First time out!

[Moseley618]

I took the LSV out for the first time yesterday. It was a great day here air was 86 water was 68. It was the first time I have even heard my boat run and it ran great. While driving the bags filled up, but since I am part of the moomba family and read the posts I flipped the little black levers and all was good. Two things stick out to me I need more driving practice around the docks. It was hard for me to judge the wind and what the boat was going to do. I have a little dock rash from a buddies dock but I think it will buff out. The second think is that I need WAY more time behind the boat. I had a blast the water was refreshing. I am not good on a board but can get up and stay up of a few seconds and that is it. Only my second pull ever so I am happy. The boat was great and we got a lot of looks and thumbs up. We forgot the camera so no pics. Oh, and our lift was installed that morning we ended the day at 5:30 or so and put the boat on the lift and the bolts broke in one of the bunks and almost put a hole in the bottom of the boat. Luckly it did not but we had to pull the boat home and wait until it gets some grade 8 bolts and a new high capacity blower for my trouble. Thank you guys for the information that is on this site I used it countless times while on the water yesterday.

[mmandley]

Glad you had a good day out there. One thing i will recommend for helping learn the way the boat handles is get a floating device of some kind, i prefer a rubber football. Drive the boat and have someone toss it over the back. Then slow down and go retrieve it like it was a rider. This will help teach you a lot of driving skills needed and do it all while having fun.

[Moseley618]

mmandley I read that in another post somewhere I think you prefer a football. Man did I wish I had that football with me to pratice with. I did great picking up riders and in open water. It was just when I slow the boat to an idle I had a hard time with timing. At idle speed the reaction time of the boat was slower and I found myself making too big of corrections. I will have the football in the boat next time and I will do some slow speed practice. Thanks

[brad460]

We got out for the first time today also...air temp was 90 and humid and the water temp (I am not sure) but it was cold enough to take your breath away when I jumped in! A minute in the water and it was actually not so bad.

The third week of May in WI and we are wakeboarding/wake surfing without a wetsuit is probably unheard of! We are looking forward to a nice long summer!

[Moseley618]

This year it is a little cool here, too much rain. We rode with a 2mm shorty that I got a Sams for $29. I don't like the cool water. After a minute all was good.

[kaneboats]

So glad to hear you guys are getting out and having fun. Remember, learning all this stuff is half the fun. Enjoy driving that bad boy, right?

[Moseley618]

I do love to drive that bad boy. I just don't like tring to dock it yet with the cross wind blowing 15-20. I will get there I just hope she makes it through the learning process.

[you da man]

Reversing the boat in tight spots is tricky as well. It only likes to reverse to the right but can slightly go left with a little reverse speed but you rarely will ever feel/see this.

[sailing217]

The football and tube is a great idea. My wife did great for 2nd time driving this year loading on the trailer in random 3ft boat wakes. No way was I relying on my bumpers and docking.

Dumping a person off at the dock and knowing which way the boat is going to spin also takes practice and thinking about before getting in tight spaces

[rmckenney]

I hope I don't offend anyone by saying that I'm amazed there are no required courses for boat owners to learn basic boat handling. I went to a Maritime Academy and spent a few years honing my skills on all different class of vessel. I'm no expert handler, but the basics certainly make my life a lot easier at the dock. Here are a few basic tips that may make learning the boat easier:

1. Almost every inboard competition boat is a left handed screw...in other words, the prop turns to the left if you are looking at it from behind. With this characteristic, you can depend on two things - with a neutral helm, the boat's stern will walk to starboard when in reverse. Also, the boat's stern will walk to port when in forward. These effects may be subtle, but have you ever noticed the stern walk away from a rider when you try to pick them up from the port side?

2. Speed kills - my wife does a lot of the driving when we put the boat on the trailer, so I've given here only a few tips to prevent damage to our boat and others...You don't have to go fast. If you feel things are not going right, stop the boat and try again. Ultimately, if she feels and I feel we can't safely put the boat on the trailer under power, we simply dead boat it onto the trailer.

3. Lastly, slow speed requires big rudder commands. If you have no thrust going past the rudder, it is essentially useless. That is why most inboard drivers struggle with reverse. Since there is no prop wash going past the rudder in reverse, she won't handle. Anticipate the walk to starboard and use it to your advantage. When going ahead, and you want big changes in heading...give the throttle a little burst. You'll be amazed how much turning you get out of the boat without a big build up in speed and then be patient and let the boat come around.

These are just some very basic tips that I use when I'm on my boat. I have books upon books teaching advanced handling skills on all classes of vessel. Boat handling, I feel, is far more dynamic and complicated than just driving a car.