Busted Illegal Spotter (New Hampshire)

[NHcrossfan]

After a few years of getting away with it, finally got caught skiing with an observer under 14. Despite my advice to my son to say he was 14, he felt pressure and volunteered his real age of "turning 11 in 2 weeks" I kind of snapped when she told me not to speak to my son while she was questioning him.........so much for not incriminating ourselves. I may go to court just to take a chance.

A rule is rule and I was fined 57 bucks but there we were only boat in miles (early weekday) and my son who has been skiing since he was 4 is just as capable of spotting than most teenagers. It tough to see all the unsafe activity during weekend days that go unpunished while we get pinched for comparably nothing. My 30 years of skiing experience should offset his slightly younger age but like I wrote earlier a rule is a rule, nice job of my boy for being honest.

It was slightly humorous when the female boat officer threw out a single bumper like she was going to tie up. I told her no way was she tieing up as I was concerned about scratches. She also wouldn't let my son put his ski on and get ready on the platform while she was writing me up for "safety reasons", must have little confidence in her driving ability.

That was Friday, on Saturday a thunderstorm came up and deposited a tree on both my car and my wifes minivan, not totalled but we'll be driving rentals for the next 3 weeks.

Good thing the skiing was great Fri, Sat and Sunday mornings.

[MHayes]

RE: Busted Illegal Spotter (New Hampshire)

That sucks NHcrossfan, but like you say, you have to give your son credit for being honest with the officer. It's funny how the laws differ so much from state to state...here in GA, we don't have to have a spotter as long as your mirror is a certain size. Just out of curiousity, I went to the NH boating laws website and it said the following about spotters:

"In addition to the operator, an observer must be on board to observe the progress of the person being towed. The observer must be at least 13 years old, able to determine when a skier is in trouble, and able to assist the skier."

So next time, see if your son will say 13 years old....at least he won't be fibbing quite as much as saying 14 :grin:

[Rangertrace]

RE: Busted Illegal Spotter (New Hampshire)

You have obviously been a good parent for your son to tell the truth when questioned by the police. You should be very proud and happy about that. When your kids start lying to the police, they will probably lie to you as well. As far as breaking that law goes......we all take our chances now and then. Whats $57.00 to a guy who ownes a Nautique and had a great time with son?!?

[Kraven]

At least you live on a lake that is patrolled. I have seen the DNR on our lake 1 time the entire year. There is a campground on our lake that has probably 200+ campsites on it.
All day long these people are drinking, then they go out and tow their kids behind tubes and whatever else. You would think that the DNR would frequent this lake at least a few times per year, to help alleviate the chance of a drunken boater.

I’m sure if we had DNR officer patrolling we would have a much safer lake.

Good job to your son for telling the truth. It sucks when you get a fine for something small like that. In Indiana we need to have a spotter, but I’m not sure what the age is. I’ll have to check that out.

[darrel409]

NHcrossfan, Good kid.
Ive been getting away with it for the last 2 years. When and if we get caught I dont think the officer will believe the 5 yr old is 14 :???: and in California I bet the fine will be more than $57 :evil: . Good luck in the future...are you still skiing without?

[NHcrossfan]

NHcrossfan, Good kid.
Ive been getting away with it for the last 2 years. When and if we get caught I dont think the officer will believe the 5 yr old is 14 :???: and in California I bet the fine will be more than $57 :evil: . Good luck in the future...are you still skiing without?

No we usually have options for non-skiers to join us but ski at pretty early hours and hate to inconvience, most of time on weekends we have 3 skiers.


Interesting MHayes-I always thought it was 14, thanks for looking it up, it will help next year and beyond although she is a real stickler. The worse part of getting caught is that we can't try it anymore.

[bkhallpass]

Hey Darrel,

Spotter must be 12 years or older in CA.

BKH

[SNMike]

On my lake, Claude Rains can spot for ya.

:shock: :razz:

Good kid NH!!

[darrel409]

Great, 7 more years and im good. Thanks BKH.

[DanielC]

I do not know if I should say this, but here goes. I am on a show ski club, and we are on friendly terms with the local marine patrol. They know we know what we are doing, and they generally leave us alone, and they actually help block boat traffic, when we do our local show. The Marine patrol here seems much more focused on keeping things safe, and working on problems, rather than enforcing every minor detail of the letter of the law. It is nice.
Here in Oregon, they try to do a brief annual inspection of most boats usually near the beginning of the season. You pass, and you get a sticker on the back of your boat for that year. With the sticker, most other marine patrol officers in the state leave you alone. With the warm Septembers, and a lot of usually nice weather in October, this is a great place to live.

[J]

Anyone know what the rules maybe in Canada? I made a quick call to a couple agencies and they only told me that you need a spotter and a driver....and couldn't verify any age limits....
I have always wondered......since once in a while in the early morn its just me, wifey and my 5 year old.....(but to be honest....I usually take it easy and don't "try" to pull crazy stuff while its just us 3...)

[leroy]

How old does the driver have to be? :grin:

[NHcrossfan]

age

How old does the driver have to be? :grin:

We'll be much more patient waiting for him to drive than we were to have him be a spot.

There was another sign at the Marina that says the age for kids to wear life perservors was raised from 5-12

I always let him take his wet vest off between ski runs.

[MiracleDriver]

Anyone know what the rules maybe in Canada? I made a quick call to a couple agencies and they only told me that you need a spotter and a driver....and couldn't verify any age limits....
I have always wondered......since once in a while in the early morn its just me, wifey and my 5 year old.....(but to be honest....I usually take it easy and don't "try" to pull crazy stuff while its just us 3...)

there is no age limit in Canada. In fact if you read the bottom, you do not need a spotter if you are training or in competition, as long as the boat meets the "governing body's safety requirements". so you would have to refer to WaterSki Canada for their requirements. basically if the boat is approved for towing a tournament, and you are a wsc member you don't need a spotter. I doubt most law enforcement officers even know this.

mastercraft even came out with their MTS spotters seat balast system...

Small Vessel Towing Activities

41. (1) Subject to subsection (2), no person shall operate a small vessel while towing any person on the water or in the air,

(a) unless there is on board a person other than the operator, who is keeping watch on the person being towed;

(b) unless there is seating space on the small vessel to accommodate the person being towed;

(c) if the person being towed is not wearing a personal flotation device or lifejacket, unless the small vessel carries the personal protection equipment that would be required under Part II if the person were on board; and

(d) during the period beginning one hour after sunset and ending at sunrise.

(2) Subsection (1) does not apply in respect of a small vessel that is being operated during formal training, in an official competition or in a skill demonstration, if the vessel meets the safety requirements of a governing body respecting such training, competitions or demonstrations.

[Fast351]

We're fortunate in MN that we don't need a spotter. There are many times when it's just my wife and I. All you need is a large mirror. We don't do it when it's busy on the water.

My buddy, who lives in IA is in a state that does require a spotter. As a result he rarely waterskis, even though he's out all the time. But with the wife and a young boy age 2, and being on a relatively busy lake, it's probably for the best.