Jet Ski Boneheads

I have been loading my SAN03 at the ramp, and have had two bad experiences with boneheads on jet skis within the last two weeks. Twice I have had to stop them from smashing into the side of my boat.
What bad experiences have you guys had with these boneheads?

Following a wakeboarder to close, cutting boats off at the dock. You name it 3 jet skiers have got tickets because of what they did to me in my boat. One guy almost ran into me while I was talking to the Deputy Dog it was sweet. His excuse was he was looking on shore for his friend who was parking the car. It's hard to look in 2 places he said. Well then don't you think you should look staight ahead if your under power?

Watched some idiot take out the cowl cover to an '87 140 horse Suzuki outboard at the boat ramp last night! Came flyin by to check out the girls at the ramp/beach and when he let off the gas surprise, he had no steering and hit this old fisherman's boat parked at the end of the dock.....
That old man verbally handed him his ass on a platter, right in front of all the girls he was trying so desperately to impress with his rented PWC!
I hate jetski's and what little use they have in the world..... I think all PWC owners should be required to undergo some sort of therapy, cognitive restructuring or certification training to get an endorsment on their license, like motorcyclists do! Tennis balls and/or water balloons seem to make it very clear that I want them nowhere near my boat or kids......

I saw a drunk chick "surprise?" at lake Mojave run her's up on the rocks on the beach right in front of us. She was coming in pretty hot and decided to let off the throttle, then turned to avoid the rocky beach, well again no turning with no power. She realizes this at the last moment, when she guns it right on to the beach. Almost to my 3 year old daughter and my feet. There was big old gashes on the bottom of it, plus the intake took in a lot of little pebbles. Idiot, serve her right! I am just very glad she didn't run into us.

One Time I went out with my boss and a small group... I was on the boat My boss was on the jet ski... Well I was taking a bunch of beginner's to teach how to Wakeboard. Well twice he almost hit me or my wakeboarder (who was a fellow coworker) Scarry... One time with the wakeboarder in the just after falling he goes to spray him and gets to close for comfort and the second I was pulling the wakeboarder up (just getting up and the jet ski comes flying infront of me boat (when I was yet on plain) and throws off the passanger right in front of me... I stopped and we had some words... Never again have I gone out in the water with him...

This jet skier was jumping the wake behind my buddies Mobius, well he somehow killed it after jumping the wake and was trapped between the dam and the wake, when the wake hit him it washed him up onto the dam and put a big hole in his hull, he was able to get it going and hauled butt across the water to keep the hull hole up. Funniest was seeing him at the dock later. hahaha

Where to start?

One time, the wife was pulling me on the foil. As I'm riding, I notice a jet ski with a mom and kid riding - mom driving. Cutting across the lake, against the pattern, getting closer and closer to my boat. I start yelling, screaming, waving, trying to get either my wife's attention or the jet ski. Finally, I throw the rope into the air, wife executes a turn to come back to me and the jet ski misses my boat by 5 feet.

Then, to add to the insult, the jet ski mom starts yelling at my wife! I was so mad I think I was walking on the water getting back to them. I reamed the mom out in front of the kid. Bringing up the pattern, right of way, boat with a skier in tow and exactly what I thought of the woman.

Another time, at the ramp: a jet skier is turning circles above no wake speed. I was in the boat so I went over to him. Everyone was yelling at him to quit - the wakes were whacking boats into the docks. I tried to tell him "Hey! No Wake Zone!". He just yells back that he has to keep the ski going. Well, old ranger Rick asked for his autograph a bit later.

Jet skier aren't necessarily bad, but the ones that just buy it and go to the lake really don't seem to know what is what.

here is what makes me mad... I dont know the stats but it seem most accident on the Delta include a jet ski (usually a drunk one) and a boat of some kind (ski boat, offshore.. etc) Naturally in these cases the jet skiier gets hurt worse cuz well smaller craft and such. Then After the accident everyone tears apart the boat in the accident sounds like the "big kid beating up the little kid kind tone"..
Here is another story that happened to good friends of the family. In the delta driving their offshore (about 35mph and completely sober) a drunk jet skiier cuts (made a 45 degree turn all of a sudden) right into the bow of the boat. Bam! He runs over him and the jet ski comes out the back complete destroyed. The jet skiier did live, but offshore's got a bad rap and everyone put the blame on offshore. THe jet skiier was about .12 alcohol level. unbelieveable.

I recently heard about a tragic story at Lake Puddingstone Ca. where a 13 year old boy was killed on a jet ski at a local lake. Apparently the Dad had borrowed a pair of sea doos from a friend and let his 16 year old Daughter ride one and he was on the back with his 13 year old boy riding the olther. I guess the boy decided to do a 360 and with the spray the girl did not see them and rode right through the spray up the boy and dad's sea doo knocking them both off and killed her brother. What a tragic accident that she now has to live with. Even hating jetskiers I wouldn't wish that on anyone, even thought I wish it at times. I think they do need to institute some kind of compliance whatever it may be to people on a lake level. So many have no clue of what they are doing and how they can effect others.

Stay safe out there.

I like the idea of them having to obtain a different type of license, like motorcycles. Maybe somebody on wake world could lobby for us?

thats what paintball guns are for,,,hide em if the 5-0 comes callin

We already have seperate JetSki licences in Australia...

Must obtain a boaters licence and then do another test just for Jetski's.

geez aron you have to be in the super super light weight class if a .12 has you drunk enuf to make stupid decisions

hey johny how about filling in some of your profile so we know where stupid remarks like that are coming from, specifically your AGE

Johny - yea, that is why .12 is legally drunk in EVERY state.

FYI - An average 170-pound man must have more than four drinks in one hour on an empty stomach to reach a .08 percent blood alcohol concentration (BAC) level. A 137-pound woman would reach .08 BAC after about three drinks in an hour on an empty stomach (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration). So getting to a .12 BAC one must drink even more than this.

I thought it was one beer or one drink an hour to stay at or under the old .10 scale.

Well! Turns out I was wrong again:

http://www.ou.edu/oupd/bac.htm

when i go out on week days i never have problems but on weekends its crazy. they jump the wake whale were towing someone it drives me crazy

Here in Canada you have to be 16 years old and have a separate boaters licence. The biggest problem with Jet skis is the inexperience of the operators. I would say most Jet ski owners are first time boat operators, if you actually flag them down and tell them they are doing something wrong without getting upset they are usually pretty good about it. When you start yelling and screaming at them it's human nature to go on the defensive. New boat owners are the same, how many new boat owners do you see power turning all the time, if you don't know any better they don't even think about it. If you explain to them why they shouldn't power turn chances are they'll stop doing it.

Currently in NY, anyone born after 1/1/72 must have taken a boater's safety course AND have the certificate with them to operate a jetski. As of 1/1/04, all will have had to taken the course. Unfortunately I see little enforcement of this law as ofter there are children as young as 10 - 12 buzzing around on a 60+ mph sleds in the waters where I ride. Parents wouldn't let their kids drive cars but a 500 lb, high speed jet ski - no problem. Too often the sheriff's patrols look the other way.

Not only do they not usually not know the laws on the water, or proper lake etiquete. But I have seen many many times, jet skis in tow in the fast lane on the highway, or in the car pool lane. They don't even have a clue about the laws of towing a trailer.

Well Jonathan, not all states are like Cali.

In CO, it's fine to run in the 'fast' lane. And, if you have 2 or more people in the vehicle, it's fine to use the HOV lanes.

I used to own a JetSki, I too was once classified in the same catagory I know classify all these other jetski idiots in. Jetski's are nothing but an accident waiting to happen!!!

Here's a little food for thought. You can read more information at http://www.dbw.ca.gov/Ar/AR2002/sec2.html

As of December 31, 2002, there were 157,687 PWC registered in California, comprising 18% of registered vessels. A total of 253 PWC-related accidents were reported in 2002, resulting in 188 injuries, 7 fatalities, and $524,250 in property damage. Accounting for 18% of registered vessels, PWC were involved in 13% of all fatalities and were responsible for 14% of all property damage, but were involved in 28% of all accidents and 40% of all injuries.

Overall, operators (open motor boats) in the 31-40 age group were involved in accidents more often than those in any other age group. The 31-40 age group was involved most often in open motorboat accidents, followed by the 41-50 age group. Most PWC accidents involved operators in the 11-20 age group, followed by the 21-30 age group.

This decrease appears to be attributable mainly to two laws affecting PWC that took effect in January 1998. The first law prohibited activities such as wake jumping within 100 feet of another vessel, spraying down other vessels, and playing "chicken." These activities now constitute endangerment of life, limb, and property. The second law raised the minimum age to operate a vessel of over 15 HP alone from 12 to 16 years of age. Since the vessel of choice of operators between 12 and 16 is the PWC, restricting this group's ability to operate vessels has resulted in a decrease in PWC-related accidents.

Most reported PWC accidents involved collisions with other vessels (66%). 13% of accidents involved falls overboard and 4% involved persons being struck by boats.

An examination of the 166 collisions involving PWC reveals that 100 (60%) involved a PWC colliding with a second PWC. Of the collisions involving two PWC, 31 (31%) involved two operators who knew each other and were riding together. Behaviors more likely to occur between operators who were riding together, were unsafe following distances and radical maneuvers.

The most common causes of all PWC accidents were operator inexperience (66%), operator inattention (60%), and excessive speed (57%). (Some accidents have more than one attributable cause.) All of these causes are operator-controllable factors.

PWC operators in the 11-20 age group were involved in more accidents than any other age group followed by the 21-30 age group.

This obviously hasn't stopped people from playing chicken or wake jumping, but like every one here has said, I don't thing they know the law!



(Message edited by jetgofish on June 16, 2003)

(Message edited by jetgofish on June 16, 2003)