Yeesh. Jet skis drive me crazy!

[saxrulez]

I took my wife(9 months pregnant) and mother in law out to the lake to relax and swim. There is a beach about a mile north of the ramp that is a great place to beach boats and hang out in the water. There were 5 or 6 boats on the beach when we got there. We relaxed for awhile in the water, just watching kids and dogs play in the water.

This guy with his girlfriend on a jet ski comes tearing up THROUGH the no wake zone at 45+ mph almost to the beach where he tries to splash all his buddies on the beach by turning 90 degrees. He and his girlfriend flip it and end up in the water.

WTF is wrong with people? There are 3 year old kids everywhere, swimming underneath the water etc. Not even considering the fact he was in 3 feet of water doing 45 mph.

I waited a few minutes so I would be completely logical/calm when I went over to his group and talked to another guy he was with. The guy was really nice and understanding and promised it wouldn't happen again.

I realize all jet ski owner's/user's are not like this, but it sure seems to be the norm around here.

 

[spdracr39]

Re: Yeesh. Jet skis drive me crazy!

Power corrupts people. It's just like those crotch rockets. When you have all that acceleration and speed it makes your brain short out.

 

[saxrulez]

Re: Yeesh. Jet skis drive me crazy!

What really gets me is the 45mph through the idle/no wake zone.

 

[KFS]

Re: Yeesh. Jet skis drive me crazy!

I don't think he represents all jet ski users but I can understand your concern.

Speeding in a no wake zone is a@# behavior. Plain and simple.

Putting people on the beach at risk just aggravates that fact.

The fact that he took the criticism well when you spoke with him speaks well of both of you (your delivery must have been kind). Sounds like you made an impression and he may be more careful in the future.

I wonder if it was less a case of losing his sense on the jet ski and more a testosterone surge to impress his girlfriend.

 

[Captain Caveman]

Re: Yeesh. Jet skis drive me crazy!

The problem with jetskis is the same as boats. They let anyone and everyone ride one without any requirement to know safety regs or common boating rules. I can't tell you how many boats and jet skis that I ran before I even THOUGHT about buying a book and taking a class! I think that most people just don't know....it's the ones that do and continue to do it that deserve a harsh punishment

 

[southkogs]

Re: Yeesh. Jet skis drive me crazy!

I get grumpy with the fast-bass-boat-tournament-rock-stars we see around here a lot. Same type of thing as the OP, but with the Bubba's twist. It really is all about the operators, their perception of how capable they are with their craft ... and usually the "libations" they consume while putting their "perception" on display.

 

[haulnazz15]

Re: Yeesh. Jet skis drive me crazy!

Actually, the 3-foot deep water isn't really too big of a concern for a jet ski. However, if there was a properly marked no-wake zone, he was definitely in violation. Jet skis, like other cheap boats, attract lots of new boaters to the water, and most of them don't have any prior knowledge of boating safety or proper conduct. I'd love to show the jet skiers a video of what happens when they ride hard toward a group of people (whether they are on shore, on a dock, or on a boat) and they turn hard to splash them only to find out that the hull didn't "bite" like they thought it would and end up crashing right into them.

I own a jetski, and it is a quick/easy way to get on the water. However, you won't catch me splashing people in that manner, and you won't find me within 50yds of any boat when I'm above idle speed.

 

[saxrulez]

Re: Yeesh. Jet skis drive me crazy!

Actually, the 3-foot deep water isn't really too big of a concern for a jet ski. However, if there was a properly marked no-wake zone, he was definitely in violation. Jet skis, like other cheap boats, attract lots of new boaters to the water, and most of them don't have any prior knowledge of boating safety or proper conduct. I'd love to show the jet skiers a video of what happens when they ride hard toward a group of people (whether they are on shore, on a dock, or on a boat) and they turn hard to splash them only to find out that the hull didn't "bite" like they thought it would and end up crashing right into them.

I own a jetski, and it is a quick/easy way to get on the water. However, you won't catch me splashing people in that manner, and you won't find me within 50yds of any boat when I'm above idle speed.

The only reason I referenced the 3 ft of water is the fact that he turned it hard enough to flip it and fall off from 45mph while in water that was only 3 ft deep. Good way to end up with a broken neck.

It is most definitely a properly marked no wake zone. It is a very well known beach on the lake and there are probably 7 or 8 buoys marking it.

 

[Chris1956]

Re: Yeesh. Jet skis drive me crazy!

New Jersey first required a Boating Safety class for PWCs, nearly a decade ago. Since then they added requirements for all boaters to attend the class and pass the test. The result has been very good. Boaters actually know the rules of the roads. PWC operators, not so much, but that are still a lot better behaved. It surprizes me that some states still do not have the Boating Safety course requirement. The USCG Auxillary has been teaching it (nearly unchanged) since the mid 60s. The guy that violated the no wake zone is in violation of the law and should be ticketed.

The one thing that still baffles me is that I was challenged to a race in my speedboat, by a PWC. The wierd part was that the driver was in his 40s and likely had his wife with him. Usually I ignore them, as I have no interest in racing, but he was so insistant, I smoked him, and left the creek. Why would a guy that age....

 

[jbetzelb]

Re: Yeesh. Jet skis drive me crazy!

Not always a popular idea but why not require a boat and jetski license just like we have to have automobile and motorcycle licenses. Renew every X number of years. Use the fees for upgrades on the waterways. I would rather have to get a license renewed ever 4 to 6 years and pass a test to do it verses dealing with every fool that got the wild idea to by a boat and forgot about training and the knowledge to use the boat.

 

[ZacUSNYR]

Re: Yeesh. Jet skis drive me crazy!

Idiots are idiots regardless of what they are operating.

 

[ZacUSNYR]

Re: Yeesh. Jet skis drive me crazy!

Not always a popular idea but why not require a boat and jetski license just like we have to have automobile and motorcycle licenses. Renew every X number of years. Use the fees for upgrades on the waterways. I would rather have to get a license renewed ever 4 to 6 years and pass a test to do it verses dealing with every fool that got the wild idea to by a boat and forgot about training and the knowledge to use the boat.

Here in NY you're required to have a boater safety certificate to operate a jet ski. You still see plenty of idiots.

 

[WIMUSKY]

Re: Yeesh. Jet skis drive me crazy!

Idiots are idiots regardless of what they are operating.

.....whether they have a license or not. Look at how many idiots are behind the wheel of a vehicle that had proper training.

 

[BobGinCO]

Re: Yeesh. Jet skis drive me crazy!

Idiots are idiots regardless of what they are operating.

Yes. In some cases, the operator has just never been educated. I was idling into the marina, and another boat was cruising in - not at 45, mind you, but leaving a good wake. I shouted at him "Hey! This is a no-wake zone!" He called back "What wake?" I said "Look behind you!" He had no idea what "no wake" meant.

Another case of these people: A guy ties up at the dock by the launch ramp, and spends the next 20 minutes putzing about on his boat. I ask him if he has read the signs on the dock, that say "10 minute loading and unloading zone"... Of course, thse signs couldn't apply to HIM...

 

[haulnazz15]

Re: Yeesh. Jet skis drive me crazy!

The boating test isn't exactly rocket science. I remember having to pass one in Florida when I was 14 or so in order to rent a jet ski for an hour to take my sister out on the water. I glanced through the information packet, took the test, and passed it. I don't know hardly anything about channel markers, etc, so I doubt it would help the case of restraining jet skis/haphazard boaters on the water. It would just be a 20-minute inconvenience for most.

 

[sickwilly]

Re: Yeesh. Jet skis drive me crazy!

Me too, they drive me crazy. You cannot even properly predict what they are going to do to drive defensively when they are around. At least a dummy in a boat is somewhat more predictable, cuz he or she cannot go from 0 to 50 in 15 seconds while turning.

 

[muskyfins]

Re: Yeesh. Jet skis drive me crazy!

My good friend Ron White said it best: "you can't fix stupid". No amount of test taking would have convinced that guy not to do what he did. It was not a failure to understand the rules, but a disregard for them as well as safety of others.

I also don't believe it has anything to do with horsepower. No one is a bigger speed junkie than me. But i don't run on plane through no wake areas. I don't run through where people are anchored, swimming, fishing, etc. It's common courtesy.

And I must say the larger percentage of incidents where I was on the receiving end of this type of behavior has come from jet skiers.

 

[catfish58]

Re: Yeesh. Jet skis drive me crazy!

Requiring a license does not mean everyone on a jet ski has one. I've watched a group of teens croud the dock waiting their turn. I imagine most of them had no license.

 

[SDSeville]

Re: Yeesh. Jet skis drive me crazy!

Me too, they drive me crazy. You cannot even properly predict what they are going to do to drive defensively when they are around. At least a dummy in a boat is somewhat more predictable, cuz he or she cannot go from 0 to 50 in 15 seconds while turning.

This is my biggest complaint. There is absolutely no way to predict what the heck they are going to do. They will pass you going 50+ then make a sharp turn right into your path. ...and those fricking idiots who try to jump or ride the wake behind my kids when they are wakeboarding, kneeboarding, or tubing!! Sometimes wish I had a gun with me instead of a just a horn and a finger. If they want to hurt themselves that is one thing, but it really pisses me off when they endanger others.

A lot it boils down to the fact most of them have no clue about boating, especially those who come out and rent them for a few hours. They think that because they rode a bicycle 20 years ago, they can safely ride a jet ski.

 

[Brewman61]

Re: Yeesh. Jet skis drive me crazy!

The lake I patrol, busiest recreational lake in my immediate vicinity- tons of weekend/holiday crowds, narrow lake with a lot of navigation challenges, etc....
I've found that it's not the craft, it's the idiot at the wheel. Plenty of Jet Ski use by responsible operators, plenty regular boats being operated carelessly. Most often the problem I have with PWC's is the owners that live on the lake allow all their visitors to use the things without adequate education. So I stop a lot of PWC's for violating navigation rules. This lake has a perpetual no wake zone within 150' of shore, and that includes taking off from shore. I see this violation quite a bit. Another one is that these uneducated operators don't know the general boating rules so they violate a lot of right of way, and buzz to fast and too closely to other craft. We escort many back to shore. The craft's owner gets a stern verbal warining, and only one. Next violation starts to earn citations.
Non PWC problems tend to be more on the order of overloaded craft, not enought PFD's, excessive wake in no wake zones, etc........ BWI's tend to be drawn by non PWC craft more than the PWC crowd. Everyone has a right to use the lake, everyone needs to respect the rules and fellow boaters.
The worse example recently was a guy who was operating his PWC adjacent to the pubic beach, blasting away from shore at full throttle.
I went over to investigate, and when advised of his numerous violations, he claims ignorance (doesn't ever work). I asked him to turn around and read the large sign not 5' from his beach blankets and coolers- the one which clearly stated that operating any powered craft, including PWC's was prohibited in that area. He still claimed not to have seen the sign. The only thing that would have made it even better was if he'd tied his PWC to the sign post. Sheesh......that was one for the books.