Pontoon Boat & Deck Boat Forum

So we had an early day today. I was in the parking lot getting the boat ready to head on down the road. When I took the boat out, somebody was putting in some old POS jetski. Now, if you are looking toward the water from where I was, our boat ramp is off to the right, a dock straight in front, and the cove ends to the left. Across from the dock is a few camp sites with nice access to the water. I guess the guy who put in the jet ski was camping across the way with some people. Also, keep in mind that the cove is about 50 yards across. Well, the next thing I know, I hear that jet ski rev up, and this guy is doing all kinds of spins, stunts, and high speed turns in the cove (no-wake obviously). He did that for 5 minutes or so then he hauled butt out of the cover and into the lake (going about 60 in a no-wake). Well, he came back a minute or two later and continued his stunts.

Here is where things get interesting. Our docks kinda suck. They are wood rectangles with steel edging. Iron rods hang over the steel edging and support old tires for buffers. Works ok most of the time, but there are some places where the tires have fallen off leaving a nice exposed iron rod. Usually not much of an issue though. Well this guy flies back into the cove and continues his stunts. Well there was a guy tied to the dock with a nice $80 k wake setter. The pwc's wake caused so much bouncing back and fourth that the wake setter crunched up against the iron rod. It made a horrible scratching sound. Man, that guy started raising all kinds of hell yelling at the dude on the pwc. Of course, the guy on the pwc couldn't understand english. He hauled butt out of the cove, and I ended up leaving. Poor guy with the new boat....

same at the lake I use...they have no respect for other's

It is like that at the places I have been at. I can be out enjoying a nice rid or anchored cooking up some dogs or burger n here comes the jet skiers they thik they are the only ones on the water. Or while fishing they see how close they can get to you. That is why I keep plenty of 2 and 3 oz sinkers handy.

YEP, I been working or loading my toon and watched them come through people fishing, I though he was going to go on back to the river that way or I would have had a heavy weight on my pole to hit him with, when he came back by, he was lucky he didn't try it again

We have the same problem here in Florida where I live. I think most of the problem is that the people riding the jet ski's don't have a clue about boating rules or laws....they just jump on them and go fast....and of course a lot of them add alcohol to the mix which creates serious problems.

We were out yesterday with several friends enjoying our new boat anchored out at one of the local islands (Anclote Sandbar) which is a popular spot on a hot summer day. Of course this group of jet ski's come screaming back and forth at full throttle right in front of all the boats making as much wake as possible...then they go around the tip of the island and start doing the same thing on the other side rather close to everyone swimming. One guy snorkeling (yes he had his diving buoy with him) almost got run over by these morons. Finally enough people go tired of these idiots and started screaming at them to get the hell out of there, which they finally did.

Like Ron White says, "you can't fix stupid".....and these morons walk into their local watercraft store and demand the biggest and fastest jet ski's they sell and hit the water without a clue a few hours later.

I'm also a PWC guy, and have had them since 1985. It's a shame that some people can abuse the rights of others.

On our lake, every dock has one or two PWC's. Since the State required boat drivers' licenses and mandatory testing, we've seen a drastic improvement in operators' manners on PWC's.

I feel about one of the supercharged, fire breathing PWC's like I feel about the hottest ATV's. Putting either one in the hands of a 15 year old kid without any judgment or knowledge of any personal limitations is extremely dangerous. It's kind'a like WHEN you're going to get hurt (or hurt someone) rather than if you're going to get hurt (or hurt someone.)

I had a great 2 hours out on my PWC this week. I think I'll wait until the Labor Day boaters will leave before I go back out on Tuesday.

Bamaman wrote:I'm also a PWC guy, and have had them since 1985. It's a shame that some people can abuse the rights of others.

On our lake, every dock has one or two PWC's. Since the State required boat drivers' licenses and mandatory testing, we've seen a drastic improvement in operators' manners on PWC's.

I feel about one of the supercharged, fire breathing PWC's like I feel about the hottest ATV's. Putting either one in the hands of a 15 year old kid without any judgment or knowledge of any personal limitations is extremely dangerous. It's kind'a like WHEN you're going to get hurt (or hurt someone) rather than if you're going to get hurt (or hurt someone.)

I had a great 2 hours out on my PWC this week. I think I'll wait until the Labor Day boaters will leave before I go back out on Tuesday.

I also have jet ski's, have for years. I live on the lake and I can promise you it is not only the jet skis that cause problems.......I have had pontoons, bass boats and any thing on the water come by my dock with it in the wind.......Personally on our lake it is usually adults and not the kids that are the problem. Adults get on the lake and have no earthly idea what the rules or the laws are. I really wish we had to take a course and get a license. It is very frustrating.

PWC assholes have been replaced by wake boarders . Huge wakes that slam boats with no regard

I really wish we had to take a course and get a license.

Be careful what you ask for! That license will cost you a fortune and it does not eliminate ass's. If you have a medical problem it may eliminate you from operating your own boat.

If you like your medical insurance and mail delivery you will love the Gooberment getting involved with private vessel operating licenses.

There are requirements for safe boating courses for youngsters I believe.

If you think a license will fix stupid. There are a bunch of automobile drivers you need to meet. just sayin.

The same noobs that cut you off on the way to work everyday and cut in and out of traffic to beat 2 minutes off their travel time. Took a course and got a license.

You can't fix stupid. fast PWC's and rice rocket motorcycles are Gods way of thinning the herd.

Well said RcgTexas, dumb asses will be dumb asses, and they are on every type of vessel/vehicle, and guberment involvement is not the answer, unless your a liberal/progressive, then they think the guberment is the aqnswer to everything

PWCs. They're like gnats. Just want to swat 'em sometimes. I've always had a loud horn on my vessels and love scaring the crap out of them when they come too close.

Luckily, there are vessel registration numbers, tow vehicle tag numbers , radios, and cell phones for calls to enforcement officers.

For the passive-aggressive type, there are always multiple flat tires on tow vehicles to ruin someone else's day.

Bamaman wrote:I'm also a PWC guy, and have had them since 1985. It's a shame that some people can abuse the rights of others.

On our lake, every dock has one or two PWC's. Since the State required boat drivers' licenses and mandatory testing, we've seen a drastic improvement in operators' manners on PWC's.

I feel about one of the supercharged, fire breathing PWC's like I feel about the hottest ATV's. Putting either one in the hands of a 15 year old kid without any judgment or knowledge of any personal limitations is extremely dangerous. It's kind'a like WHEN you're going to get hurt (or hurt someone) rather than if you're going to get hurt (or hurt someone.)

I had a great 2 hours out on my PWC this week. I think I'll wait until the Labor Day boaters will leave before I go back out on Tuesday.

I am also a old PWC guy, sold ours years ago but recently picked up a Waverunner 3 (sooo cheap now) to play with and tow behind the toon. Just like every sport I am in there are Aholes that ruin it for everyone.

Being 53 I am not as tolerant as I used to be and just recently while trying to pull the grandkids on tubes behind the Toon, we had a PWC come around and following us playing way to close and would not back off so out came the phones for video and the camera with zoom to get his registration numbers. The next Sheriff we saw, we flagged him down and showed him and he said he would take care of it. When we got back to the docks, there he was with the Sheriff.....made me feel all warm and fuzzy inside I just smiled and waved at him and he flipped me off

Pretty much everybody has a cell phone, but them to good use.

Rustynuts wrote:

Bamaman wrote:I'm also a PWC guy, and have had them since 1985. It's a shame that some people can abuse the rights of others.

On our lake, every dock has one or two PWC's. Since the State required boat drivers' licenses and mandatory testing, we've seen a drastic improvement in operators' manners on PWC's.

I feel about one of the supercharged, fire breathing PWC's like I feel about the hottest ATV's. Putting either one in the hands of a 15 year old kid without any judgment or knowledge of any personal limitations is extremely dangerous. It's kind'a like WHEN you're going to get hurt (or hurt someone) rather than if you're going to get hurt (or hurt someone.)

I had a great 2 hours out on my PWC this week. I think I'll wait until the Labor Day boaters will leave before I go back out on Tuesday.

I am also a old PWC guy, sold ours years ago but recently picked up a Waverunner 3 (sooo cheap now) to play with and tow behind the toon. Just like every sport I am in there are Aholes that ruin it for everyone.

Being 53 I am not as tolerant as I used to be and just recently while trying to pull the grandkids on tubes behind the Toon, we had a PWC come around and following us playing way to close and would not back off so out came the phones for video and the camera with zoom to get his registration numbers. The next Sheriff we saw, we flagged him down and showed him and he said he would take care of it. When we got back to the docks, there he was with the Sheriff.....made me feel all warm and fuzzy inside I just smiled and waved at him and he flipped me off

Pretty much everybody has a cell phone, but them to good use.

Good advice. Thanks.

lakerunner wrote:PWC assholes have been replaced by wake boarders . Huge wakes that slam boats with no regard

That's exactly what happened to us at Sissy Beach yesterday. Some ahole with a wake boat kept towing some kid back and forth right behind all of the boats that were beached. The big waves kept knocking our boats around and washing them farther up on shore which made it really difficult to push off when we were ready to leave. Luckily it was a sandy beach - if it had been rocky, that could have really done some damage to the boats from all of the big waves they were causing.

Sadly, along with an ample stock of uneducated, careless and disrespectful boaters we have a inordinately high number of waverunner/jetski operators who exercise shockingly poor judgment. Within the last few weeks:

1) I ratted out to the sheriff's marine patrol a couple of knotheads on a WR zipping in and out of boats anchored in 2' of water at a very popular and crowded sand bar. MP got them, thanks to me and my big mouth. It's rare they get caught - there's only a few MP boats for the whole chain - but so rewarding when they do, you just want to break out a bag of popcorn and watch.

2) I saw a WR pulling a wakeboader with no spotter in the boating channel across one of our smaller lakes, the Sunday afternoon before Labor Day (one of the busiest days of yr), near the very spot where a 10 yr old boy who was tubing behind a rented toon got killed by a 29' Baja in a very widely publicized BUI incident 2 seasons back.

3) I saw **5** people on a single WR. 2 adults and 3 little girls, about 6-10 yrs of age, one of whom was CROUCHED ON THE BOARDING DECK and HANGING ON TO THE BOARDING HANDLE while her knucklehead dad (or whoever was driving) TOWED ANOTHER WR across the lake. They were also doing about 15+ MPH. We tried to offer assistance (take the girls to their destination) but they just looked at me and kept going. I think they were renters, they were heading toward a very busy rental place that's right there.

We have a place that rents to people who've never operated anything on the water and have not the first clue about water safety, regulations, boater courtesy and the like. If you have proof of age and a credit card to cover damages (their #2 concern) and a way to pay the fee (their #1 concern) they will rent to you.

Earlier this summer I yelled at a teen boy (16ish) whipping donuts on a WR around a no wake buoy by a restaurant's crowded docks. His adult "supervision" was perplexed as to what he was doing wrong. Pretty sure they were on rental machines to, from the same place above I suspect. And the new boating education laws they passed for IL exempt renters (tied to the incident with the 10 yr old oy, another story).