All you boat drivers

The party boat vs. safe boat thread got me thinking.... for all you drivers out there do you ever feel completely overwhelmed by all thats going on in your boat? When the music is on and Im pulling double riders and everybody is shouting it can get pretty intense. I have no problem putting up with it because I know I am giving everybody a good time.... except for when you get those guys who hop on the boat ride your gear and hop of with MAYBE a thanks and no gas money. But where I am going with this is what are your thoughts about being the boat driver? Me being the only driver I know, I wonder how the rest of you feel about it.

if youre(well not you personally) feeling overwhelmed then take control of your boat. if i dont like a situation on my boat i correct it, immediately

that's what I do with mine, take full control... When it starts getting crazy, the radio is first to go off. Surfing is one situation that often gets crazy. Tons of weight on one side of the boat, rough water, lots of people. I may start getting bitchy, but I know my crew is safe.

UJ

i know the feeling but it usually only lasts a few seconds the worst is pulling rider and tube with music blaring ppl yelling and people walking around in the way of where you can see on a thin part of the lake with a bunch of wallys out all trying to squeze through the thin part.

yea I know exactly how you feel. I always feel the need to control those things. when the rider falls, i kill the music, pull up to him, talk, and the radio stays off until he is up again. I just cant take how chaotic things get, and if there is alcohol in the boat, being 19, I always feel obligated to keep things as low key as possible

Alcohol is one thing that I have never really let happen. One guy came aboard drunk and another accidentily brought a beer along in his pocket.... not sure how that happens lol.

...some people have no appreciation for the whole "4000 pounds with no brakes" concept. My favorite are the times I am navigating rough water in a wakeboard boat, a cruiser goes by and while preparing to cross his swamp-able wake, a passenger is insisting I switch the music.

Andy that reminds me.... once a girl riding up I got cussed out by a girl in the front of my boat when i swamped it trying to get back to the rider. I tried to laugh at it at the time but thinking back it was not the most polite of her.

^^^ that girl should have stayed home ^^^
driving sucks, there is so much to concentrate on at one time. your rider, other boats/riders/swimmers, obstacles that are in the water, speed (for those of us without perfect pass), and trim (for those of us with i/os). then you add some ungrateful people and loud music, its very distracting, but most people who don't drive, don't realize how much there really is to be paying attention to

Don't forget keeping an eye on the engine specs (volts, oil pressure, temp)! I always catch myself slacking off in that area.

yeah that too, especially since we have a belt that likes to loosen up, causing the engine to overheat

Luke do what i do............Tell em if they didn't plan on getting wet they should have stayed home.

I've been drivin' a boat with close to 4000 lbs. plus a boarder behind me and had people cut me off while I am going 27 mph. It's so frustrating when they don't even know what they did wrong!

thats one i will never understand, you can get a tan at home, if you are going to the lake, you are going to get WET, its water, you are on it all day, get over it, jump in and have some fun

i know what you mean becca, i watched a boat circle my buddy's the other day when he had a rider up, i was so mad, then i watched one pulling a tube and i swear, a jet ski rode between the boat and the tube. i mean, that crap is how people get killed out there, why don't people think

(Message edited by corasky123 on September 08, 2008)

Personally I love driving, because I feel like I'm still involved even when I'm not in the water. I've got enough hours in the driver's seat now that my riding buddies prefer I drive just because I've got more experience. With that said, it is pretty high stress at certain times. It can also be complicated by who owns the boat.

If it's my boat, I don't have any problem making rules and standing by it. No booze except for very rare instances, no smokes, and no crumbly or messy foods. I generally don't ask for gas money or much assistance pre/post ride, so all I'm asking is that you follow my rules. That also means I'm gonna turn the music down when the rider falls so I can talk it over with him, and you're gonna be stuck listening to my music.
If I'm in a buddy's boat, I try to loosen up. He wrote the check for the gas and the boat, so he can dictate what happens.

The worst I've had this year was pulling my buddy after his birthday party. The boat was crammed full of non riders who wanted to see him throw down. The only problem was the wind was howling and the only place close to protected was a shallow little bay where the wake was just crappy. He was getting frustrated because the wake was crappy, and the passengers were getting pissed because he wouldn't throw the "big tricks". Between the wind spray and the rollers, I was doing my best to keep everyone dry. We're just about to get him up after a fall, while I'm trying to keep from swamping the boat, and a girl yells back from the bow, "Hey, come on, turn it up. I like this song."

That is what is awsome about the volume control that neptunes is making. Soon as you throttle down the volume goes down without you worrying about having to do it manually. One less thing to worry about

Robert: Shoulda swamped the bow
I kinda do the same thing. I have the music off til the rider is up, then i turn up the music, but if there are a ton of boaters I don't always even have music on and as soon as the rider is down the music goes down.

I have not had to deal with a bunch of drunks yet, but I hope I don't have to especially if I have a ton of weight in the boat and several other boaters out!

Janelle: I agree, you're on a boat, expect you may get wet.

For a long time I drove every set on my boat unless I was in the water (and there were two people I would allow to pull me). Depending on who was out with me, I started noticing that it me doing most of the work and everyone else having all the fun. So, about a month ago I started "training" my other regulars on driving, taking care of the rider, controlling the music, helping perfect pass be perfect, etc... I think they all understand better what it takes to give the best possible pull while maintaining safety and I get to relax and enjoy watching the other riders more.

Oh, and music is always faded down when the rider falls and back up when the rider gets up. This is one of the earliest parts of "training" besides how to turn around properly to pick up a fallen rider (punch the throttle and cut the wheel all the way to the right WHHOOOOOWEEE!!!! - jk).

On our crews boats the driver is in control. He runs the stereo, and volume, and the song is set at his preference. If we're drinking then somebody usually volunteers to be D.D. if not then it's usually the boat owner but we still respect the boat. Everybody has their job to do depending on were they sit, whoever is facing to the rear flags and relays rider info to the driver, anybody in the back works rope and and the board racks, whoever is sitting in the bow is in charge of drinks(non-alcoholic) and snacks(pop-tarts).
One other thing, unless it's really important nobody walks around while we're in motion.

My boat, my rules. Same if I go out with someone else. I tell people, especially kids that have rarley get out on a boat they listen and do exactly as told. If not you're dropped back at the shore/dock. I am not going to be liable or let someones idiocy ruin my day. That said, I've never had an issue since what is expected is known up front. ( This is mostly for joyrides, riding with mw crew it's all understood)...........

I don't have to many overwhelming instances, mainly because most of the people in my crew own a boat and understand the dynamics of being on the water and what to look out for. However the first year I owned the boat I went out with 11 people, and all of them boarded, I was one of two drivers in the boat. By midday I was mentally exhausted, I was pulling someone in ruff water, he fell in the middle of turning, not paying attention I came right back around into my own double up wake, the bow went down and the wall of water came in over the bimini. I got the bow up and rode around for about a minute until the bilge pumped out all the water. We went home after that and I have never had that many people in the boat since. A small crew is more relaxing and more fun then a full boat. Just bring extra fat sacs!!

I always tell anyone in the bow that there is a good chance they will get wet. if they have a problem with panty soup, they shouldn't be in a boat in the first place.

Becca, trust me I was tempted. I'd have considered it more if the girl hadn't been the boat owner's girlfriend. The guys you ride with are lucky to have someone that understands what riding time is about. Seems like the girls that get invites on our boats view it more as a VIP pass for some quality tanning and gossip time.

Steve, never really have warned people before about getting wet, but that's a good point. It's impossible to keep people 100% dry in a wake boat, especially when the thing is loaded to the gills.

Being the boat owner does have the benefit of deciding the riding rotation . I also usually get pretty exhausted mentally after a long day of riding. But I do like the compliments on a good pull (no perfect pass) or a safe day out boating.

"So everyone thank your boat driver/owners next time your out."

You know i have to agree with allot of people on here. I pay for the boat/ins/gas. Take control of your boat, i turn the music down when the rider is down, or when someone is getting ready on the platform. no smoking in the boat, get on the platform if your gonna burn, no food, drinking i dont care about. as long you respect my boat. I prefer to drive, i know im in control then, i have been doing this since 1990, driven slolom tourn. and know how to drive. Be respectful to others and dont cut people off.
we have a normal crew so everyone knows the "do's and dont's" on each boat.

it's nice to have the normal crew. every once in a while someone brings a friend that doesn't know the rules, but hey, if you are on my boat, you can swim back to dock if you want to complain (never really had to happen though). the music always gets turned down to pick up a rider and until they are up and the boat has planed out and the rider and driver are comfortable. if i am driving, sometimes the music doesn't get turned up at all, depends on the situation.

When there is chaos I find throwing the boat in gear will sit everyone down real fast!!! I am lucky I don't ride with many people that are not respectful on the boat.

i drove with perfect pass once on an 07 x star (i think it was 07), but otherwise it's always been no perfect pass with a 2000 xstar. Between having no ballast for new riders and having close to 4000 lbs. ballast for the experienced riders makes a huge difference in your driving with no perfect pass. Gotta love driving a loaded xstar though
I agree, I think it's always nice to get a thanks after giving a decent pull for a rider.