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Boat Rules


a92harley92

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I am thinking about typing up my rules and laminating the rule sheet. Then, when someone new comes aboard, I just hand them (or read to them) the sheet.

This year I'm adding this rule: Soda pop must be in plastic bottles (so that they can be sealed and not spill/splash out on the interior).

So I'm curious... When you take someone new out on your boat, do you go over "The Rules" with them?

What are your rules?

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How long is your list?? lol. Might kind of rub new people the wrong way if you hand them a bunch of rules to follow when they come out to just have a good time. I guess it just depends...if it's like family members, friends, etc that don't really know the etiquette, thats one thing, but I think most riders are gonna respect your boat.

My main rule is treat my boat like it is your boat, and shoes OFF at the swim platform

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Tell them right up front when they get in. They can bring them but we only allow snack time when the boat is stopped and out on the swim platform. No one ever has an issue. You give a kid a chocolate chip cookie, bananas, gummie bears and some chips in the boat and its fun times! Just not for you. On a separate note they really like to pull out the heater vents to see how far they stretch as well. :) But that's why we have them.

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How long is your list?? lol. Might kind of rub new people the wrong way if you hand them a bunch of rules to follow when they come out to just have a good time. I guess it just depends...if it's like family members, friends, etc that don't really know the etiquette, thats one thing, but I think most riders are gonna respect your boat.

My main rule is treat my boat like it is your boat, and shoes OFF at the swim platform

I explain to them immediately that the boat is my passion and I spend many hours every month cleaning her.

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How long is your list?? lol. Might kind of rub new people the wrong way if you hand them a bunch of rules to follow when they come out to just have a good time. I guess it just depends...if it's like family members, friends, etc that don't really know the etiquette, thats one thing, but I think most riders are gonna respect your boat.My main rule is treat my boat like it is your boat, and shoes OFF at the swim platform

So far... My list:

No smoking, bare feet only, pop in plastic bottles (if possible), be aware of rope dangers, and after a day of fun we wipe the boat down inside and out.

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I have multiple chamois to clean any spills and don't worry too much about people eating or drinking in the boat. I just ask them to let me know if something spills so I can clean it up before it dries. I haven't had any problems keeping the interior looking new and have cleaned up a lot of spills. I am more worried about shoes with dirt in them scratching the gel coat so I do ask that they take off their shoes before getting in the boat. I have also went kind of over the top with SeaDeck non-slip on the topside of the hull. Without shoes the topside is really slippery and kind of dangerous when boarding without shoes on. 125 hours with tons of crazy teenage kids and not one slip last summer.

Our boat is cleaned after each outing. I have found that is the keys to keeping the boat in great shape, more so than any rules.

Edited by BSUBU_Kris
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So far... My list:

No smoking, bare feet only, pop in plastic bottles (if possible), be aware of rope dangers, and after a day of fun we wipe the boat down inside and out.

Same rules here, I just tell ppl before they come out so they know or before we hit the water. Sounded like you had a very long list brewing...

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You can usually tell west coast from east coast by those who use the term "pop". :) I just tell people the basics, no smoking, no shoes, and if it's darker than coors light, wait till we stop. But then again I have a small crew, and it's been the same way for awhile. If anyone new comes out, I tell them the rules before we even get them to the lake. Pretty easy to remember!

Edited by wakebrdr94
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So far... My list:

No smoking, bare feet only, pop in plastic bottles (if possible), be aware of rope dangers, and after a day of fun we wipe the boat down inside and out.

As mentioned earlier spills are easy to deal with if you find out when it happens. I dont worry too much about it, the only things I really dont like are orange chips (cheetos) that stuff is horrible. I will always talk to the "littles" when I have new ones joining, letting them know that the boat will not run it their bottoms are not in a seat. Otherwise have fun and listen to the driver, whoever that may be.

Oh yea if you come on my boat and expect NOT to get wet, you are in the wrong place splashing is authorized unless the food is out. :yahoo:

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I use all the above rules...helps make the trip out that much better. I think people see how you keep your "things" so they want to know what the rules are so that they can respect your boat. I always end the talk with just have FUNBiggrin.gif

Kinda of funny we all enforce the no shoes rule!

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So far... My list:

No smoking, bare feet only, pop in plastic bottles (if possible), be aware of rope dangers, and after a day of fun we wipe the boat down inside and out.

I think that's a great, simple list. Add to it whatever your preference is about food, and then like REW said, bottoms down before moving.

On food, if you have little kids and calm water, chowing down while sitting on the swim platform is pretty fun. For all others, if you have access to a beach or sand bar, it's best to save picnic time for that spot, then there's no food open in the boat at all. That said, in my old '94, pretty much any food or drinks are OK, but I stick with the rope dangers and bottoms down review with everyone.

Off topic, but it's amazing how some people can't go 30 minutes without something to eat or drink. My wife used to pack a friggin' load of stuff for even a quick outing, and we live on the lake. Crap constantly in the boat. Full out Mom style. And there's me "Babe, nobody's gonna starve or dehydrate in the next 60 minutes. Leave all that junk on the dock". But I digress....

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I don't think I've ever given rules to any of my passengers - ever. Nor have I ever had a problem.

I have never smoked, but don't care if someone smokes on my boat. You can't ask for a more open environment on the boat, and most smokers don't want to smoke while under way, so ashing isn't an issue.

Drinks are fine, food is fine, just clean up after yourself which everyone does. That said, I have only had one child on our boat (my own) and she is only 14 months now, so I haven't dealt with the little ones. Shoes haven't been a problem either.

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As mentioned earlier spills are easy to deal with if you find out when it happens. I dont worry too much about it, the only things I really dont like are orange chips (cheetos) that stuff is horrible.

This made me laugh...When I was younger, like 14 or 15 my uncle bought a brand new American Skier. He had the normal rules like no shoes, but he was always a fanatic about telling everyone NO CHEETOS ON MY BOAT. It became a joke in our family and close friends to the point that anyone that knew about the rule would always bring an opened family sized bag just to get him fired up.

I have all of the same rules that most of you have...Thats why my parents '77 Starcraft looks as good as is does today.

Edited by TheBoy82
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I think it depends on the type of people your normally going out with.

My normal group consists of people who have been around boats a lot or own boats themselves. I don't have to say anything to them and stuff just happens correctly. Usually at least one of them is with me if someone new or unfamiliar with boats comes out. Then there isn't really a need for printed rules since either myself or one of the usuals will catch them before they really get into something I don't want them to do (shoes, smoking in the boat, etc).

On the other hand my wife's uncle owns a cabin cruiser at the beach and has a printed list he passes around and had has on display. This really drags me down every time I go out with them. But the vast majority of the people who go out with him are people who are not used to boats or small kids. I completly understand why he does it and just follow his rules to keep everyone happy.

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1. Sit down while the boat is moving. Yes even when you are excited that someone did a 1080 triple ganor off the tube and face planted into the water at 35 MPH. Stay Seated.

2. I dont need your help while docking(ropes, push off the dock or anything)-- please stay seated.

3. Spray suncreens only off the swim platform taking into account the direction of the wind. To ignore this is akin to playing naked twister with a bottle of baby oil the rest of the day with the greasy seats.

4. Kids: no jumping and slamming onto the deack from the sunpad.

5. No diving off the side of the boat till I till you its safe. You'll dive into shallow water and kill yourself dead.

6. Let me know anytime the tow rope starts to go under the boat.

7. If I dont know you well or you have been drinking = life jacket while in the water. Yes even while floating and hanging out. Yes even grown men. Go find another boat to go drown off of.

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7. If I dont know you well or you have been drinking = life jacket while in the water. Yes even while floating and hanging out. Yes even grown men. Go find another boat to go drown off of.

I'm glad someone else thinks this way too!

As far as shoes go, a friends dad told me once "You can't walk on water, so you don't need shoes on my boat". I've used that saying ever since I heard it.

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1 No shoes- people always baulk as this one. Is it that hard?Living on a lake we get friends of friends come over. One time a guy that was being rude baulked at it, and I told him when I come over to his house, drink his beer, and ride in his boat, he can make the rules! He was quiet after that.

2 No colored drinks on the boat

3 No tanning oils with bronzer

4 No first time swim suits. I had one guys swim suit that was brand new bleed coloring all over the white seat :(

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4 No first time swim suits. I had one guys swim suit that was brand new bleed coloring all over the white seat :(

This rule is important but tough to enforce. What are you going to do, tell a buddy to go home and get another swimsuit? Having said that, my Response was about 2 years old when some dork in a red swimsuit eff'd up both the observers bench and the rear bench. I eventually got the stain out, but those two areas of vinyl were the first to wear out on the boat (embrittled).

To the original poster, it's your boat, but I think printing out a laminated card is kinda lame.

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1. Sit down while the boat is moving. Yes even when you are excited that someone did a 1080 triple ganor off the tube and face planted into the water at 35 MPH. Stay Seated.

2. I dont need your help while docking(ropes, push off the dock or anything)-- please stay seated.

3. Spray suncreens only off the swim platform taking into account the direction of the wind. To ignore this is akin to playing naked twister with a bottle of baby oil the rest of the day with the greasy seats.

4. Kids: no jumping and slamming onto the deack from the sunpad.

5. No diving off the side of the boat till I till you its safe. You'll dive into shallow water and kill yourself dead.

6. Let me know anytime the tow rope starts to go under the boat.

7. If I dont know you well or you have been drinking = life jacket while in the water. Yes even while floating and hanging out. Yes even grown men. Go find another boat to go drown off of.

This is a big one for me. I HATE that stuff, but the wife likes it. Therefore the rule is to use it on the swim deck and down wind of the boat. Having clean windows is a pet peeve of mine. If they are covered in sunscreen or greasy finger prints, I get serious anxiety!

Like many others' rules here, I request no shoes, no smoking (someone's cherry on their cig accidentally fell onto the vinyl of my buddies Supra), try not to drag painted fingernails/toenails across the vinyl, clean up any spills ASAP, pitch in and help take coolers, trash, etc out of the boat after we pull it out of the water, and most importantly, HAVE FUN.

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Rule 1: Safety first. You guys hit the big ones already and I assume even the adults can't swim especially when drinking!

Rule 2: No shoes or flip flops which are even more dangerous than shoes when wet/drunk.

Rule 3: "The Captain is not responsible for items destroyed by water!", so be prepared to Break Out Another Telephone if you bring it kids. I do offer protection up front, but adults are stupid! :biggrin:

Rule 4: "Cleats are for ropes not fingers"! The wifes girl friend decides to jump off the boat into supposedly shallow water, one dislocated finger and a ruined day later... All the little kids saw that one happen, needless to say they treat the cleats like cattle prods now! :shocked

Rule 5: Applies to food and lotions. On the transom and down wind and I use the dry oil sprays exclusively in the boat. The one brand of oil that I absolutely won't allow on the boat is Ban de Soleil products. It may be my imagination but for what ever reason it seems that brand will destroy plastic lawn chairs faster than a 6 month old Lab puppy so I keep it off the boat.

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