Riding on the bow with legs hanging over the side? Seriously?

LaRea

Yet another ignorant boater has killed a child by letting the child sit on the bow with his legs hanging over the side of the boat.  This time, it was a rented pontoon boat.  Boat hits wake, boy falls off, dies from prop injuries.  

"Maryland Natural Resources Police said the pontoon boat’s operator had minimal boating experience."  Do you suppose the rental company could have maybe, oh I don't know ... told the renter a few basic safety facts?  

https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/public-safety/boy-9-killed-by-boat-propeller-in-ocean-city/2016/08/18/9f86e2aa-653b-11e6-be4e-23fc4d4d12b4_story.html?hpid=hp_local-news_boat-1pm:homepage/story

Black_Diamond

Sad. Totally preventable too. Happened north of here a few years ago, duplicate situation. No life jacket, although probably didn't really matter. They had 17 people on that boat. 

raybo3

Pet peev of mine.Do not ride on the bow or the swim platform. I see more people standing on the swim platform or bow while the boat is being docked. I just shake my head and say to my self...... WTF is wrong with people......

Michael T

A few years back a friend bought a Fountain with twin Merc Hi Perf Supercharged engines  - over 700 HP each. He asked me to take him out the first time as he didn't have a clue what to do with it. Here, after you pass a boating test that any idiot could pass you can buy any boat you want and  take it out for a run. Here, dealers don't really have to do anything but a PDI. No wonder so many idiots kill people!

randy56

Sad story that guy trying to show his family a good day but had no clue what he was doing. Safety first  

DanD2

Happened up here in Maine week before last.......19 year old kid was hanging over the front of a pontoon , he fell over, they found him at the bottom of the lake a few days later.

Black_Diamond

Unless your bow has dedicated seating, at least around here the marine sheriff or USCG will write you a ticket for riding on the bow. 

craigswardmtb

Even in no wake zones?  They seem to allow it around here. 

bella-vita

U cannot ride on bow here when moving unless docking,no license needed if over 18. 

LaRea

Riddle me this:  Even at 5 mph, if somebody falls from your bow, do you really think you could stop your boat fast enough to avoid chopping them up with your props?  

No way.  Best-case scenario:  you see it immediately, your reaction time is zero, you throw the engine in full reverse, and the transmission grabs in zero seconds.  Are you gonna stop the boat within one boat length?  Nope.

craigswardmtb

I don't disagree at all and echo the same concern. But I tell ya I see so many boats with people on the bow in no wake zones I figured it must be allowed. 

J3ff

Just last weekend saw a dad and his family with the girls with feet over the front bow hanging down. I actually said loudly, "that's not okay, it's illegal for a reason" he didn't make them pull in their feet

jhofmann

I remember as a kid cruising Long Island sound on the bow of a 32 ft Luhrs legs hanging off, wind and spray in my face, waving to the various marine patrol boats. I also remember me and 2 dogs riding in the bed of a pickup truck from Connecticut to Vermont on the interstate highway, and my farther getting pulled over for speeding. Nothing was said about me in the back, or the open beer in his hand. This was in the late 70s. Bad idea then, bad idea now, not to mention against the law.

TonyWalker

Shift to neutral immediately and swing the stern away from the person in the water.  Good procedure?  Of course the really good procedure is no  one on the bow as has been so well pointed out.

06Rinker270

when a boat is put in neutral from a low speed, how long does it take for the prop to stop spinning?

TonyWalker

Good question.  And good point, the prop will free wheel if in neutral and the boat is moving.  But at least it would not be as lethal.

On the sometimes occasion that I need to motor Salt Shaker over to my favorite money pit, my service guy, on one engine, I put the dead engine in reverse.  That keeps the dead props from rotating.  But that is a special case.

LaRea

Buckwheat say:  if boat underway, bowriding not otay.  

By the way, boat renters consuming alcohol?  The company not only allows it ... they actively encourage it!  Their FAQ literally says "Yes, please do!"  

NavyCTRC

Anyone allow the admiral to lay out on the pad on the bow while underway?  Mine always bugging me about it, I always say nope. 

randy56

you want to keep her?

NavyCTRC

What ya offerin?

randy56

It's cheaper to keeper. 

MDboater

Regal has at least one model with an aft cockpit seat where the seat back pivots to offer a forward facing seat or a rear facing sunpad.  I have seen videos advocating that the rear facing sunpad can be used underway because there is a metal railing surrounding the pad.  Looked crazy dangerous to me. 

youstolemybeer

I got busted a few years ago by water patrol because a buddy was riding on the bow of my john boat (feet in the boat, sitting rearward). Now the first thing I say whenever ANYONE decides to sit there and the engine is running "if you want a punch in the face stay sitting there, otherwise get off the F deck and sit in the boat" Have never had to hit anyone. 

Dream_Inn

oh boy, biggest boating pet peeve of mine!  I have a hard time ignoring these stupid people!  The admiral always says, let it go.  The adults I just figure, it's their own dumb ignorance.  But man, they gotta let their kids do it...they just don't have a chance!  This topic came up when we were on vacation the other day in a marina pool (cause of this story).  A couple people were hush.  I just thought, man, hopefully they realize how stupid they are if they are doing it.  Even the sailboaters were agreeing with the discussion, saying they strap in when out having to do the sails.

rkinross

I'm fairly new to power boating and have an open bow 15ft v-hull that has seating in the bow.  I just assumed it was safe for the grand kids to sit up there and hold on to the grab rails when the boat is moving.  Is this dangerous for the kids to be up there?  They are in the seats and not on the bow where the nav lights are located. 

randy56

yes it's safe, this topic was about letting kids sit up, with feet hanging over the side. Feet on floor butt in seat. 

rasbury

We were at dinner one night at the lake front, it was a pretty cold night. There were FWC all over the place and I noticed a guy standing around them with a blanket around him.....he came into the restaurant/bar a little later with his story- he was alone on a sail boat and was on the deck, not sure doing what, but fell off- boat kept on a going! This is a big lake, water had to be 60 or less and he had to swim back across it I guess- fortunately with the water temp the gators weren't hungry...

LaRea

@rkinross - your boat's bow seating is safe and legal.  The usual rule is that if seating is a permanent part of the boat, and does not involve any body parts hanging over the side, it's legal to sit there when underway.  

@rasbury - I wonder if he had a stern painter line trailing in the water.  Most sailboaters do that when single-handed, if not always.  Of course, it might be tough to get to it in the confusion of falling overboard.  

Lake_Bum

When I was only about 19 or 20 years old, a few friends of mine had rented a Pontoon boat, and stopped by my camp to pick me up for a cruise. They had very little boating experience, and I had years already at that age.  
Long story short, I witnessed from my seat on the back of the boat, one of my buddies lean over the front trying to wet his sunglasses to wash them, hit a wave, and get sucked under instantly.  I JUMPED across the boat, and yanked the kill switch.  Thank god we were only at wakeless speed!  The skag hit him, but didn't cut him.......if I wasn't watching, who knows what would have happened.  Probably chop suey! 

rasbury

No riding on the bow while we are moving is my rule- kids always bust on me because we so many doing it...to bad!

Cableguy Greg

In PA as long as there was a bow rail on a cruiser or cuddy, you were able to ride up there. You couldn't sit on the engine cover, but the bow was okay. They have since changed the law and you are only allowed to ride on the bow of a cuddy or cruiser at "Slow, No Wake Speed". Unfortunately they, the PA Fish & Boat Commission, never let anyone know of the change in law. @tniggel got pulled over for having his wife and kids up there this past summer.