Does your significant other know how to operate your boat?

[dingbat]

It would probably be different on a lake, but Mrs. dingbat has desire to navigate the open waters we boat.

 

[bruceb58]

My GF knows how to drive the boat. Not the best at docking but we are working at that. One thing we do is to throw out a fender and have her practice retrieving it. Good practice in case of an emergency.

 

[dingbat]

It would probably be different on a lake, but Mrs. dingbat has desire to navigate the open waters we boat.

oops......she has no desire to navigate the open waters where we boat. Far too many perils (rouge waves, heavy commercial traffic, crab pots, etc.) for her or my comfort for that matter.

In case of emergency, she has been trained on the boat's DSC and AIS systems.

 

[GA_Boater]

She's pretty intimidated by it, but hell so am I! She's a great first-mate through. Knows how to handle lines, scream at me if we're going to hit something I don't see, and power down / kill the engine if I fall in.

If you add or use a kill switch, the Admiral will have one less job as long as both of you don't fall overboard. It's happened.

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Answering the topic - No! She won't set foot on the boat because it is smaller than the Queen Mary I or II. I'm not sure if the either of the QE's are big enough. :doh:

 

[frantically relaxing]

My wife can do whatever she wants...

 

[redneck joe]

...That's some pretty solid logic!

We have had this discussion. She's not comfortable operating it but she can and i told he to ram it on shore . Skip the dock.

 

[garbageguy]

My wife can do whatever she wants...

Yep, I let the Admiral think the same...

But to answer the OP's question - she can do most of it (hasn't attempted to put our bigger boat in the slip on the Niagara), prefers to relax on the boat - I don't push, but always try to let her see/hear what I'm doing, and subtly have her do some things while we're out... In a pinch, she can do what's needed - heck, before the kids were older, she used to pull me skiing (and tubing back then), and I'm still here. Good topic

 

[SkaterRace]

Not my SO but a close friend (F) who always accompanies me can so far drive forward well and beach it but docking and putting it on the trailer not so much we are working on that when the ramp is not busy and well after I finish the repairs caused by the mechanics shop.

 

[jumpjets]

My wife can do the following:
-Rig bumper buoys on cleats
-Tie dock lines to cleats
-Tie boat to dock
-Center boat on trailer while it's on the ramp (this one's debatable)
-Drive the boat at idle speed, and avoid crab pots

She has expressed no desire to learn about towing or backing the trailer, getting up on plane and driving the boat, trimming the drive, etc....
She does well considering how much I pay her as a deck hand, but I wish she'd do more. All that being said, she's the life of the party when we're out. Boating without her is not much fun.

 

[bspeth]

My wife prefers if I do the handling of the boat,however I always tell her what I am doing so she probably could. I would love it if she under stood how hard it is to steer at slow speeds with someone constantly moving from place to place in an 18 footer.

 

[sublauxation]

Nope, she has no interest in that part of the process. My 12 year old is my back up driver, and I'm sure he would probably be more successful at backing in the trailer than my wife too!

 

[lakenormangal]

Here's a different take on the subject. I'm the wife/GF and its my boat. My BF has been operating boats his whole life, all outboards. While I have tons of passion for boats, I had very little experience and what I had was very old, back in the early 80's.
But my hobbies are water based, rowing, kayaking, swimming. But I always wanted my own powerboat! So two years ago, my best bud wanted a bigger boat and sold me his, a little Sunbird.
First time out on it on my own I promptly got the shifter stuck in between gears! i was so bummed I couldn't sleep until it was fixed. I learned everything I could about the shifter, the cable, the gears. I had no docking experience. So I learned how to dock, put the boat in and out of the water and actually have gotten pretty good at it. ( I had to load the boat one time when it was really rough and got it perfect on the second try and a group of people started clapping and cheering!)
My newest thing is learning how to properly trim the boat for choppy water. Its a small boat and it doesn't like chop.
And as anyone on the machanical forums here can see, I am learning how to work on it. This weeks task is replacing head gaskets and impeller related things. Oh joy.
Replacing the gauges and installing a snapon cover are next on the list.
I have much more of a passion for it than my BF. I'm miserable if the boat isn't running. His goal is to keep me happy, so he works on the boat, even tho he'd rather be fishing or working on his Firebird ( car.)
So my SO does enjoy the boat and can do anything on it, but he doesn't love it like I do.

 

[Rick Stephens]

Here's a different take on the subject. I'm the wife/GF and its my boat.

GREAT story.

 

[thumpar]

My GF's parents have had a boat for years before I met her. I have gone on it many times with her and she docks it and all (it is slipped). She hasn't driving my boat a lot but I would be confident with her doing it.

 

[WIMUSKY]

My daughter does..... My dad doesn't even want to drive it because of the console. All he's used is tillers......

 

[jforrest1]

This is our 4th boat and we've had a center console, cuddy and a couple of cruisers. Our current boat is 31 feet. She has driven them all and really has enjoyed driving the cuddy at times under certain conditions. The 25 cruiser as well. Get it set at a good cruising speed, trimed out nice and she'll drive around. Now she'll drive from our anchored position while I'm on the bow working the foot controls on the windless cleaning muck off the anchor. She is comfortable doing that but gets stressed if a boat is nearby. As for docking, she wants no part of that. No way, no how...never! If something happened to me, could she get us back to the marina? I think she could.