wrinkleface

Well Hunter, you punk kid, your dad screwed up bad when he let you take the boats out! I am going ta have a talk w/ him about that!!!!!!! HeHe take care dude! Wrink

Iggy

I should have said what size boats I had as I grew up.
First one dad bought was a 8' wooden pram built by a local builder in Bayville, NJ and it had a 7.5 horse Merc.
Then he bought a 10' Glaspar, same engine.
After that I had a 13' Whaler with a 20 horse Johnson.
Last one they bought was a 16' Cruisers Inc. tri-hull with a 65 hp Merc.

None of these could go fast enough to get into serious trouble. They were all perfect starter boats.

Waterfoul

I've been boating since I was a baby.... dad has always had a boat and taught me to respect the water and obey the rules at an early age. I got my first boat when I was 12... sears 10' plastic boat with a 5hp johnson. Used it at the cottage up north. Caught a lot of fish with it till the bottom cracked... got rid of it and got a 14' Aluminum with a 9.9 Merc . . . still have it... haven't used it in 15 years at least. Boat is upside down on the trailer behind my parents house... transom wood needs to be replaced I'm sure. But the motor still runs. I also still have the first "speed" boat I ever drove, 14' Glastron with merc 50. Great little boat, and some of you have even seen me with it at LOTO!!! LOL!!

I don't have any kids, but my girlfriend has a 14 year old son... some day I hope he gets to use the Glastron like I did when I was a teenager.... but only time will tell.

Ironmanwb

I have had a boat since I was 6. My first boat was a 4 man rubber row boat that I made a motor mount to put a 17lbs thrust Minn Kota on.

Two years later my dad bought my brothers and I a 12' Sylvan with a 6 hp Evinrude that I went all over the lake erie shore with.

When I was 12 my dad would let me take out his 27' sportcraft without him on it as long as he knew where I was going and who I had with me, my mom hated this. We also had two PWC's that I ran all over the lake.

At 18 I bought a 24 baja sport with a 454 and then at 21 I bought a baja 302 with 454's.

I think the responsibility issue is the main factor in boating. It has nothing to do with age. I would not allow my 28 year old brother ever touch my 302 he has no idea of how to be responsible, but I have a 15 yr old cousin that I would let take it any time he wanted to.

velocity260

I know out was out boating all the time with my 13'boston whaler used to water ski after school, without wetsuits? The cold water didnt feel as cold back then raised on a boat as well.

racer-x6

Started Mine At 1 Year Old And Now I Can't Go Without Him. :d

dkwestern

I finally got to go out when I was about 10 -12 years old, of course my dad was on the dock watching me run laps around a big lake in Minnesota with little traffic. 17 ft. Ranger bass boat with a 115 Merc "TOWER OF POWER"

BLee

Exact same story for me.

velocity260

Just wondering how many people were sailers and powerboaters? My dad had powerboats and grandparents sailed. Only liked sailing when the boat was a hard keel and really sailing though. Still tourtued my sister daysail with my whaler Their sailboat had a big detroit Deisel though so kinda a powerboat really

klaw

I was Boating with a 30 hp on a 10 aluminum row boat when I was 12 years old. Scary ride had tiller steering
Today with liability and insurance issues would be tough would not have any problems with kid in a small whaler or the like but the big boat no way insuraance is just the first of the issues with that