My Bonehead Son

[jtmarten]

We were out on the water late July 3rd for the annual parade of lights. Getting ready to dock around 10:30, the winds were blowing 15-20mph, enough to push us away several times. I get close enough, and just as my Son was jumping to the dock I hear my Dad ask why he didn't have a rope. Between the wind and his jump, we get pushed away from the dock again. I bring it around again, he tries to grab the bow rail and gets his toe smashed between the boat and dock. Ouch! So my daughter jumps off and grabs the stern rail and my Dads off and grabs the bow rail. I grab the ropes and get her tied off before geting the truck.
Usually he'll jump out with the stern roped, bow rope in hand, grab the bow and tie them off.
I have no idea how a 140lb, 16yr old thinks he's going to hold onto a 6K lb boat without winds, let alone with wind pushing us away from the dock. Oh yeah, he's a teenager and thinks he's superman. Superman hobbling around the dock.
Tuned him up on the way home. Don't think he'll ever jump out without ropes again!
(His toe was fine the next day, not even bruised! He should get an Emmy for his performance!)

 

[BuzzStPoint]

Re: My Bonehead Son

Did your son and my son go to the same school?

Mine is 15 and he can't seem to get the boat by the dock coming in or launching.. Last time we went out I backed up and boat floated off the trailer. Now my son knows that you pull the boat by the dock and tie it off. I park the truck and see the boat with the bow pointed to the river... sitting backwards on the dock.. Said he didn't know, the boat started floating and that how id got it back..

Top that off. The sheriff department was launching at the same time... They just smiled when I walked up to to the boat shaking my head.

 

[jtmarten]

Re: My Bonehead Son

He normally does extremely well, always uses ropes. Usually takes something going wrong for them to learn. I tell him mistakes are just learnings, the second time they're failures.

 

[nuboat2me]

Re: My Bonehead Son

They have what my parents call, "Teen Brain"... My son STILL does silly things and he is 24 years OLD!!! Too many silly things to list...

Only cure is expereince and a few more years walkin the earth...

Happy boating!!!

 

[j_martin]

Re: My Bonehead Son

Long on testosterone, short on experience.

 

[Beefer]

Re: My Bonehead Son

It sounds to me like there's a lot of havoc on your vessel when docking. I'd recommend you (the Capt) take some time and set a game plan. Docking a boat id like landing a plane, it's the time when things can go wrong. Give each passenger their responsibilities during the docking/undocking procedures, and stick with it. Jumping from a boat to a dock results in a tremendous amount of injuries (minor and serious) each year, and should be avoided, period. Your son was lucky that his foot was crushed, or his toe wasn't severed, or worse. It happens... alot.

I don't mean to badger you, but I attribute 1/2 the blame for this on you, the captain, (not because of the whole genetics thing) for not being clear as to the duties of those aboard.

For the first 6 months after getting our p.o.s. boat, my wife and kids were not allowed to do anything during docking except sit there and watch. They had zero experience in the process. My wife now is a help not a hinderance when docking, without me having to say a word.

I guess I just have a problem with 3 of the 4 people on board jumping out of a boat, thinking it was a good thing to do...

 

[dwco5051]

Re: My Bonehead Son

They have what my parents call, "Teen Brain"... My son STILL does silly things and he is 24 years OLD!!! Too many silly things to list...

Only cure is expereince and a few more years walkin the earth...

Happy boating!!!

Not so sure about that My 93 year old mother still accuses me of doing boneheaded things when my wife tells her about my latest escapades. She got rid of her boat about 8 years ago. She claims the reason was that her friends who were all 5 to 10 years younger than her had too much trouble getting into it at the dock with their walkers, bad hips, etc.

 

[jtmarten]

Re: My Bonehead Son

It sounds to me like there's a lot of havoc on your vessel when docking. I'd recommend you (the Capt) take some time and set a game plan. Docking a boat id like landing a plane, it's the time when things can go wrong. Give each passenger their responsibilities during the docking/undocking procedures, and stick with it. Jumping from a boat to a dock results in a tremendous amount of injuries (minor and serious) each year, and should be avoided, period. Your son was lucky that his foot was crushed, or his toe wasn't severed, or worse. It happens... alot.

I don't mean to badger you, but I attribute 1/2 the blame for this on you, the captain, (not because of the whole genetics thing) for not being clear as to the duties of those aboard.

For the first 6 months after getting our p.o.s. boat, my wife and kids were not allowed to do anything during docking except sit there and watch. They had zero experience in the process. My wife now is a help not a hinderance when docking, without me having to say a word.

I guess I just have a problem with 3 of the 4 people on board jumping out of a boat, thinking it was a good thing to do...

The only havoc was when he initially jumped onto the dock without any ropes, he's actually a very good 'first mate'. By "jumping" to the dock, I'm talking more in terms of quickness, it was about a foot. My parents meet us at the lake once or twice a year so they have no docking responsibilities, my Dad 'stepped off' the boat onto the dock to help, if that term is better. My daughter doesn't go out often anymore, but she 'stepped off' onto the dock to assist, since she used to help dock on every outing. Was a smooth operation except for my son's lack of rope grabbing.

 

[Beefer]

Re: My Bonehead Son

OK, I was picturing the Superman thing.

I'm really glad I didn't offend you, or if I did, you hide it well!

 

[jtmarten]

Re: My Bonehead Son

No offense! I should have been more clear in the original post. I just referred to Superman 'cause he thought he could hold a 6K lb boat at the dock against a decent wind.

 

[Home Cookin']

Re: My Bonehead Son

Many teens' brains are physically incapable of thinking through the several steps (and predictable consequences) of their actions. Yours is a perfect example: he performed the main task (get off the boat) without considering why, his purpose, and what he was going to do when he got there. His brain could not associate, at the moment, bringing a line with him so he would have...what? a line tied to the boat in his hand! They tend to think that the next step will miraculously happen, not that they have to make it happen.
They also tend to think the obvious consequence of an act won't happen, because they don't want it to. That's how they become parents!

 

[dlngr]

Re: My Bonehead Son

Great thread! just as I'm thinking I'm gettin to be an old fart,I find out I do stupid things just like a teenager sometimes!! 58 is the new 18 !!!

 

[Thajeffski]

Re: My Bonehead Son

No matter what the conditions are I never have anyone jump or even step off the boat until the boat is less than a few inches from the dock.

 

[Blue Crabber]

Re: My Bonehead Son

No matter what the conditions are I never have anyone jump or even step off the boat until the boat is less than a few inches from the dock.

I agree, but go even farther then this, no one goes between the boat and dock unless the boat is securely made fast to the dock. To many injuries happen when you jump between the two!

We use boat hooks, ropes, and some skilled piloting by the captain . JK! I am not the best captain out there, but I was being serious about the rest.

 

[Home Cookin']

Re: My Bonehead Son

Great thread! just as I'm thinking I'm gettin to be an old fart,I find out I do stupid things just like a teenager sometimes!! 58 is the new 18 !!!

Take the old Alice Cooper song "Eighteen" and sing it with "Eighty" in the lyrics instead. Hilarious.

 

[bosn buddy]

Re: My Bonehead Son

I've been "boneheaded" all of my 69 years. I'm ADD adn sometimse a bit dyslexic. (but I can't prove it.) So, those stunts are normal for me.