Donzi Corleone

98% of them don't look back or even give a damn whats around them..I know there fun, but you need to know your surroundings. I steer away from them, but they race over like a pact of bees when they see something they think they can run with. I have to push them away at the docks because there clueless as to why it wont turn when they turn the handlebar. I have to scream at them "STAY OFF THE THROTTLE" this close. It's unfortunate, but these things are going to happen. This is gonna be with him always.

PorscheSpeed

S2L-

You are 100% right. most of them have NO concern for other boaters. most at our local lake try and jump our wake 10 foot from the stern. its a accident waiting to happen. And the ones with Supercharged skis think they can hang with the big boys. they are the ones who will put their ego before safety or the concern for others

BonnieOutlaw

Something VERY similar to this happened to a friend of mine. He immediately sold his powerboat and went with a cruiser. The man didn't die, but it really shook him up. He was going to stop boating altogether, but loves it so much he went with something slower.

We have a few PWC's at the cottage and every summer we take the older cousins out on it a few times before letting them run it by themselves. They've each taken the safety course, but it's another whole ball game when you're on the water. The very first mistake they make is turn without thoroughly looking on all sides and behind them. Huge no no. And, they're not young kids...20 something year old and responsible.

It's all in safety...driving defensively...and most of that begins the first time out. Too many people think it's a breeze and underestimate the danger.

My heart goes out to those involved.

mcollinstn

I've got PWC's. I've got kids. I'm convinced that the two can mix well if you follow the correct steps.

As has been mentioned, PWC's can be extremely dangerous due to their strong acceleration and quick turning. Their sporty nature encourages their riders to do all the wrong stuff.

And I'm guilty of every one of those bad PWC things that have been griped about. I jump wakes. I spin out and do donuts. I turn hard and run fast.

I also make sure I always know where everything is around me at all times. I behave in traffic, and save my play riding for areas where there's plenty of room for it. And I typically jump the wakes of my friends' boats, not those of strangers.

I teach my kids to do the same. For the years prior to my letting them ride alone, they were constantly reminded of safe riding rules. Anytime one of my children ever slowed dramatically or changed direction without a good visual check, they were not allowed to drive again until the following weekend (remember, this is while they doubled me on the back). My kids got very good at checking every time long before they were ever allowed out alone. The next step was to let them ride by themselves while I rode another close by. Any judgement or procedural error was another week's grounding. I'm proud of my kids and their PWC riding habits.

I also let them drive the Whaler by themselves. Just like I did when I was a kid.

Back to dangerous PWC's. I know a 34 yr old man who broke his leg when he turned in front of a boat on a PWC. He was very experienced and let his awareness lapse. I know a 35 yr old man who was riding a PWC and his wife was riding another. He spun out in front of her, and she let off the throttle in panic and was unable to turn. He suffered a handfull of broken ribs and a concussion. There was also a death a few years back from a PWC that turned into the side of a passing boat (wasn't run over, they actually turned and t-boned the boat with a PWC).

I also see 45 yr old men in bassboats running 80 at night. And 40 yr old men in offshore style boats driving under the influence of alcohol. Ever watch people try to dock their boats? It amazes me that there are people in control of a 10,000 pound 100mph missile on the waterways who cannot even adequately bring their machine near a stationary object with any sort of success. And it frightens me to think that they are out there with all the other boats.

Remember, guys. Water sports are fun, but they involve water and people can drown. Motorsports are fun, but they involve speed and can kill due to collisions or impact. Doesn't really matter whether it is a PWC, a canoe, a bassboat, or a Cigarette.

Granted, a PWC has no business cutting and spinning in a busy pleasureboat area. Just like a kayak ought to know better than to paddle across a busy channel on Labor Day. Common sense is the responsibility of the driver, of the people. It is not tied to the machine.

It's a shame that PWC's are blamed for the problem. People are the problem. Honda made 3 wheelers years ago that became popular. They were raced and ridden recreationally (I believe since 1971) and provided a lot of fun. After they became popular, parents began buying their teenaged children 35 horsepower racing models and turning them loose with no training, supervision, or protective gear. The resultant deaths and injuries prompted aggressive lawsuits against the manufacturers. As a result of that, the manufacturers simply stopped making them.

Perhaps some of you self absorbed SOB's feel that PWC's need to be extinct.

And that makes you no better than the blowboaters and their ludicrous assertions that speedboats do not belong on their waterways.

I am sad to hear of the incident with the teenaged girls. I see "clones" of them on my own lake. Clueless kids with no training on PWCs running wide open and darting with no warning. A sad sight indeed.

BAJA WILL

Two summers ago I had a really close call with a green seadoo with 2 teenage boys on it, they seriously went under the BEAK, at 60mph. Shook me up so bad I had to stop and gather myself. I actually saw the dock they came from and went over to inform the parents of what happened. After I told the father, he said how did I not know I was in the wrong, I swiftly pulled out my coast guard card, and said this is how I know. My final words with him was "If your son continues to drive that way he will not live long" He then actually thanked me for telling him what happened

PS. we had two persons killed on PWC last summer here on SML.

WILL MURRAY

Brad

I think this is the key! Taking time to teach kids the proper way to operate them

Good Job mcollinstn

US1 Fountain

iTrader: (1)

Last yr on our lake I had a C.O. on PWC cut right in front of me. We were both going along the shore when he decided to go to the other side of the lake. Just turned and went. No looky. Thought for sure he was going to be part of the boat. He looked at us with that "WHAT?" look! Should've hit the focker. Wanted to give him a peice of my mind, but figured I would be targeted afterwards. So can't blame only the kids.

t500hps

We have a PWC, bassboat, Cruiser, and performance boat in the family. The PWC are a blast because they are so manuverable, but people have to remember the waterways are like highways and PWC are like dirt bikes. (How often do you see a dirt bike playing on the interstate.) We do Hard turns and spins etc, but move well outside the channel into 3-4 feet of water where the boats have no business being anyway. In the middle of the day when traffic is heaviest we typically leave the thing at the dock.

Namwot

Texas Parks and Wildlife Stats:

Year Accidents Injuries Fatalities
1997 258 222 69
1998 252 187 53
1999 262 186 51
2000 257 173 55
2001 242 191 41
2002 249 153 61
2003 264 175 39

Alcohol plays a role in 50 percent of all boating accidents.
The use of a U.S. Coast Guard-approved life jacket would eliminate nearly 85 percent of boating fatalities.
A typical boating accident fatality involves:
An open motorboat 83 percent of the time;Weekends 59 percent of the time;
The hours between Noon and 7 p.m. 59 percent of the time;
The victim falling overboard, 34 percent of the time;
An operator between 26-50 years of age 52 percent of the time; and
A personal watercraft, 9 percent of the time.

Only 9 Percent of boating fatalities in Texas involve a PWC.
I would have guessed that to be a lot higher. I have to agree with mcollinstn that PWC's are not the problem but the operators are. I have actually watched a boat hit a PWC and kill the grown Man on it and yes I still hate them and I used to own one but that still does not make the pwc the problem. From the stats here, Alcohol and not wearing a life jacket is still a much larger problem than PWCs. I always assume the PWC is going to turn in front of me just as I do the other boat. If it means slowing and coming off plane because I don't know what the other guy is going to do, I will do it. Sometimes the idea that we need to maintain 70 mph isn't the smartest thing we can do.

Donzi Corleone

[QUOTE=t500hps, but people have to remember the waterways are like highways and PWC are like dirt bikes. (How often do you see a dirt bike playing on the interstate.) We do Hard turns and spins etc, but move well outside the channel into 3-4 feet of water where the boats have no business being anyway. In the middle of the day when traffic is heaviest we typically leave the thing at the dock.[/QUOTE]

EXACTLY, So many around here juke all over the place in the middle of the ICW on the weekend with boats all over the place. I would not find that fun with so many dangers around me. Some of these boaters have thrown a few back (beer) and they may make a stupid choice. I prefer to slow and the PWC make his move, no second guessing.
Im not about banning them just making them take notice.