Teaching the wife to drive the boat...

[Sparky450]

1 hour ago, FatGoldChain said:

Although now that I say that in scenarios where the dock is busy, you get a bunch of idiots out there in their trucks, which could be even more stressful. I’d rather it be me in the truck in case...

They will also give the ladies a little slack. Just because they are telling their wives. "Look she can do it. Why can't you"

[efjeld]

1 hour ago, Michigan boarder said:

Do you own Sperrys?

I kinda miss Afun.  Kinda wish he'd come back to the Malibu world.

[FatGoldChain]

1 hour ago, Michigan boarder said:

Do you own Sperrys?

Ha! Nope. 

[hawaiianstyln]

this thread is also a VERY resourceful knowledge base for your wife in driver training.  Send her the link, I did! 

[sChamblee]

Wait until it’s dark and jump off the boat close to the dock and she will figure it out. My wife can put it on the trailer with 50 boats around at 2in the afternoon or put it on at 3am on July 5 with water patrol watching to make sure your not drinking with 2 wild kids.

[SCMike]

14 hours ago, Hemmy said:

Have her take one of the boater safety courses also.  You can take these online. 

My wife did this and now tells me all the stuff I’m doing wrong. 😂

[SCMike]

8 hours ago, martinarcher said:

Sparky reminded me of something I tell my wife all the time.  Don't approach anything....trailer, dock, etc any faster than you are comfortable bumping it.  It's just a reminder, slow is better when approaching objects.  A slow bump won't do much if any damage, you hit something hard and it is a different story.  

That’s a great way to explain the “slow is better” concept.  I’m gonna steal this  

[martinarcher]

1 hour ago, SCMike said:

That’s a great way to explain the “slow is better” concept.  I’m gonna steal this  

Do it.  I know it helps my wife.  

[Falko]

19 hours ago, UWSkier said:

Men aren't supposed to cry... but that's the saddest story I've ever read! 

I probably shouldn't tell you that I'm putting my dog to sleep this afternoon, then. The good news is three country singers are bidding on the rights to my life story...

[braindamage]

My middle child (son) has been the boat driver ever since we got it. Since he’s been gone to college and sometimes too busy for boat stuff my wife has started to learn. She will drive while I ski but that’s it for now.  I’m confident she’ll drive onto the lift and trailer when it’s time. I don’t push it.

Advice: Be patient and calm, especially when things go wrong. Never criticize or even provide guidance after you teach unless asked. Compliment truthfully but plentifully. Be thankful. Hugs help.

Nobody in my family other than me drives the trailer. We only use the ramp 4x/yr so that’s no big deal. Maybe this summer I should teach everyone.

[Leftlane]

My wife puts the boat on the trailer way better than I can.  Funny story - in our first boat (Chaparral), she put the boat on the trailer at a super busy ramp on a holiday weekend like a boss.  I started to pull the trailer out and all the guys set up to heckle people starting yelling and hollering at her, and she waved at them like she was in a Miss America pageant.  Turns out she forgot to trim up to raise the lower unit and I was dragging it up the ramp and bending the sh** out of the skeg.  We both had a good laugh after the fact.

She is still a bit uncomfortable with the handling of the V drive but so am I, so I don't have much authority to teach anyone anything.  We took delivery of our new 23 LSV last week and she told me I should go ahead and get the first scratch out of the way so we won't stress about it every time when we pull into our slip.  As everyone has said, slow is good.  Speed kills - it amplifies every mistake for sure.

[Michigan boarder]

I'll share a story.

We were out on the Echelon on Walloon lake, 6 guys, wakeboarding all day and then getting into the beer, in our early 30's.  We waited for our turn at the dock to pull out for about a half an hour and then tied up, radio kinda loud, laughing a lot, not drunk and stupid but about an hour into it and having a great time.  We are at the end of the dock, waiting for a truck that is backing in a I/O runabout to launch.  Wife gets out to hold the ropes and the couple is probably in their 50's.  We are kinda watching them but not staring, he is getting agitated, but he also isn't in the water far enough, and in general not doing it right.  Eventually he starts yelling at her, we are still there with the semi-loud radio going and cracking beers.  You could tell she feels awful, hating the experience.  Finally they get it off the trailer and he parks the truck while she's holding the ropes to the bow & stern.  While he's parking my buddy walks up to her, puts his arm around her and says "Would you like us to kick his a__ for you?" and we are laughing, telling her it won't take long, etc.  She like "YES!!" and laughing.  Then pretty quickly says "No, I'm kidding, but thank you.  Seriously don't hurt him please" and we assure her that we won't.  They get on the boat and drive away, and she starts talking to him when they are like 50 yards out and we see him quickly turn around and look at us, and we were just standing there in a variety of positions - raising beers, pointing at him, thumbs up, etc.  He got on the throttle and got out of there.  It was really funny.  He was a jerk.

[Slayer]

15 minutes ago, Michigan boarder said:

I'll share a story.

We were out on the Echelon on Walloon lake, 6 guys, wakeboarding all day and then getting into the beer, in our early 30's.  We waited for our turn at the dock to pull out for about a half an hour and then tied up, radio kinda loud, laughing a lot, not drunk and stupid but about an hour into it and having a great time.  We are at the end of the dock, waiting for a truck that is backing in a I/O runabout to launch.  Wife gets out to hold the ropes and the couple is probably in their 50's.  We are kinda watching them but not staring, he is getting agitated, but he also isn't in the water far enough, and in general not doing it right.  Eventually he starts yelling at her, we are still there with the semi-loud radio going and cracking beers.  You could tell she feels awful, hating the experience.  Finally they get it off the trailer and he parks the truck while she's holding the ropes to the bow & stern.  While he's parking my buddy walks up to her, puts his arm around her and says "Would you like us to kick his a__ for you?" and we are laughing, telling her it won't take long, etc.  She like "YES!!" and laughing.  Then pretty quickly says "No, I'm kidding, but thank you.  Seriously don't hurt him please" and we assure her that we won't.  They get on the boat and drive away, and she starts talking to him when they are like 50 yards out and we see him quickly turn around and look at us, and we were just standing there in a variety of positions - raising beers, pointing at him, thumbs up, etc.  He got on the throttle and got out of there.  It was really funny.  He was a jerk.

Boat launches provide TONS of funny stories like this.......I have one, but doesn't involve anyone's wife....just a COMPLETELY clueless dude.  Cliff's notes.....he couldn't back the trailer in so he disconnected it from the vehicle, on the ramp, and began to walk it down.  Lost control and it went into the water, trailer attached, and started floating....it was a small sea-doo jet boat.  He jumps in swimming after it...I was watching from my deck.  I ran out there and threw him a rope and we pulled the boat and trailer back to the ramp.  I backed his car down, hooked up the trailer, and pulled him out.

Put him in the car so he could see how it's done.  After that, he used to always ask me to back his boat down the ramp because he simply couldn't do it.  I often wondered why Ford came up with the trailer back up knob in the trucks thinking that it was crazy, then I think of this dude who still cannot back his boat in.  Since I moved, he's got another neighbor doing it for him!  This initial incident was 8 years ago and he still can't get it done.  

[braindamage]

24 minutes ago, inlandlaker said:

This initial incident was 8 years ago and he still can't get it done. 

That’s unbelievable.

[Slayer]

2 minutes ago, braindamage said:

That’s unbelievable.

No doubt.  True fact.  Completely unreal.....

[jsmithsole]

Wow this thread reminded of one of the only things my EX wife was good for (in retrospect of course)   She could back that trailer down like a champ!!! 

[shawndoggy]

On 4/25/2019 at 5:41 AM, oldjeep said:

My wife is my main driver and puts the boat on and off the trailer 99% of the time

This. The level of sexism in this thread is amazing. If I wanted to learn how to trailer the boat I’d ask my wife first. I’ve only done it twice. 

[Slurpee]

3 minutes ago, shawndoggy said:

This. The level of sexism in this thread is amazing. If I wanted to learn how to trailer the boat I’d ask my wife first. I’ve only done it twice. 

Amen.  The wife does all the backing, hauling, towing.  For that matter she does all the family driving to.  I will tell the story of how she learned to back the trailer so well.  At the time we were living in Temple, TX.  The KMart had just been abandoned.  There was this great big parking lot full of movable obstacles (shopping carts) and no parking bumps.  The day after we got the first boat into town we towed it over there and I set up an obstacle course for her to back the boat through, around, etc.  After about a half hour we took the truck out of reverse and I've spent the next 20 years sipping a drink in the boat as my wife maneuvers the rig around the weekend warriors.  In and out in less time than they can argue over whether the plugs and straps have been checked.   When I back a boat in or out, it's an awful lot like a drunk sine wave with too much phase lag.

[malibuskier2003]

Interesting thread.  My wife is the boat driver unless she's unavailable.  She's been driving boats since she was 12.  She's got more than 40 years under her belt.  She's awesome and fanatical.  No nicks, dings, chips, etc.  She's capable of doing the whole deal solo - back it down, launch it, park the truck and take off.  It really works out well, as a bad back prevents her from skiing/wakeboarding/surfing so she ends up driving for everyone.  Even in their boats.  However, I have to occasionally remind her that I too can drive our boat as I am part owner.....

Dave

[Raimie]

I'm torn on whether or not to weigh in on this conversation

[oldjeep]

18 minutes ago, Raimie said:

I'm torn on whether or not to weigh in on this conversation

Have you got a wife?  (Not that there's anything wrong with that)

 

Edited April 26, 2019 by oldjeep

[Michigan boarder]

2 hours ago, shawndoggy said:

This. The level of sexism in this thread is amazing. If I wanted to learn how to trailer the boat I’d ask my wife first. I’ve only done it twice. 

I don't think it's sexist, just due to life experiences that can still be generalized/categorized due to the differences in the sexes.  Males typically will start wrenching on cars, which leads to bikes and boats, and they therefore learn to move them around and the dynamics involved with that.  There's zero biological advantage from one sex to another, it's just how we've molded experiences (as a general rule).

1 hour ago, Raimie said:

I'm torn on whether or not to weigh in on this conversation

Your input is probably the most valuable here!

[andrewml]

When my wife and I take the boat to the lake with friends and it’s my turn to ski one of my male friends always offers to drive the boat.  I always politely decline and turn the wheel over to my wife.  When it’s time to take the boat out again they ask if I would like them to back the trailer in and again I politely decline as my wife jumps out and heads up the dock.

Apparently I married a unicorn...

[braindamage]

I’m not being sexist. The boat is my thing. I’ve loved boating and waterskiing as long as I can remember. I’ve been driving boats since 12 and trailering then since 16. I used to own a sailboat rental business “delivered and set up on your beach”. My wife loves the boat only cuz I do. She’s wonderful in that she goes along with my silliness. The fact that she’s willing to try new things and drive when needed is just part of being the wonderful wife that she is. I’m a blessed and happy man!!

Edited April 27, 2019 by braindamage

[martinarcher]

3 hours ago, Raimie said:

I'm torn on whether or not to weigh in on this conversation

I think your the most qualified to weigh in and would probably add the most value!