2Slow4me

I almost died today, when I was thron from my boat @ 80 MPH.

Could have drowned, got hit by the boat etc..

Luckily only broke a finger, and got all bruised up.

I'm a new dad, and all of a sudden I'm thinking I could have died.

Boating is my biggest passion (and the last one left with no speed limit)

But now, I'm on the fence of owning or going for a ride in a fast boat again.

My question is, have you ever crashed? And did you bounce back, and how did you deal with it?

P.S. Now I'm chicken to hope on my motorcycle as well, because of being a new dad...

Expensive Date

Glad to here you are ok just a little banged up.What we do is dangerous but if we take the proper precautions vest,kill switches ect.The risk of fatal injury is probably a lot less than most activities.
I always wear a vest and k/s I have never been thrown from a boat but have been from a Jet-ski.My feeling is if this (boats) are a passion for you and you give it up for you wife and kids you will probably resent them someday for it even if you don't realize it.

SHARKEY-IMAGES

Yes I have but never thrown out.
On a few occasions my body has been thrown threw the deck or under the deck but I always had a Lifeline Offshore Jacket and helmet on. Once in my Bullet 130 at about 70 tripped, stuffed and hooked to a complete dead stop.
19ft Laser at 80 + sheared off my midsection of my 2.4 Mercury EFI at a Radar Shootout. The boat hooked and threw me under the deck... Rescue Divers thought I was in the water until they came up to the boat and saw me pinned under the deck.

Now I have a family and have sold off all of my boats....

But to answer your question, after my Bullet 130 incident, I repaired the boat overnight and made sure I went back out in it the very next day. Something about that movie "Days of Thunder". I needed to get back into the boat to make sure I wasn't going to fear speed in a boat...

It worked for me !

jafo

Not thrown from the boat, but it was real close. Many years ago, we had an engine seize at WOT in our twin-engine Formula 242- boat did a 180 on the rubrail in a half-second. McCleod bolsters kept the wife and I somewhat in place; I broke my hand when it tangled in the steering wheel spokes. We both had some bruises, I would suppose we came out pretty lucky considering the folks we were running with thought we went over when we disappeared in a mountain of spray.
Took a season off rebuilding both engines and got back out there; that boat is gone and we've had a bunch of others. We boat all of the Great Lakes from small fishing boats to cruisers and always will.
One spill on the bike and we were done. We were barely hurt but a couple scrapes. We haven't bought another one and never will.

Fenderjack

iTrader: (2)

Glad you are ok. After that happens it makes you think twice.. My Buddy and myself were thrown out of my 202 Stinger a few years back, @ about 70.. Neither one of us were hurt, lucky enough I saw the set of waves coming before we made it to them, had pulled back on the stick.. Neither one of us were wearing a jacket.. He is scared to ride from time to time. I drove the boat home that day.. If the boat would have had full bolsters in it and it would have kept us in with out a doubt. I knew we were going to hit hard but nothing like we did. Last thing I saw was his feet at my head, I was right behind him. Last though I had was F%^K..Hasn't scared me from getting back into it, have since built a set of full sit down bolster that hold you in there..It is one of them things that you are kinda playing with fire, need to realize that something could go wrong, but always hope it doesn't. Makes you respect things a little more even if you already have, or do.. Get back out there man..


John jr

HTRDLNCN

Had an Action Marine 19 with a 235 Johnson lose steering and put me into the mangroves in Key Largo at over 70mph and a an output shaft on a Merc 200 come apart and put me and the Donzi I was riding in into the side of a bridge at about 60mph (sideswipe not head on thank God). Survived both and never even thought about leaving boating, hell its more dangerous every day when I get on I35 and better chance of getting hurt .

PhantomChaos

What caused you to get "thrown" and how did you get "hit by the boat"? That is what you should be looking at.

Pesky Varmint

In 2000 my wife got ejected when our first 35 foot twin bow steered
and hooked. Boat went onshore and totaled out. Lucky we didn't take
any other people out from the runaway boat. Learned about lanyards
that day.

She got right back on the same make, model 35 with even more horsepower that we still drive to this day.

Five weeks ago she hit a big wave on her Sea Doo RXT 215 hp jet ski
and got ejected. Broke her leg and ankle. Almost all healed up. She's ready to get back on that horse when she's completely healed.

Myself, I've mostly been (deliberately) tossed off inflatables pulled by sadistic, evil friends who pretend they don't understand hand signals.
Either that or the single finger signal must piss them off.

Pesky Varmint

MANITIE

The question you should ask yourself...
If your going to run a boat at high speeds...there will be a risk...
But is it that important to you to do that it may have your kids having to grow up without there dad...and put your wife threw the ordeal for your passion....
You can always boat...but if you have a family I'm sure you would want to share your passion with them...and you can...you just don't have to do it at 80....

Just some input....

smokeybandit

Yes I have, but it was in a race. Stuffed a 24' Skater at close to 100mph (pre-canopies). Broke my nose and orbital bone and almost lost my right eye. T-man was banged up even worse. Raced 4 races after but was terrified. I don't think I could race again, but pleasure boating is not racing.

Owned quite a few fast boats after that, but it was never the same. Do what is best for you. Being too cautious is a good way to get yourself in a world of trouble.