Letting your kid take your boat?

[CDE]

I agree with IcePro. If you trained her well, No Problems.

Went through the same thing 14 years ago. No regrets

[fasternu]

As many times my dad and I went in the boat together, by the age of 12 I knew the boat almost as well as he did. Our deal was when I got my boat safety card (required in MN for anybody under 16) I could take the boat. He had no problems, I treated it with respect knowing that if I wrecked it, it would take away some of our fishing trips. 25 years later, my dad is borrowing my boat for a trip or two. If you trust your kids, and taught them ahead of time, it shouldn't be any big deal!

[Bassman55]

I've been taking my dads boat out since I was 16. It was a 1985 Skeeter with a 115 on it then. Now its a new nitro and I'm 26, but he still tells me the same thing. Every time I bring up buying my own boat he tells me he doesn't use his enough, treat it with respect, and fix anything you break. He also expects me to help with maintenance and cleaning. Even when my dad is with, which is probably 90% of the time, I usually drive to the lake and run the boat all day anyways. So like its been said before you know your daughter, if she can handle the boat and everything else, let her take it.

[Gardiner14]

I pretty much let my son drive me around in the boat, let him pick spots to fish, and let him figure out how long to sit there.

Iv done the same with my dad for a few years not. When we go fishing i pretty much take him out. Im 17 now been taking my dads boat since i was about 15 and have never had one problem. Since i was like 12 when we would go i would do most every thing when it came to the boat and fishing(drive, run trolling motor,pick spots,and lakes). He knows when i say im going fishing, im going fishing. Im not going to screw around the lake and wreck things.

Last summer was the first summer in many many years i did not go fishing with my dad once. I went many times but he was either busy or i didnt want to go fishing with him. Some of you said you seemed to be missing a few good lures from your tackle boxes from your kids, well i stated to notice my tackle box wasent in order and some of my rods had different lures on them than i remember....

[fishgutz77]

this may seem alittle harsh but,

when I had my 16' procraft with a 40 mariner on it I'd say sure.

the ZX2050 with the hpdi 250 the T8 kicker, 3,000 in electronics, no way.

first I don't want to put them in a position to hurt themselves or anybody else in a mishap. they both do fine when out on the lake and going spot to spot and trolling,

but getting caught in a bad storm and having to land the boat in a hurry under bad conditions is a recipe for disaster. The other thing is you cant take the boat unless you have the ability to pay for any and all damage right up to the whole rig. I don't want to put that on them even if they are 18 and 30.

[Jcup]

Isn't that what insurance is for? I would say with a nice boat like that, you have it well covered by insurance. If they can cover the deductible I would then think its okay. Just a thought, not trying to be rude.

[Thunderfoot]

Plenty of people have weighed in on this already so some of this may be repetitive but here goes anyway....

For me it's a judgement call, regardless of age or sex. I know some 15 year olds that I absolutely would trust with a $15,000+ rig, male and female. On the flipside I know some 40 year olds that I would NEVER EVER trust with a $500 rig, male and female, even if they proved to me multiple times when I was with that they can do it. You need to know the person and be able to judge how they act in high pressure situations. Some people handle it well, others absolutely can not handle it, and generally it's fairly obvious.

My Dad lets me borrow his Harley on a regular basis, with no questions asked, and that is his and my Mom's baby, they've been working toward getting one for a very long time. However, I have and uncle in his 40's that they won't even consider loaning it to because odds are more favorable that it will be trashed rather than them getting it back intact.

It's all judgement regardless of how much the rig is worth, though if you have the option to let them use their own, cheaper rig that can be a great learning experience as well. If they don't take care of it and it gets trashed right away then you know not to let them take the nice rig. I also believe that insurance is a good idea for any set-up worth more than a couple thousand bucks. You never know what can happen, whether it's your kids, a friend or you using it.

Joe

[Littlefish1597]

I am allowed to take my dads boat out alone and am 15. I have my minnnesota watercraft operators permit. My parents said I can take the boat when I turn 16. I know the ropes on it. Its pretty much the same as your fisher except an alumacraft with a Yamaha 50. (My mom's afraid something will go wrong if, I mean when I get a muskie alone in the boat)

[SkunkedAgain]

If someone (kid, wife, friend) invests the time to learn how to do things the way I want it done, then I'll trust them with the boat. If they can't be bothered with putting in the time to learn everything, then I won't be bothered by saying "no."

[169Sportsman]

Definitely depends on the person regardless of age. My dad got a brand new boat 17 foot with a 110 inboard when I was 13. Whenever we were camping and the boat was in the water I would take it by myself. By 15 I was taking it with friends who could drive. Even when my dad was with I always loaded and unloaded it as I had done it many more times than him. I even loaded it in 4 foot waves in the middle of the night as he watched. My dad trusted me with his boat until he passed away and my mom still trusts me with the boat no questions asked. And I have never had any major problems.

[erikwells]

Kids taking the old mans boat out is cool as long as they know how to safely operate and they understand how to be considerate of others using the lake. I've seen great future boaters and then I've seen kids where mom and dad are just pleased to have the kids out of their hair and the kids are a royal pain in the as# for everyone else on the water. If you are asking the question you get it but there are too many others that are just happy to have the kids out of sight and the folks using the lake get to deal with it.

[harvey lee]

+1, if they are taught well, no issues at all. Trouble is, there are to many who believe they own the lake when they get in the boat without Dad around.

[harvey lee]

Plenty of people have weighed in on this already so some of this may be repetitive but here goes anyway....

For me it's a judgement call, regardless of age or sex. I know some 15 year olds that I absolutely would trust with a $15,000+ rig, male and female. On the flipside I know some 40 year olds that I would NEVER EVER trust with a $500 rig, male and female, even if they proved to me multiple times when I was with that they can do it. You need to know the person and be able to judge how they act in high pressure situations. Some people handle it well, others absolutely can not handle it, and generally it's fairly obvious.

My Dad lets me borrow his Harley on a regular basis, with no questions asked, and that is his and my Mom's baby, they've been working toward getting one for a very long time. However, I have and uncle in his 40's that they won't even consider loaning it to because odds are more favorable that it will be trashed rather than them getting it back intact.

It's all judgement regardless of how much the rig is worth, though if you have the option to let them use their own, cheaper rig that can be a great learning experience as well. If they don't take care of it and it gets trashed right away then you know not to let them take the nice rig. I also believe that insurance is a good idea for any set-up worth more than a couple thousand bucks. You never know what can happen, whether it's your kids, a friend or you using it.

Joe

Well said.

[LindellProStaf]

I too agree with Joe. Respect is the word!!!

[DaveZman14q]

Dont forget to make sure you get them to vaccuum and wax the boat whenever needed!