How many parents let their kids take the boats out?
 

I was wondering how many of you guys and gals let your kids take out the boats no supervision?
I know that when I was 13 I was out boating without supervision but I had been boating since I was 4. I had a ton of fun and people were always freaking out that I was the one in command of the vessel. I thought that it was funny.
Hunter

Re: How many parents let their kids take the boats out?
 

Wheres Lucky Strike? :D

Re: How many parents let their kids take the boats out?
 

i know me and my buddies were 15.. the parents were nervous every min we were gone.. id never let my kids take out any of my boats so young, if i had any. it was a different time.. today, forget about it.. never

Re: How many parents let their kids take the boats out?
 

Awe some on man think about the god times you had...I will let my keds take out my boat when I have some kids. That wont be for a while but whatever.
Hunter

Re: How many parents let their kids take the boats out?
 

Let's see... 22 foot boat, 600 HP engine, 19 year-old son.

I THINK NOT!!!

:(

Re: How many parents let their kids take the boats out?
 

I started young.
My Dad had taken the tender in to pick up some people. We had two anchors out in the Long Island Sound.
Suddenly the wind picked up and had shifted while my dad was halfway to shore.
Fortunately at age 11 I knew enough from watching him just what to do. He heard the engines start and saw me turn it into the wind. I just hung it there until he returned. I was glad I noticed we were drifting. It was not much longer before we would have been on the rocks.
Here is the boat: 57 foot Lazy Dayz which I eventually bought from him when I was 27...and lived on it for 4 or 5 years.

Re: How many parents let their kids take the boats out?
 

let me take it out ... NOPE. Did I take it out? YUP :D
I was always very careful, never stupid, always refilled gas used. He knew anyway though.

Circumstances completely different with my kids though ... First off they are girls (2 of them, 15 & 12) and when I was sneaking out at 15yrs old it was in 21' Nova single 188HP / 24 Bayliner / 24 Baja Outlaw 454 mag. My daughters, on other hand, would be 'sneaking' out in 35' Cig with 2/650HP blower motors :eek: I don't think they'd get too far .... and gas would be quite the show stopper LOL :D :p

Re: How many parents let their kids take the boats out?
 

Oh hell, at 2 1/2 years old she did a great job with the wheel at 45mph. She even got it on the trailer on the 1st try! :eek:

Re: How many parents let their kids take the boats out?
 

Boats weren't a qtr million back then...............

Re: How many parents let their kids take the boats out?
 

Been boating since I was 7. Had my own boat since i was 10.
Where I lived it was common for all the kids to have their own boats and be responsible enough to be entrusted with it.
My parents had a 36' Chris Craft which I could operate as well as Dad, but he'd never, ever let me take it out alone.

I'm talking about us kids having 12-16' foot OB powered boats. Not some 400-900 hp monster. Hell no to that. Getting a young kid something like that is like buying a 16 year old a Corvette for their first car. You're just asking for trouble.