LPA2106

what i would really like to know from someone who has "been there" and recovered the boat....is if the boat took off and started doing donuts or whatever and you were fighting to get it back under control what did you do? and how difficult was it to regain control..how fast were you going etc..

HyperBaja

I think you are pretty close to dead either way.

LPA2106

In my old boat it could do a "squirrley" 75mph...i never felt comfortable over 70 mph..and felt most at ease cruising at 50 mph...I liked having a reserve and power for a good take off and carrying a load....at these speeds I never got close to a spill..maybe I am chicken ??

SummerObsession

There have been numerous threads on this very subject.
Go to the botton of the page on the General Discussion front page and find the "Search this forum" box and type in what you want to look for.

Or, buy my 35 Twin step Cig and go learn like I did.
Seat time and feel, that's the ticket. Oh and what Matt (IDRPSTF) said, he knows.

Von Bongo

Step or non step...I don't think it matters.

What matters is knowing the limits of your equipment and operate well within them..if you are going to operate on the fringe then take the appropriate safety precautions.

This thread comes up ever year when there are accidents. As a student pilot I my instructor made me read the NTSB reports every month so I could learn from others mistakes. Anopther thing he said that I carry over to boating was never scare your passengers because while you may be in control it reflects badly on general aviation.

Be it an airplane, race car, boat or whatever sometimes enough things happen beyond our control that an accident is unavoidable. The key is to try to lessen that possibility as much as possible and yes maybe there needs to be an OSO training course that is agreed to by manufactures and the insurance industry like ATV's to help us prove we are competent operators.

IDRPSTF

Another thing to learn from NTSB reports: Most fatal accidents happen with High Time pilots. Boating is very much the same. Nobody should be comfortable at 90 MPH. in a boat. Respect the boat. When you stop respecting what you are driving, it will remind you that you should have!

Where is Stinsen? He has done a few looped de loops in his day. The best thing, is that he can explain exactly what happened leading up to them, both in the boat and hydrodynamicely.

In becoming a pilot they teach you not to let the plane get ahead of you. In boating, the water is ever changing and unpredictable, you will never really get ahead of the boat. But by slowly progressing, you will learn cause and effect and how to instinctively counter bad situations.

To be honest, over 90 MPH scares me more than 8 footers. I have been at this a long time, and my limits are still set low!
I will only teach someone how to drive up to 80MPH. After that they are on their own, I will give them the names of a few raceboat drivers and give pointers from the docks. Along with letting them know that they are not ready. Another thing all pilots know: Before your first solo, the instructor will take you out for an hour and break you overconfidence, then let you solo, it works!!!

Be Safe!

MD

Donzi Corleone

The way I see it, dont take a turn at a very high speed. Theirs really no reason too unless your racing. Turns are where things can get ugly if your not trimmed right. I felt a slip coming once in a 22zx Donzi with a stepped hull,just backed off ever so slightly and it recovered instantly, seat time is everything. As for the cats if your trimmed right its like your car going around a curve,no lean just grabbing and accelerating. Like it was said earlier RESPECT IT AND DONT TAKE CHANCES and you'll do fine.

THEJOKER

Speed2lead has some good points. I raced a 38 TS Cig on some very tight courses and we never spun the boat out. Stepped boats like trim and leave the tabs alone. Never turn any boat at a high rate of speed (unles it's for a bowling trophy). I think most of the spin out / flips lately are due to driver error , running over something is totally different. Attach your safety lanyards and to those of you that don't have them , GET THEM. I can't imagine a mfg selling a boat without proper instructions on how to run it and not installing safety lanyards! BH

Downtown42

Well said Speed. Power turns are the main problem here. Why you have to crank the wheel to show off is beyond me. Friend of mine bought a new Envision at LOTO in 98. The salesman took him out before the deal to show him how the boat would turn at full throttle. He cranked it all the way and threw him and his wife against the dash and got kind of banged up. My friend admitted that he and the wife should have been better prepared before the turn and did not blame the salesman. He bought the boat. Passengers will respect me for driving in control and not like a 16yr old kid with a GTO ( me when I was 16 ). People get scared enough just getting in the boat and hearing the motors. All these wrecks I believe are caused by cranking the wheel.

Another pet peeve: why do guys hole shot from dead start, slam the throttles down and take off? That must be really user friendly on one's drive train huh? Yeah I want to buy that guy's boat when he sells it. Want to drag race, then build a drag boat or go the drag strip.

wwwTOPDJcom

I Have a rather Large step and its tricky to make a hard turn, I rather do them under 40mph,, I really have no reason to make a hard turn unless its a colision avoidance move. but now with the new BB and a increase of 170hp over the previous motor , I will have to learn this boat all over again