Not such a good day at the lake.

[justgary]

Is their ANYONE here that doesn't exceed their weight capacity plaque?

Yup. I am still amazed (as, I'm sure, boat makers are) that you guys chose the boats with the smallest wakes to use for monster wake making. They spent all that effort getting it just right, and now you want the opposite. I guess I'm just old school, because I still find myself looking for smooth water and a small wake.

I have no problem with you trying to satisfy your own goals, but I would like to know that you are doing it responsibly. To me, that means you don't damage other property with your wake and don't hurt anyone but yourself.

Also, the placard is a US Coast Guard requirement, not just an industry thing. Yes, the calculation is very conservative, but exceeding the placard weight is opening yourself up for lawsuits if you do have trouble. Intentionally sinking your boat and then filing an insurance claim is fraud. A junkyard lawyer would have a heyday if you run over a person because you can't maneuver your boat. Once you exceed the manufacturer's stated capacity, it's all on you. Just food for thought.

[shawndoggy]

Also, the placard is a US Coast Guard requirement, not just an industry thing.

No, it's not. Unless any of the boats we are discussing here are shorter than 20', which I don't think they are.

http://law.justia.com/cfr/title33/33-2.0.1.8.44.html

[jk13]

^^^^^^Yep, my 20'6"er does not have a placard and it's been inspected and used for training by DNR and BSA certified counselors. We discuss it and answer why it isn't required to be there.

[justgary]

Oops, sorry about that. I have thought all this time that it applied to "trailerable" boats below 26 feet. I learn something new every day.

Even if the placard is voluntary by the manufacturer, a lawyer would still argue that it is a "do not exceed" limit and blame everything on you for altering the functionality of an otherwise perfect craft.

[-BS-]

That's fair. I'll take that. I have no problem saying I take pride in my boating experience and love hearing those with more talk about theirs. Always something to learn, unless of course,you've got it all figured out. But I'd add; Just as there is a fine line between taking it seriously and too seriously.........there is an equally fine line between taking it seriously and not taking it seriously at all. I'll err on the side of too seriously given where I ride. And maybe that's where the difference in opinions lies.

Does the guy that has a full year of driving on his home lake know that when he chooses to ride on a river? I think that's a good question that not enough people ask themselves or their drivers. I have know a few lake boaters that have been doing it for years ask what the nav buoys mean.

I'm just curious how many crew members have ever read Chapman's.

http://www.amazon.com/Chapman-Piloting-Seamanship-Small-Handling/dp/0688148921

And this is what I was slowly realizing chatting with 3sport & Johnny Defacto........ Everyone's perspective is a bit a lot different depending on where they boat. I'm not trying to make the Columbia River sound like the Bering Sea, but I will guarantee that these folks discounting ballasted driving and slamming their boats to the absolute limit, don't regularly see how dangerous a big river can be.......especially in spring. I can think of dozens and dozens of days where, if what had happened to the OP had happened to me (for whatever reason), I would be absolutely s----ing myself. Loss of power AND 2-3' of water in the boat??? Dude, at that point on a big fast Spring day, I would have about 180 seconds to get power......OR get water out of the boat.......OR jump ship and swim a half mile to shore .......in a very fast, very cold river. And that 1/2 mile (or more) to shore, might just be to an island. Now, it's not like that all the time, not by a long shot. Some days that predicament would just warrant a phone call to Marine Assistance or flagging down another boat or throwing an anchor and figuring out what's next. But like Ruff said, it would be up to the driver's experience to judge weather, current, river level, traffic, # of passengers, type of passengers, driver's experience, etc.....and come up with a ballast setup that is safe for that given day. I think that is more the area of "experience" I'm speaking to, rather than just the ability to pull & retrieve a rider with a ballasted boat.

And I'm reminded (not to throw him under the bus here) of Bill's story (which was hilarious BTW) about trying to decipher the simplest of navigational markers while pulling a rider. This is a guy who has probably forgotten more than I know about boating........but still didn't know what a pretty basic marker meant. Just an example of perspective is all. He has no need for that type of knowledge & 'experience'.......while for us, it's a necessity. Just like TN_Rider's setup: Definitely not an option where I boat on 95% of days.....yet he's never had an incident.

And yeah ROBTR8.........Yeah, I'm gonna guess less than 1% . I'd be willing to bet most folks think a stand-on vessel means the boat has no driver's seat........or that a green buoy means GO and a red one means STOP. To be honest, I haven't read that specific one......but I will now. Thanks!

Edited May 9, 2014 by -BS-

[tn_rider]

Yup. I am still amazed (as, I'm sure, boat makers are) that you guys chose the boats with the smallest wakes to use for monster wake making. They spent all that effort getting it just right, and now you want the opposite. I guess I'm just old school, because I still find myself looking for smooth water and a small wake.

I have no problem with you trying to satisfy your own goals, but I would like to know that you are doing it responsibly. To me, that means you don't damage other property with your wake and don't hurt anyone but yourself.

Also, the placard is a US Coast Guard requirement, not just an industry thing. Yes, the calculation is very conservative, but exceeding the placard weight is opening yourself up for lawsuits if you do have trouble. Intentionally sinking your boat and then filing an insurance claim is fraud. A junkyard lawyer would have a heyday if you run over a person because you can't maneuver your boat. Once you exceed the manufacturer's stated capacity, it's all on you. Just food for thought.

You wasted all that time typing that and nobody cares

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[justgary]

You wasted all that time typing that and nobody cares

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Lucky for me I type pretty fast, so I'll get over it. Don't forget to play nicely.

[Afun]

Yup. I am still amazed (as, I'm sure, boat makers are) that you guys chose the boats with the smallest wakes to use for monster wake making. They spent all that effort getting it just right, and now you want the opposite. I guess I'm just old school, because I still find myself looking for smooth water and a small wake.

I have no problem with you trying to satisfy your own goals, but I would like to know that you are doing it responsibly. To me, that means you don't damage other property with your wake and don't hurt anyone but yourself.

Also, the placard is a US Coast Guard requirement, not just an industry thing. Yes, the calculation is very conservative, but exceeding the placard weight is opening yourself up for lawsuits if you do have trouble. Intentionally sinking your boat and then filing an insurance claim is fraud. A junkyard lawyer would have a heyday if you run over a person because you can't maneuver your boat. Once you exceed the manufacturer's stated capacity, it's all on you. Just food for thought.

image by Afun2011, on Flickr

[ozsurf]

^^^^^^^

Ratflmao

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[ahopkins22LSV]

You wasted all that time typing that and nobody cares

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image by Afun2011, on Flickr

Careful, us flat wake, put your boat in and it is dialed in, one stick skiers, and footers are quiet; but many. We ambush in packs

[Fman]

Regarding the placard in the boat, my VLX is rated for 14 people and 2150 lbs of weight. This is kind of a joke, if I had 14 people in the boat, full stock oem ballast (1250lbs), gear, full tank of fuel I would be way over that limit.

Passenger weight = 1400 lbs

Ballast weight = 1250 lbs

Fuel weight = 250 lbs

Gear weight = 400 lbs

That total is 3300 lbs, well over the boats max capacity on the coast guard placard. And that is being conservative with 100lbs per person.

[robtr8]

It's not an "and", it's an "or".

OK, I know it's not a pronoun. But I still make myself laugh.

Edited May 10, 2014 by robtr8

[tn_rider]

Careful, us flat wake, put your boat in and it is dialed in, one stick skiers, and footers are quiet; but many. We ambush in packs

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[shawndoggy]

I assume options also subtract from the "or" number? Heater, supplemental ballast pumps, subwoofer, extra battery, heater circ pump, amps, tower speakers, etc etc etc.

[ahopkins22LSV]

ImageUploadedByTapatalk1399730951.494795.jpg

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[DarkSide]

Is there ANYONE here that doesn't exceed their weight capacity plaque?

With all the boats going to Canada, I multiply my weight by .6 and I am close to the plaque....

To the lake, go we must.