What are some tips for driving a boat for beginners? I get my boat up to 60 mph then let out of it within a few minutes because I’m always scared I’m going to hit a log or something that’s barely poking out of the water, obviously knowing the lake your fishing at helps a lot, but what are some tips and tricks? Any advice appreciated! Thanks in advance!

I do 65 in 65 when I drive my truck in highways, sometimes slower than that :), I wouldn't go that fast with boat if I had one,, I am thinking of 30MPH what ill go max.

1 hour ago, ATA said:

I do 65 in 65 when I drive my truck in highways, sometimes slower than that :), I wouldn't go that fast with boat if I had one,, I am thinking of 30MPH what ill go max.

Yeah, I don’t run 60 all the time, but even at 30 how in the world do people see little trees and stuff sticking out the water? We got a place that’s called cedar creek where I’m from and it’s loaded with trees, but only parts of them stick out the water and it is SUPER HARD to see with the current, etc…idk guess I need better eyes, just scared to be running my boat and mess it all up. 

Having a good console gps with the map screen up can show you depth contours and the channel is imperative if you are in an unfamiliar area.

 

Buying a good map and studying it before you go to the lake can also help you prepare for how and where you are going to run your boat.

 

Experience and knowledge cant be beat though.

Some tips for driving a boat for beginners ~

 

#1 Wear a Life Jacket AND the Kill Switch cord EVERYTIME your big Outboard is running. 

#2 Only go as fast as you want to be going when you collide with something. 

#3 High Speed is a luxury (not a necessity) earned by experienced operators

      and the arch enemy of the novice.

#4  Being in a boat with an experienced operator who can demonstrate how to operate a rig safely/correctly is a priceless day or two on the water.  Perhaps consider hiring a guide and have them operate your rig with you as a passenger.  This can be worth several months or even years of your own 'Trial & Error'.

 #5  Launching & recovering a rig on & off the trailer is an important aspect of boat ownership.

        Practicing it is a solid plan. 

 

There's more but that's a decent start.

Stay Safe

A-Jay

 

^ A-Jay hits the nail on the head every time when it comes to boat operations. I would pay attention to his advice - he did rescue people from the water for a living for a long time after all.

Some really good advice here to be learned. 

I don't run open throttle, especially where I have my boat all season, but I do run it in the sweet spot where I get the most economical gas consumption. For my boat, that's around 4,000 - 4,200 rpm. I spent around $100 for gas last season. 

3 minutes ago, Jigfishn10 said:

Some really good advice here to be learned. 

I don't run open throttle, especially where I have my boat all season, but I do run it in the sweet spot where I get the most economical gas consumption. For my boat, that's around 4,000 - 4,200 rpm. I spent around $100 for gas last season. 

Ya - my old runabout could hit about 35 WOT - but I usually ran around 25

 

Lot of the guys here complaining that they can't get above 55 or 60...you'd be disappointed on Tonka. The speed limit here is 40...ya, a lake with a speed limit. Go above that and the county sheriff's water patrol will probably chase you down and fine you.

A-Jay’s #5 is a whole different can of worms.  When I was in the boat business and had first time boat owners a part of my delivery was to take them out back to our private pond where we tested repairs.  I showed them how to launch and load their boat as well as discussed ramp and parking lot etiquette.  Then I would have them practice until they were comfortable.

27 minutes ago, MN Fisher said:

Ya - my old runabout could hit about 35 WOT - but I usually ran around 25

 

Lot of the guys here complaining that they can't get above 55 or 60...you'd be disappointed on Tonka. The speed limit here is 40...ya, a lake with a speed limit. Go above that and the county sheriff's water patrol will probably chase you down and fine you.

I couldn't even tell you how fast the boat can go. My boat was brand new last season and, as you know, I'm in the ocean. Last year wasn't a great boating season. Lot of chop on the water and strong currents. You could really move with the current, not so much against it.

 

You and I both need to be careful with speed and impaired vision. At least I know I have to. ?

 

Merry Christmas MN. 

3 minutes ago, Jigfishn10 said:

I couldn't even tell you how fast the boat is going. My boat was brand new last season and, as you know, I'm in the ocean. Last year wasn't a great boating season. Lost of chop on the water and strong currents. You could really move with the current, not so much against it.

 

You and I both need to be careful with speed and impaired vision. At least I know I have to. ?

 

Merry Christmas MN. 

Ya - lacking peripheral vision to the right is a real pain. The new boat (still working on it) will probably top out at about 30 WOT...I'm not looking for speed.

 

And a Happy Yule to you.

Some of this driving on the water is dependent on the type of boat you're using too.  I grew up fishing out of tillers and in 2015 I bought my own bass boat.  There is a substantial difference when operating them.  You are constantly looking up and then back to the graphs on a tiller whereas on a bass boat with a console, its way more like driving a car because you can look ahead and at the console graph in the same direction (forward).  The material the boat is made out of is important too, as is the hull type.

 

Knowing the water you traverse is important.  I don't throttle down unless I know its safe and deep enough to do so.  Experience, sonar, and GPS mapping all help with this.  PFD and kill switch required while main motor is running too.

Taking a boater safety class is invaluable. It’ll teach you things that would have taken you years to learn. 

You don't.  Don't go 60mph on any part of the water that's shallow enough to have something sticking up to reach your boat or any area with debris.  The only times I've ever gone anywhere near that speed are on big, open bodies of water in 70+ feet of depth and no other boaters around.  And even then, only in waters that I know.  

 

If it feels unsafe or dangerous, it is.  Even 25mph is dangerously fast in a boat.  You've got no seatbelts, airbags, crumple zones, poor visibility, and water all around you.  Plus, you can't stop or turn like you can in a car.  

 

And always hook up the kill-switch.  If you don't have one, get on installed.  I was talking to a lake patrol officer this summer who told me a story of a call he got a week prior.  Three boaters were driving too fast and took a hard turn for some reason.  They were flung out of their boat.  They had their PFD's on, but it didn't matter, because they didn't hook up the kill-switch, so the boat circled back around and hit them, again and again.  Two died.  Here's the story:

 

https://www.kxii.com/2021/07/11/two-killed-one-injured-lake-texoma-boat-accident/

 

He told me they were wearing life jackets, but in the article, it infers that they were not.  

6 hours ago, A-Jay said:

Some tips for driving a boat for beginners ~

 

#1 Wear a Life Jacket AND the Kill Switch cord EVERYTIME your big Outboard is running. 

#2 Only go as fast as you want to be going when you collide with something. 

#3 High Speed is a luxury (not a necessity) earned by experienced operators

      and the arch enemy of the novice.

#4  Being in a boat with an experienced operator who can demonstrate how to operate a rig safely/correctly is a priceless day or two on the water.  Perhaps consider hiring a guide and have them operate your rig with you as a passenger.  This can be worth several months or even years of your own 'Trial & Error'.

 #5  Launching & recovering a rig on & off the trailer is an important aspect of boat ownership.

        Practicing it is a solid plan. 

 

There's more but that's a decent start.

Stay Safe

A-Jay

 

A-Jay(my nickname is AJ haha) thank you for the advice, wise words! I really appreciate it. 

19 minutes ago, Bankc said:

You don't.  Don't go 60mph on any part of the water that's shallow enough to have something sticking up to reach your boat or any area with debris.  The only times I've ever gone anywhere near that speed are on big, open bodies of water in 70+ feet of depth and no other boaters around.  And even then, only in waters that I know.  

 

If it feels unsafe or dangerous, it is.  Even 25mph is dangerously fast in a boat.  You've got no seatbelts, airbags, crumple zones, poor visibility, and water all around you.  Plus, you can't stop or turn like you can in a car.  

 

And always hook up the kill-switch.  If you don't have one, get on installed.  I was talking to a lake patrol officer this summer who told me a story of a call he got a week prior.  Three boaters were driving too fast and took a hard turn for some reason.  They were flung out of their boat.  They had their PFD's on, but it didn't matter, because they didn't hook up the kill-switch, so the boat circled back around and hit them, again and again.  Two died.  Here's the story:

 

https://www.kxii.com/2021/07/11/two-killed-one-injured-lake-texoma-boat-accident/

 

He told me they were wearing life jackets, but in the article, it infers that they were not.  

That’s crazy!! I always wear my life jacket and have my kill switch on my person. 

5 hours ago, Jigfishn10 said:

Some really good advice here to be learned. 

I don't run open throttle, especially where I have my boat all season, but I do run it in the sweet spot where I get the most economical gas consumption. For my boat, that's around 4,000 - 4,200 rpm. I spent around $100 for gas last season. 

I’m not %100 that boat does 60, that’s what my garmin unit says I hit but I guess I’m out in the water and see these boats just flying by me I get caught up in the moment and I’m like “yeah I can do that” but think for now on I’m going to keep it around 20-30, I need to fix my gauge cluster for my rpms, sometimes it works and other times it don’t work. What kind of engine you running?  

37 minutes ago, Fishing97 said:

What kind of engine you running?  

My boat came with a yamaha 70. Max I can put on it is a 90 hp, but it wasn't offered as an option at the time of purchase. 

@Skunkmaster-k provides very good advice about taking a boaters safety class. I made sure my whole family took the boaters safety class which I feel is very important.

 

I also want you to accept my apologies, I don't want you to think I was questioning how fast your boat goes. If my post came off that way, it was completely unintentional. ?

53 minutes ago, Jigfishn10 said:

My boat came with a yamaha 70. Max I can put on it is a 90 hp, but it wasn't offered as an option at the time of purchase. 

@Skunkmaster-k provides very good advice about taking a boaters safety class. I made sure my whole family took the boaters safety class which I feel is very important.

 

I also want you to accept my apologies, I don't want you to think I was questioning how fast your boat goes. If my post came off that way, it was completely unintentional. ?

No not at all it didn’t come off that way! I was just curious what kind of motor you had for the rpm reference, I got a 87 Johnson v6 150 

Only go as fast as you feel comfortable going.  My advice has always been to know both your and your boats limits.  Of course if you are in waters with a bunch of stumps or submerged trees, you aren’t going to be running hard unless you know the lake and the channels.  I fish a lot of big rivers that change on a regular basis and especially after a big storm.  I’ve seen semi tires on the rims and household appliances floating after storms.  Educate yourself get your skill level up but do not live in fear of the water.  Virginia requires a boater safety class.  My boat will run 70 if I want to play with the trim and run light.  I normally only run that speed to decarbon the motor if I have been running at lower rpm’s for a while.  

1 hour ago, TOXIC said:

Only go as fast as you feel comfortable going.  My advice has always been to know both your and your boats limits.  Of course if you are in waters with a bunch of stumps or submerged trees, you aren’t going to be running hard unless you know the lake and the channels.  I fish a lot of big rivers that change on a regular basis and especially after a big storm.  I’ve seen semi tires on the rims and household appliances floating after storms.  Educate yourself get your skill level up but do not live in fear of the water.  Virginia requires a boater safety class.  My boat will run 70 if I want to play with the trim and run light.  I normally only run that speed to decarbon the motor if I have been running at lower rpm’s for a while.  

Same here on the Kentucky river, mainly fish a place called cedar creek it’s a nice size lake that’s roughly 30-40ft deep but it’s loaded with trees that barely stick up out the water, I’ve seen boats get a good beating hitting one but I’ve also seen people running full throttle and don’t understand how they can see that kinda stuff. 

P

15 hours ago, Fishing97 said:

What are some tips for driving a boat for beginners? I get my boat up to 60 mph then let out of it within a few minutes because I’m always scared I’m going to hit a log or something that’s barely poking out of the water, obviously knowing the lake your fishing at helps a lot, but what are some tips and tricks? Any advice appreciated! Thanks in advance!

You just asking the questions tells you that your on the right track. Safety comes first. I believe every response stressed that. Before your concerned about running fast and being nervous, slow down and enjoy your new experience and learn both your skills and your boat capabilities. You’ll find your comfort zone and you’ll enjoy it safely.

38 minutes ago, GaryH said:

P

You just asking the questions tells you that your on the right track. Safety comes first. I believe every response stressed that. Before your concerned about running fast and being nervous, slow down and enjoy your new experience and learn both your skills and your boat capabilities. You’ll find your comfort zone and you’ll enjoy it safely.

Yes sir! I’m going to look into taking a boating safety class for my state, I don’t need to go fast I don’t fish tournaments or anything like that, just love and enjoy the water. 

10 hours ago, Jigfishn10 said:

I spent around $100 for gas last season.

Ya that’s about what I go through too using ethanol free premium. Wish my truck got that kind of mileage.

24 minutes ago, Fishing97 said:

Yes sir! I’m going to look into taking a boating safety class for my state, I don’t need to go fast I don’t fish tournaments or anything like that, just love and enjoy the water. 

I’ve been running boats for 50+ years.  I required my son to take the boating safety course when he got his driver’s license.  The information he was provided was pretty amazing.  I was surprised at what I didn’t know.  It is a course worth taking.

When lose the lower unit you are going too fast.

Tom