Surfboat responsibility

[Bamer]

Sandm....nailed it.

The root cause IMO is a combination of selfishness and ignorance/stupidity. Required licenses and watercraft safety courses can help improve ignorance and maybe selfishness, but you can’t fix stupid!!!

Stupid is = stupid does......


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[freeheel4life]

I'm sure yall are aware but if you need a reminder of peoples ability to do stupid, inconceivable things, head on over to

@thequalifiedcaptain on IG. Hours of shenanigans, and good for laugh on a Sunday!!

https://www.instagram.com/p/CAOyEsVp..._web_copy_link

^^a fine example

[Bamer]

Hey Free........Hahahahah....I’ve seen that same thing in person with a pontoon.....


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[TeamAllen]

This is always an interesting topic. I don't know the answer. I agree that a required safety course is a start. CA is the land of regulations. I have seen lakes with segregated areas for fishing, boating and PWC along with going in one direction only. One lake allows certain activities on certain days.That's not feasible on the large lakes.

Years ago my boat and I were invited to a youth trip at Lake Powell. Utah requires that youth 12-17 take a safety education course for operating PWCs. All the youth took the required course and learned so much. They were calling out boaters that weren't following the required distancing rules as well as other violations. I was impressed that they all learned, remembered and practiced what they was taught. There were no incidents the entire trip, besides them complaining about other boaters. I think it would have had a different outcome without the education they received. It won't cure anything, but maybe help?

I try and get out as early as possible for my slalom runs and hope I beat the other boaters. Sharing the water is part of the gig. Tubers and power turners are what get me going though. All those waves generating over and over. It's a bummer if we get them in the cove we are in. If it's a real problem we try another spot. I see what Nicky is saying about the size of some of these waves. There is nothing larger than the wake coming off that tour boat at Lake Powell coming out of Wahweap. Ridiculous! That thing is probably responsible for half of the sunken boats.

Maybe start a Surf Responsibly campaign.

[freeheel4life]

My favorite part is "captain" is just chilling at the helm....ignorance is bliss right??

[zich6]

I agree it's all about selfishness and a lack of consideration for others. Some people just weren't raised right. As it happens my lake, Pend Oreille, has a minimum width of 2 miles and it's 43 miles long. The federal government owns 80% of the shore line so there are only 5 marinas with a lot of open water. Consequently, I haven't noticed a problem and the folks up here generally are considerate of others, but that leaves the summer renters. We have a 200' no wake zone that is rarely violated and we have several LE boats out enforcing rules and checking fishing licenses.

All that said the lack of personal responsibility and respect for others is the root cause of this problem. Boater training and licensing is not likely in Idaho that is a small government state, by design. And really, how effective is driver training and licensing with respect to personal responsibility and respect for others? I wouldn't expect much if similar requirements were implemented for boats. Here, we don't like the government banning or controlling inanimate objects because of the actions of a few, but enforcement helps. It's not about the boat just like forks don't make people fat. It's in the heart and mind and if we could find a way to fix that, our world will be much better off.

[BrentB]

I agree with requiring a license to operate a boat.

In Pennsylvania, I wasn’t required to take a boating safety course because I was born before 1982. I grew up on boats and my father taught most everything I needed to know — but that’s probably not the case for many, if not most, people born before 1982 who are purchasing their first wake boat.

I did end up taking a PA boating safety course several years back when we bought our first Waverunner (safety course required in PA, regardless of age, to operate a PWC). I ended up learning a lot from the course, but honestly very little of it had anything to do with etiquette and safety on the water during tow sports. I felt more equipped to captain a cruise ship on the open sea and less equipped to operate a pleasure boat after taking the course.

I really think there need to be separate certifications for different types of boating — operating a surf boat on my little lake in central PA is a lot different than operating a 65 foot cabin cruiser on Lake Erie, but the boating safety course is the same no matter what you’re planning on doing.

I wish the PA Fish and Boat Commission would start thinking about things like this that would actually make us safer instead of spending all their time counting life jackets and writing tickets at the boat launch.

Edit:
I should add that I’m not blaming the PA Fish and Boat Commission for the irresponsible behavior of some PA boaters. I just feel their time could be better spent actually enforcing rules that make us safer instead just counting life jackets.

As someone else already stated above “stupid is = stupid does” so some people will never learn, no matter what rules and regulations are in place.

[sandm]

look at the requirements to drive.

and look at what that does on the roads.

all a license is going to do is add another "to do" line to wait in and give more monies to the state and picking on driving, how many moving violations are written daily across the country. just because you have a license does not mean you will follow laws or common sense.

it all boils down to respect and responsibility. something that is sorely missing and no matter how high up or down the economic chain you look up neither changes.

[BrentB]

look at the requirements to drive.

and look at what that does on the roads.

all a license is going to do is add another "to do" line to wait in and give more monies to the state and picking on driving, how many moving violations are written daily across the country. just because you have a license does not mean you will follow laws or common sense.

it all boils down to respect and responsibility. something that is sorely missing and no matter how high up or down the economic chain you look up neither changes.

I don’t disagree with what you’ve said, but the PA online boating course is quite rigorous (i.e. you can’t just click through it without actually learning something and it takes several hours to complete). And it doesn’t require waiting in a line somewhere.

I honestly think some people just don’t know the rules and common courtesies on the water simply because they just don’t know. I see people all the time on my lake doing stupid things, but I think it’s out of a lack of education, not just because they’re inherently rude and incapable of learning.

I really think a little bit of required education would go a long way here. Maybe not a “license” but a required “safety certificate.” The courses just need to be a little more specific for the type of boating one is planning to do. Not a one size fits all course like in Pennsylvania.

Trust me, I’m not one for piling on more government rules and regulations. As someone who has been in medical practice for well over a decade now I know how burdensome that can be. But I also understand the value of simply being educated on something.

[rcwso]

First, Nickypoo...Thanks. Alway willing to learn and take some feedback.

That sounds like a power turn. Don’t do that, it just sends waves in every direction and ruins the water for everyone else.
Cut the throttle, turn the wheel to the opposite side of the surfer, and after the wave has passed idle back towards the surfer. This method is not only safer it is much more efficient when you get good at it.

Another thing that I always say is pick a line and stick up it, change directions and go back and forth if you’re limited on space. Surfing in circles has no benefit, ruins the water for everyone else and washes out the wave. If you need to turn, tell the rider to try a trick and when they fall stop and pick then up.

To be clear, I do exactly what you say when a surfer goes down. I cut the throttle, wait for the first 2 main waves to pass and then basically go "no wake" back to the surfer.

The times I turn a 180 and go back is when I must turn around due to running out of water or another boater in front of me that I want to stay away from. Yes, I could try the "trick" part too. Sounds like a good idea.

I do not surf in circles. I attempt to stay on one side of the lake or area I am surfing and not use the entire real estate. These are things I have learned by watching and asking others. If they still apply, I will continue to not ruin it for others. If not, let me know what to try.

The RAMP...I do attempt to practice patience at the ramp. Lots of people have their opinions and techniques. I also appreciate some patience for new people when they are trying to learn. Yes, all of us can practice somewhere else but at some point you have to step up and swing. My wife is learning the best she can and we try to be courteous of others. I have been driving and backing trailers for many years. At some point she needs to jump in the deep end without floaties. I attempt to not cause issues when the ramp is very busy. I hope someone gives her the patience that is deserved. Heck, I am either getting ready to spend the day on the lake and have a great time or I just got of the lake and a had a great time. What is there to be pissed, yelling, pushing, fighting about. Not many people in the world can say they just spent a day on the lake with no worries. Fun times.

We just had a guy that was so pissed and impatient pull his boat up the entire ramp with his prop dragging for about 150 yards. OOOPS, forgot to raise the motor. Great way to ruin a great day on the water. Heck, we had a great time on the water.

Love to learn more from the folks here and scream if I am doing wrong.

Thanks all.

[freeheel4life]

So Washington started a mandatory online boat program to get on the water. Last time I went up they let me on the water with an Idaho license as there was an exemption for out of state boaters. Have heard this has since changed and if I want to boat in WA the online course is required.

Point being....If you can't jump through the hoops to get on the water it MIGHT keep dummies off the water. Thats assuming there is a LEO at every boat ramp at every hour of the day....

[BrentB]

I guess the point I’m trying to make is that there are two types of dangerous and/or annoying boaters on the water:

1. The otherwise reasonable person who is driving like a jerk just because he doesn’t know any better and has never been required to know any better.
2. The unreasonable person who drives like a jerk just because he’s a jerk.

On my little lake, I think jerk #1 is more common than jerk #2.

A high quality (required) boating education course (one that is targeted to the type of boating you will do) could help a lot for turning jerk #1 into a non-jerk. Even if he knows it’s unlikely anyone will ever ask to see his safety certificate, he’ll still take the course because he’s an otherwise responsible person.

Jerk #2 will always be a jerk.

So I maintain my position that a required boating safety certificate can be more than just a “hoop to jump through“ if administered properly (i.e. not just a useless 20 question quiz that takes 10 minutes and costs $100).

But that’s just my probably not very well thought out $.02

[BCRider]

Here in BC you have to do a boating course and I'll tell you it hasn't changed a thing.....it's just a cash grab. You still have people that have no idea what they are doing or how to be courteous to other users as they don't teach that part to begin with. Part of the course should be related to the towables (ski/wake/surf/tube). Why not to power turn, how to pick up a rider, pick a line, etc.

Our local lake is quite small and getting busier and busier in the 28 years I've been going there. I'll admit the surf boats definitely don't help. One of the reasons I wanted to upgrade boats years ago was because my old 2000 MB was so low in the water I could barely going swimming without having to start the boat and get it on plane so I didn't get swamped.

I've had countless drivers pulling their surfer be within 50' of me floating. Like WTF!! I'll admit, I'm one of the first one to put my hands up, shake my head, or yell at you. I really have no time for the selfishness of today's society.

[Bamer]

I’ve considered getting some small bean bags to throw at those people....if they are close enough to hit, then they are too close!


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[UNSTUCK]

I've always wanted to carry a paint ball gun with me that was dialed in to drop the ball at 95'. If they get hit, they're too close. What are they going to do?!?!?