People riding on bow

BurgundyS24

Member
Oct 5, 2014
426
Napa, CA
Boat Info
Sea Ray S24. full delta enclosure. Towed by 2007 Chevy 3500 duramax/allison combo.
Engines
350 with closed fresh water cooling
Saw in a thread about people riding on the bow. Was watching a video about haulover in Florida and came across these geniuses. Starts at 5:45 and Darwin gold a few seconds after


https://youtu.be/8C10_AD7F50


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Cool video. Some really nice boats.
 
We were at a hotel in Hollywood FL that was right on the Inter coastal - nice place to do some boat watching.
So a cruiser going way too fast, with a girl on the bow decided he might not clear the bridge shutdown the throttles in a big hurry.
The girl slid about 10 feet forward then she was stopped at a hatch. If that hatch had not been there, I think I would have seen her get decapitated by the bow rail and then run over.
My heart literally stopped for a bit.
 
Aw C'mon man. He had to have those people on the bow. There wasn't room inside the boat for any more passengers.

I bet the guy in the boat that starts at 6:35 wishes he'd bought a boat with more bow flare. What a wet ride they were getting.
 
I find it's always best to have your crew on the bow dancing while trying to dock your boat.
 

Attachments

  • IMG_2031.jpg
    IMG_2031.jpg
    15 KB · Views: 514
In 2016 Maryland had 17 boating fatalities. At least one was a result a bow riding, when a kid fell off of a rental pontoon boat in the Ocean City area and got cut badly by a propeller. Our local Power Squadron had a MD Natural Resources Police officer speak at one of our recent dinner meetings, and he said they're beginning to crack down on bow riding this year. The local USCG are doing the same. Each officer has discretion for enforcement, but basically if he sees a moving boat with legs dangling over the gunwale he's going to stop it. His main push is education, but he can give a $500 ticket to first-time violators.
 
Its not illegal in Minnesota if the rail is high enough to get your leg under it- about 6". I still think its an incredibly stooooooopid thing to do. I see it every weekend and I spoke up to many boaters about it. My son sees other kids on the bow and wants to ride up there too. I tell him that I love him too much to let him do that. I'm glad my new boat doesn't have a tall bow rail- it'll keep the conversation short.
 
Wow that is one heck of an inlet. Tide, Traffic, and speed sure make for an exciting video. I love how the 60' plus yachts have 2-4 people on deck and the smaller center consoles have about 10 minimum... LOL
 
Interesting discussion. We are on an inland lake. We have padded chairs that we line up on our bow and that is the first place the ladies head to enjoy the ride when we leave the dock and head to our favorite coves to anchor out. We do not have tides and huge wakes or waves to contend with, nor are we WOT (to windy for their hair). We are not hanging legs over the gunnel and there is plenty of room on the bow. So our boating style/location and our specific model boat seems to have a very different risk profile.

If we were making passage through the channel on that video, no one would be on my bow.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Wow that is one heck of an inlet. Tide, Traffic, and speed sure make for an exciting video. I love how the 60' plus yachts have 2-4 people on deck and the smaller center consoles have about 10 minimum... LOL

Our boat used to be a couple of miles from the inlet, that was the inlet we went through every time we took the boat out.

Not the worst inlet in FL, by a lot of standards most of the time pretty tame. Traffic was not normally that bad, that would probably be Sat or Sun afternoon. Lot of those folks are hanging out just inside on the sand bars, they do the joy ride through the inlet to cool off and treat it like a ride at an amusement part.

When the traffic is bad, you have to watch closely, lot of those boats go out till the water calms down, then turn around and come back into the inlet again.

No way I would go through that inlet with people on the bow...
 
A couple of weeks ago we saw an older pontoon on the river with about 7 or 8 people on it and 2 little kids sitting on the front with their legs hanging over. They were wearing PFD's but that won't stop a propeller. One looked to be about 4 or 5 and the other about 7 or 8. The LEO's were about 100 yards up river and they must have saw them as they both got up and moved behind the rail after an adult said something. It was a no wake zone but their was a ton of debris in the water. A big log hitting their feet could have easily drug one of them in.
 
I've watched most of Zip Zap's Inlet vids most of the boats have whipped back antennas and their Radar is not running, I've heard that if you have a functioning radar and involved in an accident even during daylight hours you will be cited. The Antennas made be for an upcoming bridge that we can't see in the video but I see a lot of idiots in these videos..
 
I've watched most of Zip Zap's Inlet vids most of the boats have whipped back antennas and their Radar is not running, I've heard that if you have a functioning radar and involved in an accident even during daylight hours you will be cited. The Antennas made be for an upcoming bridge that we can't see in the video but I see a lot of idiots in these videos..

Yeah there is a bridge right there in the inlet.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Common practice to keep antenna's swept back due to bridges. There are so many bridges that you wind up having to open as you go thru the stretch of ICW from MIami north.

Bridge tenders will not open the bridge if the only reason is your antenna's. They will tell you to lower your antenna's. Most people lower antenna's to line up with the highest point of electronics.

That particular bridge is 30 something feet. But turn to starboard and head north - 18 or so bridges to open between there and Palm Beach.

(Not a fan of ICW cruising in S. Florida). Alex coined the term - urban boating...

Mark
 
If only boat designers knew people like to ride in the bow and could make a boat with seats up there....


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
 
We live in a society that is obsessed with telling other people what to do, often under the disingenuous guise of safety. I am thrilled to see people outside with their family and friends boating, rather than inside glued to their devices.
I am not going to advise them where to sit, citing highly unlikely outcomes that would require a complete lack of awareness.
 
If only boat designers knew people like to ride in the bow and could make a boat with seats up there....


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
They are! Check out the new SeaRay 320DA. It's a cruiser but with a dedicated seating area on the bow. I like the idea.
 
They are! Check out the new SeaRay 320DA. It's a cruiser but with a dedicated seating area on the bow. I like the idea.

Okay, that's a lot more than I was thinking of. I was referring to any typical bow rider but that new 320DA is awesome. What a mix of express cruiser and bow rider. The low freeboard on my sundeck 240 can make for a wet ride when the wind picks up. That 320 looks like it'll keep you dry and the kids would love the cabin.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
 

Forum statistics

Threads
112,943
Messages
1,422,703
Members
60,927
Latest member
Jaguar65
Back
Top