newbie - looking for advice and info

[big kev]

hi have just bought a suzumar ds 390fl with a 25hp mariner 2 stroke & trailer is there anyone in the cheshire area running safety courses or a group going out one weekend etc as its over 20 years since i handled one on water

[chris123]

An RYA Level 2 Powerboat course may be a good starting point. There are several training schools that visit here, that are in your area (ish):

http://rib.net/directory/out.php?ID=34

http://rib.net/directory/out.php?ID=307

www.wavelengthtraining.co.uk

Cheers

Chris

[JSP]

http://www.wavelengthtraining.co.uk/

[big kev]

thanks for those bet you get a headache after the glue

[codprawn]

Just go for it - wear a life jacket - wait for a nice calm day and you will be fine. Oh and remember to open the breather on the tank - most common mistake there is.

[Poly]

Originally Posted by codprawn

Just go for it - wear a life jacket - wait for a nice calm day and you will be fine. Oh and remember to open the breather on the tank - most common mistake there is.

codprawn - that qualifies as you dumbest post yet! So long as he has a life jacket and its a calm day he'll be fine - unless of course he falls in noone knows where he is, the engine breaks and he has no way to get help, fog appears and he gets lost, run down by a ship, hits a hazard he didn't recognise or any other disaster develops!

The guy is looking for some help to build his confidence/experience and is wisely seeking to get this either through formal training or "cruising in company".

Big Kev - if you decide you already know most of the content for the powerboat level 2 course and just want a refresher - then most good training centres will offer "own boat training" for a day/half day which is probably enough to get a previously experienced person back in the saddle.

It would be worth reading "Nos4r2's beginners guide" too: http://rib.net/forum/showthread.php?t=12892

[doggypaddle]

Originally Posted by codprawn

Just go for it - wear a life jacket - wait for a nice calm day and you will be fine. Oh and remember to open the breather on the tank - most common mistake there is.

WTF

[Avocet]

As usual, there is some sense if you look:

Originally Posted by codprawn

Just go for it: most common mistake there is.

[codprawn]

Once again the Nanny State mentality has seeped in.

I wonder how people survived as kids with no lifejackets - no cycling helmets - no 20mph zones - no speed humps etc etc.

There are plenty of people who "just go for it" and learn from their mistakes!!!

All that is required is a tad of common sense - of course everything has become so dumbed down these days you have to have someone hold your hand at all times - oh and be trained in how to do it!!!

If you have NO common sense then of course you must listen to all the doom mongers.........

[Poly]

Originally Posted by codprawn

I wonder how people survived as kids with no lifejackets - no cycling helmets - no 20mph zones - no speed humps etc etc.

the irony being that the only one of these that is boat related is the one thing you told him to do!

There are plenty of people who "just go for it" and learn from their mistakes!!!

yip - and some of them, albeit possibly a small percentage, are dead!

All that is required is a tad of common sense

which the OP obviously has by asking for either some training or support for his first trip out in 20 yrs.

[codprawn]

I hadn't been out in a very long time either - it really is like riding a bike!!!

[hadd]

Rya course frodsham marina that not to far from you

[wavelength]

if you're coming up to knott end we will most likely be out somewhere or other-ring the mobile or call black magic on ch16 if ya need to talk to someone about it when you are there or whenever. Not always an easy slip (prepare your boat on the free car park) - and it does have its moments but a lot of the lads can be quite helpful as long as ya dont **** them off by blocking the slip or whatever. I'm sure you wouldnt anyway

[zodiacman]

I must agree with codprawn on this one. Common sense is a thing of the past because no one is aloud to use it . The guy asking advice has common sense for asking on here, codprawn gave advice which was to use that common sense. WTF is wrong with that. We all know the sea can be dangerous place, that is one of the reasons I bought a boat. There is nothing wrong with asking advise, I do it all the time. The best advice I have ever been given was "use your common sense" in other words THINK!! use your brain and if you get it wrong it is your fault

[jyasaki]

Originally Posted by codprawn

I wonder how people survived as kids with no lifejackets - no cycling helmets - no 20mph zones - no speed humps etc etc.

Yes, and people survived the dark ages despite lack of medical care; that doesn't mean that the Black Plague didn't lighten the population a bit.

In the US, they've now required kids to wear bicycling helmets. You can look at it as a windfall for helmet manufacturers, or as an over-reaching government trying to control the population. But if one kid has his or her life saved by crushing a piece of foam rather than their skull, I'd call it a plus, wouldn't you? It's easier to learn from your mistakes when they're not fatal.

There are plenty of people who "just go for it" and learn from their mistakes!!!

True. The smart ones also learn from others' mistakes.

As my dive instructor used to say: You've got to be tough if you're going to be stupid.

jky

[Poly]

Originally Posted by jyasaki

But if one kid has his or her life saved by crushing a piece of foam rather than their skull, I'd call it a plus, wouldn't you?

at the risk of possibly agreeing with codders - there is actually limited evidence that cycle helmets improve rider safety [I do wear a helmet when riding - but don't really expect it to save my life - more to reduce the pain from non-fatal accidents]. On the other hand - cycle training does seem to work to reduce casualty numbers/severity!

And if a friend on mine wanted to get back on his bike after 20 years out the saddle I would happily accompany him till he got his confidence back rather than say - the roads there, put your helmet on and use your common sense!

[prairie tuber]

Originally Posted by Polwart

at the risk of possibly agreeing with codders - there is actually limited evidence that cycle helmets improve rider safety [I do wear a helmet when riding - but don't really expect it to save my life - more to reduce the pain from non-fatal accidents]. On the other hand - cycle training does seem to work to reduce casualty numbers/severity!

And if a friend on mine wanted to get back on his bike after 20 years out the saddle I would happily accompany him till he got his confidence back rather than say - the roads there, put your helmet on and use your common sense!

At the risk of being the tipping point that gets this one sent off to the bilges, the evidence overwhelming supports the importance of wearing helmets when cycling. Last time I looke into this, well over 90% of all cycling fatalities were due to head injuries from the cyclists head impacting the ground.

Regardless, I do not like the idea of the government mandating that kids (or adults) wear helmets while riding bicycles. Nonetheless, schools should continue to run bicycle safety seminars for kids (wherein the importance of helmets is emphasized to them). Additionally, any parent that does not require their child to wear a helmet while riding a bicycle is an incompetent parent.

[Poly]

Originally Posted by prairie tuber

At the risk of being the tipping point that gets this one sent off to the bilges,

OK - I'll split it into a new thread in the "other" area so we can continue the discussion. then when mollers joins in it can go to its final destination!

we can always split it into a separate thread - but it doesn't belong in the bilges as it is a legitiamite topic for discussion at least until mollers joins in!.

Ah but you are assuming that helmets are actually effective. There is little evidence that wearing helmets actually reduces the fatality rates. http://www.cyclehelmets.org/1012.html there is too much info there to summarise here - but in brief the jury is still out on whether a helmet makes you less likely to die when on a bike.

Actually there are some people who believe that helmets may increase confidence and so cause riders (or drivers) to take bigger risks subconsciously. I am certainly conscious of the increased risk if I happen to not have my helmet on (or my lifejacket on the boat).

Regardless, I do not like the idea of the government mandating that kids (or adults) wear helmets while riding bicycles. Nonetheless, schools should continue to run bicycle safety seminars for kids (wherein the importance of helmets is emphasized to them).

I think we are in violent agreement

Additionally, any parent that does not require their child to wear a helmet while riding a bicycle is an incompetent parent.

I have to disagree. The wise parent encourages their child to informally risk assess the situation themselves and use a helmet as and when appropriate. For many that will be a helmet most of the time - but I don't believe it needs to be 100% universal, nor that parents should necessarily be criticised for not encouraging/demanding them. Part of the reason my son is expected to wear his helmet "all the time" is the social stigma that there would be (on me) if I let him do otherwise. I just don't believe it is incompetent parenting to consider not conforming - indeed encouraging children to think and challenge percieved norms is an important part of parenting.

[big kev]

well not bad for a first post but how did we get onto cycle helmets? o well great info thanks all. have been given a 10hp four stroke so i think the first trip will be with that a lot less power to control
thanks kev

[prairie tuber]

Originally Posted by big kev

well not bad for a first post but how did we get onto cycle helmets?

That's about par for the course. Welcome to the world of Ribnet!