I want to hear your horror stories

[GatorMike]

Re: I want to hear your horror stories

I like many here too started boating at a very young age but that was a different time and a different place. Boating in the 60s on a small lake with a boat that had a motor less than 20 hp is nothing like launching and boating today on a major waterway.

I'm feeling a bit better now, just talked to David. They are up on the St Johns river playing on a rope swing. In about an hour they are going to head further up the river to High Banks Marina for a hamburger then after lunch he will head up to Blue Springs for a swim then head back. Should be home around 3:00 long before our daily thunder storms start. I want him to do a couple of week day trips like this before I let him go on the weekends. This part of the St Johns is very busy on the weekends. I want him to do some inshore boating before I let him go over to the Atlantic.

 

[CarrierSquid]

Re: I want to hear your horror stories

No war stories i mean horror stories yet...

 

[security6]

Re: I want to hear your horror stories

Wow, I can't believe how strict some of you are. When I was 21, my dad let me take his 2 year old boat out by myself with friends. Perhaps I was more responsible than most, I don't know. I am more mechanically inclined than most people, but the boat was new and ran fine.

We'll see when I'm on the other end of the spectrum. Right now my oldest is 7, but I'd have no problem with her taking the boat out when she is ready.

 

[H20Rat]

Re: I want to hear your horror stories

first time I took a boat out alone? Maybe 10. (26 foot pontoon) Owned my own boat a couple years after that, haven't looked back! literally grew up on the water.

it depends on many things, age is only a very small part.

 

[jfadool]

Re: I want to hear your horror stories

When I was 12 my parents would drop me and the boat off at the ramp. I would then drive the boat by myself back to there house on a canal.

The entrance to the canal was 3 miles from the ramp. It is on a semi-protected bay off the gulf.

Not once did I have an issue, and if I did I had all the equipment needed.

 

[Ryan50]

Re: I want to hear your horror stories

I was allowed to use the family boat with friends the minute I got a driver's license at 16 years old. However, I grew up on a farm operating equipment since I was heavy enough to push the pedals. I now have a 15 year old son who I will not trust to use the boat alone for several more years. He is a great kid, but did not grow up with the same opportunities to learn about machinery and mechanics.

 

[indy440]

Re: I want to hear your horror stories

I think im younger than most of your kids, Im 25!

My kids are 2 and 4 now, so by the time they're old enough to take the boat out by themselves who knows what we'll have...

 

[shrew]

Re: I want to hear your horror stories

I don't think this can be fairly answered. Not every child is the same, even amongst siblings. Not every boat owner is the same, nor are all boats. Some kids are responsible, some are not. Some have common sense, some don't. How old is old enough?? It also depends on the boat owner's comfort level. Some people will sleep soundly at night, some can't sleep until their child comes home. Some people are just plain crazy.


A more accurate question would be whether your hesitance is justified and whether it's OK to either allow him to take the boat or whether it's ok to tell him no. Honestly, only you can answer that question. I too boated for years with my family as a kid. My dad used to let me drive all the time, and he NEVER let me take the boat out alone. Does that make him right, wrong, or does it mean I was irresponsible?

What is means is he valued his boat and his child and the risks far outweighed MY selfish wants. After all, at the end of the day, your child doesn't NEED to take the boat out. They WANT to take the boat out YOUR boat.

 

[mpsyamaha]

Re: I want to hear your horror stories

i think that if your child (regardless of age) is responsible and has been boating with you for many years, and has a good understanding of trailering, operating, handling emergencies/break downs, then let them go!

i was lucky enough to be boating with no adults at 10 years old. i grew up on boats and knew what to do and what not to do, and i have always been mechanically inclined. it was only a little 14ft v hull with a tiller 15hp at first, but by 13-14 we were going all over the place in a 19ft carolina skiff and sometimes even in my friends dads big offshore boat. nothing bad ever happened, never damaged anything. went out several times a week throughout my teen years.

the point of all that is to let you know that kids can be responsible boaters!

 

[Ned L]

Re: I want to hear your horror stories

My brother, sister & I grew up on "the other end of the spectrum". The three of us 'grew up with salt water in our veins' so to speak. When we were teenage kids (16-20), our family kept our boats at the same place the CEO & owner of a multi-divisional pleasure boat manufacturer kept their demo and trial boats, typically there would be a 34' diesel trawler and a 30' sloop in slips. (Out of courtesy I'm not getting into names.) These boats would get only very occasional use, and would mostly just sit there. We were such good friends with this gentleman and his wife that he would ask us to please take the boats out whenever we wanted and 'exercise' them. No 'permission' required, just go ahead and take them out whenever we wanted to! We had a couple of summers of enjoyment like this. We might be out waterskiing for the afternoon and then decide to take the 34' trawler out for a while in the evening, or go for a sail on the 30' sloop. One summer afternoon the owner and his wife came down to go for a sail before dinner and found the sailboat 'missing'. When he scanned the river & when he saw us out under sail he hitched a ride from a passing outboard & came out to us. When he climbed aboard he asked if we wouldn't mind swinging back in to pick his wife up and take them both for a sail, which we did for an hour or so before dropping them back at the pier and continuing our own sail.
Those were great opportunities, and ones that we never abused. We used those boats a fair bit those summers, never did anything stupid, never put a scratch on them, and always left them cleaner than when we started. -There are teenagers around who are respectful of other's property.

 

[Home Cookin']

Re: I want to hear your horror stories

The reason I have boats is so my children will use them. Children learn more life skills boating than any other sport--look at all they have to address, all the problems to solve, physically and mentally. This is especially true with sailing small boats.

When they were young, I'd rather have them on the river than at an unsupervised location--even though my friends and I had many "firsts" on the river ourselves--b/c it was wide open! It was like we had driver's licenses at 14. So it was for my children.

They each had to take and pass the CG safety class on line; they were about 12-13 (girls). On family trips they operated all kinds of boats, and learned how to deal with mechanical and waterway issues. They got good with a shove pole! When I was teaching them, I'd do stuff like secretly unhook the gas line from the 6 gallon tank, then let them trouble shoot and solve the problem. Or throw a life preserver over and make them safely retrieve it. So off they went in the very same 13' whaler I grew up on, at 13 or so.

My sisters were the same--off in the boats at 14. Now one of them who lives on the water is training her teenaged daughters to use the boats.

I trailered and launched the 16' boat since I had a learners permit; took it alone by the time I was 16 or 17. Even spent the night on it and went out in the bay. My girls never took to trailering much but if they had the experience I'd have let them. But both I and one of my daughters trailered the boat across the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel with a learner's permit.

My dad kept a boat for us (my sisters and me) to use even after he never used it.
I will do the same.

There is a balance as to making them work on the boat. They need to know the responsibility, and help out, but if you start a youngster as a galley slave, he will lose interest in boating altogether--and you have lost an important and rewarding opportunity. (I started with a small wooden sailboat I had to paint and varnish annually.)

Just like there are no set answers to boating, or "one size fits all" there is no way to answer the question the same way for any child. There are some children, it would be grossly irresponsible to turn them loose in a boat.

But I am appalled at the attitude of a few of the responses along the lines of "get your own damn boat." Obviously no good relationship there. Might have been better if you had included your children in your life. Enjoy a lonely old age. Likewise those who treat adult children like teenagers. Sad, really sad.

 

[Cofe]

Re: I want to hear your horror stories

Horror Stories that became real life?

Was on a lake in Kansas having a wonderful memorial day. Out of the blue a thunderstorm perked up and spouted a tornado. It tore up the local marina and took my wife, as for me I was in the camper with the kids. The camper rocked against the winds, and we made it out ok except for my wife who was at the marina. Memorial Day really sucks for me. But I am ok,

As of today we fish often, and Its kinda like jumping on the horse that bucked you off. But we enjoy the time, and remember the good times with mom. Things happen, sometimes not what you would like, but if you learn from the situation, Love Grows- Thanks for letting me vent a bad situation that has endured time.

 

[GatorMike]

Re: I want to hear your horror stories

First let me say David and the boys made it back safely.

Now let me address some of the fine points that have been made in this thread. Y'all are right a lot depends on the individual child. I didn't worry as much about my two oldest boys when their time came because they were better than David at dealing with emergency situations and were more mechanically inclined. Thinking back I think this is partially due to me. When we would go out as a family the two older boys always helped me with the boat, David being 10 years younger never gained the experience they did, he always had 2 older brothers to do everything he normally would have been called upon to do.

Another thing is we all have different boating situations. Sure I like many was taking a boat out when I was just a boy but like I said we lived on a small lake. I started with a row boat before I was 10. Then for my 12th birthday my dad gave me a 2 1/2 horse outboard. We also lived just 5 minutes from the Manatee River, 15 minutes from Tampa Bay and less than a half hour from the Gulf. As soon as I learned to drive my dad was letting me take his boat to the river. Even so it is a good thing dad had money because I often brought it back damaged. My boys on the other hand are not so lucky, we now live in Orlando, the closest waterway worth boating on is the St Johns River which in our area is a very crouded waterway. Trafic to the ramp is horrendous and the ramp is always crouded. The river is flat out dangerous with jet skis and wake boarders everywhere. Other options are not any better, the 50 mile drive through traffic to Cape Canaveral or the 100 mile drive to Tampa Bay are not options for a 20 year old with little experience. There is a huge difference in putting a kid in a boat and telling him he is on his own and giving him the keys to a boat and tow vehicle and telling him to drive through heavy traffic, launch the boat and have fun.

BTW I mentioned earlier my #2 son toataled my Dad's Robalo his 2nd trip out. I made the mistake of letting him take it to Port Canaveral 50 tough miles away. He couldn't stop the boat on a wet highway and went through a red light and T-boned a truck. The boat took the roof Dads Blazer, luckly my sons passenger was asleep in the back seat or it would have taken his head off. My son ended up with a broken wrist and a few broken ribs. Now maybe y'all will understand my concern this go around.

 

[MrBill]

Re: I want to hear your horror stories

I have three children, ages 23, 26 & 30. We have a personal water craft and 20 ft boat that is mostly used for skiing. All are competent in towing, launching and driving the PWC. Only my 26 year old son has passed my competency test for taking out the boat and towing skiers, the other two need to prove to me they can operate competently. So far no dice...so my suggestion is...if there is any doubt, make your child wait, or buy their own craft. Too many close calls to list here...

 

[Blarney413]

Re: I want to hear your horror stories

I'm 27 and have my own boat. When I was 17 my buddy used his dad's boat and we beat on it pretty bad. Basically full throttle the whole time and seeing how shallow we could go. When I was 24 (in army) we rented a boat and we rode it like we rented it. That was a bad idea because we had to pay for it. I wasn't/aren't a bad kid but I don't think I understood what went into being a boat owner. Now I have a boat and I KNOW how people treat things that aren't theirs. Unless you put the fear of god in him I would have him do a TON of dry runs with you present. I like the deductible down payment idea. GOOD LUCK!

 

[26aftcab454]

Re: I want to hear your horror stories

Orange,TX had the annual Gumbo Cook Off 1st week in May-some30 years ago-big city wide festival. it was held on the banks of the Sabine River. I was 16 or 17 and Dad loaned me his 1978 Glastron HPV175 w/ Evinrude 140hp. We brought cases of beer and a few cute girls skiing in the river- with a boat load of kids we jumped the 4ft wake ( several smooth rollers) from a tug pushing barges at about 50mph-we launched off the 1st one and skimmed across the tops of the rest- soo cool we turned around and did it again!-
A friend had a stand up Kawasaki jet ski that would let us take it for a spin if we would tow him skiing. we were towing him and he tried to do the cool " don't get your feet wet" beach landing- cept he comes in too fast and does a summersault landing in the swamp 30 feet in from the beach. unhurt. no horror story.- funny how this thread went to letting your kids drive the boat.