Inappropriate boating

[wakeboarder247]

Ok so at the risk of being a "jerk" i'll throw my two cents worth in here as we're having a spirited debate. I bought the boat for family fun, but i can't wakeboard, waterski or kneeboard because my knees are so screwed up it's not even funny. Other family members can and do. I can't wakesurf because my boat doesn't throw a big enough wake. I have kids and grandkids that enjoy a wide range of watersports to include tubing. I enjoy tubing because it's ALL i can do.

We just sold our 1995 2002fslm Tournament Tow Boat which made absolutely NO WAKE at 30-36mph. However, we have been wakeboarding with it for the last 10 years and wakesurfing with it for the last 2 or 3 years. We had about 1200lbs of ballast in the boat and were able to surf behind it. Now it had nowhere near as good of a wake as what the newer boats have, but plenty of people, including my dad whose knees are shot from football, were able to surf successfully behind it without the rope.

The water is a public domain and no one group has any right to it any more than the other. And if sports conflict, so be it. We all have to get along or the law steps in and makes sure we do. Like some lakes that have days for boats and others for PWC's. I don't think anyone wants that. Now idiots are a whole nuther post!

You are absolutely right, idiots are a whole nuther post.. and its the idiot drivers, not the tubers, that get on my nerves. It's just the fact that there are a good amount tubers are idiot drivers. But considerate drivers, no matter what watersport, are the best drivers.

Seriously, it's the people who are oblivious to what's going on around them that scare me. True stories:

1. I was pulling a bunch of kids around on a tube and one of the smaller ones fell off. Now keep in mind that we're on a 23,000 acre lake and there's literally 3 boats out and none where I was. A jet skier nearly landed on the kid as they attempted to jump my wake right after the kid fell off. Then they got indignant with me when I pulled them over to lecture them about their stupidity. I ended up following them home to their hosts (they were guests) and let them know what had happened and if they didn't stop, I was calling the game warden to report them. Around here that will get you a big fat ticket.

2. My wife was pulling me skiing and I was skiing in a cove on Lake Travis when some moron actually drove his boat between my boat and me. I had to throw the rope at the boat to avoid decapitating this moron and his family. The guy actually had the nerve to come over and yell at my wife for driving erratically (we were going in a straight line when he turned into us). I had to swim to the boat to break up the argument and reported him to the game warden. It took me a long time to convince my wife to drive the boat with me behind it after that.

Dog, you DEFINITELY take the cake! Bowdon That is scary! Good thing you had the idea to throw the handle at his boat or you're right, it could have been really ugly!

[TRD]

WOW! this post hits home for me. I have had a lot of stupid things happen while out tubbing and skiing. When I am driving a car I am a VERY offensive driver, (one of those jerk on the road, sorry) but for some reason on the water I am very defensive. I spent most of my boating on intercoastal waters of Florida on smaller boats. Most people feel like he w/ the biggest boat has the right of way.
The man that I got my boat from was good for stuff like you are talking about all summer long. He was constantly screaming at people on the lake. We would laugh most of the time but after reading some of your stories I wonder how others felt about him. I know I would make him calm down when my wife and son were in the boat. For some reason I was the only one who was able to get him to calm down. He passed away a 1 1/2 ago, funny now I sure do miss him. Great friend and good for some laughs.

[Razzman]

Good lord! How in the world did you keep from totally loosing it?

[zad0030]

This is more of a pet peeve but i hate when people follow behind you whether you are skiing or just cruising.

[G-MONEY]

True tuber story....


Last summer we were out parked in a cove and the people next to us had a big party on the beach and one brand new BU........ all day long the were in and out of the cave doing different things and every time the returned they came in at about 25-30 mph and did a power turn to slow down and come to a stop and tie off...witch was really starting to piss me off but i let it go no big desk. later that day the tube came out and they started to to out further out on the lake and every once in a wilt the would come by the cove to show off in front of their party....... No big deal right until the driver came too close to my boat and whipped the tuber in the direction of by parked boat...luckley the guy on the tube was smart enough to bail before he hit my boat the driver noticed what was doing on and shut the boat down but not soon enough for the tube to hit my boat!!!!! no big deal because it was just the tube and not going very fats any more but had .....i was supper pissed but looked on the bright side that no one got hert.....they were very sorry and came over and apologized to me and i let it go....later that day they ran over the their anchor line and I sat back a laughed. It took them about an hour to get it off the prop......

[typerider]

lets see one time(4th of july weekend) some moron was SWIMMING across the lake without any flotation device or signal he was swimming so that ticked me off... is that even considered boating?? another experience involves a fisherman... now i fish too so i've got nothing against them but this guy decided that being on opposite sides of the lake was too close and was throwing a fit gesturing obsinities in our general direction and generally embarassing his wife. so we go over to see what the fuss is about and the jerk casts his line at us! we were going to let him have it but his wife did 1st so we left it alone and went on. crazy eh?

[Coach]

True tuber story....


Last summer we were out parked in a cove and the people next to us had a big party on the beach and one brand new BU........ all day long the were in and out of the cave doing different things and every time the returned they came in at about 25-30 mph and did a power turn to slow down and come to a stop and tie off...witch was really starting to piss me off but i let it go no big desk. later that day the tube came out and they started to to out further out on the lake and every once in a wilt the would come by the cove to show off in front of their party....... No big deal right until the driver came too close to my boat and whipped the tuber in the direction of by parked boat...luckley the guy on the tube was smart enough to bail before he hit my boat the driver noticed what was doing on and shut the boat down but not soon enough for the tube to hit my boat!!!!! no big deal because it was just the tube and not going very fats any more but had .....i was supper pissed but looked on the bright side that no one got hert.....they were very sorry and came over and apologized to me and i let it go....later that day they ran over the their anchor line and I sat back a laughed. It took them about an hour to get it off the prop......

Damn you have a few tonight or what? That was like reading wannabe's posts

That sounds like a Mohave Lake story to me! There are more A-Holes who have 63 miles of river and lake yet have to tube in the cove and make a ton of waves so the boats are all bouncing around. Normally I will have a talk with these type or remind them their wake they are causing can be held liable if any damage occurs to my boat.

[Coach]

Normally the biggest problem we have is 2 types. One Lake Lice with rookies on them or kids. We have had more close calls with kids on Lake Lice cutting in front of our boat or buddies boats or following too close trying to jump the wake (man do I miss my jetovator).

Second type are drunk off their *** boats who come in to a cove where we all ready are and start doing all kinds of stupid stuff (getting naked, puking, etc...) when they can see we have 2-3 boats full of kids. It is one thing I go to a place and this is happing, I will leave, but if I am there first I will say something. Not once have we had a problem with a group calming down or just leaving. Then again we have many big guys in our group which might influence them as well (at 6-1 220 lbs I am about 5-6th smallest guy)

[da.bell]

lets see one time(4th of july weekend) some moron was SWIMMING across the lake without any flotation device or signal he was swimming so that ticked me off... is that even considered boating??

No, but I think that is just plain STUPID!!!!! What was that guy thinking?????

[da.bell]

Coach, I am sure I could have used you and your buddies last summer when they decided to launch a boat and then tie it up to the dock because the guy's GF didn't know how to drive the boat because they just bought the boat that day.... Yes, it was a nightmare in the making.....

[lba_dillon]

This is more of a pet peeve but i hate when people follow behind you whether you are skiing or just cruising.

This is one of my BIGGEST things as well! We live @ a SMALL private lake in South Central Pennsylvania and one of the biggest thing that gets my blood boiling is some @SSHOLE following 50 ft. off the back of our rider!!!!!!!!!! That is one of the most dangerous things you can do!!!!! So when it happens now we just power down and pretty much everyone on the boat just stares @ them like they have 3 heads!!!! Well, that was LAST YEAR.....this year they will be followed and flagged down and will be made sure how dangerous that is and that if we have them do it again they will be reported!!!!


Also while I'm on my soapbox............... I am in the middle when it comes to tubing........ I will moan when I see tubers come out but I get over it quickly b/c I remember I used to be one of those! We have a 3 1/2 year old but he isn't even interested in tubing *WOOHOO* he hopes to be wakeboarding this year.....but anyways I am rambling off here. ANYWHO Our lake is only 155 acres!!! WHICH is tight! We have 2-3 total TOOLS who will go down by our spillway area *widest point of the lake* and continue going in circles when there are other boats on the water..... It makes that entire end of the lake a washing machine and it's SUPER dangerous!!!! The part that makes it "illegal" is that with our lake you have to travel around it COUNTER-CLOCKWISE b/c of the smallness of it. SOOOOOOOOOOOOO people like that was SUPER dangerous especially when they do it with 5-8 other boats on the lake! Just like what everyone on here is saying! IDIOT DRIVERS cause the problem.........not necessarily what they are towing!


I just don't see how people can be THAT ignorant!!!!!!!!!!!!!! *stepping down off my soapbox* Thanks everyone!

[whitlock87]

The more I read this the more I love LA county lakes.
Our lakes have Police, Lifeguards, and Coast guards all patrolling at the same time.
Lake Lice have a small rope off area that they have to stay in. ( there are 2 lifeguard boats that ask as wranglers to keep them there)
The likes also have a counter clock wise driving rule. If you even get close to another boat, they will pull you over.

[jleger98]

The water is a public domain and no one group has any right to it any more than the other. And if sports conflict, so be it. We all have to get along or the law steps in and makes sure we do. Like some lakes that have days for boats and others for PWC's. I don't think anyone wants that. Now idiots are a whole nuther post!

Razz is right. Water is a public domain, and everyone has the right to be there, whether they are tubing, surfing, skiing whatever. The Coast Guard, and DNR and all the other agencies that control the water have created laws and rules that dictate which craft have right-of-way and when. I'm not gonna quote all the rules etc here, but sufficed to say, if you are going to spend the $$ to buy a boat, spend the extra 20 bux and go take a boating safety class, or at least read the rules. Don't drive around with your head up your a$$. You have to watch out where you are going. Imagine how you would feel if you hit some poor kid waiting for Dad to come pick him up after he fell.

That only leaves one thing, and that is common courtesy. If someone is sitting in a cove drinkin beer, leave the cove. If someone is riding in a cove, let em ride. As far as tubers, if someone wants a wild ride on a tube, go out in the middle of the lake where all the waves double up. If you got new riders on the tube, you certainly don't need to be running in tight circles wreckin the water for everyone else. Just fall into the pattern that everyone else is running.

Yes you are gonna run into pricks out on the water, thats where we need to lead by example, and be courteous. Don't get me wrong, if someone comes close to my rider, I'll go give em what for, but I'm going to do what I can to be courteous, and safe. just my (note the new smiley - Thanks Matt)

[da.bell]

This post is getting good and yes, I tow tubes also and have been the bearer of the justly deed of throwing the tubers off the tube and making some nice waves around the area (this is now become my 12-Step program thread ).

My son (age 6) loves to go tubing because he just hasn't gotten the hang of wakeboarding (I think this year he might do very well). So, this really boils down to where they tube on the lake and how respectful they are.

[kirk]

Banana Boat Drunks....

A couple years ago my wife and I launched in the evening before dark on the 4th of July to watch the local fireworks display from the water. We brought a bottle of wine and sleeping bags and planned on a nice relaxing evening on the water after the show. We were cruising to a nice quiet cove to anchor when an old yellow Bayliner tri-hull came from nowhere and attempted to jump our wake about 15-20 feet back. It scared the #$@% out of us... After doing it once, they turned around to try it again. The four drunks in the boat were giving each other high fives, guzzling beer and looked like they were hammered. I sped up and they started to chase our boat...getting within a few yards away. As I pulled up to the cove (which was a No-Wake zone),I slowed to a no wake speed. The Bayliner came speeding up to us with one of the drunks on the bow of the banana boat looking like he was going to try to jump from their boat to ours. About that same time that this was happening, the County Sheriffs boat came putting around from the backside of some cruisers that were anchored up, about 100 yds away. When we saw the sheriffs boat we started waving and honking our horn, with the drunks just a few feet away from crashing into our boat.The drunks looked up, saw the Sheriff and took off in the opposite direction ( at full speed in a No- Wake zone). The sheriff came running up and asked what was going on. When we told him what had happened , they hit the lights and siren and the chase was on! The guys in the cruisers that were anchored were all cheering and honking their horns.It was a great show... After catching the underpowered boat with a short chase, we could see the sheriffs giving a field sobriety test to the driver on the bow of the boat... Next thing we know, the boat is getting towed back to the dock with the driver handcuffed and sitting in the back of the boat. Shortly afterwards a patrol car arrived at the dock as transportation to take the driver to the local county motel.
There is justice in this world...