To anyone that attends my events...

[Chummy]

Let's try this again.....

This is the only warning from here on out. If you are attending or plan on attending any event or boat gathering that I put on.... IF YOU ARE UNDERWAY YOU ARE TO HAVE A LIFEJACKET ON!! Period end of story. If you do not you will be asked to hit the trailer. I realize that it's a free lake and whatnot but the negligence has to stop.

[Ira Tindale]

IT's not so much wearing the vest is that u will recover the body more likely. The family members want have to wait so long to find you. all i say good luck guys

[JPEROG]

Brad. what am i missing about the vest threat? does a life vest have some kind of magic that makes everyone drive safe and be curtious to other boaters? i feel wearing a life vest in a boat is like wearing a seat belt in a car. there are times when it saves a life and also times when it takes a life. i know of one gruesome example with a seat belt on a meter readers 3 wheel scooter that burnt to the ground with driver belted in. also a time i was racing my nova and about 3/4 way thru a 10 second pass on the back road my drive shaft broke. where the shaft twisted and broke it caught the factory seat belt hold down plate that is in the drive shaft tunnel on a 70 nova. seat belt was pulled thru floor and wound tight on the half of shaft still bolted to the rear end. seat belt would have cut me in half if i was wearing it. it is always a sad day when a life is lost. but it is not up to you to be the vest police. i am 54 years old and have always raced in and enjoy the speed. it is and will be my decision to buckle up or vest up anywhere i ride on public roads and waterways. not wearing a vest is not the cause of the accidents. people driving like idiots cause some. the mear fact that speed is dangerous is the cause of some. like i said in previous deleted post. some of you need to move on to safer hobbies.

Its not very often that a car accident dumps you in the water where you can be knocked out and drown. Its also not very often that a car accident requires a search and rescue effort by divers. Auto seat belts are proven to save lives yet I am an offender of not wearing them all of the time. Comparing the two is not anywhere close to realistic. There is a sign posted at Lake Cumberland that reads something close to: "589 people have died on this lake-eleven of them were wearing a lifevest". The analogy that I always think of is when Tres Martin told me that he was going to knock me out and throw me in the water BUT... I had the choice to put a jacket on first if I wanted- It's just a no brainer if you are going to run hard and value your family at any level.

Joe

[mach351]

Brad I think they're missing the point.

By "they" I mean those who want to push back on this absurdly ridiculous argument.

I was waiting for the ole "I know I guy who died BECAUSE he was wearing a seatbelt" statement.....and there she blows. Ignorant.

Good news is that most of us who are friends with you share your feelings and don't need to be told to wear proper gear. The guys who say no way don't attend your stuff anyway, so let them ride on their lake with no jacket, drive their car with no belt, ride their motorcycle with no helmet, eat their lead paint, and live on thinking the world is flat.

[madtunnel]

Difference being a vest does not strap you in your burning boat. (With out magical power's) it makes you float. Thank you Brad for your concerns of others.

[Bodhi]

Brad. what am i missing about the vest threat? does a life vest have some kind of magic that makes everyone drive safe and be curtious to other boaters? i feel wearing a life vest in a boat is like wearing a seat belt in a car. there are times when it saves a life and also times when it takes a life. i know of one gruesome example with a seat belt on a meter readers 3 wheel scooter that burnt to the ground with driver belted in. also a time i was racing my nova and about 3/4 way thru a 10 second pass on the back road my drive shaft broke. where the shaft twisted and broke it caught the factory seat belt hold down plate that is in the drive shaft tunnel on a 70 nova. seat belt was pulled thru floor and wound tight on the half of shaft still bolted to the rear end. seat belt would have cut me in half if i was wearing it. it is always a sad day when a life is lost. but it is not up to you to be the vest police. i am 54 years old and have always raced in and enjoy the speed. it is and will be my decision to buckle up or vest up anywhere i ride on public roads and waterways. not wearing a vest is not the cause of the accidents. people driving like idiots cause some. the mear fact that speed is dangerous is the cause of some. like i said in previous deleted post. some of you need to move on to safer hobbies.

I'm 100% with you, as a police officer myself I understand the accident scenes....mostly caused by stupidity. Now as far as life vests, it's my choice to not wear one after 12 hrs in a kevlar. For you guys that want to wear one....awsome that's cool, don't push your s**t on me, Obama's gone , enough of this tell me how to live crap

[Chummy]

Dave, I don't wanna have to get a dive team to find someone that was tossed outta a boat that was attending a event or rally that I put on. If you are knocked out you don't stand a chance of survival, at least if you have a vest on someone can at least get to you and attempt a resesitate you if you've ingested water. When the officials get involved and they see hi-po boats at least they can say we were being responsible. At the end of the day most of us have way more boring experience than the avg Joe, I believe in leader by example, so let's try and lead the way for others.

[JPEROG]

My guess is that they just haven't seen enough close friends pass and or the grieving of their friends and families at this point. Bodhi, we pay you to be a leader and set an example for the public WTF?...The chances of remaining conscious after hitting the water at 80 mph or higher is not real good. Its sad to hear people admit that they don't have more value for their own personal life and consideration for their friends, families and employees then this-I don't know of any deaths caused from performance boating that were labeled as suicide and guarantee you that if they could do it over that they would take the time to put a jacket on. I am done as I think everyone knows my stance...

Joe

[dgscroggs]

unfortunatly u just can't change some people u know the saying actions speak louder than words well sometimes it's goin to take someone witnessing something bad to change there mind and I'm sure there's plenty of people on here that used to never where one and then something happened, anyway I applaud those of u on here trying to keep everyone safe, as for me when I bought my boat I bought my jacket first,my kids need there dad

[John S]

I'm 100% with you, as a police officer myself I understand the accident scenes....mostly caused by stupidity. Now as far as life vests, it's my choice to not wear one after 12 hrs in a kevlar. For you guys that want to wear one....awsome that's cool, don't push your s**t on me, Obama's gone , enough of this tell me how to live crap

Spends 12 hours a day enforcing the government's rules on others... Don't want people concerned for his safety telling him how to live. F**k me if that ain't irony.

Chummy, I've met you a few times at Jasper, hung out by Dixons psycho Billy Cadillac once. You're a pretty nice guy, and obviously love to get people togethere and run boats. But you'd have more luck staying dry pissing into a 40 mph wind than convincing these mouth breathers that you're looking out for their best interest. Youd be better served just calling/texting the guys you trust to go out and run. Unfortunately, a few dickheads always end up spoiling it for the rest.

[Chaz]

Let's try this again.....

That's an excellent idea . I would think first thing would be to offer condolences to my friend John's family .
John had a passion for boat's like few others I have seen . I guess I'll even miss his 1:00 am phone calls that started , "I got an idea I want to run by ya " LOL
God speed my brother !
(for his haters , yes he had some shortcomings , be grateful you have none )

Hot Shot , great job on 14 months ...
First 20 - 25 years are the hardest , after that it's all down hill ...

This is the only warning from here on out. If you are attending or plan on attending any event or boat gathering that I put on.... IF YOU ARE UNDERWAY YOU ARE TO HAVE A LIFEJACKET ON!! Period end of story.

A sincere question , Having never been to one of "your" event's , what exactly is it that you do for those attending ?

I have to agree that "The lifejacket is the end of the story" .
What seems to be lacking is "as mentioned many times" the beginning of the story.
I know here in Martin County Fl. our DUI road crew work the waterways on holidays and weekends . They don't say you cant drink , but you will go to jail for BUI if you are drunk . I understand the whole , this is a party I've waited all year for mentality , but that is no reason to be irresponsible to yourself , the law and the group your with.

Idiots .. seems that if someone doesn't share a common view , then they are labeled as idiots . ( To me an idiot is someone who's emotions take away their ability to communicate and are left in a state where their only choice is to call someone an idiot ) ..
I'll bet Mr. Public seeing a bunch of small boats wizzing by at 100 mph looks over at his wife and kids and says : My gosh ,Would ya look at all them idiots !
And it wouldn't matter if you had on , none , one , two or three jackets .

Lifejackets ... Lifeline racing jacket seems to be on top of the heap . Rugged construction , impact protection , crotch straps .... and racers wear them !
Has anyone put theirs on and jumped in the pool .. ? Did you notice the anti-bucketing duckbill pushed your face under water .. ?
Could it be one of the reasons they don't carry a CGA rating is because the Coast Guard doesn't expect boaters to wear helmets .. ?
So is that tall collar an idiot flag or just a case of monkey see , monkey do .

Twenty first century ... I had built quite a few roll cages for Jersey Skiffs way before I ever seen them race .. now I know why ..
The first thing a guy does after buying a X - race boat is to cut the canopy off in order to make a "pleasure boat" out of it ..
Girls care more about working on their tan , than wearing a heavy jacket . Days like that , goes back to being responsible and enjoying the ride . Otherwise , everyone needs to wear full suits , boots , gloves , helmets with air supply , HANS devise , helmet skirt tucked in ... and all the other safety item's that are available !

If these gatherings are to survive , there does need to be some type of structure where the group polices itself . Friends don't let friends drive drunk . People need to understand what those cute little red and green light's mean on the front of the boat . People want to make passes and other people want to watch them . Just like LOTO , no wake parking . And passes made in one direction with a loop around to get in line again ... just common sense ... err .. uncommon sense needs to be applied a lot deeper than ... boy , I said put that jacket on ..

[Capt.Insane-o]

You ****erz down there sure cause a lot of trouble.

[Instigator]

I would like like to vouch for Mr Hot Shot Merc too.

He has 100 times more freagin seat time, in go fast boats, than those questioning him.

[Hot Shot Merc]

I'm 100% with you, as a police officer myself I understand the accident scenes....mostly caused by stupidity. Now as far as life vests, it's my choice to not wear one after 12 hrs in a kevlar. For you guys that want to wear one....awsome that's cool, don't push your s**t on me, Obama's gone , enough of this tell me how to live crap

As a cop your paid to push your schit on others IE seat belt laws right? Have you ever written a ticket for seat belt violation? You understand the accident scenes yet you say you wont wear your life jackets in high perf boating because you wear a kevlar vest all week at work? Thats ridiculous, lmfao!!! Why do you wear a kevlar vest at work? Is it because you are doing something very dangerous like being a police officer? (((((wich by the way I commend you for your courage))))) The same idea of safety doesnt apply to the dangers of hi perf boating to you? So do you choose not wear your seat belt in your car when your off duty because you wear it all week at work too? Nobody is telling you how to live either. Where the hell do you get that from?

[Bodhi]

As a cop your paid to push your schit on others IE seat belt laws right? Have you ever written a ticket for seat belt violation? You understand the accident scenes yet you say you wont wear your life jackets in high perf boating because you wear a kevlar vest all week at work? Thats ridiculous, lmfao!!! Why do you wear a kevlar vest at work? Is it because you are doing something very dangerous like being a police officer? (((((wich by the way I commend you for your courage))))) The same idea of safety doesnt apply to the dangers of hi perf boating to you? So do you choose not wear your seat belt in your car when your off duty because you wear it all week at work too? Nobody is telling you how to live either. Where the hell do you get that from?

Fair enough, I do have to enforce certain rules on people and I do this to keep them safe. However, my point in all of this is is that we run high speed machines on the edge, other than certain waterways with speed restrictions, there are no laws to our sport and we ALL know or should know the danger involved. I understand the message loud and clear that people in our group are just looking out for each other, but to come across in a manner of threats like "don't attend my events without safety equip" instead of "hey guys you should wear your stuff" is a bit rediculous.
It was mentioned that a lot of people were smoking and drinking and THEN trying to operate their boats...those are the violations we should be really concerned about.