WakeWorld - Carbon Monoxide and Wakesurfing

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- Wakesurfing (http://www.wakeworld.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=87668)

- - Carbon Monoxide and Wakesurfing (http://www.wakeworld.com/forum/showthread.php?t=728548)

There has been a couple of deaths recently due to CO, which is a tragedy. One of my main goals this year was to deal with carbon monoxide safety, and the misconceptions people have about carbon monoxide and wakesurfing. I still get people that will take my kids aside and tell them they shouldn't wakesurf, and should talk to their dad because you can die from wakesurfing due to carbon monoxide poisoning. I truly hope this helps keep people safe, and bust some of the myths. <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7i0BjrGah2U" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7i0BjrGah2U</a> My goal is to have a page that we can compile information, and provide a web address that can easily be remembered so that it can be given out freely to help answer the questions about wakesurfing, teaksurfing, and carbon monoxide.

Great video. I recieved my FAE by fedex friday afternoon. Can't wait to try it out.

Ragboy, Thank you! You are a huge asset to our sport! Great informational video! Now you just need a hot blond supermodel as your "spokeswoman". You know, a little eye candy to catch peoples attention before they get involved with the actual message... Just my 2 cents worth.

Thats very cool ragboy. Mine should be on in the next couple of weeks.

Awesome video and thanks a ton for sharing. Seems like the site is going great! I love my FAE, thanks Larry!

Thanks for the feedback, I appreciate it.

@bigcatpt First, what do you mean by I am a HUGE asset? What are you trying to say? Second, are you implying that I am NOT drop dead sexy? (Message edited by ragboy on August 24, 2009)

Ragboy, The size of your contribution to the sport is huge. You also happen to be a very large man. So yes, you are a Huge asset in so many ways!<img src="http://www.wakeworld.com/MB/Discus/clipart/lol.gif" border=0> As far as sexy goes.... some here may have been turned on the by the nipple rubbing performed in one of your previous videos<img src="http://www.wakeworld.com/MB/Discus/clipart/uhoh.gif" border=0>.... but it takes a hot blond female to do it for me...<img src="http://www.wakeworld.com/MB/Discus/clipart/rofl.gif" border=0> just saying.... Keep up the good work!!!!

LOL. That's pretty funny, and I THINK thank you, not quite sure. ;-) My hope is that cokills page can be a place, that when some town or municipality is thinking about banning wakesurfing due to some rumors or bad information, there is someone that can give out that URL and it may help inform. I def hear what you are saying about the spokesmodel, and at first, I actually was planning on someone else in front of the camera. They couldn't match my enthusiasm it just didn't work. So I just said the hell with it and did it. RJ and Whitney are both easy on the eye, and over time they will take it over, but not for a while. I am working on another podcast where RJ films and whitney speaks, but more on that some other time. She will be well clothed and not twirling anything though! So for now, just keeping it real. At least you know I am not faking it, huh? ;-)

Great video and very informative. One question I had was do you think that the CO levels would be different out at the surfer's location on boats that don't have as long a pocket as yours? Not sure if it makes any difference but thought I would ask. Also how much does a CO tester like the one you were using cost. I suspect that they are expensive.

Well, CO levels definitely get less the farther back you go. I had RJ surf all the way up to the deck, so the front of the board was over the tip of the deck. The only time I got a few readings over 30ppm, which is not dangerous unless you wakesurf at that level for like several days straight, was during a tight right turn before we put on the FAE. During the turn the exhaust seem to escape different, and this was a turn we could have only done with the rope. A great source of information on distance and CO levels is a study done by the USCG. They measure at 2ft above the ground and 5ft above the ground. The only time they had higher levels was at 2ft from the water level. Here is a figure from the report. <img src="http://www.wakeworld.com/MB/Discus/messages/87668/729328.jpg" alt="figure"> You can see they show 45ppm at 2ft above water at 7.5 and 10mph. This is the worst, but even at 45ppm you would need constant exposure at 45 ppm for about 8 hours, and you would get a headache, thats about it. From all of my reading, CO levels are considered dangerous at above 35ppm, but that is regarding industrial or occupational danger. In other words, 35-70ppm can cause exposure symptoms if sustained over an 8 hour period. Here is a link to that safe distance report. <a href="http://www.uscgboating.org/command/co/files/CO_SafeDistanceReport.pdf" target="_blank">http://www.uscgboating.org/command/co/files/CO_SafeDistanceReport.pdf</a> Here is another figure from a report found on the USCG site on CO and boating. It shows the effects of CO at different levels over time. This says at 50ppm, you would have to be exposed for about 4 hours to get to 15% COHb, which will cause a slight headache. <img src="http://www.wakeworld.com/MB/Discus/messages/87668/729329.jpg" alt="figure2"> It is between 150-200ppm where the danger starts. Consider that 40% COHb could be fatal. Technically, you need 50%, but if you faint, which you can at 40% COHb, you can die if you are not wearing a life jacket. So 4 hours at 200ppm could get you to 40% COHb. Now that is VERY possible on the back of your boat, or riding for long periods on the swim deck or sun deck, or even back seat, especially if you have a DD boat. But not wakesurfing. Levels can be sustained on your sundeck at 300-400ppm. You can passout in an hour at that level. Think of some of the long 5mph zones you may have been in. Think if someone is a child, or someone more sensitive. So, IMHO, and the data supports it, wakesurfing is SAFE, but riding on the back of your boat at slow speeds is NOT. You need an FAE for riding in your boat, not wakesurfing. HTH. you can find more info here. <a href="http://wake9.com/cokills" target="_blank">http://wake9.com/cokills</a>

Oh, I forgot to add this. This is the tow boat that was used in the USCG CO safe distance study. <img src="http://www.wakeworld.com/MB/Discus/messages/87668/729331.jpg" alt="figure3">

Wow - that is some great information and a great video. Thanks for taking the time to do such thorough research on it. I was on the fence about FAE before, but think I'll put it up on my list for this winter's project. Appreciate it, JB

Ragboy nice job I'm going to post your vid on my facebook. I've been giving lessons here in Idaho and people just don't understand the importance of the FAE or sideswipe. I was on a Calabria and the exhaust was so bad I rode once and I was done. You should do a video also on what boats should be used for wakesurfing and which ones shouldn't. I see a lot of that here too which will suck once one person gets hurt on a outboard boat here. They will shut surfing down on lakes for sure. I think it should be part of the boat inspection if your boat is wakesurf ready or not just to prevent the idiots from dying and killing our sport. Thanks again.

Thanks John and Nikki. Nikki, This safety video, part 1 and part 2, in part 1, I talk about INBOARD ONLY. <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O3rvzIm3y9E" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O3rvzIm3y9E</a> <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6NRNLEWLcm8" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6NRNLEWLcm8</a> Also, you can subscribe to the podcast, and get all of these videos/episodes and they will download to your ipod/iphone or zune. <a href="http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?id=326141009" target="_blank">http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?id=326141009</a>