Kids riding on the bow

[steve201]

Re: Kids riding on the bow

washington state ...it's illegal to bow ride in any boat at any speed....yet we see some idiot every time with a kid on the bow busting the "no wake zone".....

Steve

 

[cmchesse]

Re: Kids riding on the bow

My son is 10 and I am still not comfortable with him in the bow seats. The rail is not very tall. At no wake I allow him to sit there, but that is it. And even though he is a good swimmer, he always wears a life jacket if the boat is in motion. I am afraid he would panic if he was to fall in. Might be overly cautious, but my son always comes home uninjured at the end of the day.

 

[mthieme]

Re: Kids riding on the bow

I grew up doing this and have have never saw this as a safety issue with any kids I have had on the boat. It' the best seat in the house.
The local Coast Guard Auxiliary here in Maryland warned me that this is illegal due to the fact that there is no available seating there.
So I guess I have to screw some seats or cushions there and then it's okay ???
Incidentally, it's okay on a sailboat which has the rails two feet high.
In my 47 years of boating, I have never seen or heard of a single incident due to this. I'm sure one has occurred because that's all it takes to enact a law.

It is also illegal to tow a skier, tube, etc. in the 6 knot zone. The State has no problem with me loading a 2 year old in a tube in the equilevant of Interstate 95 at rush hour though (no I don't do this).
By the way, the law says nothing about "pushing" a tube !!!

 

[tmh]

Re: Kids riding on the bow

My son is 10 and I am still not comfortable with him in the bow seats. The rail is not very tall. At no wake I allow him to sit there, but that is it. And even though he is a good swimmer, he always wears a life jacket if the boat is in motion. I am afraid he would panic if he was to fall in. Might be overly cautious, but my son always comes home uninjured at the end of the day.

uh......you need a different boat then....IMO. My kids would be bored stiff sitting with the old folks in the back, rather than in the bow. Maybe if we are in crazy waves I'd worry about very little ones up there, but not in anything "normal". We sometimes take some waves slightly over the bow just for fun....the kids love it, no risk at all, except for getting a bit wet.

That said, i have seen many bowriders with such shallow bow seats I might be concerned with smaller kids up there. I'd never own one of these.

 

[OldePharte]

Re: Kids riding on the bow

In Missouri - "Riding on the Bow, Deck, or Gunwale - Allowing passengers to ride on the bow, gunwale, transom, seat backs, seats on raised decks, or any other place where there may be a chance of falling overboard is prohibited unless the vessel has adequate guards or a railing. Guards or railings must be at least 6 inches high (not to exceed 18 inches in height) to be considered adequate."

I do not agree with the bow railing allowance. Although we see many cruisers with people sitting up front, with feet dangling over the side, it scares the bejesus out of me. Yes, they don't get bounced around as in a smaller boat, but I just don't like it. And no, none of them are wearing life jackets.

Having said that, I have also see many people sitting on the bow of go-fast boats to assist during docking. To me this is even worse.

 

[cmcpherson]

Re: Kids riding on the bow

uh......you need a different boat then....IMO. My kids would be bored stiff sitting with the old folks in the back, rather than in the bow. Maybe if we are in crazy waves I'd worry about very little ones up there, but not in anything "normal". We sometimes take some waves slightly over the bow just for fun....the kids love it, no risk at all, except for getting a bit wet.

That said, i have seen many bowriders with such shallow bow seats I might be concerned with smaller kids up there. I'd never own one of these.

Are you talking about sitting in the bow of a bowrider? The OP was talking about sitting on the bow of a closed bow boat!

 

[tommays]

Re: Kids riding on the bow

I get airborne on the bow of a 35' sailboat most every week just pushing through the wakes of the bigger powerboats inside the harbor


I would not even be able to stay on without two hands on the bow pulpit many times

 

[haskindm]

Re: Kids riding on the bow

Bow riding is prohibited by federal regulation and also most state regulations. It is considered "negligent operation" of a vessel. The problem is that the term "bow riding" is not defined. I take it to mean sitting on the bow with your legs overboard, but that is my interpretation. Different authorities may have different interpretations. In the end, it may be up to a judge to decide, if someone wants to take it that far. Boat manufacturers install seats in boats in the areas where they intend for you to sit. If there is no seat, it was probably not an area designed for you to sit. If there is no seat, don't sit there, then there is no need for interpretation.

 

[Mn Warrior]

Re: Kids riding on the bow

Last summer we were out on a pontoon and there was something in the water we wanted to look at, as we got closer we put the engine into reverse almost at the exact same time the kids rushed to the front. The bow went under the water from the weight shift and we almost lost all three kids off the front. Now, even though there are seats in the front and it is legal for them to ride there, they have to remain in their seats at the back, the tought of running them over nearly killed me.

 

[oops!]

Re: Kids riding on the bow

one of my boats is a sea ray with a walk thru windsheild and a closed bow.....great place to sit when the boat is floating.....only then....


the other is a bayliner capri open bow.......the distance between the seat and the top of the side is very shallow........so.....no one is allowed in the bow when at plaining speed......its ok at trolling speed but when the vessel is under way......no way.......

i dont even let people walk around in the boat (changing seats) when were underway.....

just not worth the chance......im very strict when on the water.....but everybody understands why the rules are there and respects them.....and everybody still has a great time

 

[Jack Shellac]

Re: Kids riding on the bow

It's illegal in AL, too. IT's just too dangerous and a little kid could squirt right under the rail if you happpened to hit something.

 

[ErikF]

Re: Kids riding on the bow

Does anyone know the law in NY? On my boats it is nice to be able to climb up front when docking just to help guide the boat in, usually the boat is out of gear and is floating in towards the dock.

 

[OldePharte]

Re: Kids riding on the bow

Does anyone know the law in NY? On my boats it is nice to be able to climb up front when docking just to help guide the boat in, usually the boat is out of gear and is floating in towards the dock.

It will depend where you boat; state controlled lakes or navigable waterways (USCG)

See - http://nysparks.state.ny.us/boating/docs/boaters_guide.pdf

In part it states: "Negligent or grossly negligent operation is a failure to
exercise due care to prevent the endangerment of life, limb, or property of any person and is prohibited by law. Negligent operation may be the result of operator ignorance, inattention, indifference or plain carelessness. Examples of negligent operation are excessive speed for the prevailing conditions,
operation in exclusion areas, or positioning oneself on the vessel?s bow while underway in an area not intended to accommodate passengers (bow riding). Bow riding does not include those times during docking, anchoring, or handling sails, when it is otherwise advisable to wear a PFD on
an open bow area."

Hope this helps.

 

[acupajoe]

Re: Kids riding on the bow

What about a bowrider...are the rules different. I won't allow my young ones up there, but older kids and adults. Isn't it what it was made for?? Or are you talking about those boats without seat up front?

Joe

 

[tmh]

Re: Kids riding on the bow

good grief......just for what it's worth, riding in the bow of a bowrider at planing speeds is totally safe! For goodness sakes, there's "careful" and then there's "fun wrecker", IMO. Yeah, really rough water maybe no kids up there, I don't know. Heck, my kids always ride in the bow seats, and I let little kids (over 3 I guess) up there also (with their teenage sibling or parent) unless it's very rough. They wear life jackets, sit, hold the railing and have fun. If the waves are a bit rough it's even more fun up there. No one is ever even close to having a problem.

IF I owned a bowrider that I didn't feel was safe to ride in I'd sell it immediately and get a REAL bowrider. It's a bowRIDER not a bowNORIDER for gosh sakes.

 

[Jack Shellac]

Re: Kids riding on the bow

I believe the situation being addressed was the kids riding up on the bow, usually with their legs stuck out under the rails. I see this all the time and it makes me shudder to think of what could happen. I agree that there's nothing wrong with riding in the bow seats of a real bowrider.

 

[ruf1967]

Re: Kids riding on the bow

I have a cruiser type boat with a sunpad, there are rails on either side of the sunpad. When in a no-wake zone, (and only in a no-wake zone), my 6 yr old son asks if he can sit atop the bow. Have let him some times, and other times have said no. He has a life jacket on, and sits in the center holding the rails. I'm just interested if there is any regulation against this, (live in NY), or what other boaters thought about this.
It is such a thrill for him that I would like to let him do this, but don't want to run against some regulation that I am unaware of.

This thread is not about "bow rider" type boats otherwise known as runabouts. The manufacturer manuals for these types of boats will indicate the safe seating areas (bow included) for passengers while the vessel is underway. This thread is about having a child, in a life jacket, who can barely swim no doubt, sitting on the bow of a cruiser type boat while it is underway, regardless of what the speed is. There are too many things which could go wrong in this situation (Murphy's Law). The child, is just that, a child, unable to make sound decisions for himself regarding his own safety. This is where the PARENT comes into play to decide what is right, wrong, safe or unsafe. Why there is any argument about this astounds me. Is the child's life worth this type of "thrill"? Be parents, not friends to the kiddos. Tough love is better than no love.

 

[oops!]

Re: Kids riding on the bow

or positioning oneself on the vessel?s bow while underway in an area not intended to accommodate passengers (bow riding). Bow riding does not include those times during docking, anchoring, or handling sails, when it is otherwise advisable to wear a PFD on
an open bow area."

Hope this helps.

you pretty much HAVE TO climb on the bow during docking.....

a really good rule of thumb to remember is.....

the captain of the vessel is responcible for all the souls on board the boat.
anything that could threaten the lives of the passengers, or cause bodily harm, just plail ol shoild not be allowed by the captain......when in doubt...."dont do it"