Rules and Regulations of the Water: Some Have No Clue

[DayCruiser]

Some things I have observed this year:

Boaters 5 feet from my dock at WOT(water went up and around my gas tank opening one time while I was fueling)

Boater 10 feet from us swimming in the water circleing our boat pulling rafts. Waves so big they went over the bow as the boat rocked. Boat rocking almost hitting swimmers. Did knock my beer off the back into the water
Yea boat pulling rafts are the worst. Zig zagging all over the place and not watching where they are going.

Boaters disregarding idle signs under bridges

Boaters coming up behind you at a high speed getting 10 feet from your boat

Jet Skiers coming close and jumping your waves.

Boats heading right for you and veering where you veer.

Cig boat guy Urinateing off the front of his boat in the middle of the lake.

Now, I am not going to let any morons ruin my day on the lake or spend my energy and anger fighting with these derelicts. Thats the water Polices job. The whoever is in charge agency need to hire a lot more water Police imo. I know a confontration could get nasty. Hard to get the numbers off these boats when you least expect the bs to happen.

 

[ricksrster]

Re: Rules and Regulations of the Water: Some Have No Clue

I observed people boating without lights on the night of July 4 in a congested area. I left for safer water.

 

[DayCruiser]

Re: Rules and Regulations of the Water: Some Have No Clue

Now that would be dangerous:| Some people just think there is no rules on the lake. There has to be rule or something like this would happen. In SC over the 4th weekend a deck boat hit a Pontoon. Knocking the couple in the Pontoon overboard. The Husband died of "Blunt force trauma" The deck boat kept on going(He was caught the next day) Report said Deck boat was speeding.
I see the rangers out there every once in a while and they do a good job from the little area they can cover in a day. We just need more of them for these big lakes so it can be consistant. States are cutting back money. The Corp of engineers are spending a lot of money in New Orleans. All these budget cuts mean fewer officers. Really those they could raise a lot of money giving tickets to these slackers.
Funny when people come down the wrong side of the lake and then give you a dirty look for getting in their way.

 

[hidust]

Re: Rules and Regulations of the Water: Some Have No Clue

I am not new to boating however I am new to owning my own boat. The first thing I did was take the boaters safety course on-line prior to buying my boat. I also made it a personal goal to past the test as well.

Over the past few months spending multiple on muliple lakes in the GA and SC area I must say every time we go out I am amazed with the stupidity of people.

Just yesterday I am following a fellow boater through a 3 foot sandbar area which is marked. We were traveling at idle speed to ensure we would not sir up the water and make it blurry so we can see the bottom. And next thing I know this idiot is passing me blaring his music at about 20 mph... now normally I would wave my arms or do something to get his attention to let him know "hey there is a shallow area" since he was only 10 feed away and never looked in my direction I just chuckled and let him go. Next thing you know BOOM he hits the bottom and his motor starts smoking. I just went on by at idle speed with the motor up and was shaking my head.

I think if you own a boat it should be like driving a car or having a hunting license. You must take the course and past the test. It really is a joke out there and when you have your family on the water it is even a bigger concern.

 

[DayCruiser]

Re: Rules and Regulations of the Water: Some Have No Clue

Yea, a safety test would be a good idea. Jet skier killed over the weekend in a SC lake. Clemson man fell off the back of a Jet Ski and a trailing Jet Ski ran over him. I bet the trailing Jet Ski was following too close.
I was going down the lake and 3 Jet Ski's were coming in the opposite direction taking up most of that stretch of the lake. One of them gave me a dirty look like I was in the wrong for not going up on the bank to get out of their way.
Funny about letting the guy get his punishment on the sand lol

 

[BULLWARKS]

Re: Rules and Regulations of the Water: Some Have No Clue

Jet skis are the WORST :|:|:|

These people must take a course entitled "I am the only important thing on Earth & Skru Everyone else"

Last weekend I was fisahing at a lake in NJ. At the end of the day I docked the boat at the ramp and went to get the truck & trailer.

As I was backing into the ramp, to my astonishment, Some guy backs his trailer into the ramp! There must have been about 10 feet between the trailer an my boat. Obviously, I had to stop backing in. I get out of the truck and here comes the guy on a PWC !! :^

Now I know most of these PWC operators are RUDE and OBNOXIOUS, I have experienced them wizzing between me and the shore when I'm fishing no more than 30 feet out and I have seen them cut boats off. But this took the cake!

The guy never said a thing, just hooked up his PWC and off he went!

 

[Mark42]

Re: Rules and Regulations of the Water: Some Have No Clue

I have had 30ft cruisers pass within 100 feet of me doing 40mph easy. Although there is no law against it, their wake makes me have to drop speed to about 10mph to be safe, then pick up speed again.

Don't these folks know that they can be life threatening to smaller boats like mine? Would it be so much trouble to give wider clearance or slow a bit? They can see kids are on board. They have the entire bay to navagate in. Why run me down?

 

[BULLWARKS]

Re: Rules and Regulations of the Water: Some Have No Clue

It all comes down to basic courtsey.

There is nothing else to it.

I do wish the police / coast guard / whatever would do more than just check fishing licenses. Maybe they do, maybe there is just not enough of them. whatever the reason the result is these people continue to think it's all about them.

Perhaps one day they will be caught and the word will start to get arround - Follow the rules on XYZ Lake or they'll take your boat!

 

[Daddy O]

Re: Rules and Regulations of the Water: Some Have No Clue

A couple years ago I was fishing with a friend on his 16 ft fishing boat. A jet boat came blasting by so fast and close that I was almost thrown overboard. Had to catch myself by bracing my legs on the bow.:|

Luck would have it that a police boat was near by and he got pulled over. Next time he went by he gave us plenty of room. Hardly rocked to boat at all.

Justice felt good.d

 

[Rancherlee]

Re: Rules and Regulations of the Water: Some Have No Clue

Jet skier are the worst IMO, atleat 75% anyhow (probibly those 75% have never owned a REAL boat). I managed to have one clip my outboard last summer and bust his hull. I was crusing as 25mph and he kept jumping my wake only about 20feet behind my boat, on one of his passes I pulled the throttle back as he approched and it took everything in his power to not hit my boat and he JUST caught my 6hp kicker which was out of the water and the skeg popped a hole in his hull. :devil:

 

[Prin]

Re: Rules and Regulations of the Water: Some Have No Clue

How about behavior at boat ramps? I have seen the situation where all comes to a stop because people blocked the dock/ramp and their tow vehicle driver was 6 or 7 deep in line. People at the front of the line could not put in because of other boats in the water/dock and those in the water could not get trailer to ramp. As a kid there was a marine officer at the lake every weekend and he directed people on how to launch and retreve, things went much better.

 

[ziggy]

Re: Rules and Regulations of the Water: Some Have No Clue

i hate to say this, but to me, those idiots are part of what make boating exciting. ya never know what the other fool is gonna do. all i can do is precede with what i think is proper action. includeing remembering the boating golden rule. the rule that lets me break the rules in the event of emenent collision.
watching these folks that are clueless is generally entertaining as long as they aint infringein on my space. if worse comes to worse. i can't control them, but i can control me, so i just get up and leave for somewhere else.

some of the things mentioned above are quite dangerous situations, but that is what we get when we go out boating. the good and the bad, some we can control, others we can't and all we can do then, is use our seamanship skills to do the best that we can.....