Almost had a bad accident.

[fasttrucker]

Was out last weekend with a freind and his 18 year old son.On the way back I let him drive.Hes been on the water alot his dad told me.I should have given him a quick lesson about high performance boats.We were going about 45mph when he saw a crab trap float.He turned the wheel too sharp to the left almost barrelrolling the boat. :( The force threw me into the back of my bolster seat,as I was standing between the front seats.I have a bruised lower back,not too bad I guess.I feel really bad about it and from now on anyone who drives my boat will get instuctions first.You know I let my 9 year old son drive and he does a great job. :checkered

[Chili 18]

I don’t let friends drive my boat unless they have more experience with speed than me.. It’s not a 'family toy'. It’s a loaded gun. Ok Ok... I did let some eight year old kids take turns steering. But my hand never left the throttle.

Glad everyone was ok!!!!! Bet he wont turn like that again...

[Dr. Dan]

:smash: Gotta be careful Bill, as much as I enjoy abusing you...I would hate to not have ya here to abuse...that would just leave me with Johnny Revlon aka Air 22 and that's Boring!

Glad everyone is ok.

No one drives my boat or even rides in it with out a Pre Cruise discussion on Safety, what to do in case and Basic Communication while underway(Cliff & Liz)!

It works well...and I feel a little bit more at ease...some people have very little knowledge or appreciation for the Shear Mass and Velocity of these Toys. As a result it clouds their judgement of consequences of many actions, wheather they are passengers or driving. :wavey:

If you were to just hop into my boat now and take off, I could almost gaurantee they would hurt themselves... it's a delicate flower... and needs to be respected and handled accordingly...otherwise it's gonna bite ya in the Ass.

Doc of Ask Me How I Know This? :smash:

[boldts]

Been there, know what your talking about. Trying to impress a chick once, I let her drive my 18. Nothing like yours or Doc's boats, but this girl had experience from driving a ski boat. So, she tries to spin my Donzi on a dime the way you can those inboard ski boats. Threw me into the other side of the boat and nearly put everyone in the back seat in the water. Could have been really bad.

Glad all of your passengers and you are ok Fast. Things can happen fast on the water. You can't be looking 10 feet in front of you, you need to be preparing for things happening a 100 yards out in front of you because you'll be there in a matter of seconds.

[undertaker]

No one drives my boat or even rides in it with out a Pre Cruise discussion on Safety, what to do in case and Basic Communication while underway(Cliff & Liz)!


:biggrin.: :biggrin.: :biggrin.: :bonk: :bonk: :bonk: :bonk:

That's funny right there!!!


Undertaker who is BURIED in his work :banghead:

[Surfer]

My sixteen year old has this muscle reaction everytime he gets behind the wheel, WOT....we have the talk everytime, but the nature of the boat just brings it out in people. Bayliner / Donzi.... you asked for it.

[gold-n-rod]

It took me hours and hours to "learn" to drive my 16. All the details; the way the throttle feels, the tabs, the trim, planing proceedure, how she turns (differently in each direction) how she handles the waves and following seas, how to defeat porposing and chine walk, the normal gauge readings, etc. And I am still learning. I would NEVER let anyone else just get in and drive.

I have let my 15 yo son steer, once it's on plane, but the rest he'll learn gradually as he demonstrates his capacity. I don't even let my dad (who's been boating all his life) or my buds, even those with thier own boats take the helm of my Donzi.

My big boat is different. You can get in, turn the key, mash the throttle and go. I permit my son to take the helm for long periods of time (still haven't taught him to take her up on plane, yet). In good weather/water, there's no wake or wave that it wouldn't just slide through and its turns are very predictible.

Said another way, anyone can saddle up an old nag and trot through the corral. To get the best out of a racing thoroughbred, it takes a highly skilled rider. You wouldn't think of putting just anyone on a spirited racehorse, would you?

[fasttrucker]

My boat is easy to drive at slow speeds it rides flat due to the stepped hull.I have my son slowly learning to drive now for 4 years,hes now 9.This year hes learned how to take the boat up on a plane and trim it.He drives it slow about 3000 rpm then after a bit brings it up to 4000 rpm.Then I reach over to slow him down.Ive never had him do sharp turns when I point my finger,right or left,he slowly turns the wheel.The big problem with his driving is that he gets a kick out of crossing wakes and sometimes doesnt see the big picture.So if there is a lot of boat traffic I sort of take over....But like I said Iam going to be more ... :p .. about letting others drive :bawling:

[fasttrucker]

No one drives my boat or even rides in it with out a Pre Cruise discussion on Safety, what to do in case and Basic Communication while underway(Cliff & Liz)!


:biggrin.: :biggrin.: :biggrin.: :bonk: :bonk: :bonk: :bonk:

That's funny right there!!!


Undertaker who is BURIED in his work :banghead:

Please explain what (Cliff & Liz) were doing that was so funny? :jestera: