What rules to give friends on the boat?

[Pnwrider]

On 7/17/2019 at 2:25 PM, shawndoggy said:

we have relaxed a lot since I wrote these ten years ago, but they aren't a bad start.  LOL I've definitely relaxed about #7, and changed my mind completely about #14 (you are done when I say you're done).  And I even had a beer on the boat one time this year.

 

1.    must bring good attitude and have fun!

2.    no alcohol

3.    no messy food (chocolate, cheetos, doritos, fruit punch... you get the idea)

4.    no shoes

5.    kids have to wear life vests -- it's the law (we have a few for 50lb+ kids... only one vest for kids under 50lbs, so bring your own if you have one)

6.    no roughhousing in the boat

7.    must get in the water and try something (surf, ski, wakeboard, etc) -- pregnant ladies and small children excluded -- tubing doesn't count!

8.    no whining

9.    be prepared to jump in the lake to pee (or hold it... there generally aren't any bathrooms)

10.  towing the tube comes last (otherwise the kids won't want to do anything else... plus it ruins the smooth water)

11.  once you are in the boat no going back to shore (so if you forgot something too bad!  And seeing as all you brought are lunch and flip flops, what could you have forgotten anyway?)

12.  pack light -- there isn't a lot of room in the boat and you really aren't going to need much more than lunch and a towel (and maybe a vest).

13.  We may holler some directions at you while we are underway.  It's much smoother if everyone is helping out, but we realize you might not know what to do (hence the hollerin').  So be ready to learn a few new tricks!

14.  Don't worry about hogging a turn... if you are in the water with the handle in your hand, stay there till you want to get back in the boat.  We're stoked when people are having a good time.

 

Stuff you should bring

lunch

water/drinks

sunscreen

chapstick

towels (but we have lots)

sunglasses

hats

camera (but remember it might get wet)

flip flops (so you can take them off when getting in the boat)

ziplock bag to prevent stuff from getting wet

 

Stuff you shouldn't bring

purse

cooler (we have one in the boat if you need to keep something cold)

toys

electronic devices

stuff you don't want to get wet

stuff that you will mind holding on your lap all day (there really isn't much storage room at all, beyond room for your lunch and your towel)

You send that out ahead of time?

We typically have other “boat people” out but today I had some complete newbs. I assumed most people had life vests for their kids. I was wrong. First time I’ve ever had anyone wear one of those orange cheap vests before. Typically I keep extra neoprene vests in adult size s-xl, but needed 2-3 more smalls at least. I had to shut down some wakeboarding attempts in order to cycle through everyone before it became too rough to even attempt. Young, small, teens can hang on forever or keep trying to get up for the five seconds required to get a worthy instagram photo. 

Edited July 22, 2019 by Pnwrider

[shawndoggy]

9 minutes ago, Pnwrider said:

You send that out ahead of time?

we did ... but got some pretty terrible feedback.  So now I wish that people could understand the rules telepathicallyl

[Pnwrider]

1 minute ago, shawndoggy said:

we did ... but got some pretty terrible feedback.  So now I wish that people could understand the rules telepathicallyl

Too bad, I actually like the idea of kicking that (or something similar) out ahead of time. I might make a modified version that reads like a normal text. 

[surfdude]

I would just like if newbies helped cleaning out the garbage, and help wiping down the boat. Never mind the sandals on the seat thing. My wifes work friends.

[minnmarker]

We let everyone know 5, 9, and 12.  But we really don't invite prima donnas or "inflexible" people.

[DogDays]

On 7/15/2019 at 8:45 PM, Sparky450 said:

Have fun. Don’t go to jail. Don’t go to emergency. And if vinyl is properly treated,  it usually cleans easy. Bring what you want but don’t be stupid and spill all over.  Only thing we don’t allow is sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds. Pistachios. Stuff that has a waste. They get messy quick. And no individually wrapped candys with papers.

Get in have fun and be safe. The boat can be fixed bodies can’t. 

Edit to add. The rope is the most dangerous thing in the boat. 

I just told my niece and nephew that the rope was the most dangerous thing on the boat this weekend. They said that they had no idea. The best lesson to teach!

[MalibuNation]

I was out with brand new neighbors Monday ... big city folks that never have been boating much.

So it was my turn to wakeboard and this neighbor took it upon himself to borrow my brand new sun glasses w/o asking and broke them.  This is the 2nd time I've worn them.  Not sure I'll make this a rule as I just want to vent.

[JeffK]

On 7/21/2019 at 11:05 PM, shawndoggy said:

we did ... but got some pretty terrible feedback.  So now I wish that people could understand the rules telepathicallyl

Terrible feedback?  Did you respond to said terrible feedback with the feedback that they can stay home?  If they want to come rule free, you should hold a security deposit then. 

Joking aside, I can't imagine reacting negatively to someone "enlightening" me with expectations before I got there.  They should rent a boat at a marina if they want to be able to come and go without any responsibility.

[Chatty21VLX]

No glass bottles. I allowed them til someone with a craft beer/ non twist off forgot his bottle opener and broke a bottle trying to open it with a lighter. There was a decent amount of blood, and it ruined the afternoon for everyone.

No shoes- take them off on the dock, and we will stow them under a seat

No smoking unless on the swim platform as long as there are no kids near it. If I catch you throwing butts in the water, you're not invited back. 

No foods with cheese dust. 

No spray sunscreen. I keep $75 worth of name brand stuff on board, so please leave your spray on the dock.

The rope is deadly.

[MadMan]

2 hours ago, MalibuNation said:

I was out with brand new neighbors Monday ... big city folks that never have been boating much.

So it was my turn to wakeboard and this neighbor took it upon himself to borrow my brand new sun glasses w/o asking and broke them.  This is the 2nd time I've worn them.  Not sure I'll make this a rule as I just want to vent.

Not borrowing some else's sunglasses isn't a unique boat thing, it's a common courtesy thing.  As is him replacing what he broke.

[eubanks]

How militant are you guys about shoes?  I have tried to become very vocal about the shoe expectations, but last weekend we had a new crew (family of 7) out.  I am frantically reminding them of the no shoe policy as they are all stepping off the dock onto the boat's sun pad and seats with their dirty shoes on.  The dad's response was, "We know, we know.  We are all taking them off." 

So his interpretation was to walk all over the seats first and THEN take shoes off once onto the boat.   I thought I was very specific but I guess the message didn't translate for them.

[NWBU]

26 minutes ago, eubanks said:

How militant are you guys about shoes?  I have tried to become very vocal about the shoe expectations, but last weekend we had a new crew (family of 7) out.  I am frantically reminding them of the no shoe policy as they are all stepping off the dock onto the boat's sun pad and seats with their dirty shoes on.  The dad's response was, "We know, we know.  We are all taking them off." 

So his interpretation was to walk all over the seats first and THEN take shoes off once onto the boat.   I thought I was very specific but I guess the message didn't translate for them.

No shoes on the boat seems obvious to boat people but nobody else knows what it means. We say to actually remove the shoes on the dock first and pick them up, to avoid the mid-stride onto the rear deck reminder. Frankly, we've gone from inviting folks out most outings a few years ago to hardly ever inviting anyone else, other than a couple of the kids' close friends, since we enjoy the family and water time too much. Helps just about all these other issues above too.

For weekly boat outings with the guys before or after work, it's just 2-3 others and everyone is a boat owner. The 3rd guy is insurance in case someone has to bail last minute for some work or family emergency that couldn't be anticipated. 

[wdr]

31 minutes ago, eubanks said:

How militant are you guys about shoes?  I have tried to become very vocal about the shoe expectations, but last weekend we had a new crew (family of 7) out.  I am frantically reminding them of the no shoe policy as they are all stepping off the dock onto the boat's sun pad and seats with their dirty shoes on.  The dad's response was, "We know, we know.  We are all taking them off." 

So his interpretation was to walk all over the seats first and THEN take shoes off once onto the boat.   I thought I was very specific but I guess the message didn't translate for them.

Game over man! They would of been PNG after that with me. That is about as ungrateful an attitude as I have heard on here.  I would of lost my temper and my mind over that, especially when you had already asked nicely. Blood, Cheetos and wine will come out, cuts tears and scrapes not so much.

[Bozboat]

4 minutes ago, wdr said:

Game over man! They would of been PNG after that with me. That is about as ungrateful an attitude as I have heard on here.  I would of lost my temper and my mind over that, especially when you had already asked nicely. Blood, Cheetos and wine will come out, cuts tears and scrapes not so much.

I think I will have a hat made with PNG on it.   I have the same reaction to standing on the back lid.

[Hemmy]

45 minutes ago, eubanks said:

How militant are you guys about shoes?  I have tried to become very vocal about the shoe expectations, but last weekend we had a new crew (family of 7) out.  I am frantically reminding them of the no shoe policy as they are all stepping off the dock onto the boat's sun pad and seats with their dirty shoes on.  The dad's response was, "We know, we know.  We are all taking them off." 

So his interpretation was to walk all over the seats first and THEN take shoes off once onto the boat.   I thought I was very specific but I guess the message didn't translate for them.

I would have looked at my friends and said....

[Eagleboy99]

That list seems to me to be a bit much.  Too many rules everywhere today.  YMMV.  However the shoes thing really gets me - and I'll call people out on that.  Politely of course. 

[Skymedic]

We keep extra cheap sun glasses, hats, and crazy amount of towels. If I can provide it, it’ll probably prevent an issue is my take. Shoes... my kids seem to be the police on that front and always have my back. Lol 

[ahopkins22LSV]

6 hours ago, eubanks said:

How militant are you guys about shoes?  I have tried to become very vocal about the shoe expectations, but last weekend we had a new crew (family of 7) out.  I am frantically reminding them of the no shoe policy as they are all stepping off the dock onto the boat's sun pad and seats with their dirty shoes on.  The dad's response was, "We know, we know.  We are all taking them off." 

So his interpretation was to walk all over the seats first and THEN take shoes off once onto the boat.   I thought I was very specific but I guess the message didn't translate for them.

If they were a first time visitor, I’d let them pass and not sweat it. If it was a crew that normal comes I’d say something but still not sweat it. It’s not worth getting stressed over it. 

[wdr]

5 minutes ago, ahopkinsVTX said:

If they were a first time visitor, I’d let them pass and not sweat it. If it was a crew that normal comes I’d say something but still not sweat it. It’s not worth getting stressed over it. 

There is a placed saved for you in heaven... and the Malibu upholstery shop. 😁

[ahopkins22LSV]

49 minutes ago, wdr said:

There is a placed saved for you in heaven... and the Malibu upholstery shop. 😁

I used to be super high strung about the boat. Every little thing would stress me out or upset me. That wasn’t fun. I own a boat to have fun and enjoy being around my family and friends. Sure I don’t want shoes in the boat but if I invite someone new out and they forget to remove their flip flops or shoes. Oh well. Life goes on and let’s enjoy the day on the lake!

[carguy79ta]

O was on my friends boat 2wks ago. First thing I asked him was "what are the rules of your boat?" 

[justgary]

I have a really nice scratch in the gelcoat above the rear corner of my boat from my cousin's son "helping" me by picking up a ski off the dock and sliding it across the boat instead of handing it to me.  It bugs me every time I see it. 

One of these days I might get around to wet sanding it out.  Maybe not.  It's a good reminder to me to stay on top of extra help by moving faster than they can think. 

[RyanB]

3 hours ago, ahopkinsVTX said:

I used to be super high strung about the boat. Every little thing would stress me out or upset me. That wasn’t fun. I own a boat to have fun and enjoy being around my family and friends. Sure I don’t want shoes in the boat but if I invite someone new out and they forget to remove their flip flops or shoes. Oh well. Life goes on and let’s enjoy the day on the lake!

I agree with this mostly. There is some balance between being super anal and stressing about everything and totally open and a free for all. 

I spend a lot of $ on our boat, and I like to keep it nice. Shoes seem to be a tough one, especially for non boaters. My wife brought her boss and his family to the lake two years ago. Before I could say something about shoes, he steps from the dock, onto the sun deck, the immediately down onto the seat in his hiking shoes (mountain lake) and promptly pops the seam. I did a really good job of not saying anything. It was an accident, and nothing a trip to the upholstery shop couldn’t fix. But also something I don’t want to regularly repeat. 

[Eagleboy99]

38 minutes ago, RyanB said:

promptly pops the seam

Where did you hide the bodies?

[ahopkins22LSV]

6 hours ago, RyanB said:

I agree with this mostly. There is some balance between being super anal and stressing about everything and totally open and a free for all. 

I spend a lot of $ on our boat, and I like to keep it nice. Shoes seem to be a tough one, especially for non boaters. My wife brought her boss and his family to the lake two years ago. Before I could say something about shoes, he steps from the dock, onto the sun deck, the immediately down onto the seat in his hiking shoes (mountain lake) and promptly pops the seam. I did a really good job of not saying anything. It was an accident, and nothing a trip to the upholstery shop couldn’t fix. But also something I don’t want to regularly repeat. 

I agree. It’s not a free for all on my boat by any means. Mistakes happen though and I’m not going to get super worked up about it. As long as everyone is being safe, the other stuff can work itself out. 

Luckily we boat with the same 4-8 people so I barely have to say or even do anything now