J
John Richied
Guest
:soap box When the law goes into affect the whining will start
GFinch
Well-Known Member
+1
When Chris and I bought our first boat 25+ years ago, we bought each other life jackets for our wedding aniversery. We fished bass tournaments, both clubs and team circiuts and all required a working kill switch and zipped and clipped life jackets when the big engine was running. It's become a habit and I feel just wrong if I'm not wearing one.
Years ago after tieing up at the launch ramp dock an a local lake I like to pick on other boats at. I stood up and removed my life jacket. A woman there asked why I wore my life jacket. I told her that life insurance didn't pay off for seven years if there wasn't a body and I wanted to make sure there was.
About the only time we will take off the life jackets is in a 5 mph zone during the summer heat.
If I tow another boat I insist that everyone has a life jacket on.
Wonder what the woman would have said to a helmet and a Hans device?
When Chris and I bought our first boat 25+ years ago, we bought each other life jackets for our wedding aniversery. We fished bass tournaments, both clubs and team circiuts and all required a working kill switch and zipped and clipped life jackets when the big engine was running. It's become a habit and I feel just wrong if I'm not wearing one.
Years ago after tieing up at the launch ramp dock an a local lake I like to pick on other boats at. I stood up and removed my life jacket. A woman there asked why I wore my life jacket. I told her that life insurance didn't pay off for seven years if there wasn't a body and I wanted to make sure there was.
About the only time we will take off the life jackets is in a 5 mph zone during the summer heat.
If I tow another boat I insist that everyone has a life jacket on.
Wonder what the woman would have said to a helmet and a Hans device?
As much as Pinkie and I do not agree on some things I have to say that on this I agree 100%.
People can call me paranoid or chicken or whatever they want, I make sure to set the example for my kids by wearing a PFD even when on a floating dock. I'm a fairly good swimmer, BUT when you fall off the side of anything into the water and there is a chance you may hit your head and get knocked out, you're all done unless someone saves you.
High speed or no speed, things can happen fast and all I have had to do is read the papers about the weekend lake accidents, rarely do you hear of a person drowning or being killed who is wearing a decent life jacket.
People can call me paranoid or chicken or whatever they want, I make sure to set the example for my kids by wearing a PFD even when on a floating dock. I'm a fairly good swimmer, BUT when you fall off the side of anything into the water and there is a chance you may hit your head and get knocked out, you're all done unless someone saves you.
High speed or no speed, things can happen fast and all I have had to do is read the papers about the weekend lake accidents, rarely do you hear of a person drowning or being killed who is wearing a decent life jacket.
aaronmt
Active Member
Ive changed my ways in the last year especialy.I dont have a race jacket but Rachelle,Cody and I all have nice fitting life jackets.I almost never wore a life jacket.Im almost to the point where I dont feel secure in the boat without one on.I lost a freind who dove in to get his boat,he was a confident swimmer and went in after the boat thinkng for he was going to be ok.The boat ended up being found on the shore,and he surfaced a few days later.Aaron
GFinch
Well-Known Member
Chris saw the post I made and heres an addition.
We were almost the last boat out on a evening club tournament. I had already past a couple of boats and came upon a wake made by a tournament type ski boat. You know the type, a large U shaped wall of water. I slowed and trimmed down but caught it at one end and it hooked the boat (Champion bass boat). I hung on and bent the steering wheel but Chris flew out over her side of the boat. Still has the calcified bruse in the muscle of her leg.
The type life jackets we wear have leg straps, these don't come up around your head as your running in rough water as the rest do. In this case I drove back to pick her up and because of the leg straps was able to grab the jacket and pull her into the boat over the transom hand over hand. Without the leg straps I would have had to grab arms and legs because the jacket would have pulled off over her head.
My opinion of the inflateable type is they offer zero impact protection and I would get the defective one and it would pass gas like a woopie coushion.
We were almost the last boat out on a evening club tournament. I had already past a couple of boats and came upon a wake made by a tournament type ski boat. You know the type, a large U shaped wall of water. I slowed and trimmed down but caught it at one end and it hooked the boat (Champion bass boat). I hung on and bent the steering wheel but Chris flew out over her side of the boat. Still has the calcified bruse in the muscle of her leg.
The type life jackets we wear have leg straps, these don't come up around your head as your running in rough water as the rest do. In this case I drove back to pick her up and because of the leg straps was able to grab the jacket and pull her into the boat over the transom hand over hand. Without the leg straps I would have had to grab arms and legs because the jacket would have pulled off over her head.
My opinion of the inflateable type is they offer zero impact protection and I would get the defective one and it would pass gas like a woopie coushion.
FlatOutAlly
Well-Known Member
..
propmanjay
Active Member
We all owe it to our love one's.
RedAllison
Well-Known Member
X100,000,000!!! :beer:
I HATE to hear this happened too Tony, obviously someone who should've known better. But honestly it's probably those of us who are supposedly "experienced boaters" who most abuse such unwritten rules. We've run em WOT for years without a hitch, just another quick pass, whatever...
The video from a couple weeks ago showing the guy getting tossed from the Legend at 70mph is proof you don't have to be going 90-100+ to get chunked. ANY boat up on the waters surface has the possibility of spinning and ejecting the occupants.
I hate to guess and play Monday morning quarterback but based on that article about Tony's wreck viewed by witnesses, even if he was only going 70 or so he probably hit the water after hitting the console and or side of the boat before going overboard. He might've had a broken shoulder, collarbone or a concussion. Michael Phelps himself would have problems thinking and swimming safely himself after such a shock too the body. I can tell you after my wreck, I had NO CLUE how bad it was and truely I was in shock for several hours afterward. Without my jacket I doubt I would've had the sense to swim. It never even entered my mind, I was just reacting too the environment around me. For me luckily the jacket made it possible that my environment was ABOVE surface!!! After such a shock and ordeal you're body just doesn't know WTH to do or what just happened too it, you just are literally "out of it".
Neal Edwards and I fished my club tournament yesterday on Pickwick (yep even went through the exact same site I wrecked at) and it was NEVER a debate or discussion, we BOTH had our jackets on and buckled before the big motor was ever put into gear!!!
PLEASE GUYS, buckle up...
RA
White Ally02
Active Member
Just like RA put it, "it was NEVER a debate or discussion, we BOTH had our jackets on and buckled before the big motor was ever put into gear!!!"Always
K.Kiser
Well-Known Member
I agree on all accounts... Guy's like to spew crap about it's My right to do this or not do that, and that would be fine but rights have a way of getting abuse and then getting lost... All thses tough Guy's will have us all fenced in before it's over...
whipper
Well-Known Member
When I see guys running a poker run boat or any high performance boat with out a life jacket on it totaly takes away the coolness of there rig for me. I just think what a moron for not wereing one.!! Its cool to me to see someone with a hot boat geared up also. Its like if you had a drag car and never wore your helmet no matter how cool your car was every one would just shake there head. Like i always say its better to be part of the salution than part of the problem.
aaronmt
Active Member
Silverbullet,Rachelle and I racked up nearly 150miles of great boating this weekend.The life jackets were on from the time the key was turned.The only time they werent was when we were rafftet off and achored bs'n.It really does become second nature once you are used to it.Aaron