Trips back to the dock?

[lewisb13]

How do you guys handle it when you invite 10 or so people out on the boat and 6 of them start asking if they can be brought back to the dock at all different times during the day due to other obligations? I dont want to be a jerk, but when I invite a bunch of people its so we can take a 20 minute boat ride to this one little island where all the boaters meet up, I dont want to leave, especially since EVERYONE drinks, including the driver. Am I a jerk if I go ahead and say, "hey if you dont have a completely free sunday, then maybe you can come next time."? Youd be surprised how easy peoples feelings get hurt when I tell them this and it isnt even their boat. I also get requests all the time to see if we can leave 30-45 mintues later than we had planned in the morning. How does everyone handle these types of situations?:confused:

[Razzman]

I simply say this is when we're meeting up to leave, you can either go with us or meet at the lake. We'll be on the water by this time. We'll be out until a certain time and won't be coming in until then. Most people get the hints and most know I stay out all day.

But if for some reason someone does have to go i'll pull a tube with the kids back to the marina and kill to birds at once.

[sandm]

I've said it before, since no cell phone service, 15minute rule. be there or get left. if someone can't get there on time, then no sense in making others wait. I do the same as razz when it comes to time on the water. when invited, I tell them our plans to stay from "x" to "y" and if you can't make that, then next time. only exception has been a couple of times when a female friend has come out and needs to go take care of "that time". then I'll make the run to the actual flush bathroom. gotta keep them happy :)

[sandm]

btw lewis, interesting mix of rides in your siggy. I think we have followed each other on several parallels..
had an '03 evo I sold for an '06 evo that I eventually sold for the boat, but spent most of my time racing a friend at our local track with an '04 srt, and just finished puttin new shoes on my '08 zx6r last night :)

[mmandley]

I always tell my crew when they ride in my truck they are at the lake all day till we leave unless its an emergency. If for any reason they think they may need to leave early then drive yourself.

Also when i invite people out i always ask them are you with me the whole day? If not when do you expect to leave. Luckly the lakes i frequent arnt to big so i can travel but i hate docking non the less.

[jamie_abb]

My rant is when I take a group out for tubing (grrr), riding etc. After spending four hours making sure everyone has had a great time, I'd like to take a ride and benefit from some of the ballast I've been pulling. That's when eveyone wants to go back to the dock and my wife wants to call it a day......seriously a five minute pull yesterday.

[lewisb13]

Yeah it also bugs me when I hear someone say, "I want to go again!". Like they think the boat is just here for charity.

[saskyrider]

I guess i'm lucky in this regard.... where we usually go boating is very close to our cabin and the dock.. (5 min boat ride at best) so if someone needs to bail, no problem i just head back that direction while pulling someone... and drop them off when the other persons session is done. however if we were heading out down the lake (its over 60 miles long) then i'd make sure ahead of time to let everyone know where were headed and when we'll be back! I def. wouldn't be driving people back and forth!!

Geoff

[viking]

I simply say this is when we're meeting up to leave, you can either go with us or meet at the lake. We'll be on the water by this time. We'll be out until a certain time and won't be coming in until then. Most people get the hints and most know I stay out all day.

But if for some reason someone does have to go i'll pull a tube with the kids back to the marina and kill to birds at once.

Amen to that! I'm heading out at this time, for this long, and if that sounds good you you you're invited. If not, next time. Most get the hint and can make additional plans for something else if they need it. Or they can ask it it's ok for this or that and be honest with them.

That would simply drive me nuts if you are constantly taking orders to go here or there :( I'd say, "anybody who needs to go home now get off the boat or you are here till sundown" :)

[you da man]

Once this summer I picked up a lady friend off my friend's Malibu. She wanted to ride with me because we actually wakeboard pass after pass after pass, the Malibu is the party boat. Well, after an hour she says she has to be at a family dinner soon. The Malibu left her and she was parked at a ramp almost 15 miles away by water, needless to say...I was pissed off.

[Ian Brantford]

My boating trips are all arranged in writing ahead of time via email. That's the main opportunity to identify any restrictions. For a typical trip (departing mid-morning and ending in the late afternoon or early evening), I'll allow one prearranged return to the dock, or two if we go until sunset. In addition, when we gather at my home before leaving, I'll again ask if there are any scheduling restrictions.

The on-water "play area" is a 15-30 minute round trip from the marina. I try to have a ride finish at the end that's closer to the route back, but it's a given that there might be a sacrifice of one full ride to make the trip. For a "full" day, that's not a clear sacrifice because it just cuts a bit into some loafing time that would have happened anyway. If it's a partial day or an evening (say, only 2-3 hours on the water), there will be no dock exchange, and only crew who are experienced enough to know this are invited.

[sailing217]

I've said it before, since no cell phone service, 15minute rule. be there or get left. if someone can't get there on time, then no sense in making others wait. I do the same as razz when it comes to time on the water. when invited, I tell them our plans to stay from "x" to "y" and if you can't make that, then next time. only exception has been a couple of times when a female friend has come out and needs to go take care of "that time". then I'll make the run to the actual flush bathroom. gotta keep them happy :)

Same here and we have cell phone service but 'I don't check phones when on the water'.

offthread: got the wife an Evo X MR and tuned/modded by buschur racing. So cool when a hot chick drives a serious car and knows how to use it. Recaro child seat in the back to boot.