Reply With QuoteAm I going overkill on a boat that tops out at 60?
Nope.
Well after being here for a while I have learned quite abit about my Tahiti. And from reading many posts here I have come to realize that my boat is sound, but I am seriously lacking in safety. Yes I have everything in my boat that is required by law (air horn, oar, etc), but other items just never thought about.
1st I have the standard orange life jacket and throwable, but never even thought to be wearing a vest at all times when operating the boat.
2nd never gave it a thought to have an engine kill switch and lanyard.
3rd I have one ABC extinguisher in the boat (this is why I was thinking of throwing my spare fire system in the boat as well).
So through talking to a few people, and reading some posts here I am currently shopping for life vests. I am also trying to find a decent kill switch that will I can use with my MSD.
Am I going overkill on a boat that tops out at 60? Am I missing anything? I am not a safety nut, but I also want our jet boating to be worry free, and enjoyable.
Am I going overkill on a boat that tops out at 60?
Nope.
1st I have the standard orange life jacket and throwable, but never even thought to be wearing a vest at all times when operating the boatAlthough few people wear vests at all times while operating a boat
Few people wear a vest at all times while operating but it IS a good idea. In almost all boating accidents where people are thrown in the water, the cause of death is drowning. Your standard orange vest works well to float you but is uncomforatable and not designed to withstand entry into the water at speed. A good neopreen ski type vest is better than nothing at moderate speed but a Lifeline is the best.
2nd never gave it a thought to have an engine kill switch and lanyard.
Also a great idea. Imagine you get tossed but your passengers don't and the throttle sticks. Not likely but stranger shit has happened.
3rd I have one ABC extinguisher in the boat (this is why I was thinking of throwing my spare fire system in the boat as well).
You can never be too safe and that extinguisher needs to be kept near the driver toward the front, not in the back near the motor because when the fire starts, chances are you won't be able to get to it.
Am I going overkill on a boat that tops out at 60? Am I missing anything? I am not a safety nut, but I also want our jet boating to be worry free, and enjoyable.
You can never be too safe and these are relatively small and easy items to add to the safety of you and your family and friends. You can just as easily have a serious wreck and be injured at 60 as you can at 80 or 100 and most likely that accident will be from a collision with another vessel. Being in a small, low profile boat will almost assure you will be going for a swim if a collision occures.
for the last 55 plus years my dad has kept track of all of the boating drownings in our area in north idaho on the lakes and rivers. here is a stat that all should look at. i all of the boating accidents and that includes both boats-rafts and other water craft all who died were not wearing a jacket. they were either sitting on it or it was on the floor or close by. and this was from those of who did make it out safe and alive. also we did our own test on different types of PFD's. the ones which did the worst were the ones that we called a horse collar. they slip over the head and have a collar behind the head and have floatation that comes down on top of the chest with a tie under the chin and a strap around the middle near the lower back. he found out that even under low speed impact it would pop off over the head and there goes the floatation. the full vest worked the best. he also did a test to see which style of PFD's would give u the best floatation. the full vest gave the best and the horse collar style and he called them the worst. one rule i grew up with was "when on the water u will wear the best possible PFD that u can use and if there is not one do not go. and also if u own a boat only buy the best that money can buy cause it is cheap compaired to if u die. now i wear a full race parachute jacket when i go out and i provide my passenger with a excellent full vest jacket to wear. AND THEY WILL PUT IT ON OR NOT GO OUT IN THE BOAT. also if i know that i am going to do some really hard runs and high speeds i wear a helmet and full kevlar one piece suit with my chute jacket hooked up. it is amazing how many i see out on the water that do not wear any jacket. i would say it is as high as 95% or more. and what is really amazing is that they do not care about the kids either. sorry to go off but when u have a close friend and also a family member either die or almost die cause they refused to wear a PFD kinda hits home.
1st I have the standard orange life jacket and throwable, but never even thought to be wearing a vest at all times when operating the boat..
I don't, normally, but it isn't a bad idea, and I wouldn't dare tell you not to, it's your personal decision.
2nd never gave it a thought to have an engine kill switch and lanyard..
I don't have, but again, I've seen worse ideas than having one.
3rd I have one ABC extinguisher in the boat (this is why I was thinking of throwing my spare fire system in the boat as well)..
I have 2, one (seccondary) under the hood strapped to the back of the back seat, Driver's side, the other (Primary), passenger side of the ski locker under the dash, instantly accessible by the 2 front seats (diver and shotgun).
So through talking to a few people, and reading some posts here I am currently shopping for life vests. I am also trying to find a decent kill switch that will I can use with my MSD. .
Any should work. Install it in-line with the power either TO YOUR SWITCH, or FROM THE SWITCH TO THE IGNITION. That way, if the kill switch breaks contact, it breaks the voltage suply to the ignition.
By the way, the first way would give you more clues that it is accidentally disconnected since the gauges fail as well. You don't just wonder for 30 min of troubleshooting if the MSD box just failed.
Am I going overkill on a boat that tops out at 60? Am I missing anything? I am not a safety nut, but I also want our jet boating to be worry free, and enjoyable.
Not necisarilly, it is your comfort level, not mine or ours. You are going farther than I go on some things, not as far as some go. Again, your personal decisions.
made the family put pfd's on at mojave last summer during a monsoon going up lake from katherines taking 5 footers in to the open bow 2 1200 gph
mafair bildge pumps pumping away for an hour once we were back into the sheltered cove. scary shiat.
made the family put pfd's on at mojave last summer during a monsoon going up lake from katherines taking 5 footers in to the open bow 2 1200 gph
mafair bildge pumps pumping away for an hour once we were back into the sheltered cove. scary shiat.
In unusual conditions (I sure hope those aren't usual!) Ours will be donned as well instead of let lay in the floor, but we have yet to find ourselves oun in that level of a mess, yet.
Sometimes weather sneaks in at high speed here in the midwest too, we watch pretty closely. If ya pay attention arround here, seldom will it catch you completely flat-footed. The wonder of living with a hundred-mile visibility on the plains.
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