Taking Someone For A Boat Ride?

[NYBo]

Re: Taking Someone For A Boat Ride?

I find this obsession with not wearing PFDs rather bizarre. Are you looking for justification for this attitude?

 

[infideltarget]

Re: Taking Someone For A Boat Ride?

I find this obsession with not wearing PFDs rather bizarre. Are you looking for justification for this attitude?

Who? To whom are you directing this inquiry? Do I sense a thread-jack starting?

 

[freelancer]

Re: Taking Someone For A Boat Ride?

I take friends and family out on occasion. I try to discuss with my passengers what they should expect the experience to be like and my intended course. I also let them know precisely what will be taking place when we leave and enter the slip and if I will require their help or if I need them to stay put. Not much else, just enjoy the ride.

Boating has been such a positive thing in my life, I enjoy sharing it with others.

 

[DaNinja]

Re: Taking Someone For A Boat Ride?

I find this obsession with not wearing PFDs rather bizarre. Are you looking for justification for this attitude?

I found myself more than a little confused by the Original Post(er).
We require PFDs worn by all while underway. Even my BIL, a Navy SEAL, has to wear a jacket while underway.

I understand that "PFDs available" satisfies the law, but why would you discourage someone from wearing one or use that to decline taking them on a ride in the boat?

As far as my gravity challenged guests, they have to bring their own PFD if we don't have anything to accommodate them.

It does sound like someone is trying to justify a practice.

 

[infideltarget]

Re: Taking Someone For A Boat Ride?

I would never DISCOURAGE anyone from wearing one either. If they want to, they are more than welcome. I will not be wearing one, (ruins my tan lines ) so I would not force anyone over 18 or that can prove they can swim...WELL...to wear one, while in the boat. Just sayin. I dont think the OP was discouraging anyone from wearing one, just that he wanted to inform them that they...the boat owners...didnt wear them all the time and didnt want this fact to be shocking for their new guests. That was how I read it anyway.

 

[smokeonthewater]

Re: Taking Someone For A Boat Ride?

LOL this has already turned into "do you wear a pfd?" thread number 237 AND "who do you take on your boat?" thread number 175 rolled into one ...... like a "thread jacking" could matter at this point LOL

What is the question here anyhow?

 

[Guest]

Re: Taking Someone For A Boat Ride?

Man, am I ever glad I am NOT you insurance provider If you take risks with your life that's on you but NEVER ever take it with others peoples. It might sound ok but the law suits are enormous from what I've seen in the past.:facepalm:

 

[steveclv]

Re: Taking Someone For A Boat Ride?

Not throwing the rider from the tube? Where's the fun in that? We used to have competitions to see who could throw the victim...errr...rider the farthest! I fully intend to try that same competition again this year whn my brother in law is on the tube, and I already have permission from his wife (Admiral's lil sis) to do that very thing! Liability be darned! Full speed ahead, and damn the torpedoes!

Not wanting to be a killjoy but please read this

 

[LippCJ7]

Re: Taking Someone For A Boat Ride?

Steve, this is exactly why we have on several occaisions had a chase boat with us, we have a couple small lakes in Denver where they are very cramped for room, I have had to tell the kids were not tubing before because of how many boaters were on the water, and yes I have confronted other boaters and educated them on proper boating etiquette, it may not have been the most intelligent thing to do but jeopardize the safety of one of my children and you WILL meet me face to face and trust me the park rangers or shore patrol have already been informed and are on their way.

My wife and I have since decided to go to another lake, further from home but much bigger and far less crowded but you know how things are we still find ourselves loading up late in the afternoon for a quick 3 or 4 hours at the packed lake if for nothing else then to relax a bit.

It's times like this that have made me think I should get my Peace Officer status back, some people just have no common sense, and it can ruin your day or someones life very quickly all because of stupidity, what a sad sad story My thoughts and prayers to the victims family.....

 

[roscoe]

Re: Taking Someone For A Boat Ride?

Guests are encouraged (told) to wear a pfd. Children are required to.
Irresponsible guests will be removed from my boat, whether at the dock or not, so its a good idea for them to wear a pfd.

 

[444]

Re: Taking Someone For A Boat Ride?

Not throwing the rider from the tube? Where's the fun in that?

Ya I thought that was the whole point! See how much torture the person on the tube can endure before being thrown off. I see some folks crusing around on those super stable tubes that are the size of two sofa couches and I don't understand what the thrill is if it takes no effort to stay on!?

I would never DISCOURAGE anyone from wearing one either. If they want to, they are more than welcome. I will not be wearing one, (ruins my tan lines ) so I would not force anyone over 18 or that can prove they can swim...WELL...to wear one, while in the boat. Just sayin. I dont think the OP was discouraging anyone from wearing one, just that he wanted to inform them that they...the boat owners...didnt wear them all the time and didnt want this fact to be shocking for their new guests. That was how I read it anyway.

I force the pfd's just because if something was to happen, I would feel way, way too bad about myself if someone drowned because they weren't wearing one. Because my boats can do 50-60mph and because I know how disorienting falling/being thrown off a boat or tube at speed can be, I don't take any chances. But I would also have to say boat design plays into this somewhat too. Short, shallow and a big outboard is not a recipie for stability.

 

[superharmonix]

Re: Taking Someone For A Boat Ride?

watch it with the "old beater looking tri-hulls" comment....not cool around here...

 

[scoutabout]

Re: Taking Someone For A Boat Ride?

...I would not force anyone over 18 or that can prove they can swim...WELL...to wear one....

I used to be firmly in this camp too until I realized that it's too hard to prove someone can swim while unconscious or seriously hurt from getting thrown from a boat after an accident. We've had some doozies in our area over the years where folks who were perfectly competent swimmers still died because they were incompacitated for one reason or another .

I was reading the first hand account of a local guy who just barely made it and almost didn't because he wasn't wearing pfd after a sudden capsize which helped cement my change of heart on this. Hearing him describe the slow realization that - even though he was an experienced boater and competent swimmer - he was likely going to die 200 yards from shore near his favourite fishing hole, was sobering to say the least.

True, some boats are so big you couldn't imagine wearing one. Still, I recall though a few months ago someone posted a tragic video of a skipper being flung from the flybridge of his fishing boat after taking a roller wrong. I think he died because he hit other parts of the boat on his way down, so a pdf wouldn't have helped him, but still - big, "safe" boat with live owner one minute - same big "safe" boat with dead owner the next...Unforeseen accidents on the water happen, and can happen fast.

As an aside - try putting on a pdf and fasten it properly while already in the water sometime. Sure, it's doable for most of us experienced boaters but it can be surprising awkward. Now, imagine doing it with minimum boating experience and a broken arm, or a dislocated shoulder, or a sucking chest wound (ok, maybe not...)...but you get the idea. It all falls into the category of trying to close that barn door while the horse is at full gallop two consessions away.

ahem - ok - obviously enough coffee for me this morning!

 

[floatfan]

Re: Taking Someone For A Boat Ride?

To anyone who thinks that they are covered for liability on their boat insurance - think again!

We are with Progressive and the most that we could get in terms of medical coverage was (I believe) $5000 per person. That's nothing!

I'm an insurance agent in GA. Our agency sells Progressive, Foremost and other companies that offer boat insurance. The med pay limit offered in GA is $10,000, but your boater's liability limit you chose also provides medical liability (bodily injury). It's the same as your auto policy. The med pay coverage will pay up to $10,000 ($5,000 in your case) for you and other passengers of the boat. The liability limit you selected ($25,000, $50,000, $100,000, $300,000 or $500,000) will pay property damage AND medical payments for those people that are injured other than immediate relatives (those blood relatives living in your house). Some liability limits are split (ie 25,000/50,000/25,000). This translates into $25,000 bodily injury per person, $50,000 bodily injury per accident (all people, total it will pay) & $25,000 property damage per accident. If you have a combined single limit (CSL) of say $100,000, it doesn't matter how the $100,000 is divided (ie. $85,000 for bodily injury of 4 people & $15,000 for property damage), but the $100,000 is the total the policy will pay per occurence.

The main difference between medical payments and bodily injury (if you have medical payments on your policy, you also have bodily injury & property liability) is that medical payments can be used for YOU AND YOUR IMMEDIATE RELATIVES, whereas the bodily injury liability can not be. It can however be used for family friends on the boat, your uncle who is out riding with your for the day, a skiier in the water who you hit or anyone in another boat you were in an accident with.

Hopefully this helps. This is how insurance in GA works, and though limits vary by different states, the overall concept is the same.

 

[PiratePast40]

Re: Taking Someone For A Boat Ride?

Another time, my wife wanted to ask another co-worker to go with us on our boat, but this co-worker was definitely obese. I told my wife that she would be too much of a liability on our boat.......am I right or ?

What "additional" liability are you talking about? If you don't want to hang out with someone, just sat so. Don't make excuses about liability.

 

[H20Rat]

Re: Taking Someone For A Boat Ride?

Not wanting to be a killjoy but please read this

it comes down to living your life in fear, or taking prudent precautions... If someone gets run over after getting tossed off, there was a failure somewhere. The captain might have been in an area that was too crowded. Maybe the spotter didn't see the person get tossed off.

I pull people on tubes/skiing/wakeboarding a lot. My personal rule is that if there is a chance of another boat getting to a downed person quicker than I can get back, its time to find a new area with less boat traffic. Basically keep enough open water around me it isn't a concern. And the spotter(s) are informed their eyes NEVER leave the person behind the boat, ever.

 

[LuvBoating]

Re: Taking Someone For A Boat Ride?

Ok, I didn't know that there were two Threads on this Forum that related to my Thread. I don't really see a way to do a "search" for certain Threads.

My wife was raised around boating, even more than I was. Her mom/dad owned a medium sized ski boat and her brother had a little outboard boat. Both of these boats were kept at their cottage on Zukey Lake in Michigan. My wife went on the ski boat numerous times when she lived in Mich. We have a few old photos showing her brother sitting in the O/B boat and her in the ski boat. As for this farm-raised dude, my Uncle had a ski boat in Indiana. During the summertime, I'd visit my cousins for the weekend and my Uncle would take the boat, and us, to a local reservior on Sundays. Not only that, I spent some years in the Navy back in the Nam days.

In my opening statements, I was not telling anyone not to wear PFD on a boat, but I did say "we don't" actually wear one. We had a couple from Ormond Beach come up here to Jax to take a ride on our boat. My wife has known this couple for years; graduated h.s. with the wife and the wife was her Maid of Honor at our wedding. I've known the couple for 11 yrs now. None of us wore PFD's on the boat. They owned a cuddy cabin for years, that they used on the Intercoastal and Atlantic. I had absolutely no problem turning the steeringwheel (ok, helm) over to him. He helped us tie up and pushed us off when we left the dock (he jumped onboard). They are in our age bracket and he knows a tremendous amount about boating.

As far as fairly heavy-to-obese people riding in our boat, I really don't think so. Only thing is, a lot of fairly heavy-to-obese people don't want to go on a small boat anyway........so we don't have to worry about it. Another thing, the only way to board our boat is to step on the rear seat (couch like) and then step down on the deck. It's not the easiest boat to board when it is rocking!

As far as speed goes, we are in our early 60's and basically don't go over 23 mph, if even that. We like to get the boat "on plane", but with non-boaters onboard, we keep it at the speed of a small wake.

As far as making friends with this couple, they are in their late twenty's to early thirties.......not old enough for us. My wife calls her a "friend", but what she really is is a "work aquaintance".

One thing is for sure, at every lake ramp we been at (Colorado: Chatfield, Cherry Creek and Horseshoe.......North Carolina: Lake Norman.........here in Jacksonville, Fl: Julington Creek and Goodby's Landing) we see very few-to-no boaters wearing PFD's on any boats! Children, yes, but not the adults. So, apparently not many boaters, that we've seen, do take non-boaters (who would wear a PFD) out on the water.

 

[steveclv]

Re: Taking Someone For A Boat Ride?

Floatfan - many thanks for the explanation - I guess even $100k is too little in many cases but that's what many of us have.

Smokingcrater - the point is that everybody has a responsibility not to put people in harms way - your (reckless) behavior is putting people in danger - when you deliberately try and throw them from the ring which is not what rings etc are intended for.

No-one is suggesting that we live in fear - many people enjoy extreme sports and those people are some of the most safety conscious people you will meet. But what you are doing is just pure recklessness and you are endangering your passengers. If you ever had a serious accident with a tube and this thread came to light, what do you think a Court would say?

There are plenty of web sites that report boating accidents - almost every day someone is killed because of boating and most of the time it's due to stupid and reckless behavior.

 

[25thmustang]

Re: Taking Someone For A Boat Ride?

I'm in the camp of telling 18+ where they are located, and making sure everyone is competant and safe. I don't enforce wearing them, and I myself don't wear one.

I'm in the camp of having a 30' boat and going 25 mph doesn't seem like I can get tossed into the drink, without something happening before (weather, etc...) that would have me wearing the pfd.

I don't judge people who do wear them, I see it a lot. I just choose on my boat to not have one on all the times.

 

[1979checkmate]

Re: Taking Someone For A Boat Ride?

i suppose i should expand on what i said earlier. IF i am just scooting around slowly, then yes i have a habit of at least unzipping and sometimes removing the jacket. However, "under way" for me means that i am trying to get somewhere, and that normally means at least 30 mph... but i have a tad bit of a lead foot and it is not uncommon for me to be seeing WOT speeds in excess of 50 mph.. in a 16.5 ft boat. At these speeds.. EVERYONE wears a pfd, PERIOD.