisions.
Community
A community that shows up
Owners, operators, and marine businesses in one association, sharing what they know and moving together when it counts.
Soundings
The water we answer to.
Five lakes, one connected system, and a shared responsibility for every boater on it.
On the table
What we're working on now.
Membership
Help shape the future of boating on the Great Lakes.
Together, we can ensure a safe, equitable, and vibrant boating community for generations to come.
Home / About
An association built by the people who use the water
Owners, charter operators, marinas, clubs and marine trades, organized so the boating community has a seat at the table.
Our mandate
Best practice, not red tape.
The Great Lakes Boaters Association was established to advocate for boater safety, with the goal of promoting best practices within regulations and laws to support the evolution, adaptation, and growth of the boating community across the Great Lakes.
Good rules make boating safer. Rules written without boaters in the room usually just make boating smaller. Our job is to make sure the difference is understood before a policy is signed, and to make compliance clear and achievable once it is.
Together as a community, our members unite to protect boater rights and advocate for equality on the Great Lakes.
How we work
Four steps, in order, every time.
Who belongs
Everyone with a stake in the shoreline.
Private boat owners. Charter and rental operators. Marinas and yacht clubs. Brokers, dealers, surveyors, riggers, detailers, insurers and sailing schools. Members join as individuals or as companies, and vote as one community.
If you keep a boat, work on boats, or make your living on the Great Lakes, this association exists for you.
Home / Advocacy
What we're fighting for
Live files, open consultations, and the positions we're taking on behalf of members.
Method
How a member concern becomes a position.
Take action
Sign the petition to protect Toronto's charter industry.
Support fair boating practices and keep private boat rentals and charters viable on Lake Ontario.
Home / Members
Stronger as a fleet
Over 100 boaters and 30 marine companies stand behind the association. Here's what membership gives you, and what it gives the community.
Benefits
What you get.
Membership is not a certificate for the wall. It is a vote on the positions we take, early warning when a rule is about to change your season, and a network of operators who answer when you call.
Two ways in
Pick the membership that fits.
Individual
Boater membership
For private owners and operators who want a say in how boating is regulated.
- A vote on the association's positions
- Safety and compliance updates in plain language
- Member alerts when a rule affects your waters
- Access to member events and meet-ups
Business
Company membership
For charter and rental operators, marinas, clubs, brokers and marine trades.
- Everything in boater membership
- Your logo on the member wall, linked to your site
- Direct input on files that affect your operation
- Referrals within the member network
The member wall
Home / Resources
Know the rules before you leave the dock
The official Canadian sources every operator should have bookmarked, plus answers to what members ask most.
Links go to Transport Canada. Regulations change, so always check the current edition before you rely on it.
Questions
Asked often.
Home / Join
Add your name to the fleet
Tell us a little about you and we'll follow up with membership details. It takes about a minute.
Membership enquiry
Get in touch.
Direct
Rather email us?
Write to the association and a director will get back to you.
Email the association →Urgent safety questions
Boating Safety Infoline
Transport Canada's national line for boating safety and operator card enquiries.
1-800-267-6687 →