Skiing Etiquette

You know I sympathize with all the gripes and I've experienced everyone of them as well as all the wallies on the water that seem to be trying to kill me each weekend but in the long run I've stopped fighting it. I avoid it at all costs and when I'm on the water too late to catch the good water I just deal with it and remember how lucky I am to be able to enjoy one of my passions most anytime I want. If I get the good water it was a bonus.

Don't think it doesn't piss me off when "my" water gets screwed up but everyone has the right to be there just as I do. I've tried to change the world one moron at a time but that typically doesn't go that well so I take the high road and walk away. I've let people completely ruin my day on the water and acted like an ass in front of friends and company and I'm done with it. Only time I break that rule is if someone endangers my skier otherwise I go the other way, hard to do at times but if I didn't my head would explode from the ignorance some people are capable of.

   I'm talking about in the morning HW. Usually a few of us can pick a spot to drive a dogleg and we can get three/ four boats riding/skiing and everyone is content. Then some tool will come thru and start towing someone around the lake in a circle and screw up everyone elses line, and making a mess of the water.

Tubers etc are just going to ruin the water anyway. But I'm talking skiers/boarders that just can't figure it out. I'm no one special, as a matter of fact I consider myself a beginner wake boarder(skill wise) even after 10 years. But, I'm getting old and smooth water is just so much more enjoyable. If I have to hang out behind the boat bouncing off others wakes for 10 minutes I'd rather just pass and try again later.

   I recently reconnected with an old high school friend who just bought a place on our lake. He picked up a brand new Tige R20 a few weeks ago. He asked if I wanted to take a run and I obliged. We were the only boat out there around 8:00 am. He drove around the outside of the lake in circles towing me and after two loops the lake was so rough I tossed the handle. I got in the boat and showed him how to drive a straight line and keep the water flat. He is a very smart, successful individual, but just looked at me and said "huh, never actually realized what I was doing". And he has had a boat(albeit a bow rider) for over 10 years. His kids will thank me later lol.

   Course skiers are never a problem on our lake. They picked a great spot where they dropped the course in, so that helps. Those guys are also long off the water by 8am. I have only seen one or two barefooters on the lake in the last few years.

Mike

Nothing new to add here, its all been said, except my 2 cents on my own situation.

First, agree with Hollywood, I believe it was. Big lake, holiday weekend, no rules no etiquette. That one's a given.

I am on a small lake, 250 acres, hard to believe you can make 160 acres work. A big chunk of our 250 acres: all broad coves, shoreline and entire skinnier west end of lake is a no wake zone. What's left is minimal but adequate. Almost all tubers on the lake. Mostly, but not always, they are out weekend afternoons, fine, lake is theirs. Ocassionally a renegade tuber comes out early weekend morning or evening. Like everyone says, they are just as entitled so fair is fair.
Our lake is too small to go somewhere else, so if I am out and they come out, I go in. I dont expect any etiquette from them. A few years ago, there were about three of us serious skiers. If one was out the other would wait till we are done. When they finish, number 3 went out. Worked great. There is a new guy as of last year. Nice redone 1980 Ski Supreme. Two kids, 11 and 8, older one wake boards, younger one kneeboards. When they go out, they are out forever, lap after lap after lap, 15 - 20 mph. Tears up the lake. He will come out when we are already out. When the time is right I will explain our old little rule of etiquette. I will explain that when we are out, we are only out for a couple runs. Whether its footin or skiing, one, we get tired fast and two, its a small lake, we mess it up ourselves. So the request is, if we're out, if you could just wait and watch a few minutes, that would be great.

Along the lines of other thoughts expressed above, I was surprised to see more skiers this year. Just new people learning which I think is great. Historically, there have been none.

One amusing story. We did a four man run on the 4th of July, to kind of supplement the decorated pontoon boat parade. YOu may have seen the vid of that and the disk/chair run, both entialed holding flags. My wife said she saw a day or two later(I was away at the time) another boat trying to do a four man pull. She sid they fussed and fiddled for an hour just messing with skis and ropes and the driver, the leader of the group apparently, in and out of the water a dozen times trying to get it together. They never succeeded and gave up. Not sure their I/O would have been up for it anyway.

HA, not as easy as it looks, is it Bucko?

I guess I'll out my own self here.... Lots of "rules" that have come up that I hadn't really considered before.   I didn't grow up around boats, but took every opportunity offered to jump in behind one, so now that I am an owner, and going out with my own family to ski and wakeboard, I realize that there is a ton of stuff that I need to learn, on the ramp and in the water.   I like the approach that some of you have taken to get kids/learners out behind your boats, and to educate the others on what is the proper/expected behavior. Not only does this approach keep the sport alive, but accomplishes the intended goal of a better boating experience for all involved.   I am sure that not all people are willing to learn, or hear that they messed up somehow, but I think it's worth the shot to try kindly to educate those who do want to learn.

I am amazed that some states, including mine -NC, do not require a safety course to drive a boat. But even more amazing is that as a new boat owner you would not take a boaters safety course even if your state does not require it. In the one I took it did explain some basic boating rules in terms who has right of way.

boardersdad wrote: The course is required in Wisconsin, and we have the option of the state DNR class or the federal USCG class. I was grandfathered in

Yea you and everyone else over 24 years old.

Drivers licenses are not given to ensure we have safe law abiding drivers. They are for generating revenue. I'd hate to see more of this especially in the boating world.

I also have no idea how more tubers and ignorant boaters can help waterskiing! A fisherman is not going to bitch about water skiers that are not there.

Our lake has a law of no PWC on weekends and holidays between 11am and 4pm because it was down right dangerous. There were to many of them... people got hurt. Not because there weren't enough people buzzing docks and boats at 60mph whipping 180s infront of oncoming boats.

And no... the flat water isn't just for the slalom skiers.. it is also fir barefooters.

75 Tique: wow, a 250 acre lake??

The lake I grew up on (Keuka Lake NY) is 12,000 acres. Our current lake (Lake Oconee,GA) is 19,000 acres. In 40 years of boating and skiing I can't recall any real issues worth mentioning on either lake. But, of course, I don't own either one, and it is a free country.

I guess I'm just lucky to have spent most of my life on lakes with little or no traffic or competitive activity angst.

Yikes. Such hostility. Repeat after me...Goosfraba.....

td_in_nc wrote: I am amazed that some states, including mine -NC, do not require a safety course to drive a boat. But even more amazing is that as a new boat owner you would not take a boaters safety course even if your state does not require it. In the one I took it did explain some basic boating rules in terms who has right of way.

WA requires it, but I didn't feel it was effective in the least... I have taken the "safety course", but already knew that lifejackets were a requirement, and that carbon monoxide will kill you.   What I wanted to know was more the what's a good line, how do I get a skier out of the water effectively as a driver, hand signals etc.   Our course was much more of an open water navigation type course that showed which side of the buoy to stay on, and that you shouldn't drink and boat. I feel that I can boat safely enough, but I really do think that boating with others that are more experienced will teach me more than the online testing.   

Good etiquette is more related to being courteous vs being safe. You can have one without the other.

Kris makes good point... I'm sure if you ask the 16 yr old driving beside you texting on their phone if that is safe she would say hell no and keep on texting. So no... that little card her daddy bought doesn't make her a good or safe driver.

Kris also makes good point that learning from an advanced skier/driver is always the best way and the links Steve posted are great.

Ernest, I like your style... when everyone in the boat is one the same page EVERYONE wins...

Kris,
As far as "line" goes for me... I'd find a nice area say for slalom runs where I can get 6 turns in maybe a few sets of 6 turns etc and have driver make turns at end and get back inside wake on the return pass and follow the prop trail. Runs will be straight, predictable for all parties... driver, skier, observer, other boats etc.

Simple hand signals everyone agrees or knows, done, faster, slower, skier ok hand in air after a fall are all I use. My 4 yr old knows them so it is supper easy.

So some thing are common sense, some are best picked up from others.   

There is a law keep 100" off dock... why does this even need to be written. Why do people still pull their kids on tubes 20' away from other docks and boats?

yeah... I guess I got a little worked up there too!

Here in good ol Ideeho it is 200' form docks and shorelines...100' from boats if going more than 15 mph (50' if less than 15mph), so definitely a good idea to check local boating laws.
Guess we're fortunate as our favorite line is about 50 turns, then a 90 degree turn down end of bay and another 20 or so turns, before my back and arms blow up! Can't always get it due to wind or knuckleheads, but nice when we do.
Hand signals are a great idea to coordinate with your boat. When driver wants to turn or there's something that needs attention of skier, we hold arm straight in air. My wife and I ski alone a lot (not necessarily legal here) so besides mirror we have voice signals...
One last point made above somewhere, is what is with the power turns when a skier drops off? Shut throttle down and slowly putt back to skier and you'll preserve your water much longer. We all know our boats can turn on a dime...
Damn, supposed to be 25 degrees tonight...time to throw on the shorty wet suit tomorrow!

gun-driver wrote: I'm down at Andy's lake now got here Wednesday night rained all day Thursday. Friday the sun comes out around noon we splash the boat head out for a cruise.

Paul, you had it baccards! Boat in the rain, sick on dock and drink during the sun when at DCL.

Those guys can really bring out the worst in us! Reading over my post I sure do sound like a complainer but that lake REALLY got out of control when they completed 68 to DC. The people there are of a different breed they feel they are better than everyone and feel the guy with the most expensive boat pulling the most tubes gets right of way always.

By the way... the Ohio River was flat as a sheet of glass all day yesterday!   

Lol

HILARIOUS!   Probably a mutual dislike of tubers too...