Safety

[wendyg]

Our first trip out on the lake this season was a bit scarey for me. I am definitely a "nervous nelly" as a general rule! The lake wasn't too busy but there was a fair amount of wind causing some good chop in the water. At one point we hit a wake, not sure of our speed, and my daughter was in control of the boat with my husband at her side. It felt like the boat was going to literally roll over on it's side into the water. Not sure if we were running at too high of a speed for the conditions...my husband says we weren't. Bottom line is that this is our second season on the lake and we are new to boating in general. Look for tips on safe operation of the boat and dealing with wind and wake from other boats. We have a 24 ft bowrider with a big engine so there is no question that the boat can't handle the lake. I would like to feel relaxed and enjoy our time on the lake and not have the added fear factor of losing control of the vessel and ending a day badly.

[sa meredith]

I was out yesterday...same deal...24 bow rider. It was rough, by any standard. Not dangerous, just a bit more choppy than the norm. We got tossed around pretty good coming toward gov/eagle islands.

[wendyg]

Just wondering if my husband is handling the water and the boat properly between speed, steering, and trim tabs. I grew up boating on the intercoastal of the east coast of Florida...very different experience...

[Rattlesnake Guy]

Most days on the lake you can pretty much go in any direction or speed you choose. On a windy or choppy day as you describe, you need to let the waves dictate your driving.

When we go from point to point with a cross wind, we think about which route will offer the most land protection. Waves get larger the longer distance they have to form. Rather than go across the waves, we drive in more of a Z pattern. Intentionally driving 45 degrees into the waves and then 45 degrees with the waves.

Often times the really big waves, the ones big enough to turn your boat, will come in patterns. You will see a few medium waves followed by a large. Once in a while, you see an opening where a section of of water is relatively lacking in waves. I find steering around the worst of the waves to be a reasonable strategy. You have to pay attention.

We have a bow rider as well. When the wave height causes the need to slow down, I use the tilt of the motor to lift the bow to avoid the risk of a wave crashing over the bow. My wife often leaves the bow cover on as an extra safety in the case that a wave does crash the bow, the water would be shed and not over weight the front of the boat at the worst time.

I think you will find it is a matter of experience. The biggest challenge I have now is trying to do all the right things for the safe passage of the boat and accomplish the secondary goal of keeping the passengers dry. It can be very cold in April to be getting wet.

[ThePlut]

I follow the same general rule in rough water, slow down and bow up.

Can't speak to your specific circumstance because I wasn't there to see it, how your husband was driving, how your boat was set up. A 24' bowrider can still be tossed around pretty good when Ms. Winni is angry... That can be mitigated by good piloting, but not eliminated.

There are captains out there who provide piloting lesson, who will come out to your boat and give you a class on boat handling. I did this myself 5 years ago and found it invaluable as he noticed things about my boat's handling and gave me specific ideas/techniques to compensate for them (for example, he thought the boat was very bow light...). That might be worth looking into for you...

[NoBozo]

Originally Posted by wendyg

Our first trip out on the lake this season was a bit scarey for me. I am definitely a "nervous nelly" as a general rule! The lake wasn't too busy but there was a fair amount of wind causing some good chop in the water. At one point we hit a wake, not sure of our speed, and my daughter was in control of the boat with my husband at her side. It felt like the boat was going to literally roll over on it's side into the water. Not sure if we were running at too high of a speed for the conditions...my husband says we weren't. Bottom line is that this is our second season on the lake and we are new to boating in general. Look for tips on safe operation of the boat and dealing with wind and wake from other boats. We have a 24 ft bowrider with a big engine so there is no question that the boat can't handle the lake. I would like to feel relaxed and enjoy our time on the lake and not have the added fear factor of losing control of the vessel and ending a day badly.

May I ask how old your daughter is..? When conditions are rough or scary to one or more persons in the boat, it's usually a good idea to have the person with the most experience doing the driving. This helps to instill the most confidence in having a positive experience. If your husband was teaching your daughter how to drive the boat....Lessons should be conducted with ONLY the Instructor and Student in the boat. ANY "Passengers" are a major distraction to the "Student". NB

[wendyg]

and where does one find these captains willing to give piloting lessons on the lake? Sadly we are pretty much limited to weekend boating only...I much prefer the lighter traffic patterns on the weekdays! Rattlesnake do you recommend staying closer to the shore lines on the windier days. We are still learning the lake and the bast routes to take coming out of Weirs.

[wendyg]

She is 17...he also let's my 10 year old drive on occasion. I think I am going to have to put my foot down when it comes to letting them drive the boat in general. The water changes so quickly out there...one minute we were going along just fine...and that big wave seemed to come out of nowhere!

[webmaster]

Originally Posted by wendyg

and where does one find these captains willing to give piloting lessons on the lake?

From the Boating section of our Lake Links directory: http://www.jpboating.com/JP_Boating_...struction.html

[ThePlut]

I think I still have the customized instruction book the captain I used gave me, I'll see if I can find it this evening and PM you the information on who I used.

[Merrymeeting]

Originally Posted by wendyg

She is 17...he also let's my 10 year old drive on occasion. I think I am going to have to put my foot down when it comes to letting them drive the boat in general. The water changes so quickly out there...one minute we were going along just fine...and that big wave seemed to come out of nowhere!

Well, the state will help you with the 17 year old. Unless she has acquired her own boating license, it is illegal to let anyone over 16 drive, even if a licensed adult is in the boat with them.

You'll still need to use your foot for the 10-year old

[MikeF-NH]

I disagree about putting your foot down on letting your daughters drive (in the right conditions). You never know when you or your husband are the only adult in the boat and might become incapacitated. In cases such as this, it would be good that your kids understand the basics of handling the boat to get you back to dock. Not just boat handling but also understanding the ATON markers. I do both of these by:
1.) when boating traffic is light and the lake is calm, I let my 11 year old take the helm. I sit behind him with my hand on the kill cord so if I go overboard or see trouble coming, I have the ability to stop the boat.
2.) while he is driving, (or even if I am driving), I point to ATON markers and say "what side of that marker should I be on?" or "what does that marker mean?". I do this constantly and as a sort of game as longer rides can be boring for younger kids and it gives them something to consider. As I'm approaching other boats, I say "what side should I let him pass on" or "what side should I pass on?" or "what did that guy do wrong?".

While I don't let my son drive all the time, I do want him to have basic skills because he could be in a position where I need him to save my life. I want him to know how to and have experience in basic boat navigation and taking to boat out of and putting it into gear. I know eventually, he'll be 16 and looking for the keys and the more experience I can give him, the better i will feel about him being out there.

All this said, I have a 16 foot boat (not big for Winni) and have been out in 3 foot rollers out there. When this happens, try not to be parellel to the waves and keep one hand on the throttle as you have have to speed up/slow down with approaching waves. I try to use land masses to avoid the worst waves (points of land, islands and mainland). Often times, one shoreline is more protected than the other...move along that shoreline. Crossing the open Broads really offers no protection. In the past, I've actually travelled far up or down the Broads in the direction the waves are coming to avoid the worse the lake has to offer. Watch the weather. If wind over 25 is expected, stay home if possible or head for more protected areas of the lake. Find routes between islands that offer protection and avoid the Broads. Avoid areas where the biggest and most boats travel at busy times of the day (Weirs out to Welches comes to mind). Put on life jackets if you must go out in rough conditions.

[wendyg]

Not sure he realized/remembered that law in regards to my 17 year old. I have no issues with my son driving in no wake zones or in very calm waters with minimal traffic...though haven't really experienced this too often. I love the suggestions about the markers and oncoming boat traffic!

[4Fun]

Originally Posted by wendyg

Our first trip out on the lake this season was a bit scarey for me. I am definitely a "nervous nelly" as a general rule! The lake wasn't too busy but there was a fair amount of wind causing some good chop in the water. At one point we hit a wake, not sure of our speed, and my daughter was in control of the boat with my husband at her side. It felt like the boat was going to literally roll over on it's side into the water. Not sure if we were running at too high of a speed for the conditions...my husband says we weren't. Bottom line is that this is our second season on the lake and we are new to boating in general. Look for tips on safe operation of the boat and dealing with wind and wake from other boats. We have a 24 ft bowrider with a big engine so there is no question that the boat can't handle the lake. I would like to feel relaxed and enjoy our time on the lake and not have the added fear factor of losing control of the vessel and ending a day badly.

On all but the ROUGHEST days on Winni you will have to try to roll a 24' boat over at speed. Not sure that's even possible... As long as your holding on and going a reasonable speed a good pounding is all you will get. My advice is go out and see what your boat does in different situations. How it reacts when you cross a wake. Apply throttle, reduce speed, turn in to or away from waves. You will learn a ton by driving your boat. Sometimes a little adjustment to the throttle and a little input from the wheel will do wonders when crossing wakes. You will learn what to do and what not to do.

Be decisive and confident. When you are heading for another boat change direction slightly to show your intended direction and hold that course. No back and forth. Communicate with the other boat and you will never have scary close calls.

When crossing a wake the more perpendicular to the wake the less roll you will get. Again, you will not roll over even if you cross nearly parallel but it might feel like it at first.

Understand how your trim button alters your ride. Understand your trim tabs if you have them.

You might have been going too slow over that wake!!! how fast would you estimate you were going? 10, 20 ,30 ,50??

Get out there and drive. It's actually a lot of fun....

[sa meredith]

As stated earlier, I too was out yesterday, in the same size/style boat. And I can say, without any uncertainty...yesterday was not the day for an inexperienced captain to be out learning. Unless your 17 year old has experience, it really was not the best thing for you. Many areas were very windy, lake had good chop, broads were producing small white caps, and boat traffic was above average. Bad combo for a novice.

[wendyg]

It was actually a few weeks ago that this occurred. Have not been out since then due to our recent vacation. I believe we were probably going about 25-30 mph at the time. I don't mind the pounding so much, but that feeling of rolling over side to side is scarey.

[jrc]

When I have new or nervous people on the boat I put them up front with the driver (me). You will feel much safer in a boat if you can see the waves and wakes coming.

Sitting in the back might seem like a good idea, but you feel much more in control if you can see the water and boats in front of you.

The stange motions caused by the wave and wakes are less nerve wracking if you see them coming

[watrskir]

Originally Posted by webmaster

From the Boating section of our Lake Links directory: http://www.jpboating.com/JP_Boating_...struction.html

Give JP a call...she will show you a great deal on how to handle the boat in rough condidtions.......

[SAMIAM]

I think it's great that you're teaching a teen to captain your boat.As she gains experience and confidence,she'll be great.
She has to learn that you have to be alert every second out there,not only for other boats but for wave patterns and waves from other boats.Sometimes,two boat wakes can come together to throw up a 4 footer right in front of you and you can stuff your bow or actually injure a passenger if you hit it at speed.You must have 100% concentration for wave patterns and other boats....especially if you're towing a tube or skier.
So much fun out there but it can be ruined in a heartbeat if the operator is not on top of everything.

[BroadHopper]

Respect the Lake! That is the first rule in boating. If the lake is 'angry', don't fight it!
Second rule is to proceed with caution! Look toward the horizon for rogue wave(s), obstacles etc. Drive defensively even though you have the right of way. Not many skippers out there will give you the right of way.

Experience is what makes or breaks a good boater. With 56 years of boating on this lake, I have seen many serious mistakes and, I admit, a few of my own and learn from it. Boating school may give you the basics but not the experience. The safety certificate is not the 'experience' you need to drive a boat. The certificate is to make you understand the basic laws of boating. I've seen too many newbies thinks that the certificate is all there is to drive a boat. Just sitting at a launch ramp proves it.

I took the Power Squadron course to qualify for 'barefoot' rentals to the Caribbean. I took the 'Top Gun' training out of Aventura to learn about handling deep vees. Experience is still the best policy.

If you have an I/O or Outboard with power trim, make sure you understand how the power trim can adjust the 'attitude' of the boat. This can help in rough water. If you have trim tabs, understand how that adjust your boat. Learn how to adjust your speed and trims to the height and distance between waves. Its a little bit of a science and luck but this is where experience comes in.

I will be glad to show you the basics.

[VtSteve]

Originally Posted by wendyg

Our first trip out on the lake this season was a bit scarey for me. I am definitely a "nervous nelly" as a general rule! The lake wasn't too busy but there was a fair amount of wind causing some good chop in the water. At one point we hit a wake, not sure of our speed, and my daughter was in control of the boat with my husband at her side. It felt like the boat was going to literally roll over on it's side into the water. Not sure if we were running at too high of a speed for the conditions...my husband says we weren't. Bottom line is that this is our second season on the lake and we are new to boating in general. Look for tips on safe operation of the boat and dealing with wind and wake from other boats. We have a 24 ft bowrider with a big engine so there is no question that the boat can't handle the lake. I would like to feel relaxed and enjoy our time on the lake and not have the added fear factor of losing control of the vessel and ending a day badly.

It sounds like you were running with the waves? Doing so at slower speeds will allow the bow to roll as the following waves pushes your transom. This can certainly result in the waves steering your boat, not you. If the waves aren't that large, you can find a comfortable speed, and travel directly with the waves. If your course means you must turn a bit, plan ahead, and gradually go further port or starboard. Some of the worst conditions occur when you are overtaking a boat producing a large wake. Plan ahead! I will usually chart a course that allows me to go through the wakes with bow higher, and gently past the next crest, not down into it. I trim up before this takes place. Always directly perpendicular to the wake. This way the boat's bow can ride through top of the wave, and hopefully, not get pushed around side to side as you explained. Go to slow, and you'll find your progress is slowed, and the following wave will push you around.

Getting caught in the trough of a boat wake is not much fun at all.

[challmec]

Hey Broadhopper

I would like to speak with you one day about operating under extreme conditions out there. I have alot of boating experience but you touch on some very interesting points.. Can I pick your brain sometime?? Send me a PM with contact info
Thanks
Jim