bcschoe

Are you TRAINED or UNTRAINED

As with any type of human performance endeovour the definable measurement bwtween those trained and those untrained is significant.

Sign up today for special classes being held in Miami/Fort Lauderdale with dates surrounding the Fort Lauderdale Boat School and the Key West Poker Run.

28-29 October
03-05 November

Sign up before 30 September to recieve a LIfeLine #160 Starter Jacket with each UPC or HPC Course Registration.

Brad
954.560.9080

tanner

The best post I saw so far regarding your school was " If it was more affordable I might consider going" guess his life, his family and friends life isn't worth 1500 bucks !!!

Great School, Everyone needs to attend it, even the super rich and real important people could learn a few things !!!

sy goldberg

And even the people with big egos !

DucBoy

I think that is an unfortunate comment. It doesn't boil down to $1500 (and I think the price is more depending on the type of boat) - it boils down to a) tuition, b) getting an instructor and your boat in the same location, and c) time - time away from work, time away from family, time away from other obligations - you get the picture (and time away from work means $$ to most of us).

Don't get me wrong - I fully support training and ongoing education in whatever one does (and will make every effort to take Tres' class if he ever gets to Lake Erie or if I ever haul my boat to Florida), but I don't belittle those who admit they can't afford to take a particular course at this particular time. Nor do I suggest that failure to take a particular couse means one is unfit to carry on a particular activity. Was I unfit to ride my motorcycle on the highway before I went to school and received my racing license? No. Was I unfit to scuba dive in Mexico before I received advanced/drysuit/nitrox certification? No. Am I unfit to operate my boat because I have not taken Tres' course? No.

Conversely, was I fit to be on a track at race speeds just because I had a M endorsement on my driver license? No. Was I fit to don a drysuit and dive to 110' in Lake Erie with a nitrox fill without the proper training? No. Am I fit to undertake extreme maneuvering at maximum speed now? Maybe, maybe not, but that is why I operate my boat within the limits of my experience and existing conditions.

Again, I fully support training in general and this training in particular, but I don't think an inference that someone values his family less than $1500 is helpful to anyone.

My $0.02.

R/S,

db

Sunny32SSR

That could not have been said in any better way. Kudos to you and it's nice to see these words coming from someone running in "big power".

POWERPLAY J

+1. I would like to take the course but $1500 is a good chunk of my income.

JD Dearden

I have zero formal training and said this to a guy i met in Havasu. He went on to rip me apart for that, my boat was not even running through his entire speech...I than watched him drink about 8 cocktails and leave.

tanner

I understand where you are coming from, and I think its great that you are aware enough to run your boat within your own comfort zone and limits, but the other part is that you don't know what you don't know. All I am saying is most people with big horsepower boats could learn alot about there own boats when it comes to the knowledge of high pressure water and low pressure under there hull and how that effects the handling and control.... most just have no idea !!! Lets just say in my personal situation I learned alot that I didnt even know existed right down to the proper way to turn your boat to make sure your props are always in solid water !!!!

Great class period !!!

HUSTLEthis

It is a great class.
My wife, Shannon and I took it and would recommend it to anyone that runs the boat...

Sunny32SSR

Ford sells a 662hp Shelby to anyone who can afford it? Do we not relate the relative point that the overall hp number of that car is dangerous in the hands of anyone whom is not responsible?

It is all relative. Most individuals that buy that car operate it within their means. Others, the few, are ignorant and don't know their boundaries. The same holds true for our passion of boating. It is not cheap, it has its inherent dangers, most use common sense and operate within what they are capable of doing.

Sometimes, you get the bad egg that drinks a few, wants to show off, or is simply caught off guard. Does that make every other responsible boater "bad" because they haven't taken a course?

Even in other elite sports, things happen. NASCAR, NHRA, NMRA, and I could go on. There are inherent dangers and we assume the risks of things that can happen every day we roll out of bed.

Who are we to chastise and belittle others who enjoy our sport. My position, support and educate, share personal stories and hope others heed our warnings and apply some aspect of the message to their personal operation. It's no different that how our parents raised us. We take our experiences and hope that our children have a better experience and learn from our teachings.

In part, many of the messages throughout pages of posts/threads, some "big swingers" take shots at others. I'm not going to knock the guy who runs a '88 Baja Force because it's a 20yr old boat. I'm going to encourage the individual to enjoy the sport because as long as you're on the water you're in a better place than most. I'm not going to feel as less of a boater because I'm running a 6yr old used boat because I can't afford a 50' cat.

I boat within my means. I spend within my means. I enjoy life for what it is and try to ensure everyone around me has a positive experience as well. It often seems that those who ridicule others are projecting the lack of "self" on others and it sure is EASY when you're doing it through the security of a keyboard.

Remember, we're all on this forum to enjoy, learn, and share our passion for the water, smell of exhaust, thump of a cam, and the ding in our wallet to maintain and fuel our passion.