Let down by a Yamaha Owner

[F.M.]

@HangOutdoors Now that the boaters course is online it's a joke. In PA you must have a boater safety course to operate a jetski and the minimum age to operate a jetski is 12 years old, how many 12 year olds would pass that test if mommy or daddy weren't helping them. At 12 you are allowed to operate a watercraft that can do 65MPH, what could go wrong?

My youngest daughter just turned 12 and is dying to drive the boat. She's in the process of studying the alabama boaters safety manual. When she feels she's ready, she'll take the test. But she will do so alone and without the book in hand. If she has to take it and I have pay for it 10 times, I don't care as long as she retains the info.

 

[Babin Farms]

Something like tha OP is all too common. Not another boat in sight other than you and someone passing within 50’ or less, pulling a tube or skier and having another boat follow right behind you or having multiple boats coming at you taking up the whole body of water leaving you no option other than to just stop. Most of it is just not knowing any better but some of it is they just don’t care. I tell my wife to be prepared to take evasive action while driving because most on the water don’t pay attention. Last week had a boat coming right at us, we avoided being hit but it was a boatload of younger guys all looking down on their phones not paying attention to where they were going until they hit our wake. Biggest thing I preach is “pay attention”
Hope everyone enjoys their Fathers Day and has a great time on the water.

 

[HangOutdoors]

@F.M. This is the course and exam for certification that we used. It is through Boat-Ed. The link below is the one for Alabama. The nice thing about it is that the course requires you to read, watch video's and also has a lot of images and interactive diagrams which help with retention. Every section has a practice test of questions, if you don't get them then you must start that section again. At the end of the grouped sections you take a full section longer practice test, again same thing, but if you don't pass this you must start the whole group over again. At the end you take a very long 70 questions practice test. If you pass that you are ready to take the longer exam, which upon completion give you your certificate.

I liked the format and the repetition. I went through it as well and found a few section a bit challenging during the practice test. The Admiral and I both went through it so that we could talk about it with the kids when they were actually on the water. You probably already now about this but I am linking it anyway.

Get Your Alabama Boating License & Safety Course | BoatEd

Take our Alabama approved online boater safety course and get your boating license at your own pace! Get boater certified today!

www.boat-ed.com

 

[F.M.]

@F.M. This is the course and exam for certification that we used. It is through Boat-Ed. The link below is the one for Alabama. The nice thing about it is that the course requires you to read, watch video's and also has a lot of images and interactive diagrams which help with retention. Every section has a practice test of questions, if you don't get them then you must start that section again. At the end of the grouped sections you take a full section longer practice test, again same thing, but if you don't pass this you must start the whole group over again. At the end you take a very long 70 questions practice test. If you pass that you are ready to take the longer exam, which upon completion give you your certificate.

I liked the format and the repetition. I went through it as well and found a few section a bit challenging during the practice test. The Admiral and I both went through it so that we could talk about it with the kids when they were actually on the water. You probably already now about this but I am linking it anyway.

Get Your Alabama Boating License & Safety Course | BoatEd

Take our Alabama approved online boater safety course and get your boating license at your own pace! Get boater certified today!

www.boat-ed.com

That's the one.

 

[Robconn]

For each certification I posses at work, I am required to Re test every two years. Why not require the same for boating safety. Boating at a lake with the highest fatalities in the southeast, I am in favor of increased testing. I believe basic CPR should be required to operate a boat.

 

[HangOutdoors]

@Robconn I totally agree with you on both points. Increased Testing and CPR.

 

[Inthrustwetrust]

After probably 15 weekends between last year on rentals and this year on my new boat I almost got hit at Crab Island yesterday. Some family rented two pontoons and two jet skis and none of them apparently have ever boated. Conditions got a little windy in the afternoon and they were trying to snake their way through the maze of boats. One of the rentals hit a pontoon about 50 yards from me. Owners were way nicer they I would have been. They direct them to turn around and fine some clear space and drop a anchor. They motor on by me, and I’m watching these guys like a hawk. Sure enough they go down wind of me by maybe 100ft, leave the outboards down and running, and can’t figure out where their anchor is. Sure enough they start drifting back into me, I had to scream repeatedly at them as he came about 4ft from my aft anchor line with his prop, and I was pretty close because no way was letting this asshole hit my brand new boat, and both my wife and kids and my buddies wife are on my boat, but I also didn’t want myself and my buddy to get hit with the prop. I was livid and these ass clowns should not have been out. I got my crew and we pushed these two pontoons well clear of us. I gave the dude a ear full, mainly about how unsafe he was being, there were a lot of things a wanted to say and didn’t, they had a lot of kids and after confronting him I could see they were way over their heads. he apologized and said no one on either boat had ever been on a boat and he “thinks” something was wrong with the rental.

 

[Robconn]

After probably 15 weekends between last year on rentals and this year on my new boat I almost got hit at Crab Island yesterday. Some family rented two pontoons and two jet skis and none of them apparently have ever boated. Conditions got a little windy in the afternoon and they were trying to snake their way through the maze of boats. One of the rentals hit a pontoon about 50 yards from me. Owners were way nicer they I would have been. They direct them to turn around and fine some clear space and drop a anchor. They motor on by me, and I’m watching these guys like a hawk. Sure enough they go down wind of me by maybe 100ft, leave the outboards down and running, and can’t figure out where their anchor is. Sure enough they start drifting back into me, I had to scream repeatedly at them as he came about 4ft from my aft anchor line with his prop, and I was pretty close because no way was letting this asshole hit my brand new boat, and both my wife and kids and my buddies wife are on my boat, but I also didn’t want myself and my buddy to get hit with the prop. I was livid and these ass clowns should not have been out. I got my crew and we pushed these two pontoons well clear of us. I gave the dude a ear full, mainly about how unsafe he was being, there were a lot of things a wanted to say and didn’t, they had a lot of kids and after confronting him I could see they were way over their heads. he apologized and said no one on either boat had ever been on a boat and he “thinks” something was wrong with the rental.

Yeah it was your typical “User Error” ?!

 

[Cobra Jet Steering LLC]

My observation is people drive boats like they drive cars . Too fast, too close and have no clue about the laws.

 

[Looper7]

My observation is people drive boats like they drive cars . Too fast, too close and have no clue about the laws.

And distracted by umm everything

 

[the MfM]

My observation is people drive boats like they drive cars . Too fast, too close and have no clue about the laws.

Lots of new boaters here that are completely ignorant when it comes to who has the right of way and who should hold steady.

Thankfully the parking lots fill up pretty early at the ramps which limits how busy the lake can get.

 

[IA_210SX]

I told my wife and kids by the end of the end of the summer I am going to get punched due to the closeness. We skip Saturdays now. Seriously people are bigger assholes than when we started boating six years ago.

 

[Noko]

Since we live on the lake, we can avoid the weekends which we usually do. People are pretty good on our lake, mostly jet skis and a lot of pontoon boats. Weekends are pretty busy.

 

[marcham]

My youngest daughter just turned 12 and is dying to drive the boat. She's in the process of studying the alabama boaters safety manual. When she feels she's ready, she'll take the test. But she will do so alone and without the book in hand. If she has to take it and I have pay for it 10 times, I don't care as long as she retains the info.

My daughter completed the course and passed the canadian boater exam last year, she was 10. She did the reading, watched the videos and did the end of chapter tests. Some sections she repeated 2 or 3 times, other she got right on the 1st try. I'd then ask her 2 or 3 review questions with practical examples to ensure she understood and could apply the knowledge. She then passed the exam on the first try. Took about 10 days total, 30 to 40 minutes per day. She drives anytime she wants. She handles the 195 better than I handled 15hp boats when I was 12, but then again, I don't remember anyone ever explaining anything to me or teaching me the right of way rules, how to read the wind on the water, etc...

My advice: don't drag it on for too long.

 

[Rockfords Fosgate]

Spend enough time on the water or at a boat ramp, or go to Wal-Mart just once, and you will forever question humanity.

1. Just yesterday there was a boat towing 2 young kids right next to the boat ramp. (Dangerous for kids, and super annoying for people letting their boats out)
2. A little while later, same boat, was towing the same kids through the channel near the bridge with approx 15 other boats around.

 

[Robconn]

? sounds like Darwin had it right!

 

[WiskyDan]

My boat is on a really big lake/river system so it's been a lot easier to avoid getting too close to other boaters - lots of room to maneuver. This is my first season owning a boat so I'm hyper aware of what's going on around me and am trying to not be one of the douche bags that are being described in this thread.

One thing that is a bit annoying is the fleet of fishing boats that congregate at the mouth of the river as I'm heading out onto the lake. I try to be as mindful as possible but weaving between them sucks at low speed and I still get some looks.

 

[anmut]

The thing about a lake is people are basically going every whichway, in a river at least most people are heading one direction or the other. My wife hates boating in the lake because of this and gets nervous.

I agree with this - we do most of our boating on the river because there's less people and it's directional. Due to rain lately we were not able to go to our spot on the river for Father's Day and instead went to the Chain O Lakes. Trailers were parked a mile from the ramp. There were not less than 500 boats on that body of water, which, on a normal day if you see a hundred, it's busy. It looked like a constant boat parade on the no-wake zones. The four lakes that you could do water sports on were packed with people, mostly pontoons pulling tubes (why do I hate those people so much?). I had the transom fat sac fall of my boat ending the session, and I had to sit in the middle of the late to empty it. We were nearly side-swiped by a pontoon in that time. Needless to say, shortly after, I pulled out of the water.

 

[anmut]

My boat is on a really big lake/river system so it's been a lot easier to avoid getting too close to other boaters - lots of room to maneuver. This is my first season owning a boat so I'm hyper aware of what's going on around me and am trying to not be one of the douche bags that are being described in this thread.

One thing that is a bit annoying is the fleet of fishing boats that congregate at the mouth of the river as I'm heading out onto the lake. I try to be as mindful as possible but weaving between them sucks at low speed and I still get some looks.

As a guy that likes to fish, I get it giving dirty looks. However I always told myself that "if I'm going to fish in the middle of a channel on a busy day, there's going to be some waves."

 

[bolivas]

I share your concern and anger, some boaters are just mindless. Just a tip, When my kids and adults are out swimming I have the Super Maple out and orange flags flying. Sometimes it is hard to see these little bobbing heads in the water at a distance. It is hard to miss seeing that big orange toy in the water

Agreed. I do the same thing. Tube is out (usually with someone on it relaxing) and I put the orange flag up high in one of my rocket launchers. I too have an air horn on the console and we almost always leave at least 1 person on the boat as a spotter/DJ/drink and snack fetcher.