Does anybody offer driving lessons for a first time boater in Northern Virginia?

[Amar Nanduri]

I am not sure if this is right forum for or if is even appropriate of me to ask a question like this. My apologies if I am stepping out of bounds.

I have a 2010 AR240. First boat in my life. I would like to get some driving lessons for a solid day or so. I went for powerboat courses and learnt the rules. Now I need hard core driving experience. Any suggestions or tips ? I do not mind paying for lessons from an experienced jetboater.

Best
Amar

 

[Bruce]

Welcome Aboard!

What lake do you boat on? Have you looked at the User Map to see who might be near you? I would help if you lived closer.

 

[Amar Nanduri]

@ClemsonTiger

 

[Amar Nanduri]

@Bruce . Thank you for the info. Being in NOVA I have quite a few options on where to boat and have not yet decided yet. I will check out the map.

 

[bronze_10]

Haul that thing a few hours south to kerr lake or falls lake north carolina and I'll hook u up on some tips for operating your boat.... just ask @Shannon he can vouch!

Hehe

 

[Amar Nanduri]

@bronze_10 appreciate the offer. Will check out those places once I get familiarity with my boat.

 

[Amar Nanduri]

@ClemsonTiger you moved to a better boating place

 

[Scottintexas]

@Amar Nanduri glad to have you on board, if you came to Texas I'd be glad to go out with you one afternoon,

Be sure to look at the FAQ section for lots of good safety tips and ideas and even a check list to help keep launching organized,

pull your cleanout plugs after each trip and absolutely read the thread about the oil cooler bolt breaking, it's your year model,

 

[PaulyB]

I'm in Woodbridge and boat in DC on the Potomac or at Lake Anna, where are you trying to use it? I could probably offer a hand some time....

 

[Amar Nanduri]

@PaulyB Thank you for the information. I would definitely like to get in touch with you and share in your knowledge and experience. Can you share your contact info ? My boat is trailed in Woodbridge in Holly Acres. I plan to use it in the Potomac . I have heard about Lake Anna and am open to boating there as well.

 

[Amar Nanduri]

@Amar Nanduri glad to have you on board, if you came to Texas I'd be glad to go out with you one afternoon,

Be sure to look at the FAQ section for lots of good safety tips and ideas and even a check list to help keep launching organized,

pull your cleanout plugs after each trip and absolutely read the thread about the oil cooler bolt breaking, it's your year model,

Thank you @Scottintexas . Appreciate the offer. I will check more on the oil cooler bolt breaking.

 

[Ronnie]

I suggest that if you can't find someone to guide you the first time or times out, just watch a few you tube videos on how to launch, recover and maneuver at low speeds before taking your boat out on a weekday to a ramp that is not very busy and get sometime on tasks. Take your time and stay close to the ramp at first, maybe practice the slow speed stuff around a no wake buoy or something similar.

 

[Ilmmct]

Amar,

Welcome to the community and Yamaha boat ownership. Here is a video that might help:

Mitch

 

[Amar Nanduri]

@Ilmmct @Ronnie Thanks

 

[Glen]

I am not sure if this is right forum for or if is even appropriate of me to ask a question like this. My apologies if I am stepping out of bounds.

I have a 2010 AR240. First boat in my life. I would like to get some driving lessons for a solid day or so. I went for powerboat courses and learnt the rules. Now I need hard core driving experience. Any suggestions or tips ? I do not mind paying for lessons from an experienced jetboater.

Best
Amar

Me and a few others boat on Lake Anna quite often. Certain you don't need a whole day.
2-3 hours top, then gain experience w/ practice.

PM me and we can set a time/day to meet-

I'm thinking an hour in my boat to show how I work it.
Maybe 2 hours in your boat going through fundamental actions & maneuvers.

 

[Nick Hughes]

+1 on that video. Im new to owning boats this season as well. I watch that video right before i go out. Im getting better at docking, but still pretty shitty in general. Example: I back into my slip and had a friend stand on the swim deck to grab a pillar when we got close, he did and then i turned the wheel the wrong way and the ass swung away from the dock, he tried to bring it back and couldn't, thus falling in. Pretty funny, but shows my skills. I want to tour all the bars on my lake but don't because Im too scared to dock at any of them.

 

[Nick Hughes]

Drop anchor, swim to bar. Swim back to boat after and Way anchor.

Problem solved....

That wont work on my lake.

 

[Glen]

First rule of maneuvering is, "slow is pro".
When I hear engines RPMs up, near a dock, I stand-by for some good entertainment.

Other component is that the maneuvering has to account for the boats thrust & steering (fairly fixed, per vessel) and the local environments (wind, current, waves... always changing).

A safe and discreet means of learning is to practice on floating item(s), away from shore/docks.
Can be as simple as a lifejacket(s) tied to a line & rock, to fixed buoys or moorings, in corners of your local lake.
Of course, make sure these don't have lines or such, that your jetboat will suck in.

Approach them from up-wind, down-wind and coming across and note the effect and how you need to counter, or use those forces.
Note the currents (if any) during all this.

Bottom-line, until you can look at a dock (or trailer) and see the environmentals (wind, current,...) and know how your boat responds to those, you can't make and execute an effective plan. Going slow allows you to test your plan (the combined effects), before you get to the point of impact.
Sometimes you do need a little giddy up to execute the plan, but it is much less often than you think, it does give you less time to correct & can result in some bruises (pride, boat, personnel).

I have used @Cobra Jet Steering LLC solutions on both of my jetboats. First mod I make-

Cheers,
Glen

 

[msavold]

@Amar Nanduri , lots of good advice here already. Doing what Glen suggested helped me - practice and experiment, start on a calm day. And then try again some day when there's wind - makes a HUGE difference.
And don't be afraid to use the throttles independently when manoeuvring! Very little practice, one at the first notch forward, the other at the first notch reverse, and you can wow everyone by making the boat spin around on itself. Really handy if you go down a narrow channel or between a row of docks and have to turn around.

BTW, no, it's NOT an inappropriate question! Heck, it's one many of us have asked in one form or another - especially folks like me with single outboard experience. These boats do handle differently - much better than any outboard I've ever driven - but yeah, it does take a little getting used to.

Enjoy the boat!

 

[Amar Nanduri]

Been practicing quite a bit this week on lake ontario. Now getting more comfortable with the boat.