Common Sense Boating

[papajoe222]

I know you've likely seen a situation where a 'boater' was putting himself and/or passengers at risk.  My latest was when I saw three guys motoring away from the launch in a small, narrow johnboat.  The boat was sitting so low in the water that a decent wave would have washed over the gunnel.  To top it off, they weren't wearing  PFDs. I wrestled with pointing out the peril they were placing themselves in along with the fact that they were obviously exceeding the maximum recommended weight/passenger rating for the boat. Being a big city boy, I opted to keep my mouth shut, but wondered how I would feel if disaster would follow my silence.

I'm not Mr. Water Saftey by any stretch, but I find myself second guessing my decision.  Would you feel offended if another boater pointed out an obvious risk that you were putting yourself or passengers in? 

 

[A-Jay]

Would I feel offended if another boater pointed out an obvious risk that I was putting myself, my family and /  or my passengers in? 

 

 No, I would not. 

 

However, I do have the advantage of a fully developed & properly functioning Temporal Lobe.

 

After a full career of Search & Rescue, I'm convinced there are many folks who don't.

 

What else could it be ? . ? . ?

 

btw ~ Common Sense Boating is an Oxymoron.

 

A-Jay

[slonezp]

A few years back I had just got back to the ramp as a guy with 2 kids had just launched a 14' jon boat on the Fox River. The water was high and current was faster than normal. He was drifting into the river channel trying to start the motor. I asked if he needed help and he said he's ok. I told him the current is fast and he needs to be careful. I idled near him for 5 minutes or so while he continued to try and get the motor going. He raised his voice at me telling me he's ok and I don't need to sit there. I left. I scolded his behavior on local forums. What else could I have done? Can't fix stupid.

[slonezp]

A few years back I had just got back to the ramp as a guy with 2 kids had just launched a 14' jon boat on the Fox River. The water was high and current was faster than normal. He was drifting into the river channel trying to start the motor. I asked if he needed help and he said he's ok. I told him the current is fast and he needs to be careful. I idled near him for 5 minutes or so while he continued to try and get the motor going. He raised his voice at me telling me he's ok and I don't need to sit there. I left. I scolded his behavior on local forums. What else could I have done? Can't fix stupid.

I just searched my post on the local forum

 

 Dude, What were you thinking???

To the guy who launched his jon boat at Voyagers Landing at 2:30 this afternoon. If your a member , or troll this site, first of all I hope you are safe. I have to ask What were you thinking. 25mph constant with close to 40mph gusts, you launch your narrow hulled, I'm guessing, 12ft flat bottom boat with 3 kids the oldest was maybe 8. You couldn't get the 9.9 started so proceeded to troll with the electric into the river and then try to start the motor. I told you the wind was really kicking up and asked you if you needed any help. You agreed about the wind and said it was the first time out this year and you would be ok. I pulled the trailer down the ramp and waited another 5min before loading for you to get the 9.9 started, and you proceeded downstream, while your hat proceeded upstream. All I was thinking is If your wife could see you now, you'd never fish again, and I'm gonna see a report on the news about a family that went over the Elgin dam. I don't mean to preach but common sense and boating go a long way. I hope your ok and let's be safe out on the water.

I only fished 2 hours not a bite.

[buzzed bait]

if they were "grown men" i'm just going to say they likely don't take your advice too well.  i would anticipate about what slonezp described perhaps worse with three of them

[aavery2]

The thing about common sense is that it is not very common.   I think it would entirely depend on how the message was presented as to how it would be taken.

[Bluebasser86]

If it's adults putting themselves at risk I'll just let natural selection try to run it's course.

 

Now if there's kids involved I'm going to say something. If someone wants to put their own life at risk, fine, but kids have no say in it and trust and depend on their parents or the "adult" in that situation to not put them in serious risk like that.

[Paxton44]

There's this part of Lake Champlain in Crown Point where there are four giant cement foundation blocks sticking out of the water.  I guess they used to support telephone lines or something.  

 

Anyway I'm fishing over there one day with a few boats as this is a community hole and I overhear this other boat's driver complaining loudly about how these things are hard to see early in the morning and he almost crashed into them.  He went on to say "They really oughta warn people about those!"

 

Now mind you this same guy is practically anchored to the blinking red navigation buoy that's perhaps 20 yards away from these things when he says that.

 

I think it is too easy to get a boating license...

[Sam]

PapaJoe, I open my big mouth and tell people what they are doing is unsafe all the time.

 

I do this at the ramp and on the water.

 

Last dumb thing I saw was back in Aquia Creek off the Potomac River last year when a husband and wife were in a very small metal skiff with their 8 month old twin boys and moving around using a paddle.

 

The two boys were wearing PFDs but neither the mom or dad were wearing their PFDs.

 

I told the parents that they needed to wear their PFDs which was not received in a friendly manner by the parents.

 

The dad told me that they were safe and that they do this all the time.

 

So we just trolled past them and waved as we disappeared around the bend.

 

it is always upsetting to read or see on TV about someone who drowns while boating or fishing when they fail to wear their PFDs and do some dumb stuff.  Like the 68 year old guy who tried to swim the Pamunkey River for help last month when his boat broke down.  He never made it to shore.  Or the two teenage boys who drowned in Swift Creek Reservoir a few years ago while taking a canoe out in the winter and neither had on their PFDs.  They found their bodies five days later.

 

So open your mouth.  Many people who are uneducated on boating and water safety need to be told in order to protect themselves from getting into nasty situations.

 

And what really disturbs me is that these people vote.

[Catch and Grease]

The lake I fish is shallow and packed with stumps.

I've seen people go out there with 200HP motors and completely wreck them because they tried to fly through the lake. If someone tells me they haven't fished there before the first thing I tell them is to watch for stumps.

[Brian6428]

If there were anything I were doing that was obviously unsafe, then I would not mind someone pointing it out. I have only seen a few unsafe boaters, none of which i could have said anything to.

 

First was a wakeboard boat. We're on a 750 acre lake and this lime green wakeboard boat was driving within 30 feet of me (casting to shore in my boat), halfway between idling and planing so they were making a huge wake. First two times I figured it was an accident, second two times I waved for them to get away, fifth time was gonna be a big fat middle finger but they did't come by again. 

 

Other time was a bass boat going way too fast trimmed way too high and turning way too hard when he hit the wake of another boat. I thought he was gonna crash for sure but somehow he didn't.

[Bluebasser86]

 

There's this part of Lake Champlain in Crown Point where there are four giant cement foundation blocks sticking out of the water.  I guess they used to support telephone lines or something.  

 

Anyway I'm fishing over there one day with a few boats as this is a community hole and I overhear this other boat's driver complaining loudly about how these things are hard to see early in the morning and he almost crashed into them.  He went on to say "They really oughta warn people about those!"

 

Now mind you this same guy is practically anchored to the blinking red navigation buoy that's perhaps 20 yards away from these things when he says that.

 

I think it is too easy to get a boating license...

 

Don't even have to get a license in a lot of states. 

[geo g]

Its hard to reason with stupid!  Stupid is a LIFE SENTENCE!

[Fisher-O-men]

 

 

I think it is too easy to get a boating license...

 

What's a boating license???  In CA you just have to be 12 years old to drive a boat, with an adult, of course.  This is really amazing considering this state is constantly "protecting" us through legislation.

[Paxton44]

What's a boating license???  In CA you just have to be 12 years old to drive a boat, with an adult, of course.  This is really amazing considering this state is constantly "protecting" us through legislation.

Over here it means you stayed awake at Cabelas for 8 hours and paid enough attention that you could get the right answer on your test, or at least that your mom or dad paid enough attention and were sitting there pointing out the right answers while the instructor turned a blind eye.

 

It just costs the user more than your system but they're essentially the same

[Slade House]

They don't require us in california to wear PFDs on fresh water. we just have to have them on board.  Im lucky in that the lake i fish daily (Lake Casitas) they do not allow jet skis, water skiing, wake boarding .  They don't allow people to swim in the lake either , though they do have the filtration system to handle body contact.  Add on top of that , if you want to launch your boat in the lake you have to go through the strictest quagga mussel inspection, once you pass inspection , you then have a tamper proof cable lock put on your boat , and then you have to wait 35 days after passing inspection to launch your boat.  Yeah it sucks that you can't really fish at other lakes, but its awesome because having one of the world's best big bass lakes pretty much all to yourself (on a saturday in the summer there is never more than 30 boats at the most on the lake).  

[Driftb]

I believe that you owe it to your own conscience to offer a safety tip occasionally.  Sometimes it will be welcome, other times you'll be told in no uncertain terms where to go.  At least you can feel like you did the right thing.  Unfortunately you cannot predict every bad situation.

 

  I see unprepared, drunk,  non-swimmers overcrowded into in canoes and rubber rafts, not wearing PFD's every weekend.  It isn't my job to be the safety police, and I would wear my voice out if I were to warn every one of them.  Even so, I do choose to open my mouth with a friendly piece of advice, occasionally.  I decided to do that after the second time I saw an unsafe situation that later turned out to end in a drowning that could easily have been avoided.