Newsgroups: rec.boats

Due to divorce, I went from owning an 18 foot runabout, family boat,
to a 550 jetski a some years ago. I had more near misses and problems
with other boaters with the boat than the jetski. The jetski is not
what is causing problems out there, it is the nut riding it. Same goes
for the boats. The SF Bay River Delta has hundreds of miles of channels,
sometimes very narrow. I've seen boats on the rocks, skiers on the rocks,
sunken boats, sunken skiers. If you see enough of the antics that cause
these things, you can learn to become more careful out there. Besides,
it is a pain to ski through the rotor wash of the all the rescue choppers.

The jet skier, being a lot more responsive, SHOULD also be paying a lot
more attention to what is going on around him than the usual power/sail
boater. It is like riding motorcycles, with your bod hangin' out there,
you had better be REAL aware of what is happening close by. If they
are ridden responsibly, they're are a blast, and once semi-mastered, to me,
are safer than water skiing. As opposed to the many times I hit a ski
or got hit by a flying ski handle, the only time the jet ski hit me
was when I fell off while trying to barefoot next to it. Probably not
a recommended stunt, anyway. DUHHHH.

The greatest thrills and "space" are attained when a 30 foot power boat
slows down and lugs a huge well behind it. Nice smooth trough for launching.
The usual cadet on the jetski will go for it WITHOUT A RUN AROUND THE
AREA TO SEE OTHER TRAFFIC! It makes ya cringe when the bozo comes
down 6 feet from another power boat he didn't look for ahead of time.
I guess I'm starting to preach here, but a little common sense goes a long
way when you are doing something that is not with the flow of others around
you, in the water or on land.

Kids, mine included, have little or no common sense. They usually don't
have enough experience at pain to have a healthy respect for their actions.
Yes, there are a lot of kids on jetskis because they are cheap and their
parents figure, rightly so, that falling off a jetski is not gonna mess
up junior's braces like a dirt bike will. When you see kids on jetskis,
especially where rentals are available, stay clear if you can.

Enough.

For the one that asked what kind of 'ski to buy: If you are 
a loner or you are going to have a fleet, so everyone in the family 
has one, get the single old-style jetski. They are harder to learn to
ride and take some practice to actually be in control if you are ever
going to stand up on it, 10-20 hours depending on your age, :-)  You will
always be soaking wet on this type of jetski. If you want more comfort
and lots of people will be using only one ski, get one of the larger
sit down two seaters. Anyone, inside of 5 minutes will be out there
hummin' around. The safety training for munchkins is easier on these
because you can sit right behind the newby and constantly bug them with
things like, "Watch that boat over, he might turn, stay away from that
dock, don't run into that shallow water over there, LOOK BEFORE YOU TURN!"
It can be done on a stand up ski, but it isn't as easy (or as safe, let
alone legal) to get two on a single jetski for training.

Over the years, I've had many friends with boats. From wind surfers, jetskis,
ski boats, runabouts, power cruisers, hobies, small sailboats, and now one
of them has a 40 foot sailboat. Each boat needed different skills to pilot,
and not EVEN one of the boats could think for itself. It was up to the
people "driving" it. We even crushed a camel with an aircraft carrier once!

So, it isn't the type of craft, it is the driver. I think the same thing
on the way to work EVERY morning!!!


Let the flames begin......


Bill

(I wanna try one of those 750 Kawasaki's!)

Newsgroups: rec.boats