A New Low for Jet Skiers?

[Captain Smollett]

Post your favorite "Jet Skiers Are Annoying (or Worse) Story" here.

Saw something today I'd never seen before.  My son and I were at public ramp at the nearby lake pumping up the dinghy to go for a little row.

Into the parking lot drove a truck towing a jet ski.  On the jet ski were three kids, with PFD's already on.  The truck backed the jet ski into the water, they backed off the trailer, and off they went.

The truck left.

No, they did NOT get out of the truck and onto the jet ski in the parking lot.  They pulled into the parking lot riding on the jet ski on the trailer.

Undoubtedly, they did not live very far away, but it still was a bit of a head scratcher for me.  It's not like that ramp lies on a back road - well, okay, it IS a back road, but a "main" back road for Lake Access (there are six ramps scattered along that road - it is the main access road for the Western side of a 21 mile lake).

I'm not a big fan of jet skis in general and kids driving them in particular.  The mindset of the people around here that are "into" jet skis are, shall we say, less than safety-of-others oriented.  And certainly less than courteous.

Later, they were blowing by us and drifting fishing boats 'at speed' throwing their wake.  They technically obeyed the signs on the bridge by slowing to NO WAKE SPEED before going under the bridge....JUST before, and opened back up just after.  By just before or just after, I mean about two jet ski lengths.

Okay, rant off.  Sorry.  'Tis the season.   Here I was hoping the price of gasoline would deter this crowd, but oh well......

[s/v Faith]

Darwin.

[AdriftAtSea]

Chances are good that they'll qualify for a Darwin award.

[Lynx]

Nope, to much competition from the people drinking on the water.

[s/v Faith]

Nope, to much competition from the people drinking on the water.

Yup, and many of them on jet ski's.....  ::)

 

[Manannan]

yep... jet skies hunting season is open again....It is a breed apart, no matter their nationality, their gender, their age. They love to get as close as possible to sailboats at anchor so they can aim at an open hatch and send their spray all over inside the boat. They love to make a huge wake so they can have the pleasure to watch us grabbing our glasses and bottle of wine before everything go crashing inside the cockpit and especially they love to hear us yell at them in pure hatred and frustration. >:( One day I showed one of them the slingshot. He screamed at me and made all the obscene gestures of his large repertoire, but he did not get any closer and went away to annoy another sailboat at anchor. My Gallic blood is speaking there : no pity for jet skiers.  ;)

[Lynx]

When you grab for that hand hold, make sure you do not throw the drink in your hand (or what is in it) in alignment with his bow. If you do go below and get your flare pistol.

[newt]

We had a jet ski kill a swimmer in a lake here the other day. When is the public going to have enough and demand these things play in their own areas, away from beaches and normal boats?

[Manannan]

to use a jet ski in France ( do not know if applies to rest of Europe) you need a ''coastal permit'' same as regular power boat which allows to get to 5 miles offshore (in case of a jet ski, 2 miles). You have to pass a test about navigation, regulations etc.. Does not mean that makes the users smarter, but at least they have a minimum of knowledge about  their playground and a lot of people (especially kids and teenagers will not fool around with them) (age limit I think 16 years old

[Fortis]

We have found that with the skyrocketing price of fuel, jetskiers are actually behaving themselves much better.
It is utterly astounding how much fuel those things burn. they really just might as well have afterburners. About $80-120 of fuel per day of fun is pretty average (our dollar and fuel prices, not neccassarily yours). They now tend to go very gentle and easy until they get out to the big wave areas where they can really play and do their thing, and frankly, best of luck to them out there. The number of idiots that go speeding donw zoned and restricted waterways has dropped to nearly none.

I have always had really good dealings with them. We have called over jetskiers to help facilitate rescues on occassion and have been called out to incidents witnessed by jetskiers with their waterproof mobile phones on numerous occassions.

The one we rescued a while ago when his motor just ceased working  was one of the best sports I have ever met. He and I are standing on the back deck as we tow in the incredibly unstable jetski (very shaky when not under power or with a rider aboard. way too dangerous to tow in with him on the jetski) so it is sort of bobbing disturbingly behind us as we slowly tow in and he is saying it is "no big deal", he thinks it is just a linkage in the fuel mix system (at this point a small side swell capsizes the jetski, which gets nose-hauled under water by our tow and pops a supposedly water-tight hatch on the engine bay)..."And now it doesn't matter so much because it is an insurance claim" the guy continued laconically without even changing his tone.

I thought that showed a certain degree of class.

[Cmdr Pete]

http://rochester.craigslist.org/boa/732270013.html

1989 seadoo xp 250! needs a new something - $250 (city / irondiquoit )

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Reply to: sale-732270013@craigslist.org
Date: 2008-06-25, 1:50PM EDT


i bought this last yr for 500+ dollars i rode it once i didn't register it and got a couple tickets (you need a permit or soemthing for the water) and you have to register it as soon as you buy it not the date on the ski lol and you can't ride within 100 ft of anything or else they will give you lots of tickets maybe its just me but know alot of people can have fun on the water just not me so please take this off my hands and try and have fun with it
if you have cash in hand i can deliver within 5 miles for free it and help you unload it
the hull is in good shape gotta check it out to see how nice it is

so i don't want it anymore i can't get the thing to turn over could be anything from

bad fuel

not a strong enough charge on the battery

starter

crank

engine

loose wire i really don't know and don't care to find out i need to get 250 to pay off other things off email me with your name number and good time to reach you and will return your call within 12 hr.s thanks for looking

[s/v Faith]

1989 seadoo xp 250! needs a new something - $250 (city / irondiquoit )

  You looking for a replacement for that Melonseed Skiff Pete?

;D

[Joe Pyrat]

It always seemed to me that a requirement for the purchase of a jet ski was that the horsepower rating had to be a factor of not less than 10 greater than your IQ.

I've been told I am being generous...

[AdriftAtSea]

Last summer, a local marine services business owner was launching a customer's Jetski to test some repairs to it. He got the Jetski started and went blasting around the cove the marina is in.  When he got back to the boat ramp, he pulled the jetski onto the trailer.  He then got into the truck and proceeded to drive up the ramp...and dumped the customer's jetski onto the concrete, since he had never fastened the winch strap to the bow padeye on the jetski. 

[Cmdr Pete]

lol thanks for looking

[Antioch]

Videotape them acting recklessly on the water, and then submit the vid to your local Sheriff or whomever is responsible for patrolling and enforcing the rules on your local lakes. Make sure you get a close up of their number. 

Robin

[CapnK]

Hey C'pete - I could swear I saw that guy here, just this past week... ;D

[Leroy - Gulf 29]

They scraped a 15 yo girl off the side of a boat this weekend.  She was riding a jetski.  They think she'll live, probably panicked and let off the throttle.

[AdriftAtSea]

It amazes me how many jetski users don't realize that a jet-powered boat has little or no steering if you kill the throttle.  Some of the newer jetskis have some counter for this problem, but most don't steer very well without some throttle applied.

[Lynx]

Just like people.