River wakes
Joe Blizzard
Thunderbird S-18 docked there.
I was crawling around on my riverbank yesterday filling in some blank spots
in my rip rap, when a tsunami hit. I turned toward the dock and saw my boat
being slammed around violently and was genuinely concerned that it might be
damaged. Sometimes when I'm out there and I see a big wake, I'll sit down on
the dock and hold the boat off with my legs, but this was so severe that I
was afraid to get near it. At the time it seemed to last forever, but my
guess is the really violent part lasted for about 60 seconds. Fortunately
nothing got broken. Except that there was now another gash in my rip rap
where the waves had rearranged some more of the rocks.
I get bounced around a lot at my dock, but I'd never seen anything quite
this bad. If there'd been any unsecured items or people in the boat, they
would have been in real danger of being thrown out. After the waves settled
down, I looked up river and saw the culprit, a big cruiser plowing along at
maximum wake speed, right up on my side of the river. That's something I've
seen a zillion times, so I really don't know what made this particular
incident so bad.
It's always the plowing cruisers. It's not strictly a size or speed thing.
Tugs pushing huge strings of barges don't rock my boat much. And we get
those long skinny offshore type boats (that are apparently propelled
entirely by noise) going by at ludicrous speed and they don't make that big
a wake. Even the cruisers when they're on plane don't seem to cause much
trouble.
I don't really know what my point was with all this, other than to bitch
about it.
William Andersen
Holding the boat off the dock with your legs is just asking for injury.
Place some fenders where they'll protect the boat. If you've got the money,
use those flexible poles to keep the boat away from the dock.
"Joe Blizzard" <rep...@newsgroup.only.please> wrote in message
news:JdidnYZy24k...@wvfibernet.net...
Joe Blizzard
>I hope you feel better, now that you've expressed yourself.
> Holding the boat off the dock with your legs is just asking for injury.
> Place some fenders where they'll protect the boat. If you've got the
> money, use those flexible poles to keep the boat away from the dock.
I have fenders in place. And I haven't yet been able to bring myself to
spend $3-400 on mooring whips when the book value of my boat is in that same
general range.
calhoun
and riggings to protect my 21' bow rider. Whips are the best.
I noticed the same thing, bow high cruisers.
I get very aggravated with there arrogance. My dock is just up from a
marina. (If you can call it that it is just a mess of docks stuck in the
river.) They will be on the radio yelling at every passing boat to slow
down, but as soon as they leave the "marina" they are bow high and to hell
with everyone else. I think they should either learn to tie there boats to
avoid damage or rent a slip in a sheltered marina.
We had one guy come out of the marina go up about 1/2 mile and start to do
donuts so his kids could have some good waves to jump with there jet skis.
His Boston Whaler dingy was bigger than my boat. There are more private
docks than marina docks. Maybe we should all go take a few spins around the
marina. I bet all us combined could make the wake of one of there boats.
Anyway I feel your pain.
"Joe Blizzard" <rep...@newsgroup.only.please> wrote in message
news:JdidnYZy24k...@wvfibernet.net...
John H.
Submarine?
:>)
--
John H.
On the 'PocoLoco' out of Deale, MD
Joe Blizzard
> Submarine?
Now you're talkin'. (I could torpedo the sumbitches.)
calhoun
One example of whips.
http://www.boatownersworld.com/mooring_whips.htm
"Eddie" <hawa...@sbcglobal.net> wrote in message
news:rjste11m2n9mbr6tr...@4ax.com...
> On Mon, 01 Aug 2005 18:32:58 GMT, "calhoun"
> <builderpaul@"pants".invalid> wrote:
>
>>Some advise from another river boater. Whips. I have tried lots of
>>bumpers,
>>and riggings to protect my 21' bow rider. Whips are the best.
>
> What are "whips?"
> Thank you
> Eddie
Renegade
said wake causes........
"Joe Blizzard" <rep...@newsgroup.only.please> wrote in message
news:JdidnYZy24k...@wvfibernet.net...
Joe Blizzard
> I thought that boaters were responsible for there
> wake and any damage that said wake causes........
Only if they're caught ...
Terry Spragg
I feel for ya. A big wake machine, heavy cruiser doing max wake
speed (it must be marked on his speedo as "cruise" or something)
broke a dock line, ripped up a rubber rub strake and spilled dinner
all over at the Murray canal. I complained to the bridgekeeper by
radio, and he would not let the blighter pass, so he came back to
bargy with me. He couldn't get docked where I had sailed in to moor
on a caisson as the wind and waves and wakes were too big for him,
he was afraid to scratch his boat docking and I was not gonna catch
his cheap poly string he used for mooring, so he went back to the
bridge and argied there until they called the police. The RCMP drove
the guy up to me to see what the argy was about, stood there
watching while I gave him shit about his wake and his lack of
ability to understand his wake was his responsibility, and his lack
of docking skills, etc. I did get his insurance info, and he
bitched about old boats and milking rich Americans for repairs.
It cost him about two hours, and I enjoyed it immensely. I was so
tempted to ask about the funny smell like burning leaves that I
didn't really notice, but was satisfied enough that he not go
throught the wait for the drug dog delay.
The pretty girls on his foredeck were really pissed off by the time
they got away.
He probably didn't learn a thing.
I Hope he stays in the states from now on. Yes, we Canadians can be
real pricks about little things like lack of respect for other
folks' property.
Now, I am on a river mooring and the same stuff goes by every day.
Too bad gas doesn't go so high that theses idiots really take a
concern for economical speed, and small wakes. They are the same thing.
I mean, what's the hurry, you are on your boat, does it not feel
good if you aren't burning twice as much gas as you need to to get
somewhere at 7 instead of 9 knots? We get the same 4 cigarrette
boats going up and down every weekend. I don't mind them much, as
their wakes on plane aren't much, even if the noise is a real
pollution problem. I bought my place for peace and quiet.
Prosecute! Publicise! Hit one for the Gipper.
I still think getting a perfect score at "wake unbombing" should be
a requirement for a powerboat license. Any boat with a high horse
power to weight ratio capable of big wakes should be taxed and
harrassed out of business, and a fund established to repair shore
damage (I have a few ducks) and other property damage. The only
waves we get are from pleasure craft wake, commercial vessels take
care to minimise fuel burn, and that minimises wake.
How I will get my floating dock to not bang up my boat will be my
next problem, right after I finish building and launching my docks.
Of course, that problem will hopefully be less than at a grounded dock.
Spring pole gangways?
I think the best approach would be some serious prosecutions for
wake damage, heavily publicised.
Any airborne patrol could identify wake offenders while looking for
highway speeders. A tort supported by coincidental observances and a
good photo should win. Should habeus corpus and common law prevent
gov emps from recording the truth when they see it? A database of
photo evidence could help.
How about a wake tax for boat fuels for designated boat types?
Terry K
Terry Spragg
Us a bundle of chimney rods or cheaper, layed up fiberlass to make
your own mooring whips.
Terry K
Terry Spragg
> On Mon, 01 Aug 2005 18:32:58 GMT, "calhoun"
> <builderpaul@"pants".invalid> wrote:
>
>
>>and riggings to protect my 21' bow rider. Whips are the best.
>
>
> Thank you
> Eddie
Mooring whips are springy poles used to pull the boat away from the
dock. In use they look like a small fishing rod with a large fish,
bent to provide tension.
Fiberglass is popular, you can make your own. I have tried chimney
rod, and it seems ok for smaller boats. Several more, even taped
together, could do. Different sizes for different applications.
Tidal, grounded docks are worst. Floating docks are a piece of cake.
Alternativly, an anchor off shore, using chain may help in the same way.
L M
> pricks about little things like lack of respect for other folks' property.
>
> Now, I am on a river mooring and the same stuff goes by every day. Too
> bad gas doesn't go so high that theses idiots really take a concern for
> economical speed, and small wakes. They are the same thing.
>
> I mean, what's the hurry, you are on your boat, does it not feel good if
> you aren't burning twice as much gas as you need to to get somewhere at
> 7 instead of 9 knots? We get the same 4 cigarrette boats going up and
> down every weekend. I don't mind them much, as their wakes on plane
> aren't much, even if the noise is a real pollution problem. I bought my
> place for peace and quiet.
>
> Prosecute! Publicise! Hit one for the Gipper.
>
> I still think getting a perfect score at "wake unbombing" should be a
> requirement for a powerboat license. Any boat with a high horse power
> to weight ratio capable of big wakes should be taxed and harrassed out
> of business, and a fund established to repair shore damage (I have a few
> ducks) and other property damage. The only waves we get are from
> pleasure craft wake, commercial vessels take care to minimise fuel burn,
> and that minimises wake.
>
is usually inverse.
Neighbors and I keep talking about a compressed air
cannon and dog dump.
I've got the pipe, compressor, ball valves and two BIG dogs.
Who knows, one hot day, fridge full of Blue.
Boom Boom. Out go the lights. :) :) :)
Terry Spragg
>> I Hope he stays in the states from now on. Yes, we Canadians can be
>> real pricks about little things like lack of respect for other folks'
>> property.
>>
>> Now, I am on a river mooring and the same stuff goes by every day. Too
>> bad gas doesn't go so high that theses idiots really take a concern
>> for economical speed, and small wakes. They are the same thing.
>>
>> I mean, what's the hurry, you are on your boat, does it not feel good
>> if you aren't burning twice as much gas as you need to to get
>> somewhere at 7 instead of 9 knots? We get the same 4 cigarrette boats
>> going up and down every weekend. I don't mind them much, as their
>> wakes on plane aren't much, even if the noise is a real pollution
>> problem. I bought my place for peace and quiet.
>>
>> Prosecute! Publicise! Hit one for the Gipper.
>>
>> I still think getting a perfect score at "wake unbombing" should be a
>> requirement for a powerboat license. Any boat with a high horse power
>> to weight ratio capable of big wakes should be taxed and harrassed out
>> of business, and a fund established to repair shore damage (I have a
>> few ducks) and other property damage. The only waves we get are from
>> pleasure craft wake, commercial vessels take care to minimise fuel
>> burn, and that minimises wake.
>>
> Yanks or Canucks, no difference. Horsepower to brain ratio
> is usually inverse.
Not to demean our southern neigbours, the delineation seems to
revolve around sail and power.
>
> Neighbors and I keep talking about a compressed air
> cannon and dog dump.
>
> I've got the pipe, compressor, ball valves and two BIG dogs.
> Who knows, one hot day, fridge full of Blue.
>
> Boom Boom. Out go the lights. :) :) :)
A favorite tune! I played that one in a couple of bars!
You might be interested in my poop cannon design, a slight
modification to a normal holding tank system that enables one to use
the deck pumpout fitting with 1.5" elbows to accomplish war. It
works kind of like a flame thrower. Further hazardous development
would be required to accomplish a range in excess of about 3 feet,
along with nerves of steel and at least a raincoat, I should think.
Perhaps a trebuchet? You could sell rides on it, for thrill seekers.
Parachute rental extra.
Terry K