Deadly Power Turns

Adam - Thanks for promoting safe boating, This subject should be on the top of everyone's list.

They have a big anti power turn campaign going on at wakeworld.com complete with T-shirts. I used to be guilty of the power turn method of rider retrieval, but have changed my ways. It actually takes less time to get back around to the fallen rider in the water and uses a lot less gas.

Sounds like the kid was trying to do a 360 powerturn to throw everybody out of the boat like that. Very sad...

Tragic story. sucks to read something like this after a holiday. Riding the rail, while power turning??? Wow....

Moj

How about this guy ! And people paid to get in the boat with him.

Just a little sick humor

I can't se the harm in a power turn if done resposible...

Hollywood wrote: Sit in the seats, that's what they're for.

x2


did't one the other day where it flip't so hard that the prop came free of the water... Had to drive 2 soaked girls in to harbor

But have never come close to throwing people out.

I've been power turning my entire life, but this really makes me re-think how I retrieve skiers / wake-boarders. Thanks for posting this. I don't want "the shovel". :)

No one is going to accuse me of being the most conservative boat driver in the (any) bunch. In fact on the same weekend this tragedy occured I took a full boat load of people on what can only be described as a pretty aggressive ride resulting in plenty of wet shirts. Now I am not going to say it was a responsible or reasonable thing to do.. I don't care who you are or how good you or your boat is these things can do squirrely things at speeds above skiing speed. Worse if something fails. So if you are going to push on it.. consider being as safe as possible. I know I have had some close calls in my boat.. and have tried to take something away from them.

Rule 1, reasonably calm and predictable water conditions only. You end up goinging down the back side of a wave or group of waves in the wrong direction and you can lose rudder control and hook around the nose even at semi reasonable speeds.. a full front seat and an empty back seat make this even more likely.     

Rule 2, lifejackets, lifejackets, lifejackets if nothing else it gives your passengers fair warning when you require them to put on a lifejacket to take the ride. Besides it certainly helps the search party find the bodies.   It also cuts down on bruising when the person next to you gets jammed into your side as well.

Rule 3, there really is no reason not to have a kill switch installed and attached to the driver, they can be had for small cash outlay and at least limit the damage to you and your passengers.

Rule 4, if you have never done any maintenance on your 25 year old boat don’t drive it like a rented jetski

Rule 5, no loose items in the boat.. an anchor thrown from one side to another can be deadly, I am pretty sure someone around here shattered and ankle that way..

Rule 6, sit in a seat and hold on.

The group I ski with all have Malibu's and they all powerturn to retrieve a skier. The boats spin much, much tighter than any Nautique I've been on but it's only a driver and an observer, both very competent and expecting the maneuver. We ski in a small river so the water is always glass and its always during a ski session since we really never joy-ride (there's nowhere to go!).
I used to powerturn in my Nautiques but always after first making sure everyone on board was prepared and was securely seated. Even then it always seemed risky and like it had to be stressful on the boat. I would have never tried it in choppy water. Maybe its my age but I don't have any desire to do it anymore.
I've always been leery of inboard slalom boats at higher speeds on rough water anyway. Aside from beating my kidneys senseless, I've just never believed they were designed for those speeds in those conditions. Trying to cross Lake Norman on a busy Saturday, the confluence of several wakes could create some frightening conditions if you were doing 30, let alone 40+.
I agree that this story is tragic. If I were to guess it was inexperience, insufficient understanding of the dangers, a lapse in judgement all of which could or could not have been exacerbated by drinking. None of these conditions apply to how the guys I ski with use their boats during ski sessions so I won't go so far as to say you should never do them. Unfortunately not everyone has experience, education and common sense to guide them.

8122pbrainard wrote: jonas wrote: I can't se the harm in a power turn if done resposible... Jonas, You will see the harm when the engine mounts start pulling out of the stringers!! Then with the misalignment if not checked/corrected, you'll have a very unhappy trans and have to ship it all the way over here for Eric to work on it!!

I'm sure the day will come to call Eric for trans work

I did not mean to say that the power turns are god for the boat I agree that they do put a lot af stress on the hull, but that is not an safety issue wile doing the turn. In the long run yes you will problely break the boat and regred it.

It's like running WOT for long period of time you wont die but the engine might

I rest my case and genneraly just agree with Pete

I’m probably the guy Joe was talking about. 3 years ago I had my right foot/ankle rebuilt
(6 hrs. of surgery) I forgot about the rubber coated anchor behind the observers seat when
I did a little “hot rodding”, when the anchor flew across the boat it missed my left foot and
crushed my right foot. I don’t usually keep an anchor in the boat , I get it off the pontoon
when we anchor and swim. I FORGOT IT WAS THERE from the evening before. I still do power
turns, they are so much fun and I ALWAYS double check for loose stuff in the boat first.
Now my Orthopedic Surgeon is on speed dial!

wetvette wrote: Years ago as part of their ski show, The White Lake Ski Heels did a maneuver in which the Nautique entered a turn pulling a skier with the skier swinging out hard and fast to the outside. As the skier reached furtherest point possible in his swing, the Nautique did a Back Turn opposite the direction of the turn, immediately getting back on the gas after the boat stabilized, and resumed speed to get skier back in tow, almost with no slack ever getting into the line. Great show maneuver that audiences always loved but one that took a lot of practice to get it right under controlled conditions.

This called a "360 around the boat" it's very common with show skiers.

As an aside from the main topic- you should never power a boat around to pick up a skier unless they are injured. Wrecks the water for everybody. Our boat has two speeds: Pulling skier, and idle.

My buddy did one one time with two people in the passenger seat, needless to say they were both members of the opposite sex...

He told them to hold on but they really didn't know what was coming. She came over to the dash so fast she broke his key off in the ignition (no sexual pun intended).

PS is this still ok with you guys?: