Kids & Powerboats

[Sharkey-Images]

I have a 3 year old girl that is already grabbing the throttles and is waiting for her day out on the new boat. I also have a 9 month old girl that my wife is nervous about taking out just yet.

How young has anyone taken their kids out?

I read that No Discipline had actually put a car seat in for his 5 yr old. What an idea!

I don't plan on any fast speed with the family aboard. The engines will be way too loud and they may never want to come out again.

Looking for any suggestions and comments. How young is too young?

My 3yr caught the boating disease last year in my 13 footer. So she's hooked for life. I just want to protect them the best I can.... Thanks in advance.

SHARK

[Rickracer]

In my experience, provided you don't scare them, if you love it and are comfortable with it, they will feel the same, generally speaking. I took my youngest daughter out at 6 months. When she was 2 years old she was sleeping on the floor between the seat and the bulkhead in front of the dash when some weather blew in and we got into some in 2 foot rollers, she woke up and started saying "yeeee haaaa" every time we got a bit airborn. She still loves boating today. :cool:

[BarryStrawn]

We had our daughter out in the XR2002 just before she turned two. I don't think we got over 35 or so but she had a blast, could just see over the dash and would hand surf the air coming off the deck. Only problem we ever had was heat here in Florida. Kids are more sensitive and the life jacket provides lots of insulation.

[p_man_115]

Im 18 now and ive been riding in power and sail boats all my life. I think that it is never to young to take a kid out for their first ride. Ive honestly had a passion for fast boats since i could talk, I was always more afraid of sailing then power boating. lol

[Racemore]

My little guy is 7 and been riding in boats with me since he was 1. He is very acclamated to Performace boating.He puts on his lifejacket and I have given him rides at 90 to 100 in a Yt and will drive my boat at 80 sitting in my lap.I'm sure this my not be acceptable to some but we don't care.He loves it and if it wasn't for the 16 year old law in Florida I would build him a little tunnel with a 15 hp and let him start getting the feel for driving.All my boys have been allowed to race atv's when there was no age limit and won.I wish there was a way that i could get KK into boat racing but there is none.He is the fastest kid his size in school,the only one to get a yellow belt in Karate in 2 months in his Kickboxing class,can't beat him in a damn thing at the game room unless size is a factor and he wants to race boats,gocarts and motocross.Guess im gona get him a CR 80 for Christmas but he would rather boat.What do ya do? :cool: Just like Dad,whatever we get in,Daddy lets see how fast it will go! :cool:

[JohnR225]

Kids are like sponges they soak up the good and bad. Make sure you set a good example for them. A lifejacket with the floaty behind there head for the small ones and a car seat worked for me when they were young ... Then as they grow up I put in handles they could hold onto from under the seats.... Fabric web loop like a seat belt bolted to the bottom of their seats. They would hold on to these.... This is NOT a seat belt that strapped them in.

They are now 11,15 and 18 years old .. My daughter is 18 and when she smells two-stroke oil she loves it! It means FUN to her and hammer time!


I am raising three kids that love boating, respect others and think safety ... The kicker is they all want to haul on the water ...

I did something very right and I am very proud of my kids.

I also taught them WE never chase down a boat to race ... if they come along side that is different.... Then they get what they came for.. LOL

To this day we wave to old Tri hulls like we started in to a small aluminum boat and the big bad cruisers that send a HUGE wave.


Trust me we are leaving SPEED FREAKS behind us when we retire. The best part is it is a FAMILY thing.

[Boaterbum]

Like P Man, I have been boating ALL my life, remember the same when I was younger sleeping under the bow when cruising around in Dad's old StarCraft! geesh, what an ugly bote that was! I had my two nephews out last season in the Vector, 1 and 2 years old, they LOVED it, wanted to go faster! I held back though, had to be responsible! With proper care and safety, I don't feel there is a limit to when ya can take em. If the engies are too loud, grab a set of ear plugs/muffs for there protection!
Be safe, be responsible, and they'll love it, and the wife will let ya keep taking them! lol
:D

[Boaterbum]

Make sure they have a good time, and don't scare the snot out of them, and they will have AMAZING memories of it! I as well took them both Off Roading in the truck, the only guy there Muddin' with duel carseats, and they had a blast! Now, when they see a big truck or a speed boat, they ALWAYS say to my brother, "THATS AN UNCLE TONY BOAT/TRUCK"! What Great memorise they are!!!!!!!

[B.Mac]

If they can sit up.......they're old enough. I would definately NOT put 'em in a car seat though......a little ducky vest that is "self righting" (flotation puts a toddler on thier back) and a large floating head support pad behind thier head. God forbid anything happened you want 'em floatin' right side up & free from the rig.
Second person (wifey) recommended. I have also glued a 3" X 3" piece of velcro to the back of thier vest & the front of the seat back to help keep 'em from weebleing over & out of the seat in a turn.........."bonk!" You want to take it real easy because if they have a single bad experiance boating...(Thier perception not ours) ...they may never get in another rig again.

Please......no comments about the Force (that was actually a good motor:eek: )

[B.Mac]

Megan's 6 mos here.......6 yrs. now & can't keep her out of the boats.......except for the Vector because it beats the snot out of you in the bay. One thing they definately don't like is relieved exhaust.....My three year old Hannah is hesitant to go because of that "Tewwable thound" of a relieved Merc. (Ear plugs)

Got rid of the Vector & picking up the 21' C'mate aircraft carrier this weekend:D

B.MAC:D

[action17]

my son was seven months old the first time in the action at palatka!!!:D his first boat ride was at three months old in a 23 foot aqusport at idle speed!!!

[KG4]

My boys are 7 and 4 and have been boatng with me since they where babys.Cant wait till my oldest is nine then i am getting back into stock outboard racing.He can race J stock at 9 then when he is done i can pull the restrictor plate and run A class for my self.The APBA water mouse is another good way to get kids involved in racing,They only have to be 6 and there is a good deal on the water mouse in the new issue of propellor can get used ones for $2500.00 race ready.You can get a used J-A rig for around $1800.00

[Flat Out]

Our 3 kids love boating they are 6, 8 & 11. They have grown up with it at our cottage. My 11 year old now has his operator card which you have to have in Canada to operate a powerboat. He has learned how to drive both boats with steering wheels and tillers. All our kid have good life jackets with Fox 40 whistles attached to them. We also got a pair of Motorola radios. My son keeps one in the boat with him. Mom likes this idea.
The kids know how to help tie up the boats and can walk out on the decks and not be afraid. They have all taken swimming lessons and respect the water. They can all jump off the dock without life jackets and swim.
As little kid they all fell of the dock a couple of times.Good life jackets are a must. Pull them out of the water and dry them off. Try not to make a big fuss over it .It just scares them. I worry in the spring when the water is cold.
Teach your children to respect the water,good boating skills and they will carry these with them the rest of their lives.

[BK]

My kids had no choice. Since they had to come with us to all of the Hot Boat tests, they got to ride with us starting around age 3 months. They loved every minute of it.

When my neice was only 6 months old, we spent a week on a houseboat. She's been a water-baby ever since.

My older brother used to torture me in our 16' deep vee Skagit when I was 8. He'd bring a bunch of buddies along, and head for the biggest rollers he could find, forcing me to stay in the cabin for "ballast" - wham WHAM! WHAM WHAM!!!

Ever since then, I've been terrified of boats -- UNLESS I'm driving :) So today, I'm only comfortable if I am the one at the controls - which made me popular on water ski-outings as a teenager --because I always wanted to drive and rarely skied. LOL

Never frighten a child in a boat -- believe me, it stays with them FOREVER.

With kids, always use a lot of sunblock, and the best kids lifejackets, and never above 40. Also, be sure they don't move around in the cockpit. I do know a child who was damaged permanently when she fell in a boat and hit her head. Make sure the kids stay seated at all times - you never know when you'll hit a big "bump".

If they haven't reached the age to sit still yet, make sure someone else is holding on to them. Personally, I wouldn't recommend a car seat, just because boats sometimes experience strange things that can happen suddenly -- swamped, capsize, stuff, fire etc. Also, a car seat needs to be anchored to a frame -- you certainly dont want the child to be strapped down to a loose, sinkable, car seat.

Here's another thing that most parents don't ever think about:
My friend was a pediatrician, and told us that, during a car accident, a human body can become a lethal weapon if not seat belted. On impact, a body can be thrown from the front to the back in an instant -- or from one side to the other -- and if there is a child in the back seat in a car seat -- and the body-turned-projectile landing on them will probably cause great injuries or even death. He said he had seen it happen dozens of times! I would have never thought of that!

So -- even if your kids are secure in their car seats -- MAKE SURE all other occupants are seat-belted as well --- not just for their safety, but for everyone else in the car too --- or the situation may end up tragically for your children, and maybe even yourself.

Have fun in the boat -- if everyone plays safe, you can build the some of the most memorable family events ever. Even with my brother's "Torture sessions", some of my favorite childhood memories are from the days and nights spent on Lake Mohave. :)

[Ziemer]

From what I've been told by my father, I was about 4 months old and taken 80 MPH in an old wooden Hydro.
It must not have scared me too bad since anything fast is my kinda fun. My wife and I are "in the process" of starting a family and we don't plan on staying home once a baby arrives. The kid will be exposed to boating and the water from day 1.

[B.Leonard]

I threw 'em the keys and said "Be back before sundown!" :D They loved it! ;) ;)

[B.Leonard]

I wasn't exposed to boats till 1995 (31 yrs old) so I don't know that earlier really matters. Although I always played around with cars and bikes much earlier.

I remember the salesman at the Honda dealer when I bought my V65. "Sir, don't you think the world's fastest production motorcycle is a big step for your first bike" I said "Naahhhhhh" :D

-BL

[wing nut]

im 16 and heres the other side of the story (kids veiw)

i was on boats for as long as i can remember! my dad always told me about his hydrostream and my unles hydrostream and other various speed boats. now finally at 1 i bought my first 14ft hydrostream vixen! its gonna be a blasdt and theres a seat rite next to me for my dad lol

scott

[BK]

one last thing....

The new disposable diapers are designed to absorb using "crystals" ... and if you put your child in the water, these diapers will nearly absorb the ENTIRE lake! I'm not kidding -- they absorb until they are the size of a soccer ball! This also makes it extremely difficult for a child right himself, and the weight of that soaked-up water tips them over.

Do not use these kinds of disposable diapers at the water.

Instead, buy the new ones called "Swimmies" (very colorful, and found in the diaper section), or go with standard cloth diapers.

[Rickracer]

(Having learned the hard way):D :D :D :eek: :confused:

[action17]

BK is right i have never seen a diaper get so big in all my life!!! swimmies work great!!!:)

[Pete]

im with gottagofast,
im 16 now and have been boating as long as i can remember.
my parents taught me how to drive the boats when i was little. They only let me have the privilge of driving my boat if i keep my grades up.
i bought my delta 2 years ago, and now that i have my opperators card and am now old enough to legaly drive anything over 40hp.
So i have caught the need for speed and am looking for a bigger, faster boat.

Pete

[Sharkey-Images]

These are all great stories and advice. Keep 'em coming...

[Boaterbum]

Thats hilarious! I am getting a visual of a poor little one tipping over cuz there sitting on that soccer ball sized diaper!! hahaha
This has got to be the last thing I thought we'd be talking about on this site, funny as hell though!
:D

[Rickracer]

...trying to climb the boarding ladder with a big bulky lifejacket up top, and about 3 gallons of wet, swollen diaper on the bottom. Water is 8.3 lbs per gallon......................????? :p

[Todd]

My twin engines are very loud, especially in the back seat. I used earplugs on the kids since day one. Their hearing can be damaged pretty easy.

[CUSTOM PERFORMANCE 1]

I had both of my boys in the boat before they could walk. I have owned boats for 34 years and got hooked myself at age 6 when the biggest engine was a 25. My oldest just bought his first boat last week, a STV Procomp with a 2.4 EFI Merc and loves it. My youngest, now 15, has been operating my boats since 6 and has his own boat since 9, a 13 Boston Whaler with a 40. He probably has more hours logged than most of adults on the water today. But the number 1 item to stress is SAFETY and safe boat handling. My youngest has operated a 32' center console with twin 225's and my latest STV Procomp with a 2.4 Merc. As for the age of 16 in Florida, I sent my youngest to seamenship school at 10 where he earned his certificate. This will eliminate the age factor situation when approached and questioned by law enforcement. I think the WORST thing to do is introduce kids to personal watercraft. they need to know safe boat handling, not carefree scooters on the water.:)

[action17]

custom performance you sound very famlliar do i know you :D i think i do;) good to see you hear enjoy this board it's lots of fun!!!!:cool:

[THE HOSER]

IT MUST BE IN THE BLOOD OR SOMTHING

[THE HOSER]

IT MUST BE IN THE BLOOD OR SOMETHING

[AnthonySS]

We have had our kids on the water from as young as a fews weeks old.

We always started them with small boats and worked up to the faster ones with age. Now my 2 oldest (5and8) want to go faster even when the needle is already at 80.

Generally I will cruise along at no-more then 60 in an STV hull with them.

Proper vest and eye protection help them enjoy the ride. Here are the two oldest in the back seat! before we head out!

[CUSTOM PERFORMANCE 1]

Originally posted by action17
custom performance you sound very famlliar do i know you :D i think i do;) good to see you hear enjoy this board it's lots of fun!!!!:cool: Acton 17, you ought to know me, I am Keith's dad, Duane. also, i am selling the Checkmate without the motor. call me if you are interested. 772 288 2711.

[action17]

thanks duane but i'm looking for a center console boat!!!:)

[CUSTOM PERFORMANCE 1]

What are you going to do with your 17? Also, what type of boat are you looking for?

Duane

[action17]

keeping the action!! gonna save it for lilbobby it can be his first boat:D i'm looking for something like paramount or concept it's going to be a little while trying to save $$$