RiverDave

Wasn't trying to slam on boat racers.. Just pointing out that there are a lot of "race boat drivers" that are dangerous and there is a lot of pleasure boaters that are dangerous.. And there are a lot of safe boaters in both groups as well.. The fact that someone raced or races a boat does not put them on some driving pedestal in my eyes. Hell the fact that someone took the Tres course does not put them on a pedestal in my eyes. I have taken it, and I learned a few things, but by no means am I going to go hop into some Skater and try to run Serpentine at 150+..

Drive to what's right for the conditions, to what is safe for your passengers and within your abilities, and 99% of the time things will shake out alright. The other 1% is either mechanical failure, freak accident, or the infamous "**** Happens" Just my .02... and you know opinions are like.. And we are on the internet so my thoughts are worth less then .02. LOL

RD

redbud35

Rick, I just can't understand why you boat here if you hate the cruisers so much. I hate jet skis, old people hate powerboaters, small boat owners hate cruisers, and so on. It just seems your on a witch hunt with them. You've made multiple posts on both sites about them.

low_psi

So these "open water" cruiser are running "open water speeds" on a lake? What would you call a 38' Fountain? I am pretty sure that is an "off shore open water boat" traveling at speeds beyond the conditions. You are taking this "responsible for your own wake" a bit too far. How about you are responsible for launching your boat on its side then wiping out? I hope everyone recovers quickly and without emotional damage. But come on, let stop all this cruiser wake BS. I have a 26' Velocity and am around plenty of big cruisers in the Detroit River. At no time have I ever thought it was the responsibility of the cruiser to make sure his wake didn't interupt my travels. If in a no wake zone that is a different stoy. However, if a cruiser wake launches a 38' boat or any boat for that matter they were either both violating a no wake zone or they were in an open area where a wake is permitted. I think it is absurd to say a cruiser should slow down as to not create a wake for your offshore boat....

Likefastboats

Is this thread going to go on forever??? Yes we all feel bad for the innocent soles who put their trust in that driver and learned an expensive and very painfull lesson. But enough is enough, lets quick beating a dead horse. The one lesson we can all learn from this is:

ON BUSY WEEKENDS and in ROUGH QUESTIOABLE WATER "SLOW the "F" DOWN.

But then there will always be the idiots who will run "Balls to the Wall" in any condition!!!

Race boat driver or not "COMMON SENCE" to many people have none or at the least not enough!!!!!!!!!!

Just my .02 cents worth.

Last but not least: I hope for a speedy recovery to all the injured involved!!

DucBoy

Would someone please set me straight on the "cruiser wake" issue? I own a cruiser and a go fast. When in the cruiser, I observe no wake zones and generally try to avoid anchored fishermen (although they have a habit of spreading out in a line over several miles - that can be frustrating); otherwise, I cruise on plane at my most efficient trim. It's a heavy, wide boat that throws a wake - that's what it does. Is anyone suggesting that I should maintain 10 knots in open water just because go fasts are operating in the general vacinity??

Conversely, when running the go fast, I similarly observe no-wake zones and otherwise run in open water watching for wakes and useing my best efforts to take then at a suitable speed and angle. Am I missing something?? Should I be demanding flat, wake-free waters when I am operating my go fast?

Seriously - does anyone actually believe this???

the deep

Some of us get it , some of us don't , such is life . Cruiser captains you are free to wake us at will with no repercussions , NOT You all shoot the gun it's everyone elses responsibility to stay out of the stream of bullets.....Hmmm
Note : Cruisers that can get on plane are not the problem , it's the hole blowing tubs that can't get on plane on inland lakes .

low_psi

As surprising as it may seem, YES there are people on this forum that do believe this.

All of you that believe cruisers should slow down and make sure they don't disturb your water Here is an idea, anytime you see a cruiser making a wake that disturbs your day, jump on the radio and hail the coastguard or local police let them know your had to slow down in your "offshore boat" to safely navigat the cruiser's evil wake. Let them know this is in fact a violation of the law, they way you interpret it. I am curious to hear the reply you receive. "Sir, this is the local police water patrol responding to your call. Was this vessel in a no wake zone?" Answer: well no. "Did this cruiser pass you in an unsafe manner" Answer: well no. "Sir, how fast was the cruiser traveling in regards to you" Answer: well we were running 90+ and the cruiser had to be traveling at least 20 MPH. I approached him at a speed 4 times what he was traveling and he never slowed down so I could pass him. I had to slow my boat down to a safe speed of 50MPH. "Sir, how much have you been drinking today?"

jeffswav

You say "Open Water" are you boating in the ocean?

ActiveThunder

Did you guys really go from making the driver responsible for his actions and the safety of his passengers to a guy driving a cruiser making a boat wake?

Frequency

+1 DucBoy

LOTO is what it is. The only cruiser wake complaint I would have is the guy who plows though a cove or No Wake area, where it is obvious that his wake would be substantial - and destructive. At the Lake you know it is going to be rough on holiday weekends, and you should take precautions. It's not like a wave comes along with a banner that says: "this wake brought to you exclusively by Mr. Plow."