A new experience while boating!

[valkyr]

Well, we were out on a local lake on Sunday,sitting at anchor, kids swimming, me and the wife sitting on the boat. I stood up to get something or do something about the same time a big (I mean BIG) lake cruiser went by us (relatively slow). I was standing there admiring it as it went by. I'm standing in front of the steering wheel and bend down over the gunwale to talk to one of my kids when the first waves from the cruiser's wake hit. It almost pitched me into the lake. Those swells (?) were huge! I swear the lake water was only a few inches from the top of my gunwale (like the boat was nearly on its side). Now for a 23' foot bowrider, thats pretty significant!

Next time I'll remember to watch out for the wake from those big boats.

Anyone else experience anything similar?

 

[TwoBallScrewBall]

Re: A new experience while boating!

Was out on my 19 foot bowrider with a total of 4 folks on the boat. Was underway, and admiring a 45 foot sportfisher crossing my bow about 200 yards out on 1/2 plane as they typically run. About 40 seconds later we made it to the wake. Up over the first wave and the bow punched clean into the second one, whole wave over the bow. Then the third swell did the same thing. Had about a foot of water in the boat, everything was floating and I thought for sure we were going down. I gassed it a bit to raise the bow up and flipped on the pumps. Aside from being wet we all made it home fine.

Earlier that same day I was "approached" by a navy vessel with a bow mounted, armored .50 caliber machine gun which poiltely advised me that I was too close to the navy ammunition pier. It was an interesting day on the bay for sure.

 

[valkyr]

Re: A new experience while boating!

Oh man, my wife would freak if that happened. Either of those, maybe the navy vessel more than the waves over the bow even

 

[dingbat]

Re: A new experience while boating!

Glad everybody is safe but you think that's bad you ought to the see the wake from a huge Ocean freighter going by at 30 kts. There are several places here locally that have permanent wake advisories in place because of it. Several boats a year don't heed the warning and get swamped or cap sized a summer. And I'm not talking small boats.

 

[QC]

Re: A new experience while boating!

A couple of tips in this area:

1) I always warn swimmers to stay away from the boat when a big wake is coming. They can panic and move toward the boarding ladder. The issue is that the wake will often cause the stern to rise very significantly and come down hard. If the swimmer is under anything when the stern or swimstep(s) or drive or ladder comes down, they could be in BIG trouble

2) The safe way to negotiate those big wakes while underway is at a 45 degree angle. If you approach them this way, then you are less likely to poke into #2 and #3 . . .

 

[scoutabout]

Re: A new experience while boating!

Excellent advice, QC -- especially the swimming near the boat!

 

[TwoBallScrewBall]

Re: A new experience while boating!

I learned my lesson about the freighters as well. In raritan bay, they are a-plenty, being that these channells access both NYC harbor and the ports along staten island. I was out (same boat as before) on a glassy afternoon once, clipping along just enjoying the bay, and there was a freighter moving out to the ocean in the channel. ran toward him at an angle for a while and marveled at the 8 or so feet of water that was being pushed up the bow of this thing. I eventually decided to cross behind it. Having no idea how obscenely large his wake actually was, I went COMPLETELY AIRBORNE in my little 19 foot bayliner and came down HARD on the other side. I was totally out of the water for what seemed like 10 minutes. Had time to realize what was happeneing, pull the throttle back on the freewheeling motor, and brace for touchdown with what seemes like forever to spare. Took no water but I was sure I just knocked the engine through the floor and into the bay. Luckily both me and the boat survived that one as well.

 

[rheyboer]

Re: A new experience while boating!

Used to go in the Detroit river with my dad in a small wooden boat. This was 35 years ago, but I remember the waves from the cabin crusiers being much more of a pain than the waves from the freighters.

 

[salty87]

Re: A new experience while boating!

i've got a 23' inboard, was drifting on a small lake chillin' with the mrs. some jagazz's were wakeboarding in the area which was fine with us. we were in smooth water so it wasn't a surprise. what was surprising was when the a-holes i mentioned decided to do a full 360 around us! they had been boarding that section of water so we weren't alarmed when they turned to back the other direction but this time for some reason after the first 180 they just continued around to make a full circle. there wasn't any time to get the engine going before the rollers converged on my transom and finished up inside my boat. we were stunned, they were gone. engine started right up, pump took care of the water. i was surprised that a 21' or so could dump so much water in my boat so easily. it doesn't take much more than bad timing.

 

[eedwards]

Re: A new experience while boating!

I was on 15 Chrysler courier at my dock on the fox river in St.Charles filling it up with gas when all of a sudden a boat with a skier fly by about 6' away
Next thing i know my gas can is falling in the river and the waves are flooding my boat.
Unfourtley this has become common on my part of the river as of late.
Two years ago there were just a couple people boated this part of the river regularly but the skiers wake boardes and jet skis have discovered it.
Which would be fine but they all seem to be cocky 16 year old kids.

 

[BoatAddiction]

Re: A new experience while boating!

A big cruiser or yacht can put out a hell of a wake. My old Trojan 36 footer could easily swamp smaller boats if their Captains and I weren't careful. Think about it....bigger cruisers and yachts are going to sit down in the water at least three feet. That means the initial waves from their wake, if they are going faster than no wake speed, are going to result in at least three foot swells...especially if they haven't reached planing speed yet. Add in the displacement and the actually speed of the larger boat, then those swells can become much higher than three feet. If they are planing and then go hull down right before they get to you, then watch out. The two worst times are when they first go to cruise speed and when they go from cruise to hull down speed.

 

[ziggy]

Re: A new experience while boating!

it doesn't take much more than bad timing.

yep to everyones comments, specially that one. i got washed away a few weekends ago too. cruiser went by real close, just above plane. i was floatin. he went by my stern, it's like oh s--t. no blower, just started it and turned around bow first into it. poked the bow under. at least i got a closed bow. but still took on a good amount of water. + soaked my auto stero, which mostly works now. i don't think it like ingestin water........

ya sure gotta be carefull of them big boat wakes that's for sure.....

45* is the ticket, if ya got time........