Safety of a Jet Drive

[Shuck Water]

Such a sad story as it was an accident. However, I don't think we emphasize the safety of the jet drive system enough and as someone with young children would seriously dissuade me from even considering a pontoon. It does reiterate that all passengers must be seated while the boat is in motion, especially children.

DALLAS (CBSDFW.COM) – A young boy is in the hospital after being struck by a boat’s propeller Thursday night while out on the lake with his dad. It happened at about 8:30 p.m. on Lake Ray Hubbard, near the Rush Creek Yacht Club.

According to officials with the Rockwall Fire Department, the 3-year-old child was playing by the gate of a pontoon boat when he fell overboard and was hit by the vessel’s propeller. The boy’s father was able to pull him from the water and call 911. From there, the child was rushed to Children’s Medical Center in Dallas.

The child was last listed as being in critical condition, but he is stable for now. An update on his condition is expected later on Friday. The boy’s name has not been released.

http://dfw.cbslocal.com/2016/05/06/boy-in-critical-condition-after-being-struck-by-boat-propeller/

 

[Bruce]

That is terrible. Emma and Gavin are scared of props. But I do worry that with all of the play around the transom of our boat they might forget about the prop when they are around another boat. I know that @Backwash made that mistake.

 

[Zarrella]

That sucks...I hate to see little kids get hurt.

 

[Julian]

Very sad....and I agree...I love the safety factor of jet boats. My daughter calls non-jet boats....choppy boats....and I'm fine encouraging her to think of them that way.

We had a jetboater post a while ago about how his daughter fell off the bow when they hit a wake while idling along in a no wake zone....she was sitting on the gunnel (shouldn't have been) and he drove right over her. She popped out the back without a scratch....might not have been the case with a prop!

 

[Evildwarf]

Gotta understand and respect the animal you are working with. A jet pump has some risks obviously if mistakes are made but injuries seem less common than with I/O's.
I have had to warn my kids and the occasional guest on the boat to never wrap the ski rope around your arm or hand while minding the rope off the stern. What is it with people and the desire to wind a rope around a body part?
If the jet gets a hold of the rope and your wrist is bound in the rope...man that would be ugly.
Over all jets are way less dangerous than props.
But never forget the infamous "body cavity water intrusion sticker"...

 

[jcyamaharider]

Just the other day I was showing my kids the difference between a prop boat and our Yamaha. I had our little fishing boat out and I was running the motor on the hose to get it going for the season. Before putting everything away I brought both kids out and showed them the difference. ( while they were at a safe distance ) I then engaged the drive to show them the prop spinning. I told them this is why we treat an I/O and an Outboard like they are on at all times.

 

[Matt Phillips]

Hey Evildwarf, I have a question about your comment above. You said you have to constantly remind people not to wind the ski rope around their hand when they are on the stern of your boat. Are the engines running at that time? If the engines are off, what's the inherent danger?

Out here in California, it's illegal to have people on the swim step with the engines running, so the thought of that safety warning never thought to cross my mind as with the engines off, the jets won't suck up a rope.

Thanks for the clarification.

 

[OrangeTJ]

It's important not to get tooooo comfortable and "safe" feeling, no matter what kind of drive you have. For instance, if you're coming around to retrieve fallen tube riders and run over your rope while the riders are between you and the tube you could have a very bad situation. The one time we sucked up a rope, I was shocked at how fast the rope wound around the shaft and pulled the tube in tight against the boat. Extremely fast. If somebody had a loop of that rope around their leg or other body part, it could be tragic.

 

[Evildwarf]

Did I say "constantly "? I believe the verbage chosen was "occasionally "
I have had to warn people who have taken a loop or two around a hand when paying out ski rope from the stern or leaning over the rear seats . The engines are running as I'm slowly maneuvering to get in line with the ski or tow.
The spotter needs to be in the cockpit before the hole-shot. I wouldn't run with a passenger on the stern.