Bruinsrme Posted July 20, 2004 Author Share Posted July 20, 2004 Roy, I have extracted some go info. I am not sure how much more water saftey training/rules of the road I need but will investigate the options. Insurance in Massachusetts is a scam to say the very least. Still not sure what ride I am going with but will know by the end of the week. In the vast number of hobbies and experiences I have grown to appreciate those interests others enjoy. This is not to say I too enjoy the same hobbies/experiences but either way to try new ventures and trying to view issues from both sides is challenging when presented with bias and out of date information. With the way manufacturing and and the speed in which newer technologies can be incorporated in the products we use is mind boggling. Most of us experience this on a daily basis as our audio gear, computers, tvs and so on become old and nearly outdated with every new model year. As for most that have spoken, I would venture to say the opportunity to experience PWCs has not been taken advantage of. But then again the wind whipping thru ones hair or across the face with the possiblity of at any moment the catching some air of wiping out and simply the thrill of it all may not create any appeal. That is understandable but for me the thrill of flying down a mountainside with a snowboard attached to my feet or racing down a hill hanging on for dear life as the bike is bouncing every which way or flying down the ice chasing a puck trying to out skate the opponent all the time knowing I could slide into board and hurt myself or getting absolutely crushed into the boards or standing in front of the net getting the crap pounded out of me jsut for the potential opportunity to put the puck in the net (that is one of the biggest rushes for me). The couch is for recovery not enjoyment As with anyting it is the responsibility of the individual to operate with in ones ability and respect those around them and not jeopardize others safety. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IndyKlipschFan Posted July 20, 2004 Share Posted July 20, 2004 3 things... 1) Wear appropriate gear and teach kids..And teach adults. (15/ 16 here locally with a drivers liscence) to operate them safely... They are basically motor cycles on water without brakes. 2) We have Sea Doos GTX's. 3 seaters with a ton of power too.. These models are very fun, a little more stable...for two adults too.. Often when they are newbees... say ok your on the left I am on your right and lets keep 20 feet between us ok? This keeps us from crashing together,,, It might/ will happen if you do not. Read broken legs and or crashing into a boat and or major medical bills. 3) Responsibility is critical here.. A kid or even an adult that has ridden on a sea doo for instance in Florida "on vacation" in the ocean does not know squat anything about your sea doo, the rules of the road, or how it operates... Trust me. Without power, with the throttle on..... a sea doo will not turn to avoid an accident. Nor will it stop...ever... (eg come crashing into your dock..) It will go faster than he she is used to anything else he/she has driven in their lives. (read crash into something else...or fall off at high speeds...) Last, they are a blast, in the right situation with some idea of what your doing. We have two of them, and have a blast with friends too. The bigger 3 seater sea doo GTX will also pull a skier or intertube too. Just a word of caution... At 40- 60 mph and falling off, it is not fun at any circumstance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Warren Posted July 20, 2004 Share Posted July 20, 2004 Now "that" had to hurt! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cleve Posted July 20, 2004 Share Posted July 20, 2004 ---------------- On 7/20/2004 7:21:35 PM John Warren wrote: Now "that" had to hurt! ---------------- No doubt the rider was engaged in a 'useful' activity that close to shore, like harassing waterfowl, tearing up aquatic vegetation, et al. At least the ducks could nest in peace that day! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Olorin Posted July 20, 2004 Share Posted July 20, 2004 Just doing his part to cleanse the gene pool. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Royster Posted July 21, 2004 Share Posted July 21, 2004 Most likely forced into the pier by a drunken fisherman. Or maybe a greenpeace wacko, or someone trolling for walleye. Or maybe they found the missing National Archive documents "misplace by sandy Burger".All are possible. But really, you make some absurd asumtions without any facts. Kind of deletes any glimmer of objectivity that you may have had. Again I ask, if you can not help the author of this post with some info that is on topic, why do you start your own "anti PWC thread"? As good ole Forrset Gump would say "Stupid is a s stuipd does". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cleve Posted July 21, 2004 Share Posted July 21, 2004 ---------------- On 7/20/2004 11:32:06 PM Olorin wrote: Just doing his part to cleanse the gene pool. ---------------- Certainly a shining example of Darwin's principles in action. You know how hard those fast-moving docks are to avoid? The photographer somehow missed this particular 'Xtreme Dude's' "Number 3" baseball cap floating eloquently just out of the picture! A number of safety studies clearly prove that PWC's are frequently driven recklessly, too close to shore. It sure doesn't look like the rider was driving a responsible speed, and note the close proximity to the shoreline! I myself have seen and experienced JetSki riders repeatedly roaring by within casting distance from a pier full of fishermen while they had ALL of Lake Ontario's immensity to do whatever it is that Jet Ski riders in fact do! Unfortunately, we (ie, the taxpayers) in all likelihood had to pay for the EMT/Fire Department visit to rescue the rider's sorry behind. That's why these machines should have an 'Xtreme' increase in registration fees, proportional to their nearly 10 times higher incident/accident rate than conventional boats. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Royster Posted July 21, 2004 Share Posted July 21, 2004 Cleve, You state that "we" paid for the EMT responce. Would that not include the operator of the pwc? I know that the $100k plus that we paid in Federal income tax last year most likely paid for many things that I do not agree with, but so is life. Your babble is the same in every responce to this post. Maybe YOU should concider a life as a DNR or F&G policy maker (I am sure another spot is open). Better yet, politics. Fact is PWC are NOT going away. More are sold every year. The waterways are for everyones enjoyment. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boomac Posted July 21, 2004 Share Posted July 21, 2004 I just saw this thread and had a good laugh. We have been involved in water sports for many years. Mostly skiing, tubing, fishing and cruising. About 20 people, family and friends of my wife and I, have rented the same resort in Northern Wisconsin for almost 30 years. About 12 15 years ago one of the couples showed up with some rented jet skis. They went round, round and around while making noise all day. The rest of us talked about how much fun it would be to shoot BB guns at them as they raced about doing the SOS over and over again. Finally, but later in the week, one of them crashed into a floating dock. That ended it. No one was hurt and 18 of 20 people were delighted on both accounts. While I mostly agree with Toms assessment, (see the second post in this thread) I also believe in individual freedoms and I truly think that the water is for all to enjoy. So I say, bring on the water cycles. Just remember that it would be great if the PWC crowd would do their donuts out in the middle of the lake, keep a reasonable distance away from skiers and not interfere with the folks trying to catch a fish. Nahy nahy nahy! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Audio Flynn Posted July 24, 2004 Share Posted July 24, 2004 Jet-skis are an abomination; noisy, flashy and vulgar; bad taste, low-rent. They call for no skill or seamanship and express the worst side of American cultural values. Better you should get a nice little sailboat. You and you family can learn to sail together. Talk with each other. Learn together of wind and wave. My opinon ya understand. +++++++++++++++++++++ Agreeing with a fellow Irishman like Brennan is so boring but I follow in his vein. It is like the skiing in the Rockies. People of all ages without proper training die on personal watercraft in the Great Lakes and elsewhere many times each summer. It is always back page news. I view thwem as adult persoanl watercraft. Not a family toy. A small sail boat or a 14 foot fishing boat is better for family bonding. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
T_Shomaker Posted July 25, 2004 Share Posted July 25, 2004 ---------------- On 7/24/2004 11:51:05 PM Audio Flynn wrote: Jet-skis are an abomination; noisy, flashy and vulgar; bad taste, low-rent. They call for no skill or seamanship and express the worst side of American cultural values. Better you should get a nice little sailboat. You and you family can learn to sail together. Talk with each other. Learn together of wind and wave. My opinon ya understand. +++++++++++++++++++++ Agreeing with a fellow Irishman like Brennan is so boring but I follow in his vein. It is like the skiing in the Rockies. People of all ages without proper training die on personal watercraft in the Great Lakes and elsewhere many times each summer. It is always back page news. I view thwem as adult persoanl watercraft. Not a family toy. A small sail boat or a 14 foot fishing boat is better for family bonding. ---------------- You can die riding a bike if you dont know how to use it........ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skonopa Posted July 25, 2004 Share Posted July 25, 2004 ---------------- On 7/19/2004 9:07:37 AM Royster wrote: As for me, we have fishermen motoring into our private harbor, fishing under our docks, waking up the house at 5:00 AM as they crank the motors and leave. But that is part of life. ---------------- Exactly! The fishermen are not always exactly paragons of virtual either when it comes to proper/reponsible use of the waterways. I ought to post some picture of the shear amount of trash that I see left along the banks of the Rappahannock River here in Fredericksburg! Empty bait containers, disused fishing line, blister packs from new tackle, empty pop and beer cans, wrappers from some of nearby fast-food joints, etc. One time, I've spent the better part of a day trying to cleanup some of the trash that was left down there by these folks. I've carried out over 6 large bags of trash picked from one relatively short section of river bank, only to go down there again a couple of days later and see it all trashed up again! . Now, I'll admit that it is not all fishermen that do it and it is not always the fishermen that is leaving the trash (since plenty of folks go down there to swim, to picnic, etc). Just by the same token, not all people using Jet Skis/PWC are irresponsible jack@sses, and I've seen people in reguler motorboats act like they own the waterway also. The main point is that regardless of how you enjoy a particular waterway, please do so responsibly and keep others that are also trying to enjoy the same waterway in mind. And of course, being on the ski patrol, I've got to comment on the skiing/snowboarding that was mentioned. I've seen plenty of irresponsible people on both skis and snowboard. I've yanked my fair share of lift passes due to people doing stupid things, regardless if they are on skis or a snowboard, like bombing it straight down a hill right through a crowd. I do my best to keep the inexperienced skiiers off the expert slopes, and the like. Unfortunatly, like any other sport, there will be those few folks that has to end up ruining it for everybody else. My duty on the ski patrol is to prevent that as well as educate people on responsible skiing/slope use (along with the first-aid/first-responder duties - hey accidents still do happen - I've certainly done my fair share of putting my @$$ over the apple-cart! ). There is a responsiblity code that is adopted by the NSAA (National Ski Area Association), that people engaging in snowsports in a lift-controlled ski area must follow. I will often randomly grab somebody and ask them to recite a line of the code as an education tool. If they are successful (does not have to be word-for-word verbatim, they just have to demonstrate familiarity), they earn a coupon that they can redeem at the snackbar/cafeteriaa for a free softdrink or hot-chocolate. Violation of this code can and will result in lift tickets being yanked, since lives are literally at stake. Again, regardless of what sport you engage it, please do it safely and responsibly. Don't do anything stupid that will get you or anybody else hurt as well as ruining the experience for other people trying to participate in the sport or using the same facility/area to engage in whatever other appropriate activity. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Audio Flynn Posted July 25, 2004 Share Posted July 25, 2004 Thanks Steve! I was thinking I was just so ignorant few people would agree with me about the skiing. Any human quest for speed over 40 mph is not kids play. Or even teenagers. My Honda 100 enduro bike form the mid 70s toook a hell of a beating in its time. Only the grace of God kept me from death or loss of limb in my foolish endeavors. I have no "9 Lives" left. Even riding a bike downhill encountering a steep grade is a risk. My cooworker shattered 2 of three arm bones last year in a downhill rollerblade issue. he has since retired form the sport. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skonopa Posted July 25, 2004 Share Posted July 25, 2004 ---------------- On 7/25/2004 12:46:20 AM Audio Flynn wrote: Thanks Steve! I was thinking I was just so ignorant few people would agree with me about the skiing. Any human quest for speed over 40 mph is not kids play. Or even teenagers. ---------------- At least in the case of skiing, the important part is that the person remains in control! After all, the first rule in the skier's responsiblity code is: Always stay in control, and be able to stop or avoid other people or objects. I've been skiing long enough that I can immediatly tell if somebody is going way to fast that there is no way they could maintain control and be able to stop in time to avoid an accident. Of course, I do use judgement, i.e., on the expert slope, if somebody is blitzing down, but is in control (I've done it myself many times), then I usually don't say anything (unless the slope is extremely crowded). On the other hand, if somebody does the same thing down the beginner's slope, I will often warn them that they need to slow it down a bit. If they continue, then the ticket is yanked. Going fast is one thing, but being able to maintain control is the important aspect, especially at higher speeds. And like you mentioned, it is definitly not child's play here. The faster, the more difficult, and alot less room for error. That goes back to the Jet Ski/PWC issue. Those things can fly. I know. I've rented one once to try it out, and it was not difficult to get that thing moving. Inexperienced people on a fast moving piece of equipment, and something like that picture of a PWC that ran into a dock, will result. Fortunatly, that is a minority of the overall users. I am not for, nor am I against the use of PWC. I only ask to enjoy it responsibly and safely. I'll fully admit that I am tempted to get one myself. There are plenty of places to use them around here. Lake Anna, The Potomac River, the Rappahannock River, many of the tributeries of such, such as Machodoc Creek over by where I work, and the Chesepeake Bay, to name a few. Also, the ocean is not to terribly far from here either. I can get to VA Beach in three hours. The Outer Banks in five. Myrtle Beach in six. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
T_Shomaker Posted July 25, 2004 Share Posted July 25, 2004 Why have I never been taught these ski guidelines when I was in lessons? Well next time I go skiing with my parents I guess I'll read them before I go out and see if the double black is open . I have never been down a double black but have wanted to lol. When I was first learning how to do mogels (or however you spell it lol) this guy fell and he cut me off and then I was flying down the run and almost took out this lady because she was skiing across the run to her family and I wasn't able to stop. When I got to the end of the run I was really mad and I decided to learn how to do the mogels on a different run with less people. I don't know that had to do with anything but I felt like sharing Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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