The Brofessionals advice on how to not get into a fight at the boat ramp

March 17, 2016

Easter is coming and we thought it was a perfect time to throw some Brofessional advice out there on some simple boat etiquette, to keep everyone having a dope time on the water. Here are five easy-to-follow tips to make sure you all get the most out of the flat water.

No power turns.

There are a few reasons power turns are a no-no when your rider falls off. When you huck your boat around to pick up your fallen comrade you release a massive wake up and down your lake, creating rollers not only for yourself but for everyone else. Always come to almost a complete stop and gently cruise back to pick up your rider. This gives the water a chance to settle and lets your rider dice up the butter on the take off.

Not hauling through the turn without the rider will also preserve your rope and handle. Powering up with the handle tracking in the water causes the rope to fray and tear and the handle grip to delaminate.

Track a straight line

Remember to always try and track in behind the boat that just passed you. This will allow your wakes to remain in the same area and make their way to the edge of the lake. Driving in circles causes massive double ups and wakes to constantly cross each other, ruining the water for everyone

Don’t ruin people’s day

Although this isn’t wrong and anyone is allowed to use the water - cutting someone’s lunch always blows. If there’s a crew out waterskiing/wakeboarding/wakeskating on a nice piece of flat water don’t ride up near them and start hucking donuts in your jetski, throwing a tube around or start wakesurfing. These sports can be done in most cases in rougher water and will destroy anyone’s chance of enjoying the flat water. Multiple boats with good drivers can share a piece of flat water unless you start doing one of these to it.

Boat ramp patience

Remember that most people suck at reversing a trailer so take a chill pill and just wait your turn. This place probably starts more fights than a school yard but awareness is the key. Don’t park your boat trailer on the ramp for any other reason than getting your boat on or off your trailer. Get your boat on or off the trailer and then move it well out of the way for others to use. Don’t drive it down onto the ramp and then decide to pack or unpack it, clean it or re-polish the gel coat. The ramp is for loading and unloading only; watch out for what everyone else is doing and remember to be friendly!

Boats don’t run on thanks

This is a given…. if you want to get invited out again next time to ride behind someone’s boat always pay for your share of gas. Roughly every $1 of gas that goes through a boat, $1 is spent on the boat. The normal going rate is about $20 a set, so if you ride two sets/turns on the boat, its $40. No matter how rich your boat owner is, always offer to pay your way. If you’re unsure just ask the boat owner what you can contribute to the session.