What would you do?

wish2fish

wish2fish

Active Member
Dec 19, 2006
4,278
Locust Creek, Ohio River mm 433
Boat Info
2003 220BR
Engines
5.0 MPI
This pontoon comes up our creek weekly. As you can see they ride up front with their feet in the water. I think the boaters are grandpa/grandma and the kids are their grandkids. Grandma is up front with them. I really want to say something but haven't.

What would you do?

does anyone have links to articles where someone fell in doing this?


 
Under the circumstances I see in the photo, I probably wouldn't do anything.

As I look at that photo, they're traveling at idle speed, grandma and mom are sitting between the kids and likely keeping a very close eye on the kids.

I'd rank that right up there with "you can't ride a bike without a helmet", "you can't play dodgeball in school anymore", "Big Toys are not allowed on school playgrounds any longer", etc. At some point kids have to be exposed to some level of risk so they understand the threats and how to handle them.

In these days where every kid gets a ribbon if he does anything at all, it's nice to see those kids out there with the parents and grand parents learning some boating skills.
 
Ditto to both above. I'd mind my own business......
 
If these kids live to a ripe old age they will never forget the experience of sitting on the front of that boat with grandma and feeling the water rush past their feet. I can only imagine the conversation and laughter!
They are obviously at an idle speed, I can see no danger.
 
I recall reading about under the boat pontoon accidents. Usually a situation just like this. Child loses balance and fall off and under the boat. If anyone finds one online please post it.

This boater is not on our creek. His place is about 1 mile up on the main river. Don't know when they get on the front of the pontoon.

I'm guessing grandma and the older granddaughter/daughter are in the middle because they realize the risk.

Honestly, I don't want to have to deal with the aftermath of an accident or deal with "I should have said something" if it does happen.
 
i don't like it but not sure i would say anything. i am very safety conscientious and try to imagine a worst case scenario to try to avoid any mishaps. that being said, i have done much worse in my life and i'm still here
 
sfergson727 said:
I don't care how close the grandparent/parents are watching them, one slip and they are seconds away from being chewed into pieces, even at idle speed. Further, they are teaching their kids a bad habit, which will probably be duplicated by them and others that witness it. Did anyone notice the boat is tilted bow down? Not exactly a primo circumstance for preventing slippage...

I'd probably go have a calm, good natured discussion with them about boating safety. I doubt they ever thought about what would happen if the kids slipped, and would most likely be receptive if you tone the discussion properly. The other route could be to notify the authorities, which no doubt would be dismayed by the photo you took.
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I'm with Scott on this one. So many things can happen that can't be anticipated....waves from a passing boat, leaning over too far, hitting an unseen under water object, something causing the driver to stop abruptly, something fowling the prop causing the boat to react unpredictably, the driver needing to make an unexpected evasive move, etc, etc. Sure, he's at idle speed but any of the above could cause the boat to jerk and thrown someone off.

It's not just the props you need to worry about if you fall off...you could get knocked unconscious if those metal tube run you over. Plus, the two adults don't appear to be wearing life jackets...they're toast if they fall off and get tangled under that boat. That wouldn't happen on my boat.
 
Our creek is technically not a "no wake" zone. Most treat it that way but you often see wakes from boats plowing along. The day before a bass boat ripped through around 30 mph. Lots of stickups that sometimes are invisible when the water rises.

Searched the boating regulations for KY and they state it is only illegal above idle speed. That surprised me.
 
I would wave and not say anything because the danger is worth the fun. When I was a kid I would ride on tailgate of our falcon station wagon holding our sailboat dragging my sneaker on the road... One bump and I would have died... It was fun because it was dangerous...
 
sfergson727 said:
I wonder if their parents would agree at the kid's funeral should the worst occur. Would you let your kids do what you did on the station wagon?
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No way would I allow my kids to do half the stupid things I did... but I don't have sons... When I was young we did not have seat belts, air bags, and cell phones... But we did have neighbors who would tell our parents if we were out of line...
 
Have to agree with Scott here also. Too many things could happen and those props are lethal. Have read so many heartbreaking reports of dreadful injuries or death to condone that.


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I think I would try and have a nice, calm, friendly conversation about it. Maybe I would even have a few bottles of water in hand to offer - just to make it clear that I was only thinking about their safety and wasn't "telling them" what to do - reinforcing the "friendly"part. Who knows, maybe G'ma & G'pa never really thought about it, you know? Even at idle speed, there's a good chance for injury - I mean, there's pretty much only ONE place someone is going to end up at if they fall between the logs. They're going to run into the engine no matter what - even if the driver kills the engine right away - but that's IF he/she is paying COMPLETE attention (and not looking at all the pretty houses along the river) And if he/she does not panic. Just having someone's head running into the leading edge of the lower unit (at say, 2mph) is going to cause an injury. In the end, they'll do what they want to - but I would feel really bad if something happened and I didn't say anything for fear of stepping on their toes.
 
Say for example. Grandma sees my totally hot bod and gets light headed (much like she did with Elvis and the Beatles). She starts to faint and fall forward. She grabs at the children and pulls them into the water with her. It could happen! ;-). So now I have to wear my shirt when on the my own dock!
 
I'm on the fence on this one. IF you speak to the guy be nice and be ready for whatever response you may get. Remember you may be right on this one and the guy may not understand the danger to his grand kids but he more than likely did the same things as a kid and you will be trying to explain some thing that he may not see as a danger.

maybe try this route, explain the cost of the ticket for allowing this practice and let him know they have been cracking down on boaters that allow it. Know body wants to pay a fine. Then show him the reasons why the MP's are cracking down.
 
I'm not living my life by responding to things that "might" happen.....folks need to be responsible for themselves and their actions.....some of you guys worry waaay too much.....live YOUR life and have fun.
 
Would I do it or allow it on my boat ?.....never. But if you look at the circumstances....i.e. protected water, supervised kids, idle speed, boat operated by an adult. But, real risk here is in an oncoming wake and that changes everything quickly.

We frequently see this and other obvious safety problems during tourist season in Florida. It is very rare that the guy you are trying to help takes it as an effort to help. Almost always their response is: "I rented it for 4 hours; I'll do what I want, and it is none of your business". If it is a bad enough that somebody is really in danger, then I'll call the FWC on the cell phone and report the problem. Most of the time there is an officer close enough to check.

My wife, who is the least confrontational person in the world has a saying......."This isn't your zoo and these are not your monkeys".
 
Do Over said:
I'm not living my life by responding to things that "might" happen.....folks need to be responsible for themselves and their actions.....some of you guys worry waaay too much.....live YOUR life and have fun.
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I don't disagree with your line of thinking (nor your signature as I really despise the "everybody gets a trophy thing") and I generally feel the same way - people need to responsible for their own behaviors. However, in this instance, we're dealing with children that don't know the dangers or don't understand the full ramifications of what could happen and aren't making their own decisions. They're just going to go along with whatever G'ma and G'pa say. What if... and just go along with this for a second... what if G'm and G'pa never really thought about how quickly that can turn into a dangerous situation? Maybe they would actually be really appreciative that someone took the time to help them protect their grandkids. I think there's some real merit to the "It takes a village" theory.

It doesn't have to be a confrontational meeting. If it starts to turn into that, just put your hands up and back away and say "OK, I'm sorry to bother you".
 
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I wonder how those with their legs in the water would fare if an undetected log or other debris is in the path of the boat. Sure, I get balancing risk/reward, but would sitting in their seats be that much less fulfilling, than the "rush" from doing this? Why not stop, jump in the water or dangle feet in the water once the ride stops.
 
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