Proper Skier/Boarder pickup etiquette

[FreshTracks]

We do the same as most who posted, go back fast when necessary. Idling back when it's safe also gives the rider more time to catch their breath and energy to go another run.

We love to tube as much as the next guy, but I can't stand it when peeps do it in glassy riding areas.

[WakeGirl]

Mabey I missed it, but nobody has mentioned picking your rider up on the starboard side. I see people often picking up from port, which is dangerous...you can't see the person in the water. My .02 .

I think that many of us took it for granted that we all know that, but it's a good point to bring up.

[jetskipro550]

I have nothing against tubers, cause the water IMO is fair game for any sport. But what I HATE about tubers and I would say 90% of them (the drivers) aren't aware of their surroundings. I hate it when I am on the river and I can't pass because they are going from side to side and then out of NO WHERE throw in a full 180 or 360. I won't pass an idot doing that kind of crap!!!

One time We dropped the rider, put them back in the boat, and then blazed past the idiot driver and slowed down infront of him blocking him in and playing a select few of songs with certain choice of explicit words

[M3Fan]

What really gets me is the wally who is trying to teach someone to ski/wakeboard and slams the throttle down yanking the rope clean out of the skiers hand. He/she proceedes to power turn their stern drive sending rollers everwhere and practically drowning thier skier in the process. As soon as the rope comes tight, here they go again. After a while the skier somehow manages to almost get up then WHAM! There are those rollers.

I agree. There is a time and a place for getting back in a hurry. But for the most part it is come off of plane, turn around and idle back to the skier. For the majority of boaters it is not this way. There is only one way to circle back to the skier.

You forgot to include an almost 100%-true detail- Captain Wally is standing up at the helm while driving and looking back at the skier the whole time- oblivious to what is in front of him. I think the I/O heroic driving mantra states that one must never be seated at the wheel.

Edited March 3, 2006 by M3Fan

[jetskipro550]

What really gets me is the wally who is trying to teach someone to ski/wakeboard and slams the throttle down yanking the rope clean out of the skiers hand. He/she proceedes to power turn their stern drive sending rollers everwhere and practically drowning thier skier in the process. As soon as the rope comes tight, here they go again. After a while the skier somehow manages to almost get up then WHAM! There are those rollers.

I agree. There is a time and a place for getting back in a hurry. But for the most part it is come off of plane, turn around and idle back to the skier. For the majority of boaters it is not this way. There is only one way to circle back to the skier.

You forgot to include an almost 100%-true detail- Captain Wally is standing up at the helm while driving and looking back at the skier the whole time- oblivious to what is in front of him. I think the I/O heroic driving mantra states that one must never be seated at the wheel.

That and he is only driving with one hand because the other is pushing his mullet out of his face

[BenBu]

when a skier falls i stop the boat while making a slight short left turn and idleling back into a right turn straight into my own track i was traveling..no backwash and it goes fast.

Even when i think somebody is injured or seriously crashed and i do not see a ok sign,i do it that way because a power turn and a W.O.T back to the rider will create a massive backwash.

funny jetski story,

a jetski was jumping our wake,so we stopped the boat and just looked around.The guy waits untill we go again...we pull up and there he goes again,before he even could jump the wake we stopped the boat again,..and we we do nothing just looking around a bit.The guy waits and we do the same trick again...lol.

He never did bother us again...because he know we will stop the boat.

We have done this with several jetskiers,..without a word spoken,they do not follow us anymore.

[jetskipro550]

note to self, never ride with ben bu or mikea becuase water conditions are more important then human life...

[BenBu]

how do you help a person to get on board when it is rocking like crazy created by your own backwash???

waterconditions are very important,..you do not have a stretcher on board so you have to improvise to stabalize the person...good luck with your rollers.

[skistud1]

Even when i think somebody is injured or seriously crashed and i do not see a ok sign,i do it that way because a power turn and a W.O.T back to the rider will create a massive backwash.

I personally know of guys that had to have the spotter jump in the water and put them face up after a bad crash. The PFD that the skier was wearing did not bring their face out of the water. Under your logic, he would have been @ss out. 'sorry buddy, don't want to make any waves for your next set' ..... that's sarcasm in case you can't tell Ben. I think Ben's been taking advantage of his country's relaxed drug laws one too may times.

I suppose if I'm competing in a big cash tournament and I am in the running for one of the big checks that they pass out to the winner I might have a different viewpoint. But seeing how I don't have any sponsors burning up my phone line right now I will stand by my statement in my first paragraph.

[Addictedto6]

Even when i think somebody is injured or seriously crashed and i do not see a ok sign,i do it that way because a power turn and a W.O.T back to the rider will create a massive backwash.

I personally know of guys that had to have the spotter jump in the water and put them face up after a bad crash. The PFD that the skier was wearing did not bring their face out of the water. Under your logic, he would have been @ss out. 'sorry buddy, don't want to make any waves for your next set' ..... that's sarcasm in case you can't tell Ben. I think Ben's been taking advantage of his country's relaxed drug laws one too may times.

I agree...and in a bad crash, I don't always trust the skier's "ok wave". I know from personal experience that you don't always have your wits about you after a crash and a "I need help wave" can get confused with an "I'm ok wave".

Edited March 3, 2006 by Addictedto6

[jetskipro550]

how do you help a person to get on board when it is rocking like crazy created by your own backwash???

waterconditions are very important,..you do not have a stretcher on board so you have to improvise to stabalize the person...good luck with your rollers.

So you arn't strong enough to pull someone into your boat? I don't care what the conditions are like, if you are injured and need to get in the boat I will grap you by your life jacket and drag your a$$ in the boat.A few rollers arn't going to stop me from helping a fallen rider! Are you just going to let someone drown while you make sure that you get back to them with as little of wake as possible? If someone falls and they are that F'd up that I can't move them I would rather find that out quickly then a minute laster when I come rolling back to them and they are face down in the water.

[malibu_flyer]

We should hook up some time when you're over this way.

That would be great. We have 3 boys starting to really get into wakeboarding and I'm trying to stay better than them for as long as possible- I know my days are numberd though..

BTW.. if I remember correctly, I received a message from you last August on how my Fusion Speakers on the Illusion tower looked/were attached- I tried to send you a picture but failed and haven't tried again. Sorry I never responded directly to you- I'm a dork, I know. If your still interested, let me know.

[BenBu]

I think Ben's been taking advantage of his country's relaxed drug laws one too may times.

WOW???

that was friendly,for your information i don,t do pot..

as i said before i,m going of the throttle and at the same time make a slight left turn idle to the right and go back but i do throttle up EASY...have you ever tried this? it is a friendly and a fast way to turn the boat.A power turn is a few seconds (5 to 8 )faster but more backwash.

I am just giving my 02.

How on earth can you pull somebody by his vest into the boat.I,m not saying that it isn,t possible but you don,t know the injury and by doing so it can be dangerous or make things worse.

if the fall wasn,t bad enough such an action could damage the spinal core and the nervous system or other things.

the last 8 years i,m driving 500 to 600 hours a year and had to help 3 injured people into the boat.luckily all knee problems..the swimplatform is a good stretcher.(for a short period).yeah i know carbon monoxide,but better than paralyzed.

anyway,..i never said i do not make a straight turn when people are unconsious in such a case seconds matter.it never happened and i hope it never will.

[jetskipro550]

How to use quotes

This is an example of when I have had to pull a rider in the boat using their vest...last summer we were on the local river (which is narrow and busy.) My mom was learning how to WB and she was using my gf's board with WAY to small of bindings for her feet. She couldn't get out of them no matter how hard she tried, and we were drifting toward an area where we couldn't go. We tried dragging her in the water, but she was exhausted and couldn't hold onto the rope. After some time we couldn't stay there and we HAD to move so my dad drove up next to her and I grabbed her by the vest and pulled her into the boat. That was NOT the first time I have had to drag a crying person into the boat or up onto the platform...

[blubu]

I will have to agree with Jetskipro 100%. Rush if you have to and protect the good water when you can. Plain and simple.

[mikea]

Mikea, I need to find a place like yours to ski. I'm going out on a limb here but unless you ski only on a private lake, it is not a question of "if something like this might happen", but when it will.

With some forethought and common sense, you can avoid trouble "most of the time" (as was stated in the original post/question). I have never wrote that i would/will not return to a skier quickly, I have and will again.

I try to use some forethought and comprehend the situation, kinda like reading the question and understanding the question before answering. as i read the question it was "most of the time", so i did not go on the "do a power slide, to be between the "wally" and the fallen skier, not caring about where the towrope is" rant

So Mikea...where is this place you ski and never have a "unsafe/questionable" (your words) situation?

if you showed up there it would become unsafe/questionable.

watersports are inherently (sp?) unsafe, so the best i can do is to minimze the risks

( oh and to rub it in, on more than one occasion i have had boats (going the same direction as us) slow down and move to the opposite side of the channel, until the skier was done, then passed and waved. yeah its a pretty cool place:-) )

note to self, never ride with ben bu or mikea becuase water conditions are more important then human life...

note to self , jetskipro posts alot but does not comprehend what he has read.

on benbu's point.

do you see paramedics running and getting all in a panic when they arrive?

NO because they might do something stupid like yank someone by their lifejacket.

quick is good, but not the only thing. chances are if something bad happens there will be enough people freaking out. DON'T BE ONE OF THEM! yes malibu's are small boats and you are typically on inland waterways, but remember you are the captain of the boat and are responsible for EVERYONES safety.

[NorCaliBu]

Kind of ironic that a thread about etiquette goes hostile...

We've had accusations of drug use...

...I think Ben's been taking advantage of his country's relaxed drug laws one too many times...

A subtle hint about proper use of the "quote" function (which is apparently being ignored)...

How to use quotes

But the best has to be the "boatless" guy telling the rest of us how to drive. Implying that we lack not only the ability of forethought but common sense as well and that if 'we' show up things will inherently become "unsafe/questionable"...

With some forethought and common sense, you can avoid trouble "most of the time"...

So Mikea...where is this place you ski and never have a "unsafe/questionable" (your words) situation?

if you showed up there it would become unsafe/questionable.

Quite a dysfunctional family we have here.

[jetskipro550]

I understand everything that I have read on this thread, but coming from you two, its just stupid! I think you are the one who doesn't understand what you read. Look back at my last post and LEARN HOW TO QUOTE

Would you rather be paralized or dead? I wouldn't want to be either but if someone is laying in the water face down and as far as I know could or could not have a spinal injury I am going to give them the benifit of the doubt and roll them over. When did I say that I would pull someone in the boat if I knew that they had sustained a spinal injury?

[malibu_flyer]

Kind of ironic that a thread about etiquette goes hostile...

We've had accusations of drug use...

...I think Ben's been taking advantage of his country's relaxed drug laws one too many times...

A subtle hint about proper use of the "quote" function (which is apparently being ignored)...

How to use quotes

But the best has to be the "boatless" guy telling the rest of us how to drive. Implying that we lack not only the ability of forethought but common sense as well and that if 'we' show up things will inherently become "unsafe/questionable"...

With some forethought and common sense, you can avoid trouble "most of the time"...

So Mikea...where is this place you ski and never have a "unsafe/questionable" (your words) situation?

if you showed up there it would become unsafe/questionable.

Quite a dysfunctional family we have here.

Yeah, I hadn't really thought thru all of the potential responcest to this when I first posted. My main reason for the post was that around here there have been quite a few times when other nonski or board boats in the water will show up out of no where or ride right up your butt and not really pay attention to the fact that I have someone in the water being pulled buy me and basically having to whip around after a fall and use the boat as a shield because they are not paying attention and getting the finger or an earfull because I made them slow down. In a way I'm glad we are now required to have boater liscences in Oregon, but there is very little information or addressing how to behave around boats pulling recreation sports that I really think needs to be there. My .02$

[WakeGirl]

Kind of ironic that a thread about etiquette goes hostile...

.....

Quite a dysfunctional family we have here.

Agreed. Everyone needs to calm down a bit IMO. Not only do we have all of the above, but we have people trying to do this across language barriers - not a situation that would result in the best communication IMO. FWIW, there are very few here that I wouldn't invite on my boat & have a good time with, regardless of whether or not I agree with their opinion on an issue such as this. Let's try to remember that.

Edited March 4, 2006 by WakeGirl

[WakeGirl]

Mali flyer,

Yeah, it happens. There are times when regardless of how deserted the water may be you will get the 1 other boat on the lake that wants your water, & he'll follow you no matter where you go. You just deal with it, it's part of boating. And there are other times when the lake is a zoo. Better to find a cove & drop anchor until dusk in that situation or at least attempt to find an area less crowded. Again, this may or may not be possible.

Oh & no worries on the speakers. I ended up with Bullets & am very happy with them. I was mostly curious to see if they used the stock mounting positions on the tower, but it looks like they clamp to the bar.

[Addictedto6]

Yeah, I hadn't really thought thru all of the potential responcest to this when I first posted. My main reason for the post was that around here there have been quite a few times when other nonski or board boats in the water will show up out of no where or ride right up your butt and not really pay attention to the fact that I have someone in the water being pulled buy me and basically having to whip around after a fall and use the boat as a shield because they are not paying attention and getting the finger or an earfull because I made them slow down. In a way I'm glad we are now required to have boater liscences in Oregon, but there is very little information or addressing how to behave around boats pulling recreation sports that I really think needs to be there. My .02$

Going back to your original post and the conditions you described - you are doing the right thing on the water. don't let anyone else out there yelling about rollers deter you from getting back to your kids.

I do agree with MikeA that if it truly feels "unsafe" it's time to stop and find another place if possible. My original point of disagreement was that based on my experience, I more typically run into the single maniac scenario and it happens fairly often even though I usually avoid the crazy lakes at peak periods.

I think the language fine points are also getting in the way. I don't think any of us would do an extreme bat turn and go full throttle back to the downed skier.

I doubt anyone would disagree with the following:

- if you are not 100% sure the downed skier/boarder/tuber is safe, then: quick turn, quick line back and then ease off and pickup the skier driver side

- otherwise, back off throttle, turn once the boat is off plane and then retrieve your skier usually following your path back (speed slow/quick dictated by lots of things)

Edit: tYPos!

Edited March 4, 2006 by Addictedto6

[NorCaliBu]

Yeah, I hadn't really thought thru all of the potential responces to this when I first posted....

Certainly not your fault...don't worry about it...such is life.

I had a wally in an I/O almost run over my boy once..I was fit to be tied. I got back to my kid in a hurry and was preparing to ram him as he still wasn't paying attention. Figured that I would get my bow up high go over the top of him and let him deal with my 310 hp blender. I then picked up my son and followed him...small private lake...to his house, he literally jumped out of his boat and ran in his house. I was a little upset...

Do what you need to do to keep your rider safe. Period.

Edited March 4, 2006 by NorCaliBu

[mikea]

profile updated.

(my bad, should have updated the profile last year.)

[NorCaliBu]

profile updated.

(my bad, should have updated the profile last year.)

06...very nice. Congrats.

Kinda takes the "funny" out of my "boatless guy" crack earlier...

I see you fixed your quotes too.. ...maybe you could teach Malibudude...