How do you tell someone they need to learn how to drive?

Doug

I've been boarding with a buddy from work and his friend, who lives on a small lake. The problem is, they drive around the perimeter of the lake. So instead of picking three points, drive straight and turning sharp to get the most of the next straight line, they make huge arcing turns where there is no wake. I'm kind of a guest so I don't want to be rude, but it drives me crazy!!!

Swass · Guest

Maybe he'll get the idea when you drive for him.

boarditup · Addict Joined: 01 Dec 2003 Posts: 731 City: Allendale, MI

Ask him to drive differently. A simple, polite request goes a long way.

Get him to a tournament. The INT has one on July 11 in Grand Rapids. I would be happy to explain tounament driving at the tournament so he can get if from a neutral third-party. It gets you off the hook.

www.intleague.com

Leggester · Posted: Jul 01, 2004 5:28 am Post subject:

boarditup has it. Ask for a straight line, not a continous curve ( my wife used to drive that way ).

Simple, polite and, I ran her around a couple lakes with me driving. I showed her how to pick a spot and head straight for it. Watching out for other boats, of course. Then, when appropriate,m give the hand signal to the rider for a turn, hit the turn at 90 degrees and pick another spot.

She got the hang of it in a couple tries.

cabalisticfire · Criminal Joined: 22 Sep 2003 Posts: 98

Yep, just politely and tactfully discuss the finer points of boat driving. I find that many people I encounter have no idea how to drive a wakeboarding boat proberly. It's not like it's that hard I just think that it doesn't occur to most people. Typically I have found that when you explain the benefits they are stoked to try driving that way to reap the benefits of an impoved wake.

MadDog · Soul Rider Joined: 13 Jan 2003 Posts: 465 City: Upstate NY

There is also a good article in the July WBM about driving techniques. I have a new addition to our crew that has started to drive for me occasionally, and I gave him a copy of the mag, and pointed out the driving tips to gently remind him that there is a proper line to keep.

MadDog · Soul Rider Joined: 13 Jan 2003 Posts: 465 City: Upstate NY

But as everyone said, simple and polite. Next time you are just cruzing out to your riding spot, make some of those big sweeping turns and comment on how it ruins the wake, and how much better the wake is when you hold that straight line.

Mike.H · Posted: Jul 01, 2004 10:42 am Post subject:

get him drunk, then he wont know where hes driving Laughing

Fishmaster · Posted: Jul 01, 2004 11:37 am Post subject:

I try to teach people how to drive the way I like to be pulled. The people I go with listen, as I listen to make sure I'm doing the best job I can driving for them.

The "know it all's" that continually yank my arms out and do other things I dont enjoy even after being asked politely are hopefully having a really fun summer as well.

Bowen · Posted: Jul 02, 2004 9:10 am Post subject:

My g/f's family just got their first boat and I'm the only one who knows how to do anything on the water so of course I have terrible drivers pulling me. My girlfriend has been out w/ me before b4 we sold our boat and I guess she saw that I liked double ups or something and she started driving her boat in a figure 8 to give me "something big to jump"...I told her not to and i quit riding, Later I took her out in her boat, just us, and showed her how to drive. I got in trouble for making her look like a fool in front of her family though. So Now i'm building up the guts to tell her not to power turn, even though I covered that in our one on one session, no not that type of one-on-one.

ppp · Criminal Joined: 13 Aug 2003 Posts: 58

The small lake we live on has a counterclockwise traffic pattern, so not only do the uninformed boaters drive around in big circles, the lake patrol is actually telling people to do so. They threatened to give us a ticket for driving a sraight path down the middle. Now I not only have educate the wally-boaters, but I have to teach the lake patrol too! Evil or Very Mad

Threatening to choke the life out of him didn't work, so now I'll try the polite approach.

Mr. Mutt · Posted: Jul 02, 2004 10:03 am Post subject:

Maybe a subtle suggestion that YOU would like to try something different. Say something like "hey, I noticed when you go straight the wake shapes up, next time out let's try to make the longest straight lines we can to see if I can get more wake." That way it doesn't sound like you telling them, it's more of a team thing and is something you BOTH are "trying"; even though you know what will happen.

But if it's a guy, then just say "hey, when going, try to drive as straight as possible." Be discrete if he's "sensitive", or kick him in the groin and desensitize him first Shocked

chaz28o · Posted: Jul 02, 2004 10:17 am Post subject:

Grab him by the hair, pull him up outta the driver's seat, wind back, and punch him right in the nose and scream "learn to drive you idiot"

Do this as often as needed - if you don't want blood all over the boat, punch him in the stomach instead

Laughing

wawakechic · Soul Rider Joined: 30 Mar 2004 Posts: 413

Honestly, I tried to be polite and tactful when my husband was trying to learn to drive. Eventually I realized it was more effective to just tell him that his driving sucked. But come on, taking off on a wakeboard at slalom speeds can be exhilerating, oops nope, that was just plain scary. Eventually he got the hang of it when I would pull him the way he pulled me. I can't blame him though, he was raised on a sail boat and taught that power boats are evil. I can understand how it was scary for him at first to approach a dock at 20 mph.

DiyGuy · Soul Rider Joined: 26 Dec 2003 Posts: 460

If you want to know where you are going, look where you have been.

Tell him to look backwards and try to keep the wake (acutally center part) in a straight line. Obviously, this requires looking forward every now and then!

Leggester · Posted: Jul 02, 2004 3:29 pm Post subject:

Great advice DIY! That's exactly how I got my wife to learn the subtle points ( paying attention ) of steering.

Once I got her used to picking a rock or tree on the shore, I let her drive a couiple hundred yards. At water ski speed: 32 mph. She concentrated on staying on that mark. Then I had her look back at the wake and see the 'S' curves. She was amazed! She only gets better from there.

But hey! At least she knows which gauge to look at now Smile

One of my first pulls by her was on the foil. Told her 25mph. She took off great, then it sucked. I thought the motor had sucked weeds or something! I let go, asked what she was doing ( meaning speed ) and she said 25!

OK, so I tried a couple more times - still dogging out! Maybe the motor/drive was boggging under load.

Long story short, later that day, I thought the boat was runnning great. I asked which gauge she was reading at 25... ... ... The tach!

Something we still laugh about, but is very important to let a new driver know which one to look at.

matt1808 · Wakeboarder.Commie Joined: 05 Feb 2004 Posts: 1981

MadDog, that is the same way I asked my dad to drive different, but with a different article

dallasdrew · Criminal Joined: 21 Jan 2004 Posts: 59 City: Chandler

Just tell him

Liza · Outlaw Joined: 31 Jul 2003 Posts: 166 City: nashville

just tell him, it's like you gotta tell him to switch up the length of your line, the speed you ride at, how to do your double ups, what's the worst that could happen? he'll be embarassed that he doesnt know what the hell he's doing? that's one thing that bothers me bout goin to the lake...people own these 40k boats and dont know the first thing about driving them right, much less being safe for crap's sake! Laughing

HypereatLF · Newbie Joined: 03 Jul 2004 Posts: 10 City: Marietta

I have the same problem... the problem is... my driver is in fact my father... who taught me how to drive so it pisses him off when i make suggestions.... lol... ive learned to umm kinda just get used to it and go for it when its there