Typical AZ boat driver

[turbonine]

This is what I have to deal with every weekend in Phoenix at my home lake.

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I seriously have started getting worried about my safety on this lake on the weekends. We have had two really close calls in the last month.

One was while surfing. We had a boat end up withing 20 feet of our transom with someone free riding. The boat also approached us from the rear, obviously not looking ahead of him, but rather behind him at his tuber. Luckily we had a experienced surfer that could stay in the pocket and also do a swim platform start/stop.

Second incident happened to me last weekend. My poor wife almost had a heart attack. She later told me it was the first time she had seen my life flash before her eyes(and she has seen me take 30+ foot falls rock climbing). I fell wakeboarding and when I came up and waved my hand to say I was OK and then turned around to see what was behind me(this is habit you must have in AZ). I see a boat that was following our path. I keep watching and he is not diverting in any direction. I look back to our boat and I see them hauling back to me, everyone standing up yelling. I start splashing water to try and get the drivers attention it still hasn't worked. I am now starting to take my life jacket(non-CGA) off to start diving down. Finally the guy turns as I am pulling my jacket over my head. I am still not sure if he turned because he saw me or if turned because the boat the was pulling me was heading right at him.

30 minutes later he got too close to us again, so we let him have it on the Wet Sounds. I wanted to see that guy on land so bad. It would have been one of the only times in my life I would have started a fight.

[Joeprunc]

Wow!! Sounds like I would never go to that lake ever again. I'm glad you all are OK to tell your stories. That picture is freaking funnier than hell. Its not like the shoal wasn't marked. The guy practically plowed over that marker.

It really is a shame how many retarded boaters there are out there. I've been trying to get my girl friends parents out on my boat for quite some time now (they are both life long sailers and have a boat on Lake Tahoe). Because of all the idiots they see at Tahoe they want nothing to do with a boat that is primarily powered by gas. Maybe they will change their minds when they have to pull out their boat for the winter.

[fleetpaint]

I totaly here ya!!... I dont like to let the family do water sports on weekends!..... too many crazy people!

what lake was this on?

[Carter13]

I had a similar incident a few years back but with my wife down in the water and the guy was towing his kid on a kneeboard not watching ahead but rather at his kid.
I always have a portable air horn next to the driver so I can blast the other operator and get his attention. Trust me it really works.

[dogbert]

Years ago, I had a guy drive in between my boat and me while I was slalom skiing. I threw the rope as high up in the air as I could, otherwise it would have decapitated the driver. The guy actually had the nerve to yell at us when he turned into us.

I decided not to deal with him and just called up the lake patrol on the marine radio.

[TigeDuner]

Which AZ lake were you on?

[River Runner]

Years ago, I had a guy drive in between my boat and me while I was slalom skiing. I threw the rope as high up in the air as I could, otherwise it would have decapitated the driver. The guy actually had the nerve to yell at us when he turned into us.

I decided not to deal with him and just called up the lake patrol on the marine radio.

Never let an opportunity like that pass you by again!!!! Cut hard to make the rope tighter!!! The driver would have been totally at fault and we would all be safer according to Darwin.

[turbonine]

Which AZ lake were you on?

Bartlett.

[MoneyPity]

Before we settled on our Tige we were looking at a 21 foot Chaparral with the Monster platform,

Our salesman sets up a demo with one of the shop personnel while he was talking to another prospect. We have the shop guy take The helm to get the boat thru a shallow channel that that the Marina used to get to one of the Lakes on the Chain of Lakes near Chicago. Once we get out on the lake I take over as the driver for a few minutes and we really liked the power the boat had, how quite you could make it by changing the exhaust and a host of other things. Because these Lakes are so close to Chicago you get way too many in-experienced drivers out there so when I headed the boat back towards the Marina and looked around to make sure it was safe to stop.

The shop guy took over with my wife in the second bucket seat and me behind the driver. To show us how fast the boat was and how it handles he put it to the max heading towards the channel. At the same time a nut-ball behind an MC was skiing this lake and they were also heading to cross this channel at about the same time we would get there. At this point the skier falls and the towboat was leisurely going to get him with our bozo heading straight at him at 40+ mph. Our driver was not paying attention and did not hear my wife or me shouting at him because the exhaust was in noise mode vs. the quick and quiet mode. Needless to say I yanked out the ignition safety lanyard and we stopped about 10-15 yards from the downed skier. Lot's of bone head things happened because a driver was just out to impress and the lake was too crowded to pull anybody. After giving our driver the riot act we got back to the dock and went straight to our car because we could not get the attention of our sales rep. While heading home I got a hold of the sales manager and vented at him. In over 25 years I have gone to the chain of lakes twice to test ride a boat. I would never go out on those lakes on a weekend for fear of getting hit etc. The good news for me is I will not have to test drive another boat since our Tige will take us well into retirement.

Many of you are supporters of training boaters and boat drivers obtain a licensee. Unfortunately training is something a bozo never retains and the beer guzzlers just don't get it.

Sorry for being so wordy. Have a good one.

[Duncan]

Last week wake surfing on Lake Norfork. Deserted. We had not seen a boat for an hour. Some ways off comes this little I/O I recognized as a rental from the resort we were staying at, towing a little kid on trainer skis.

I had been watching this boat and wondering why, with such a deserted lake, they were headed toward us. Surely, with having come so far they would have seen us already (our RZ2 does not blend).

Nope, closer and closer. Shouting. Waving. Rider with board in the air. I am struggling to get the RZ2 loaded with 1300 pounds on the port side and 3 passengers. After managing some semblance of a blocking position, the boat is still coming with the driver NEVER having looked forward in the several minutes this was developing. Luckily, the kid chose that moment to fall down and the Dad driving very promptly shifted to neutral and swung his head to the front. I could clearly see the look of shock on his face when he saw us.

I was pissed but there was no way I was going to mouth off in front of his toddler in the boat and 5-7 year old in the water. They left that area and the rental was in well before we got back to the dock that night.

I need a canister air horn!

[somebodyelse5]

yea we rarely hit the lake on weekend because of all the idiots you see out there. its really not worth the struggle. We've had some pretty close calls as well, we pretty much only go to saguaro on weekdays. Only do weekends if we have too. We will be at saguaro on sunday over labor day weekend, hopefully it wont be to crazy, but its the only time i can get some surfing in, Im up at school in flag.

[maswind]

Another painful example of why we need licensing for the operation of power vessels of all sorts. My belief is that the operation of a motor vehicle is much less complicated than the operation of a power vessel on an empty lake, much less a crowded one, with navigational hazards, skiiers and boarders in the water, etc, etc.It needs to be done.

[mcd]

Hate to say it, but it happens in Michigan too. Last weekend we were idling around the lake. We were about fifty feet off of a posted swim area when a boat pulling tubes cut between us and the bouy. Later we talked to him about it and he denied it! Even though were were so close to him and saw him pull up to his dock.

[yllw20]

MOney pit.

Anyone crazy enough to be towed on the chain...it taking their life in thier hands. We would get cautious anchored at the sand bar of other boats, let alone going thru the channells from lake to lake and how about the wave factory going down the river part.

[Jason B]

MOney pit.

Anyone crazy enough to be towed on the chain...it taking their life in thier hands. We would get cautious anchored at the sand bar of other boats, let alone going thru the channells from lake to lake and how about the wave factory going down the river part.

I'm there twice a week for the most part. It's not really that bad with some common sense and some local knowledge. Hit Channel or Catherine Lakes and you're fine. They're deep, clean, and FAR less populated because they are inconvenient to get to and large boats (or boats with towers up) can't get under the 173 bridge.

The river now...screw that place man. I only hit that at late evening on weekdays or else you're like Sonny & Tubbs battling 6 foot swells