Thanks for all of the input, now the fun part…picking a boat. I've been out of this for a while, but I have looked at every manufacturer and am between 4 boats: Early 2000 TS 38 Top Guns, Early 2000 37 Outerlimits, 2007-2008 Donzi 38ZR's, and 2007-2008 Fountain 38 Lightnin's.

Never been a big Donzi or Fountain fan, but the newer boats for the same money and higher speeds with same hp have me leaning that way. I would love a Top Gun but I have yet to find an early 2000 paint scheme that I like, I love all the 2006-2008 paint schemes but they are all out of my price range. I also said I would never own a non staggered boat again. I've always loved OL's but there are very few available and none are exactly what I want or are overpriced but there are a couple with #6 drives and that would be awesome. Not regularly boating in rough water so that is not a big factor for me. Not an easy decision.

If you look close you can see my 3 yo. https://youtu.be/NQkGxuHmBvE


You MUST always have your eye on the child (off plane.) On plane you MUST hold there hand at least. Mine sits on my lap when I drive. :) :)

I don't ever boat with the kids without another adult I trust onboard.

As you can see. Even at the dock i never let an eye off him. If i really want to boat I leave him at home :)

One time when we first started going out, we were at the boat launch and he was wigging out . ( I put his life jacket on in the truck . ). Anyway he went by the water. He was insusing on me walking ro the water with him. So i kinda followed him and he went up to the water edge and did a huge bratty mud puddle stomp. You know the green moss was slippery !!! And he went in. It was cold. He rolled over and started crying . It was hard not to laugh . But by staying back he learned that falling in the water sucks . Now he is real carefull. Lol

My daughter started in our Allison at 4 weeks old and now she drives most days at the age of 13. (Actually one of her first rides was from Palatka to the Glen on St. Johns) My son started st 11 months, but that's only because he's adopted and that's when we got him. Haha.

Get them a good comfortable jacket and get them used to wearing it, even if that means around the house.

Teach them to swim as soon as you can.

Good sun lotion. My wife has used NoAd on our kids since they were infants and she swears by it.

Then have fun! Good luck!

Nice thread! I also have had my oldest out as soon as it was possible. She is now 5 and there is no way that boat leaves the garage without her knowing about it. We started out with a small jet boat, then moved to an open bow, and now I have a Powerquest 260. While none of them are gonna light the world on fire, she loves the Powerquest the most with the cabin and the fact that its faster than the other 2.

I will add that this shouldn't just be a mentality for boating, but for all things. Get them started as early as possible and they will grow into the sport and have a healthy respect for it and the dangers that are potentially involved.

http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k3...7306225891.jpg

http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k3...7306278873.jpg

http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k3...7306312217.jpg

http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k3...7306302659.jpg

She absolutely loves it and the boat and snowmobiles dont leave anywhere without her knowing. I love that shes so into it. She even watches boating videos on youtube and keeps telling mom we need a bigger, faster boat.....:lolhit:

That's so awesome, what kind of life jacket is that she has on in the fishing picture? I want to get a good life jacket for her.

Its an HO Sports life jacket. We have two of them. They are very nice because they have the strap that goes between their legs and it has a strap around the back that you can lift the kids with in case needed. My wife got 2 of them at different times at Costco I believe. USCG approved and they work very well

I grew up boating in the UK with my family, my parents had an old Vosper PT boat they converted after the war. We crossed the English Channel every summer for vacations in France and up and down the coast. Our kids are growing up the same way but the Vosper got replaced with a Fountain, it's easier on the fuel!

http://www.performanceboats.com/gall...Oneill_24_.jpg
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The speed doesn't upset my kids, nor does the noise. We spend as much time as possible on the water every year both summer and winter. My daughter, now 9, backs the Fountain off the trailer, drops the drives, fires both mills up, spins it in a crowded marina and plants it on the dock without any problems. We're working on the V-Drive but that takes a bit more skill. Both my kids know how to tie off and how many wraps to put on a cleat. If you boat then get your kids out there and don't worry about what kind of rig you're buying, they'll do just fine.

https://youtu.be/cPg3gk_a5lU

A little later.

https://youtu.be/WLIO1xfJwJ8

And an oldie but goodie

https://youtu.be/1l1jYLzi5ms

My 9 year old is not a huge fan of bigger water but my 12 year old sure enjoys it. Sometimes she`s the only one that will go out with me in that stuff to have some fun.


(water never looks big on the go pro but there were some good one out there}


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DVSZeWy1NSs

She knows what to do there at the end :


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D5bPEU_O1Wk&t=2s

My son is the same way. He tells his mom to day at the dock so we can go have fun jumping waves going fast.

Saw that boat on your instagram when I was looking Tres, beautiful but was out of my price range. Just bought one with 525's and want to take your class but just missed the Florida dates. What can I do? I am in Jacksonville.

First time Jade was on the water was 6 weeks old and she was born on March 2nd 2016. She Loves it. She's bee out at least 20x since she was 6 weeks old. Be smart and no reason why you and the whole family can't enjoy it.

http://i1344.photobucket.com/albums/...psvdcyu85i.jpg 6 weeks

http://i1344.photobucket.com/albums/...ps7kt0h6l0.jpg 5 1/2 mth

http://i1344.photobucket.com/albums/...psuhh3fg1k.jpg 7 month

Has her own life line and all but still doesn't fit into it. Does have her full Ruffled Feathers gear.

http://i1344.photobucket.com/albums/...psyw19not2.jpg

My son has saltwater running through his veins. The two photos attached are from his first day out on the water at 6 months old and the last day we had the boat out this year, eight years later!

Time sure does fly, it seems like he was a baby just yesterday!

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I am doing my best I can to start them young! I like the boat since we can easily boat on the lake across the street. Especially throw out the anchor and go swimming. The oldest is really getting hooked. He loves watching SBI racing on YouTube. He can point out Nigil, Sthil, whm, cat can do, and even knows Pete Myers races instigator. Many proud daddy moments. He will also spend time watching poker run boats, jets, and, v-drives. He is definitely my spawn! The second pic captures the excitement when the project jet boat was backed in.
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[IMG]http://i1149.photobucket.com/albums/...ps2332a4e2.jpg[/IMG] here is one from way back, him working on boat parts in his onezy over the winter. I believe he was 4

Here is my son at 8 getting on plain and running the 33zx
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=2OYKx70bhCA

Fak Yeah Bro! you're wife :)

Thats the coolest looking 32 I have ever seen. How fast and what power??

On the old Regal 277xl
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We had our daughters in the water from infancy and on the boat tubing with me at 5mo. There are life jackets for every body size and we still have the small stuff for when friends and family go out with us. Our girls love the boat, taking care of it and swimming. Our overnights at different places is always a family adventure so we have enough boat for everyone. The cabin is a must for us with the kids but works well even as a go-fast boat. The girls are now 11, and 7 and the oldest is wanting to drive the triples. :eek:

Don't overlook Formula for a fast, family fix boat. We love the 419 FASTech and our smaller 242's are my kids favorite sometimes because the ride is more enthusiastic than the big bird.

There is a way for everyone so just consider well all the needs with family and your speed need and then you are set for family memories for all.
Good luck on choosing and good times.

Slow ride home to the dock across Lake Pend Oreille Idaho

Mine have been boating since about 2/3 months old. 65 mph and they'd fall asleep. I obviously wasn't out launching the boat out of the water for a few years until they were comfortable with the speeds.

They are 11 now and this year was their first actual fun (poker style) run. They loved it. They are in my avatar on that run:)

Kids on port side :)
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Oh yeah and teach them how to wax your trailer young.....:drink:[ATTACH=CONFIG]561100[/ATTACH]