Safety.

[Wish]

So the Thomas Wayne thread prompted this along with my ski partner who is a safety fanatic but in a good way. What things or equipment do you do or have to not only prevent injury but treat as well in a daily set.

 

Me off the top off my head.

1. Communication communication communication between skier and driver before, during and after a set.

2. Backboard-ish in boat.

3. Visually sweep inside of boat for items that could fly out or get hooked on a rope.

4. Check, check and check again to make sure rope is secure on pylon.

5. Mirror set properly

6. Check skier in mirror at start up..check again..repeat

6. No one skis my boat with a frayed line or handle

7. Plan for getting injured skier to dock, on dock if possible and to hospital if needed.

8. Don't ski way past your ability

9. Edit: shock tube ALWAYS.

 

 

I'm sure there are things I'm forgetting but some good suggestions here could really save someone.

[Orlando76]

I ski with a rather very cautious skier (as I am too but he's a notch above me) and the other group I ski with aren't as safety minded as I wish.

 

As you said Wish, communication communication communication!!! "Boat is clear" "hold up, gotta pee""take up slack" absolutely no taking off until a clear audible "hit-it" are all things I like to hear along with a shock tube. I can't stand when the driver decides to take matters in their own hands. The guy in the water is the one in control.

Mans when you're out of the drivers seat, pull the pin. To when pin is engaged, put the dead mans lanyard on you!

[skispray]

From what I understand shock tubes can reduce the chance of a handle-flying-into-the-boat-and-catching-something type of incident. Although your point #8 would help reduce that risk as well.

[Porkfight]

Situational awareness for driver and skier, for those of us who ski public water.

 

Orange "skier down" flag is a big deal when other boats/PWC's are involved.

[MrJones]

Some of you may think this is overkill, but I am going to be setting up a trauma kit with a tourniquet, blood stop, bandages, and a small duct tape roll.

 

I'm putting one in my and my wife's vehicles as well. There are numerous examples of people dying by bleeding out from prop strikes. Skidawg's daughter had a narrow miss on her femoral artery with her bike handlebar incident 3 weeks ago.

 

You can take care of band aid stuff later at the house, but if you need to "stop the dying" right now you need the tools and skills to use them. My $0.02

[Marco]

Our lake only has 4 houses on it so there are not a lot of people around, and often times the only person in the boat is the driver. We have been talking about getting air horns for each boat in case someone gets seriously hurt and the driver needs help. We have had at least 2 serious injuries where one person was not enough to deal with the injured skier in the water. We were lucky that we had people on shore at the time of those injuries.

[ESPNSkier]

I am a Safety Professional by trade and agree with everything said here. I would also recommend that you and your ski buddies take a CPR/basic first aid course (Red Cross and American Heart Association offer good courses) with refreshers every couple of years. I also strongly recommend an AED (Defibrillator) at every tournament site....we're not getting any younger!

[Stevie Boy]

@Marco Air Horns a good idea, establish a signal code, one blast the boat is broken, need assistance, two blasts skier injured, need help, three blasts we need emergency services asap, or something along those lines, absolutely no use of the horns at any other time.

[Marco]

Good idea @Stevie Boy

[Bill22]

@Wish good discussion.

 

For us public water guys one thing I think about is. In an emergency situation which dock do I go to? There is a ramp 1 minute from my normal ski spot but I don't know how far the closest rescue squad is. I figure the closest ramp is best.

 

We ski down river from my side of town and a 10-15 minute boat ride from our put in spot.

[Edbrazil]

While the Shock Tube can prevent crew entanglement/injury, I seriously question if it can

do anything about a handle flying into the boat. The main obstacle to that now is the

heavier-duty towline material that is used. Especially vs. the oldie 8-strand initial AWSA

specification polypropylene material.

 

[keithh2oskier]

A personal pet peeve of mine is when people don't take the shortened rope and stick it directly behind the driver's seat where it is clearly away from passengers toes and feet.

[oldjeep]

People still use shock tubes?

Skier down flag fine in states that use them, in MN or wi nobody would have any idea why you had a flag.

 

For us, just making sure equipment isn't damaged. Had an issue a few weeks ago when a bolt fell out of a wakeboard binding causing a nasty crash for my son.

[Orlando76]

Saw a boat with about 7 people today pulling up to local restaurant on the water. ~21' Larson bow rider. Had a ~4 yo in life jacket. Had about a 3 month old baby girl WITHOUT a life jacket!! I just had to say something, "I can't believe you have that little baby without a life jacket on, that'll be rough on you if something happens to her."

 

Local incident this week, experienced boating family hit a pylon at night, boat flipped over. Two year old in life jacket found right away. 8 mounth old baby couldn't be found but they could hear it. Dark and no flash lights. Turns out baby was trapped in an air pocket in the hull and its proper fitting jacket kept it upright. All are ok.

 

I ordered a waterproof strobe light cave divers use and strapped it to my 9 month old sons jacket today.

[dave2ball]

i am a firefighter/EMT and I couldn't agree more with ESPNSKIER. Take a first aid class and get trained properly. Otherwise you may do more harm then good.

[6balls]

As someone who works trauma ER. Put a pair of gloves in your boat (not ski gloves, duh). Dressings do a great job at absorbing blood while they continue to lose more blood which is not helping anything except keeping the floor clean.

 

Amazing what a gloved finger can do right at the bleeder. Think about your PSI in pressure available with your finger vs. a big broad dressing...doesn't matter how tight u pull a big, broad dressing you won't match the direct pressure of the finger. Bigger? Use a fist. Tourniquet...yah do it if needed but not if a finger or fist shuts it down.

[Wish]

@6balls insightful....gross but insightful.

[Porkfight]

I agree...basic CPR or first responder training is a great idea for anyone involved in towed watersports. My ski crew is all firefighters and ER nurses with some cops sprinkled in for good measure. We are a wreckless and felonious gang of misfits.

[harddock]

In addition to the measures mentioned above let me add having a good knife capable of cutting a binding loose or freeing a entangled rope in boat accessible. Always pick up skier on driver side so you communicate directly with fallen skier and know exactly where he is. If skiing a new site take the time to get emergency information as where hospital is, how far away medical help is, and where to send them in relation to where your skiing. ( Not every one knows where Joe's house on the winding dirt road is, as there may be more than one!)

[ESPNSkier]

Thanks for starting this thread @wish, good information for sking and for life in general! It's kind of funny (and sad) that I'm the "Safety Guy" but I'm also usually the skier who gets injured in my group.

[bishop8950]

Good thread and great points. Don't forget some basic boat driver stuff like:

 

1) Never get out of the seat with the engine running

 

2) don't back up the boat with a skier on the platform

 

3) when a skier is diving working on the course shut the boat off and be ready to jump in (diver should have a knife also)

 

4) when dropping a skier shut the boat down early enough you loose your momentum before you reach the skier. I had a guy that stayed on the power and nearly ran me over making his harsh and unnecessary 90 turn into me

[BCM]

I really like the AED at ski sites, most of my ski partners are over 50, some over 65. Given the cost of the skis and 2 promos in the boat house, an AED is chump change...

 

Situational awareness is crucial. Another is an environment where EVERYBODY feels comfortable bringing up a safety concern they see. No matter your experience, you can't see everything.

[oldjeep]

I'll toss this out there for a laugh at the responses I'll get. Most basic safety, wear a properly fitting USCG lifejacket - not some minimal floatation wetsuit vest.

[Edbrazil]

When a towline breaks, you can elbow yourself in the ribs hard enough to cause injury.

 

When your SL towline is getting worn, the ends of the splices will tend to stick out of the

line. You can get some more longevity by pulling those pigtails out a bit, and then

cutting them off at an angle. The towline material will also start to feel stiff and brittle,

if it has sun exposure and UV damage.

And, just a single overhand knot in the line, especially in the main segment from handle

to xx off, greatly reduces the line's strength. You may be able to get a knot out before it

gets 'welded' too tight, but the cure can be worse than the disease.

 

[Wayne]

@oldjeep no laughs from me, I was thinking of posting the same comment. At minimum you should make sure the vest you wear floats you with a full exhale. I know a lot of people don't like USCG vests but I think it's a minimal compromise when not at a tournament. It's a lot easier to find a floating body even in 5 feet of water.

 

I just did the exhale test in my USCG O'Neill Revenge, the foam has broken down enough I sink just under the surface. It's served me well for 6 years but time for a new one!

[oldjeep]

I can understand top performers complaining about a real jacket, but for the typical middle aged guy carrying around an extra 20-40 lbs, the beer belly is interfering more than the jacket ;)

[Nando]

Most important thread in a long time- maybe not the most fun, but this is good stuff. I've been skiing a bit lately with a guy who is just a little lax on some of this stuff and have been hesitant to mention things for fear of offending him, but you've convinced me it's time to discuss some of his habits. My lake has one thing I've never seen anywhere else- we have a fire station on the lake, fully staffed with EMTs. They have, at least once, driven directly from the station, over bike trails, and through the park to attend to a jumper at a tournament. Oldjeep, the one thing about USCG vests is that they often don't have the impact protection of comp vests. Agree with Wayne's comments about the exhale test.

[wtrskior]

Nobody I ski with uses a shock tube. Been years since I've seen one. Don't see people pop the handle as much either. Possibly because as @Edbrazil says, the ropes are that much better quality?

 

@Orlando76 don't see an issue with no life jacket on an 10lb-15lb baby. It should never leave the arms of the parent.

[oldjeep]

@nando I'd be willing to bet my radar x vest has more impact protection than any of the comp vests I've seen. Full disclosure I did crack a rib three weeks ago, but it would have been worse without

[Wayne]

I didn't see anyone list medical sheers, if it was mentioned sorry for repeating. I keep a dive knife on my boat for clearing line off the prop but to remove anything from a person those medical sheers are a bit safer under duress.

[Bill22]

@wtrskior you are making a HUGE assumption that the boat mom/dad are riding in will always be upright. How is mom going to hold Jr up when a drunk driver slams into your boat going 60mph.

 

If the boats moving, life jackets on kids is not debatable.

[BrennanKMN]

I am a big believer in no radio or music on while skiing. Might not make it safer, but I like my focus and the drivers focus 100% on the task at hand.

 

I am also a stickler about the rope. I always hand over hand the whole rope into the water before I get in. I do this to check for nots and tangles in addition to making sure it is not wrapped around gear in the boat. I have seen it time and time again where people let the rope uncoil itself and it nots or snags something.

[Dano]

My regular ski partners include my 2 daughters (4 year old and an 18 month old) of course we have 2 adults in the boat with them at all times. A shock tube is a must, along with life jackets on the kids always.

[Orlando76]

@wtrskior goo.gl/dwUWCOcontent_copy

 

Wth, can't get link shortener to work today. Two days ago Mother drowns saving toddler after toddler falls overboard with no life jacket into Lake Powell. Just put kids in the damn life jacket.

[Texas6]

@wtrskior ,on the incident they are speaking of just last week. There was a picture of the mother holding the baby who was wearing a life jacket, just before the accident. I'm sure she never would have imagined she would have let go either, but I sure bet she was thankful for that tiny shadow of doubt that made her put that life jacket on that baby anyway

[A_B]

Call us old fashioned, but we still use a shock tube, but we pull skiers over 250 lbs as well. A handle pop on a deepwater start is always a risk.

 

I have been making it a habit to put the Kill Switch Cord around my arm in case I get thrown out of the boat from a steering cable failure. I forget sometimes, but we have it setup so it is easy to stick your arm through it.

[oldjeep]

@A_B curious, why would a steering cable failure throw you out of the boat? Boat wants to steer straight with no steering input.

[A_B]

Who knows. Never tried it. I heard a story of a boat turning sharply due to a failure. Could have been an old wives tale too. But prop torque could over power the rudder, couldn't it?

[dchristman]

I experienced a steering cable failure once when we skied on the river. I immediately pulled back the throttle, but the boat veered off in one direction and we collided with another boat. No injuries or damage, but not a pleasant experience.

[Chef23]

I am probably lax on the safety front. From the earlier list we only do about half of those things. We also live on the lake that we ski on and the course isn't that far from my dock.

 

I generally do 1, 3, 4, 5 and both 6s from the list. I don't govern how hard people try to ski but I don't think we have people skiing past their abilities.

 

We should probably use a shock tube. Some of the people we ski with use them but myself and my primary partners don't. I weight 230 but never miss a deep water start and don't tend to pop the handle.

 

 

[Zoro957]

Checking your equipment for failure is high on the list. As one who has had 2 nasty falls from loose screws (binding and fin), I now check regularly.

[Orlando76]

I was in a '73 Martinique doing 42mph with a barefooter in tow. Two year old cable broke. The boat turned left instantly just as the driver pulled back on the throttle. Luckily he was driving with his hand on the throttle. The rope was ripped out the footers hand before he realized what happened. Prop torque was neutral. I ended up in the drivers lap. Looking back, it's possible we could've run over the footer if driver didn't respond so quick. Luckily the Martinique doesn't have tracking fins so it slid some. Imagine if that happened in a ski boat with fins and a loaded rudder at 36 mph. I cringe when people say " idk when my steering cable was last changed but it still feels good."

[oldjeep]

Interesting, guess I've never pulled back the throttle with hands off the wheel, only let go at constant throttle. Good to know that you should back off slow (if possible) when a cable lets go.

[A_B]

I will have to try stopping slow and fast with hands off the wheel.

I imagine there is some drag on the rudder with the steering wheel attached, to keep it more on course, but probably not too much.

 

[Chef23]

I always drive with one hand on the throttle even with speed control and I have taught my son the same way. It probably comes from learning to drive the slalom course before the days of speed control but I feel much safer with one hand on the throttle.

 

Regarding the kill switch I think some of the newer boats come without them. I always thought it was a bit of overkill for the newer ski boats. It isn't like you are on a jet ski.

[oldjeep]

I think that all boats still come with them but some use the style switch that Malibu has mounted out of sight where there is no reason to ever attach the lanyard (just a toggle switch that the lanyard can flip). Rather than boats like the centurion where it is sitting in the middle of the dash and actually requires that at least the lanyard end be in the switch.

[keithh2oskier]

@Chef23 brings up a good point. The driver should always have their hand on the throttle when the boat is underway. Even though I learned to drive with PP, I was taught to keep one hand on the throttle. The time it takes to take the right hand from the wheel to the throttle could make the difference between a serious injury or death.

 

I was driving a 165 lb skier when he popped the handle at 32'. We didn't have a shock tube and the rope came around my neck. I had already pulled back the throttle as I felt the fall but I imagine that rope burn could have been a lot worse had the boat not slowed down at all.

 

Thankfully I had a quick spotter to get the rope off me. But a sore neck and a nasty rope burn is still in my mind.

[jerrym]

We have made it a rule to make sure we have a cell phone on board when there is no observer onboard. Makes it possible to call for help.

 

The shock tube is a must. It can happen with new ropes and when you least expect it.

[PBD]

Always make sure the driver/observer and the skier are in sync as to what happens when they fall. This discussion happens before the skier leaves the swim step.

 

In my boat, if you're ok you wave your hand above your head. If you're injured you don't wave, you don't motion the boat back you don't try and move. Just lay back and we will be there at warp speed. Before we started this process, I had folks that were hurt trying to get my attention by waving the boat back to them, which implied they were OK.

 

Communication, communication, communication.

[EFW]

Man you guys are scaring the shit out of me. If my wife reads any of these she'll never drive the boat again