Boating in the Rain

OCDACTIVE · 07-15-2010, 03:29 PM

I just had my first experience boating in the rain on a performance boat. Normally if there is rain forcasted I button her up tight. I wouldn't want my baby to get wet! :-) . Boy what an expierence! It actually was down in VA on the second leg of our poker run. Another winni.com member was following me. We turn out of a small river then on to Norfolk. If you have ever been there the river narrows where the bridge crosses and their is a tidal current that meets the river. Very similar to where Merrimac River meets the ocean. The waves on a calm day are tricky.

Well we take off and the wind kicks up and we get caught in a down pour. The only comparrison I could make is like a microburst I have seen over moultonboro bay. The wind driven waves were coming at and angle, the tidal waves were opposite, visability was down to maybe 100ft, and to top it all off we are getting passed by boats doing 100 mph (safely mind you) off our left side causing cross wakes. Needless to say I learned VERY quickly what my boat could do.

Surprisingly you would think slow down but what worked was lowering the tabs to neutrel and powering up to about 4000 rpms and trim to 3. This put me on top of the "washing machine" as we called it, and I was able to ride the tops pretty well. My arm hurt after all the throttle action though... LOL

One item I will carry hence forth though are 4 paintball masks. Boy was I jealous when I saw the big guys pass me with those on. It felt like needles. But hey look at it this way, some ladies pay top dollar at spas to have their skin exfoliated... I and my crew had it done for free!

robmac · 07-15-2010, 06:09 PM

Very cool.

SIKSUKR · 07-16-2010, 02:28 PM

They sell some pretty cool PWC goggles at Overtons that work great in those conditions. 2 years ago I was caught 1/2 hour from the launch in a pretty good thunderstorm on my PWC. Even with the painfull sandblasting I was recieving from the downpour, the urge to slow down was far surpased by the motivation from seeing all the lightning strikes all around. Very nerve racking.

tc_mike · 07-19-2010, 06:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SIKSUKR

They sell some pretty cool PWC goggles at Overtons that work great in those conditions. 2 years ago I was caught 1/2 hour from the launch in a pretty good thunderstorm on my PWC. Even with the painfull sandblasting I was recieving from the downpour, the urge to slow down was far surpased by the motivation from seeing all the lightning strikes all around. Very nerve racking.

I use "Spex" and they work great... and they are fairly inexpensive for eyewear. They used to sell them at Parafunalia, but they did not stock them this year for whatever reason. I think you can get them at Overtons.

trfour · 07-19-2010, 07:26 PM

When weather forecasts include scattered thunder storms or showers, if you think rain hurts, you would need a helmet and shoulder pads if hail should get in the mix!

Terry

BroadHopper · 07-19-2010, 10:31 PM

Used my ski goggles once in a terrific downpour years ago. I thought of using my snowmobile helmet!

07-16-2010, 02:28 PM	#3
SIKSUKR Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2004 Posts: 5,075 Thanks: 215 Thanked 903 Times in 509 Posts	They sell some pretty cool PWC goggles at Overtons that work great in those conditions. 2 years ago I was caught 1/2 hour from the launch in a pretty good thunderstorm on my PWC. Even with the painfull sandblasting I was recieving from the downpour, the urge to slow down was far surpased by the motivation from seeing all the lightning strikes all around. Very nerve racking. __________________ SIKSUKR

07-19-2010, 07:26 PM	#5
trfour Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: The Lakes, Central NH. and Dallas/Fort Worth TX. Posts: 3,694 Blog Entries: 3 Thanks: 3,067 Thanked 472 Times in 236 Posts	Just Keep In Mind... When weather forecasts include scattered thunder storms or showers, if you think rain hurts, you would need a helmet and shoulder pads if hail should get in the mix! Terry __________________ *trfour* Always Remember, The Best Safety Device In The Boat, or on a PWC Snowmobile etc., Is YOU! Safe sledding tips and much more; http://www.snowmobile.org/snowmobiling-safety.html

07-19-2010, 10:31 PM	#6
BroadHopper Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Laconia NH Posts: 5,669 Thanks: 3,285 Thanked 1,132 Times in 814 Posts	Ski goggles. Used my ski goggles once in a terrific downpour years ago. I thought of using my snowmobile helmet! __________________ Someday may never be an actual day.

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07-15-2010, 03:29 PM	#1
OCDACTIVE Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Fort Myers FL / Moultonboro Posts: 1,045 Thanks: 444 Thanked 574 Times in 178 Posts	I just had my first experience boating in the rain on a performance boat. Normally if there is rain forcasted I button her up tight. I wouldn't want my baby to get wet! :-) . Boy what an expierence! It actually was down in VA on the second leg of our poker run. Another winni.com member was following me. We turn out of a small river then on to Norfolk. If you have ever been there the river narrows where the bridge crosses and their is a tidal current that meets the river. Very similar to where Merrimac River meets the ocean. The waves on a calm day are tricky. Well we take off and the wind kicks up and we get caught in a down pour. The only comparrison I could make is like a microburst I have seen over moultonboro bay. The wind driven waves were coming at and angle, the tidal waves were opposite, visability was down to maybe 100ft, and to top it all off we are getting passed by boats doing 100 mph (safely mind you) off our left side causing cross wakes. Needless to say I learned VERY quickly what my boat could do. Surprisingly you would think slow down but what worked was lowering the tabs to neutrel and powering up to about 4000 rpms and trim to 3. This put me on top of the "washing machine" as we called it, and I was able to ride the tops pretty well. My arm hurt after all the throttle action though... LOL One item I will carry hence forth though are 4 paintball masks. Boy was I jealous when I saw the big guys pass me with those on. It felt like needles. But hey look at it this way, some ladies pay top dollar at spas to have their skin exfoliated... I and my crew had it done for free!

The Following User Says Thank You to OCDACTIVE For This Useful Post:
BroadHopper (07-19-2010)

07-15-2010, 06:09 PM	#2
robmac Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Nashua,Meredith Posts: 950 Thanks: 213 Thanked 106 Times in 81 Posts	Very cool.