Re: OK.. Tell on yourself..
Several years ago I decided that I just could not live without a jet ski. I was obsessed with them, and it seemed that every truck around here was pulling one or two behind it. So, I found what I thought was really good deal, two jet skis with a trailer for 1500 (one of them needed a new motor). I drove from Pensacola to Orlando to pick them up. I got them home and regestered and headed for the river. After going through the novice antics of trying to get the good ski in the water and parking the truck I was off! I climbed on, hit starter, a turned it over till the battery died. The motor didn't even attempt to start, which was odd because it started fine at the house before I headed for the river, and again when I got home. I took it to a repair shop and paid over a hundred bucks to get the carbs adjusted, and headed back to the river. This time I took my wife with me. Now she was against the whole idea of haveing a jet ski, she could not swim, and had a generally dim view of the whole idea of flying around on the water on these small contraptions. I figured that she would have so much fun with me that I could win her over to the PWC's, right? Well, we got it in the water, put on PFD's and off we went. She was holding on to me with a death grip, and that worried look never really left beautiful visage. So anyhoo, we're tooling around the river, and to help her relax I told here that I'd show her how stable these things are. So I guided it left and then right and that darn thing did a pitch, a roll and 180 spin and stopped. The motor was idleing for a second and it quit. Then things got really interesting, my wife is asking what the hell just happened, why did I do that, will the engine start back up, and will I take her directly to the boat ramp. It was about this time that I realized that these little craft have a nice center of gravity with one rider, but two riders made it top heavey. That explains why, without any notice, the jet ski violently rolled to port at an astonishing speed, throughing my lovely wife and I several feet from the ski, head first into the water. NOT GOOD!!!! is what I was thinking as I broke the surface, spuddering and dazed. My wife popped up and I knew immediately that all was not well with her. Her PFD was keeping her afloat, but it was ill fitted and she was sagging down, like she could slip out if held her arms up. Oh, by the way, she was absolutly terrified. We swam to the jet ski and I managed to board from the rear of the craft without any trouble. She was not strong enough to pull herself up, so I somehow hoisted her up behind me. Just as I got plugged in and was about fire up the engine, BAM!!!! the little POS through us BACK IN THE WATER. Oh my dear sweet Lord I prayed as I came up again, sputtering and feeling thoroughly stupid. By this time my wife is fighting off total panic, and I was sure that any second she would climb up on top of my head like a cat. We again swim to the jet ski, and this time I help her aboard first. By this time her state was such that I practically had lift her bodily out of the river onto the ski while treading water! Don't ask me how I did it. I climbed aboard with the last of my strength, and we were sort of acting like two soldiers standing a land mine, trying very hard not to set it off. I very gently eased the plug into the trip switch and started the motor. Success!! Croutching down so that the CG was low enough so the **** thing wouldn't throw us back in the river, I eased on the throttle. We started moving, I was steering from the rear and my wife had resumed her death grip, this time on the seat. I probably said I was sorry a thousand times on the way back to the ramp, she said it was OK, just to get her the hell off the river- post haste. The ride home was silent. The jet skis were put up for sale. The rest is history. At least our first ride on our first boat was dry, but no more confidence inspiring than our jet ski debacle. I'll post that one latter.
