Foredeck / Bow riding

It’s such a great place to be when underway at slow speeds.
Only in calm conditions and at slow speed.
I actually worry more about people moving to and from the foredeck.
I had 14 onboard one day over the summer (many teenagers) and despite warnings they seemed to be moving around constantly (normally with phone attached) a stressful short trip.

On the Mar Menor the Spanish boats are quite astonishing, often see 20+ footers with 1/2 a dozen kids sitting along the rails both on and off the plane.
 
NGM said:
It’s such a great place to be when underway at slow speeds.
Only in calm conditions and at slow speed.
I actually worry more about people moving to and from the foredeck.
I had 14 onboard one day over the summer (many teenagers) and despite warnings they seemed to be moving around constantly (normally with phone attached) a stressful short trip.

On the Mar Menor the Spanish boats are quite astonishing, often see 20+ footers with 1/2 a dozen kids sitting along the rails both on and off the plane.
Click to expand...

I suppose if teenagers can successfully navigate across the busy roads and pavements of central London whilst never looking up from their smart phones, then a boat would not seem such a hazard
 
Portofino said:
I think you would get blown off or loose your grip anyhow , rails or no rails
Click to expand...
Losing the grip is only a problem if you need a grip, to start with.
I agree that it ain't so much a matter of rails, but rather of cruising with a properly seaworthy vessel - see below.

Nowadays, I would have zero problems to cruise in the same conditions at 25kts, but I wouldn't allow anyone to stay there.
Not only with mine, but also any other P boats, for that matter.
Itamas included, obviously, whose foredeck is unsafe at any speed, if I can steal an old cliché :D
 
petem said:
I've always been a little cautious of letting crew ride on the foredeck whilst underway. However, I had to ask SWMBO to do this recently as I realised I hadn't done up one of the zips securing the cushions down. Of course, she's got the taste for it now and thinks it's great.

I know the Spanish lifeboat service warn people of the dangers of doing this but is it really that dangerous on a 34ft boat with a good size foredeck and hand rails? Do you guys allow people to ride on the bows in calm weather or never at all?
Click to expand...

https://www.dailyecho.co.uk/news/10...rms-after-boating-accident-off-isle-of-wight/

Bow riding in a RIB :(
 
Yes, in calm conditions and at minimum planing speeds or slower, typically for a few minutes crossing Osborne Bay.
Adults or teenagers only, with suitably graphic warnings issued beforehand.
The deck is very flat, there are good handholds and guard rails.
With the previous boat, it was a definite no.

It’s not entirely safe, but neither is wingsuit flying, nor is doing 14kts in a small tender.

.
 
Last edited:
Bouba said:
Can I be controversial for the moment :confused:
Say you are on the foredeck, and the boat hits a bow wave and you are tossed into the sea. You are young and you have the presence of mind to realize that a propeller is coming you way. You dive deep. Then your life jacket pops you back to the surface in time for the prop to slice your legs off:disgust:
Did I just make all that up, or is it a possible scenario?
Click to expand...

A few years ago we were sailing south from Daytona, Florida in the ICW late on a Sunday afternoon just as the Daytona base day/weekend boaters were heading home. The number of motorboats made the Hamble-scramble look quiet, two and even three abreast at perhaps 30-50m intervals with nothing doing <10-15 knots and many doing twice that. Rough as boots from all the wash and scary enough in itself to a slow speed yachty, but perhaps 30% of the boats had people (mainly kids) 'bow riding', even scarier, were the perhaps 5-10% of boats which were pulling inflatable ringos, bananas, etc. with their kids riding on them within the manic traffic stream.
 
All the time, without lifejackets, at P speeds. If weather worsens people tend to retire from the foredeck before the weather gets dangerous.
 
FlowerPower said:
Yes, in calm conditions and at minimum planing speeds or slower, typically for a few minutes crossing Osborne Bay.
Adults or teenagers only, with suitably graphic warnings issued beforehand.
The deck is very flat, there are good handholds and guard rails.
With the previous boat, it was a definite no.

It’s not entirely safe, but neither is wingsuit flying, nor is doing 14kts in a small tender.

.
Click to expand...

I think this is where I am. On flat days where the vertical bow movement is minimal or non existent this feels low risk even at planing speeds. As you say, they have to be sitting or lying down and not messing about.
 
petem said:
I've always been a little cautious of letting crew ride on the foredeck whilst underway. However, I had to ask SWMBO to do this recently as I realised I hadn't done up one of the zips securing the cushions down. Of course, she's got the taste for it now and thinks it's great.

I know the Spanish lifeboat service warn people of the dangers of doing this but is it really that dangerous on a 34ft boat with a good size foredeck and hand rails? Do you guys allow people to ride on the bows in calm weather or never at all?
Click to expand...

Hi, you bring a serious subect to the forum. My answer would be an abolute 'no, no'. Why? Just imagine the person slipping through the railings. What would happen? They'd go straight under the hull and be made mince meat by the props.

When I used to take pics for MBM cruises in company, it was an unwritten rule not to photograph a boat with anyone riding the foredeack. In the same way, no photographs of boats with anyone out of the cabin not wearing a lifejacket.
 
I think the chopping up thing by Med ( un life jacked generally ) even @ D for sports cruisers is risky as maybe the slow speed lulls folks into a false sense of security. Don’t know ?
Obviously each to there own but with guests on board unfamiliar with boating I always have there safety in mind .
In a boat with deep bulwarks and @ D like JFM ,s then maybe .

Not convinced about little sports cruisers , because if it’s busy you might want to speed up or a bigger boats wake ( if passing it behind ) might roll you at D as well and catch the fwd lounger out .

This would be madness a person sat on the front , hence NEVER for my particular circumstances.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=bHRxWnk7yT4
 
BruceK said:
There is managing risk and then there is scared of living. Personally I think many water toys pose a far greater risk but the perception of risk gets placed into silos. So we tend to be ultra cautious on a boat as opposed to a more relaxed approach to water toy. I seriously don't consider having my kids tethered to the deck at displacement speeds any riskier and far less so than getting them on the foredeck in the first place and that even less than allowing them to swim and play on water toys.
Of course honing about in choppy or busy waters, balls to the wall is a completely different matter.
Click to expand...

A very sensible post. It’s like the life jacket evangelists who insist on wearing a lifjacket on the boat and criticise everyone who doesn’t. Actually they’d be safer taking the life jacket off when they got on the boat if they kept them in the car. Consider every situation and decide.

To the OP. Pete yes I allow it when I think it’s safe enough. That includes at planing speeds sometimes.

And by the by I reckon it would completely impossible to contact the props if you fall off if the boat is going in a straight ish line.

By the way 2. What problem are we trying to fix here. I see people on the foredeck all the time and have only ever heard of problems in small sporty boats.
 
Last edited:
A good friend of mine was sitting on the bow of 40 ft planing boat, around 30 years ago.

He fell over the front, went under and the props took a 7cm chunk of skull off and very nearly severed one of his arms. He lived to tell the tale but has a 'soft' spot on his skull to this day which poses an continued risk to him.

I didn't know him at the time but I understand he was at the very front as opposed to the cabin top or on sunpads.

My point is, I wouldn't be so sure that the boat would 'push you aside' if you went over board....
 
Portofino said:
This would be madness a person sat on the front , hence NEVER for my particular circumstances.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=bHRxWnk7yT4
Click to expand...
Agreed - even if in that video the waves are nowhere near as high as in my post #24.
The trouble with P speed is that the movements are much more hectic, and as a result, just hitting an irregular navigation wake can be enough to be thrown around. High bulwarks are likely to avoid a tragic outcome, which is good, but I wouldn't like to bang my head against them anyhow.... :ambivalence:
 
petem said:
@porto, what happened to that Vimeo vid of the Itama taking from a drone with the young ladies on the bow cushions? Seems to have disappeared. Did you download a copy?
Click to expand...

The vids gone .Pity.
I vaguely recall they were on the rear sun pad , but could be mistaken ? ?
I remember in one shot the helmsman on the L of field and the ladies on the R of shot behind him ? Camera person on the bathing platform kneeling to get a low ( none theses days PC ) angle .
You can’t really fall of that due to the glass at the side .Beside if you did by the time you hit the sea the boats 10 M up the road :) You won’t come in contact with the mincer blades .
 
MapisM said:
High bulwarks are likely to avoid a tragic outcome, which is good, but I wouldn't like to bang my head against them anyhow.... :ambivalence:
Click to expand...

Yes I haven’t considered that , cracking your nut or other fractured bone from falling off the fwd pad on a large FB and coming in contact with a bulwark , particularly if the surfaces are slippery from any spray when it’s windy .
I think those in the NO camp are worried about being somehow being sucked under the props after falling off sports cruisers .
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Share this page

Top