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Swamping Pontoons


Ronnie

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MalibuNation

Wish I could have been there to see it all.

This season we have 2 new families on the lake with 5 more jet skis and they do not have a clue

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I was in a pontoon that did that!  Was at a company picnic for my dad's work.  They wanted to rent a pontoon and have my dad drive them around the lake (none of them were boaters).  The thing was very unsteady and people wouldn't listen to his warnings of too many people in the nose....   Everyone wanted to sit in the front....then, we hit a big wave and we stood that sucker up on its end.  We slung everything out of that pontoon!  LOL   We had to fish coolers, hats, etc out of the water.  Who knows how much other stuff got slung out that didn't float.  My dad and I still laugh about that.  One lady yelling Oh help me Jebus!   LMAO  sooo funny....

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Wish I could have seen that as well!  A few weeks ago I went out for a weekday wakeboarding session with a friend of mine.  On our way out to the riding spot I was talking to my friend and driving the boat when way up ahead I saw a large jet ski in the air upside down a good six feet off the water!  Now this is in a lake that is pretty much smooth being a weekday and very little boat traffic.  I told my friend we needed to go over and check on the rider as I had never seen a large jetski that high off the water and inverted(maybe in the ocean)...couldn't imagine what had caused it.  When we got there there was a dazed guy floating in the water about 60ft or so from his Honda jetski.  I asked him if he was ok and he said he thought so.  I realized then that there was a large inboard...believe it was a Malibu but not sure,  that was surfing a couple hundred yards away.  Apparently this guy was booking along at top speed and hit the boats wake.  I don't think he had ever ridden a jetski ever or at least not very experienced.  He didn't see the wake apparently and was violently ejected.  I explained to him how to get the ski flipped back over and also retrieved his flip flops for him which were about 30 ft apart, haha.  I was glad he wasn't hurt but I am sure he learned a memorable lesson. 

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We had a girl on a jetski a couple of years ago that was just a few hundred yards off our bow. She was stopped and standing on the side beside the seat. Just before we got there, she started taking the seat off. As we went by it looked like she was fiddling with something under the seat. Our wave found the opening where the seat was supposed to be. In a few seconds all you could see of the jetski was the front 2' of the nose, sticking straight up. We went over and tied a rope to the bow eye of the jetski and pulled it upright. We pulled her back to her dock. The whole time she was telling us she should never pull off the seat in the middle of the lake.

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Buddy of mine coined a term for the jet skiers.  It's stuck with me ever since hearing it.  Can't say he coined it either, but it's catchy.

We call them "lake lice."

I've had a few here and there who want to jump my surf wake.  We quickly throttle down, pull in the surfer, dump the tanks, and move on.  I'm not going to have one of my sons, or a guest, killed by one of these clowns.  When I have been able to confront them about how dangerous what they did was, they've all looked at me like I've got snakes crawling out of my mouth, and I've even had one cuss me like there was no tomorrow.  

Makes you just shake your head and move on to another part of the lake.

Jesse

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In Texas, it against the law to operate a PWC and jump the wake of another vessel recklessly or unnecessarily close. 

If they are being reckless, we stop and get our rider onboard and take a break. The PWC operators don't usually have the patience to wait for us to go again.

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3 hours ago, DUKENO1 said:

Wish I could have seen that as well!  A few weeks ago I went out for a weekday wakeboarding session with a friend of mine.  On our way out to the riding spot I was talking to my friend and driving the boat when way up ahead I saw a large jet ski in the air upside down a good six feet off the water!  Now this is in a lake that is pretty much smooth being a weekday and very little boat traffic.  I told my friend we needed to go over and check on the rider as I had never seen a large jetski that high off the water and inverted(maybe in the ocean)...couldn't imagine what had caused it.  When we got there there was a dazed guy floating in the water about 60ft or so from his Honda jetski.  I asked him if he was ok and he said he thought so.  I realized then that there was a large inboard...believe it was a Malibu but not sure,  that was surfing a couple hundred yards away.  Apparently this guy was booking along at top speed and hit the boats wake.  I don't think he had ever ridden a jetski ever or at least not very experienced.  He didn't see the wake apparently and was violently ejected.  I explained to him how to get the ski flipped back over and also retrieved his flip flops for him which were about 30 ft apart, haha.  I was glad he wasn't hurt but I am sure he learned a memorable lesson. 

Nothing like a good yard sale to teach a PWC newb a lesson.  :)

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35 minutes ago, UWSkier said:

Nothing like a good yard sale to teach a PWC newb a lesson.  :)

Haha...yeah if he would have had a few more pieces of misc equipment strown about I would have called it a yard sale myself!

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Most states have a proximity law for PWC's.  We usually just stop and let the surfer drop if it's safe.  If not we throw out the rope and maneuver out of the situation.  If we stop and said PWC rider is close we kindly wave them over and nicely educate them on the law.  Keep a stack of the state law pamphlets in my boat just for this reason and of they are a real smart a** hand it to the and tell them to go back to the dock and read up on the laws.  

As for the pontoon dipping, my father in law has done it twice and whines about the big surf wakes.  However he has no issue driving for us when we surf.  I've told him if he would pay attention on his pontoon and learn how to approach the surf waves he wouldn't dunk it.  It's all about knowing how to drive.  I usually just laugh when I see someone doing it. 

 

And as as for the boating license for everyone, I'm 100% for it.  

Edited by NCVride
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6 minutes ago, John I. said:

Sorry for being a Debbie Downer, but this sounds like you swamped a (potentially) disabled watercraft.

Putting other water sports enthusiasts at risk of being ejected or swamped simply because they find themselves within hundreds of yards from a wake surfing boat sounds like a good way to bring about unwanted rules and regulations. I am not excusing the responsibility of others to be aware of the water conditions.

Not a slam on your John, just funny that a few years ago a 'your responsible for your own wave' comment would have been the 2nd or 3rd response. Now a days with all the monster waves, that crowd has gone quiet...or started surfing themselves :)

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Sort of on topic.

Last year at a guy's weekend there was one guy that would not get in the water.  Big dude, told us there was no way anyone was getting him out of that boat and into the water.  Rather than try, we moved on.  I was driving.  He goes up into the bow, and sits with his shoulders in the very front of the V, facing backwards (23LSV).  I pulled a surfer, and was just waiting for the rider to drop.  And he did.  I didn't drop to idle, but slowed down and turned into our wave...THEN went to idle.  The first wave over the bow shocked him a little, looked at me starting to laugh like "You got me!", and then the second roller was larger and shocked the heck out of him and his eyes got huge with a WOW!  That wave pretty much went over his head.  Good stuff.

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1 hour ago, mikeo said:

Yes, I realize that the OP's incident happened in Texas...

I'm hoping that the impending "Boat Driver's License" requirement in California will help deal with the large number of uneducated boat & jet ski owners: http://www.dbw.ca.gov/BoaterInfo/SB941FAQ.aspx

I foresee legal challenges...

I haven't looked into what California would require, but here in Oregon it hasn't helped at all IMO. Still plenty of idiots running around out there on the water!

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36 minutes ago, John I. said:

Sorry for being a Debbie Downer, but this sounds like you swamped a (potentially) disabled watercraft.

Putting other water sports enthusiasts at risk of being ejected or swamped simply because they find themselves within hundreds of yards from a wake surfing boat sounds like a good way to bring about unwanted rules and regulations. I am not excusing the responsibility of others to be aware of the water conditions.

 

Oh...they are coming.  Matter of time.  Lakefront Homeowners are already on the bandwagon.  Fishermen are not far behind.  One or two people getting into serious trouble with the financial means and knowing the right channels to go through will slowly start to put an end to surfing any where but the ocean.  Just my opinion.

I wonder if in Malibu's 10-K (and all the other surfboat manuf.'s, for that matter) this type of potential regulation is listed in the risk factors section.  If it's not, it should be.  It would certainly concern me as a potential investor...

And what is unwanted from you/I/us is not necessarily unwanted by by others....who likely outnumber 'us'.

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4 minutes ago, RTS said:

 

Oh...they are coming.  Matter of time.  Lakefront Homeowners are already on the bandwagon.  Fishermen are not far behind.  One or two people getting into serious trouble with the financial means and knowing the right channels to go through will slowly start to put an end to surfing any where but the ocean.  Just my opinion.

I wonder if in Malibu's 10-K (and all the other surfboat manuf.'s, for that matter) this type of potential regulation is listed in the risk factors section.  If it's not, it should be.  It would certainly concern me as a potential investor...

And what is unwanted from you/I/us is not necessarily unwanted by by others....who likely outnumber 'us'.

On my lake, I could care less about the fishermen.  Nothing personal against fishermen or fishing, but I'll stop surfing as soon as they slow down to a speed less than 65mph.  Whenever we see one moving about the lake at break-neck speeds, my family and I are always like "hey look, there they go ... they are chasing that Cheetah-fish again."  These guys only know trolling speeds and hammer down 65+ miles an hour.  On my lake, I'm regularly passed as I move from place to place like I'm standing still.  It's not uncommon for me to be moving to another area, running 25mph, and have my doors blown off.  A few of them have gone by so fast that they should be wearing a helmet.

I'll +1 for the idea of a boating license.  Being the realist I am, I know it'll not do much, but my optimistic side tells me maybe it might help.

On busy days where I boat, it is mentally exhausting.  Driving a car around town and on the highway is a BREEZE compared to trying to safely navigate the waters at the lake on peak days.  I feel like my retard radar is on the entire 6-8 hours we're on the water.

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10 minutes ago, jester3653 said:

On my lake, I could care less about the fishermen.  Nothing personal against fishermen or fishing, but I'll stop surfing as soon as they slow down to a speed less than 65mph.  Whenever we see one moving about the lake at break-neck speeds, my family and I are always like "hey look, there they go ... they are chasing that Cheetah-fish again."  These guys only know trolling speeds and hammer down 65+ miles an hour.  On my lake, I'm regularly passed as I move from place to place like I'm standing still.  It's not uncommon for me to be moving to another area, running 25mph, and have my doors blown off.  A few of them have gone by so fast that they should be wearing a helmet.

I'll +1 for the idea of a boating license.  Being the realist I am, I know it'll not do much, but my optimistic side tells me maybe it might help.

On busy days where I boat, it is mentally exhausting.  Driving a car around town and on the highway is a BREEZE compared to trying to safely navigate the waters at the lake on peak days.  I feel like my retard radar is on the entire 6-8 hours we're on the water.

No kidding. "A relaxing day on the water" is not had when you are driving in a sea of idiots. I've launched a few unsuspecting cheetah-fish hunters. They seem to slow down after 4' of air and the outboard rev limiter kicking in.

I even tried to warn one once, didn't work. launched a tackle box or cooler or something about 15 feet - good thing they had a net!

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1 hour ago, John I. said:

Sorry for being a Debbie Downer, but this sounds like you swamped a (potentially) disabled watercraft.

Putting other water sports enthusiasts at risk of being ejected or swamped simply because they find themselves within hundreds of yards from a wake surfing boat sounds like a good way to bring about unwanted rules and regulations. I am not excusing the responsibility of others to be aware of the water conditions.

Or, possibly she could've waited until we were passed her before she opened the top of the jetski since we were beside her when she popped it off. Or possibly she could of waved at us to let us know she was having trouble and not just hanging out in the lake and needed help. If you stopped for every jetski stopped on the water, you'd never get down the lake.

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1 minute ago, Kalamazoo said:

No kidding. "A relaxing day on the water" is not had when you are driving in a sea of idiots. I've launched a few unsuspecting cheetah-fish hunters. They seem to slow down after 4' of air and the outboard rev limiter kicking in.

I even tried to warn one once, didn't work. launched a tackle box or cooler or something about 15 feet - good thing they had a net!

you're not joking! Luckily the creek where we board and surf is also full of other people boarding and surfing so generally its pretty easy because we stay out of each others way. Now there is always that idiot pulling a tube or some idiots on a big sit down jet ski trying to get close to my surf wake but I refuse to pull anyone in the main channel anymore.

That being said I love hitting my own surf wake and others when I'm riding my stand up jet ski, my buddies can do flips off my wake on their aftermarket hulls pretty easily. Fun as hell to watch, but we all know what we are doing. 4th of july weekend I was riding behind my friends air antique jumping his wake on the way back to the marina when he slows down to throw a bigger wake a pontoon cuts really close to him, luckily I let off or I would have launched my Stand up onto this guys pontoon.

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