Your Boat is about to hook...
 

What do you do??

There's been too many unfortunate posts about accidents and people getting hurt this year. Is there anything you can do if your boat is about to hook? Say you launch off a wake, pull back on the throttles to avoid overrreving, you're airborne and your bow is headed to port and you know you will land a bit sideways. I would assume you would cut the wheel to the right and get back on the gas when you hit. to hopefully straighten it out upon re-entry. I'm asking because I have no idea really what you should do in this situation. Will this help, or are you SOL at that point?

Good question.
I would probably mess my shorts at that point. :eek:
Honestly, I don't know what I'd do.

I'm sure we could all come up with good suggestions but I think only someone that's actually been in that situation could answer it or handle it properly. Someone like a professional driver or throttleman.

I normally say a quick prayer and add " OH CHIT" at the end. This usually comes before the wife knocks the #*&& outta me.

Hey Bill, let me know about that 340 Vyper

RICK252-- our wives must be related. RFLMAO

Hit the gas !!
 

Slam dem throttles and ride it out ..or garb your ankles:D

I would think that you would want the drive as straight as possible when you land----as it should be when you launch also. The boat won't turn to port in the air unless you were turning to port when you launched. If this is the case, then sqaut down low in your bolster and hang on :D I would still try to straighten out as much as possible for the landing.

I don't think there's a darn thing you can do if you're already going sideways while airborne. Even if you turn the outdrive the opposite way to counteract, by the time the outdrive is able to take effect, its too late.

Think of it this way...You have the entire length of the hull pushing the boat sideways as you come back in contact with the water, and only the outdrive trying to turn it back. Your best bet is to keep the outdrive straight and hang on for dear life!

I had a similar thing happen to me a few weeks back at Havasu. The boat hooked and threw my girlfriend across the boat into the dash & steering wheel. Cracked & bruised a few ribs.

First you say it, and then you do it.

???? You wouldn't mean OH S%$t!!!

Speaking from experience from the one and hopefully only time this happened to me, i dont think there is much of anything you can do.
It all happened so fast in my case i didnt know what happened till i found myself sitting on the floor in the middle of the boat holding onto the steering wheel and a pair of bent throttles! :eek:
My buddy who was in the passenger bolster almost went overboard! Luck for him he was holding onto the "OH Chit" handle on the side of the bolster. He said he almost busted his elbow slamming against it. Needless to say after it all we looked at each other and went straight for the Adville cause we knew we were gonna be hurt'n later after that ride!!!

Troutly u r correct...but timing,trim is everything...it's not how u do something it's when! having ideas about how to correct something after the fact is not how to do it...turning in mid air is never a good thing!


"then sqaut down low in your bolster and hang on"...i love it!!..text book!

Read the water........................... As your speed increases your focal point should be moving further out in direct proportion. You should be making adjustments long before you hit the problem water....trimming down....and (gasp) REDUCING SPEED.....before you hit water that your boat can't handle. Too many boaters drive by looking at tachs, trim gauges and speedos....and are not concentrating on conditions.


Bottom line....If you are unsure.......BACK OFF....before the problem occurs. Once you reach the point of no return...you are basically in the hands of God, but you would be surprised how many good hulls will talk (scream) to you and give you many subtle warnings......If you're listening.


T2x

T2X,

44' Scarabs whisper, softly, very softly, so softly that even two semi intelligent people can't hear it :) OK, maybe they heard it but were'nt so semi intelligent afterall..........:eek: :eek: :eek:

Hydro drivers..............should drive hydros.............. Vee hulls...especially overly narrow ones....are for runabout drivers.

:p

T2x

PS: Besides, I said "good hulls"

TX2 is correct. Read the water and look for that 10th or so wave it could be the one that gets you in trouble.
As for hydro drivers, no coment, but a cat will act like a hydro a lot. Been there, done that in a hydro (5L).
Other than that, grab the "jesus bar" (AKA Jersey Skiff)!

I was running hard with a nut job buddy of mine in 4-5 foot swells. The conditions were near perfect and we had jackets on and I was tethered. I had a very nice rithum for about 35 minutes of launching the boat (big) clearing the center swell and landing with enough room to charge the next and do it again. We were pushing mid sixties with big grins... Well as you could and we knew there was a rogue wave that happend to be the center we should have cleared. The back skipped and the bow came down. We both got low in the bolsters and held on (big eyes). I applied light throttle to keep boat streight but not too much to bring it around. Guesstimating I would have to say the boat went from about 65 to 5 in the matter of 50 feet or so. Quite an stop. The bow never pierced the water but could have only missed by inches. I remained in my bolster but my passenger did hit the cabin door hard. I would say the boat stayed right on coarse except for Steve being thrown toward to the right.
It was a reflex to apply lite thottles. In cars, bikes, snowmobiles ect. it has always been my experience to keep the vehical moving in the direction it was designed to travel and it will stieghten out.
Im not posting this with the recommendation that you do this. Im posting this as a personal experince. I would like to hear some proffessional feedback as to weather throttles are recommended or not.

and for the books Steve is ok, he even has a new bar trick where he opens his eye's REALY wide and they pop out alittle bit. ;-)

:p I've been there too!! at 65 mph & in the length of time you have AFTER you say "Oh CHIT"....it's already over & done with....your just pickin' up the bodies and sayin' "Oh God, I'm glad your not hurt badly." Once the boat starts to turn in the air, nothing but NOTHING is going to change that, and turning the drive MAY make the situation worse by adding another violent turn on landing. I cannot even imagine hooking a boat over 65 and not being seriously screwed.......you sure can't hang on.:(

T2x,

Once again, I am humbled by the clarity of your observation,

Schmuck :p :p

Best to Darren!

BACK OFF THROTTLES--BRACE FOR IMPACT.....ONCE YOUR AIRBORNE ITS TOO LATE...:eek: HOPE YOU HAVE A VEE BOTTOM ITS A LOT MORE FORGIVING THAN A CAT

Steve:

That's "Mister Schmuck" to you............

T2x

Hey Incognito:

re:

"Hope you have a Vee bottom...It's a lot more forgiving than a cat"

.................NOT!


If you blow it....you blow it....... Cat's just let you do it at a higher speed........ ask Mr. David.

T2x

T2x,
:D

Thanks for the replies and insight. By the look of it, the answer to the original question is that you are SOL.

T2x
 

Sorry about the typo (TX2). Nothing worse than getting someones name or handle wrong!

Strike

Cats are less forgiving than a vee bottom??? Have you ever been in a cat? Why don't cats have standup seats? Don't need them.

Make sure you are wearing your lanyard to shut the boat off when you get ejected.

This guy got ejected but still held onto the wheel. Boat never flipped.

Sorry I have a photo but can't get it small enough to meet the 60,000 byte size and still have it large enough to see.

GAS IT !!!
 

If your crooked on launch and or in the air , and you back off the throttles ..When you reenter its like having drift anchors on the back ..The non spinning props act like brakes , pushing the bow deeper into the water making it hook harder ....Gas It as soon as you can ! Im talking V's from experience..

You got it Pantera1
 

Throttle your way out, and tell your rider to grab the "jesus bar"! A non rotating prop will act like a sea anchor!

Hey Strike:

No sweat about the spelling.......but you can always edit the post.

Let's see....you're an old hydro driver from Niagara Falls......Hmmm? (T2x rummages in the vast resources of his "obsolete" mind and pulls out this little nugget)............... Ever heard of "Joy Boy".......Joe Giambrone?........... How about Jules LeBouef?

T2x.......... So original, that BEFORE they made him ....they broke the mold.;)

Hope your wearing your vests and kill switches :eek:

It seems a lot of the boats people are getting hurt and killed in are big cats that are hooking and barrel rolling. Got a 30 Cobra Cat recently and I'm still learning the boat. Anybody got ideas on how not to barrel roll it. Just lookin for some tips from the more experienced that might come into use when I start sayin OH CHIT!
I had 21 Daytona that I almost blew over once, after that scary situation I gave the boat a lot more respect. I also learned to keep the bow trimmed down and fly the boat in the air as level as possible. By doing this the threat of tripping the boat was greatly reduced too. Got sick of gettin pounded to peices by the Hudson River chop, so I went for the bigger boat. Bigger boat means a bigger learning curve in my eyes. So far the boat seems very stable because of its size but I dont wanna barrel roll. I'm Still Learnin ;)

Yeah Johnny, are the props spinning in or out?

T2x
 

Joe was a very close friend before he was killed. I haven't seen the Frenchman in a while, but heard his son was driving GPU. I used to run a 280 Farmer, added Don Turner as driver, and won a few. Remember Howie Benns? He drive everything, including the "Bud". He is still s good friend. We had so many race boats then, we were called "The Grand Island Navy". You may remember the races in Tonawanda at Isle View Park. Had some big ones!
Then I was chairing races here and introduced Offshore to the area in 1986 with the first race on the Niagara River, with the aid of Jay Smith. Then we moved up to Lake Erie in Buffalo near Crawdaddy's and ran Divsionals and Kilos. Chaired those and became an Offshore Ref.
Was President of Buffalo Offshore also.
Got away from the politics, and am now just running the Fun Run for Toys For Tots here. Too damn busy at the Marina in the summer to play much.
Nice to have coms with someone with your knowledge (and memory)!

Humphrey

T2x
 

BTW, does Gordy Reed in the Eriqous Cheif (Aka Z-Zip) ring a bell? Then he bought the 7L Lauderback "Miss Genny".
The old "Baby Doll" and many more. Damn it was fun then, no politics!

ok guy's here's my two cent's.


yes you can controll the hook if you are paying attention. first of all never chop the throttles. that will cause a step boat to go over. if you are in the air and see that your boat is coming down on an angle other than straight and you know ware your drives are positioned, then turn with the boat. ( if your bow is going to the right then turn to the right. just like a car turning into the spin to gain control.) the main thing is do not panic. stay on the throttle and when you land slowley ease off straithen her out and keep going.

if you guy's are going to be doing high speed's in a step boat here is a list of does and don't that you must live by or the boat will bite you.

1) if it's your first time in the boat take it out byourself in a river or bay and keep it under sixty for 25 hours. get to know the boat. every boat is diffrent. even if it's the same make you just had. fool around with the trim and see how the boat reacts. turn it to the left, turn it to the right. see what it does in flat water . see what it does in rough water. it takes time but eventually you will be able to feel the boat and it will talk to you and tell you what it needs. after that take a whole bunch of people on the boat at a safe speed for a couple hours and see what it does. you must respect the boat and water and realize they are more powerfull then you and you are there for a ride. the sea givith and the sea taketh.
2) never pull the throtle back to fast. your not alowing the air under the step to go anywhere therefore it will cause the boat to get lose and many times roll over. ( most roll overs occur under sixty miles an hour due to cutting the throtles back to quik.) even if your gonna hit sombody or something do your best to minimize the damage and steer away but don't chop the throtle it will create an even worse situation.
3) when going into a turn do not trim the drives in. leave in the position they were before the turn.4) always where your kill switch.
5) if you know your going to going over 60 mile per hour where some type of life jacket.

basically i will reiterate what i said. take the boat out byyourself so you have nobody bothering you and learn your boat. even proffesional boat racers thought they could run a boat they never drove before and have paid the ultimate price.

well that's all i can think of now if you have anymore questions just ask.

Treadwell

Just Ask Treadwell...hmmm,a new advice column?
 

excellent advice.all too often panic takes control of the situation and BAD thing happen.

I've hooked, stuffed, rolled, and pitched out at 80 plus. If you go off sideways its because you wern't payin close enough attention or you got caught by a really weird one. @#&$^@ happens!
I agree with Pantera, Touch up a bit on reentry and hope you have good bolsters. If your real lucky you'll come out of it with some twisted/sprained muscles.
Remember, unless your racing for BIG points and Flags, it isn't worth hurting you passengers. They have no idea what's about to happen to them.
Say some prayers and start reading the water a bit closer, WATCH OUT in a Quartering Sea.
Good Luck

Good advice Treadwell.
I have seen to many try to run boats, cars, bikes, etc without spending enough time adjusting to and developing the reactions needed to control that vehicle.

Good advice Tread, or as Mr. Offshore stated in the case of our boats, just let the design do its work and drive out of it.
Chris Reindl

THE BEST WAY TO SOLVE ALL OF THESE PROBLEMS IS TO KEEP THE BOAT IN THE WATER WHERE IT BELONGS TABS, TABS, TABS, ALOT OF PEOPLE THINK YOU DON'T NEED THEM OR THAT THEY ARE JUST TO LEVEL OUT THE BOAT BUT THE FACT IS THEY ARE LIFE OR AT LEAST BONE SAVERS EVEN A 50FT BOAT IF TRIMMED AND TABBED POORLY WILL FLY AND NOBODY CAN READ WATER PERFECTLY I LEARNED THIS LESSON THE HARDWAY RUNNING 75MPH IN A POKER RUN WITH 3 OF MY FRIENDS WE LANDED SO HARD IT THREW EVERYBODY ALL OVER THE BOAT INCLUDING ME I WAS IN THE FLOOR WITH THE THROTTLES WIDE OPEN LUCKILY NOBODY WAS HURT BUT THE BOAT BROKE A STRINGER ALSO ALWAYS WEAR YOUR LANYARDS AS WAS NOT