TRIDEEP                   ''HULL TYPES''SEMI                                                                                                                                        

I HAVE BEEN AROUND BOATS MOST OF MY LIFE, I HAVE BEEN THE CAPTAIN AND OWNER OF 14 VESSELS. IF YOU'RE PLANNING ON BUYING YOUR FIRST BOAT, LET ME HELP YOU AVOID ''THE POSSIBLE ROUGH SEAS AHEAD''. LET'S FIGURE OUT WHAT TYPE OF BOAT WILL BEST FIT YOUR NEEDS. DO YOU PLAN ON FISHING?, WATER SKIING? AND WHERE WILL YOU TAKE IT?, THE OCEAN?, A LAKE?... 

OK, LET'S SAY YOU'RE PLANNING TO USE IT MOSTLY AT THE LOCAL LAKE TO SKI. THEN I WOULD LOOK FOR A LOW PROFILE SEMI-VEE HULL. MAKE SURE IT HAS ENOUGH HORSE POWER TO PULL YOUR SKIER WITHOUT STRESSING THE SKIER OR BOAT MOTOR. {ITS A GOOD IDEA TO REMEMBER BOAT REPAIRS ARE COSTLY SO ALWAYS KEEP A GOOD EYE ON YOUR GAUGES. ALTHOUGH YOUR MOTORS RUNNING GOOD THINGS LIKE PLASTIC BAGS CAN GET CAUGHT ON YOUR DRIVE AND WILL CUT OFF YOUR WATER SUPPLY TO THE MOTOR. OR RUNNING WITH OUT YOUR MOTOR FAR ENOUGH DOWN IN THE WATER CAN CAUSE THE SAME PROBLEM. SO AGAIN, ALWAYS CHECK YOUR GAUGES AND IF THERE IS ANY SIGN OF A PROBLEM TURN THE BOAT OFF AND INVESTIGATE NO MATTER HOW MUCH FUN YOUR HAVING.) PULLING A SKIER UP IS BASICALLY LIKE AN ANCHOR THAT NEEDS TO BE PULLED UP BY YOUR BOATS POWER,. THIS DOES PUT A HEAVY LOAD ON YOUR MOTOR, SO THE GENERAL RULE WOULD BE AT LEAST 115HP ''OUTBOARD'' FOR UP TO A 17FT SKI BOAT WITH TWO OR THREE PASSENGERS. LOWER PROFILE BOATS RIDE ON TOP OF THE WATER FASTER. THEY DON'T DISPLACE AS MUCH WATER ''SMALLER WAKE'',  MAKING A MUCH SMOOTHER SKIER/SKIING EXPERIENCE.

. DEPENDING ON THE SIZE OF  THE LAKE A SMALLER WAKE IS BETTER FOR THE REST OF THE BOATERS.A DEEPER HULL BOAT (LARGE AMOUNTS OF WATER DISPLACING) ''LARGER WAKE'' MAKING ROUNDS IN YOUR SKIING AREA MIGHT NOT BE SUCH A SMOOTH EXPERIENCE, IT MAY FEEL LIKE A WASHING MACHINE.

 ALWAYS REMEMBER ITS YOUR DUTY TO PETECT YOUR SKIER WHEN THEY FALL MAKE SURE THE FLAG MAN IS KEEPING YOU INFORMED. AND THAT HE INSTANTLY RAISES THE RED FLAG. AT THAT TIME. LOOK OVER YOUR LEFT SHOULDER AND CIRCLE AROUND THE SKIER IN SUCH A WAY THAT ANY ONCOMING BOATS THAT DONT SEE THE FALLEN SKIER WILL HAVE TO HIT YOU BEFORE THEY CAN RUN OVER THE DOWNED SKIER.

 IF YOU'RE HEADING TO THE OCEAN TO FISH,  THEN THE DEEPER HULL BOAT WOULD SUIT YOU. ITS NOT ALWAYS TRUE BUT, THE BIGGER THE BETTER FOR OCEAN GOERS. THE OCEAN TENDS TO BE A LOT ROUGHER AND UNPREDICTABLE THAN ''MOST'' LAKES. THE DEEPER HULL WILL DISPLACE A LOT OF ROUGH WATER AHEAD,  MAKING FOR A SMOOTHER BOATING EXPERPERIANCE DO TO A STABELER RIDE. WARNING TO ALL FIRST TIME OCEAN CAPTAINS! WHEN YOU PUT YOUR BOAT IN THE WATER,NOBODY WILL ASK WHERE YOUR GOING, HOW LONG WILL YOU BE GONE, DO YOU HAVE OCEAN EXPERIENCE,WHERES YOUR COMPAS,RADIO,ECT. ITS A WHOLE NEW BALLGAME IN THE SEA. BRING SOMEONE THAT HAS EXPERIENCE OR WHEN YOU GET OUTSIDE THE BREAKWATER, YOU JUST MIGHT WISH YOU HAD! THE SEA IS VERY UNFOREGIVING,EVEN TO SALTY OLD DOGS LIKE ME.THERES BEEN MORE THAN ONE TIME I DIDNT THINK I WOULD MAKE IT BACK. PLEASE BE CARFULL.

 ENGINE SIZE IS JUST AS IMPORTANT AS CHOOSING THE RIGHT HULL.  THE MOTORS SIZE AND CONDITION CAN BE 2/3RDS OF THE WHOLE BOATS VALUE. DO YOUR RESEARCH ON BOAT SIZES AND GENERAL HP TO DRIVE THEM,THERE IS USUALLY A TAG ON BOATS THAT WILL RATE MAX HP.ALLOWED  IF POSSIBLE TRY TO STAY CLOSE TO THE MAX RATING DONT GO OVER OR YOU MIGHT LOSE THE BACK HALF OF YOUR BOAT,   NEVER GET CAUGHT UNDER OR OVER POWERED NO MATTER WHAT TYPE OF BOATING YOU PLAN ON!

A NOTE FOR OCEAN GOERS IF DONT HAVE A FRESH WATER SYSTEM,GET ONE,OUTBOARD OCEAN VESSELS FLUSH YOUR MOTOR WITH FRESH WATER FOR AT LEAST 5 TO 10 MINUTES A.S.A.P WHEN YOU TAKE IT OUT OF THE SALT WATER, ALSO RINSE YOUR TRAILOR ECT. .!!!!  BOATS CAN SURVIVE THE OCEAN WATER,BUT ONLY WITH YOUR HELP. IT WONT HAPPEN OVERNITE,MY BEST GUESS IS A UNCARED FOR SALTWATER OUTBOARD MOTOR WILL LOSE ABOUT 3/4 OF ITS LIFE.  

OK ,YOU HAVE YOUR NEW BOAT,REMEMBER  ''CAPTAIN'' YOU ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR YOUR PASSENGERS SAFETY. GET TO KNOW YOUR BOAT BEFORE YOU LOAD IT WITH ALL YOUR FRIENDS AND FAMILY,TAKE ONE OR TWO LEVEL HEADED PEOPLE WITH YOU ''LEAVE THE REST ON SHORE'' THEN TAKE YOUR BOAT OUT AS LONG AS IT TAKES UNTIL YOU GET THE  FEEL OF THE WAY IT HANDLES. FOR INSTANCE SOME BOATS TURN TIGHTER LEFT THEN THEY DO ON RIGHT TURNS, ECT.

 THERE WILL BE SITUATIONS OF PANIC, WHEN THEY COME,  STAY CALM, SUCH AS PULLING UP TO A DOCK WITH TO MUCH SPEED, REMEMBER YOU DONT HAVE BRAKES,SO PUT IT IN REVERSE GENTLY, IF YOU DONT AND THROW IT IN FULL THROTTLE REVERSE YOUR MORE APT TO CAUSE MORE HARM THEN GOOD..  YOUR ''IGNITION KEY'' IS YOUR NEXT OPTION ALWAYS REMEMBER, THAT BY TURNING  OFF YOUR BOAT MOTOR YOU WONT MAKE THINGS ''WORSE'' IN A TIME OF ''INDECISION'' DEPENDING ON YOUR SPEED, MOST BOATS THAT ARE NOT UNDER POWER  ''THE MOTOR NOT RUNNING'', CAN CAREFULLY BE GUIDED AWAY FROM OTHER BOATS,DOCKS ECT,BY POSITIONING YOUR SELF AT THE POINT OF CONTACT AND PUSHING OFF WITH YOUR HANDS..USE COMMON CENSE ACCORDING TO THE SITUATION,NEVER REACH OUT OF THE BOAT BELOW THE HIGHEST PART OF YOUR BOAT, MANY PEOPLE HAVE HAD THERE HANDS CRUSHED,GETING THEM CAUGHT BETWEEN THE VESSEL AND THE OBJECT THERE TRYING TO PUSH OFF ON.

 TO AVOID THE SITUATION I JUST DISCRIBED, ALWAYS APPROCH ANY STATIONARY OBJECT VERY SLOW,STARTING FROM AT LEAST 50 YARDS BE FOR REACHING YOUR PLANED STOPING POINT.... THE REASON I CHOSE THIS TYPE OF SITUATION IS,  LANDING ''PARKING'' YOUR VESSEL, TO A DOCK,ON SHORE OR EVEN A ''GOOD HEARTED EFFORD, TO HELP A DISSABLED VESSEL'', IS WHERE 50% OF BOAT DAMAGE AND INJURIES HAPPEN... ONE MORE TO REMEMBER, NEVER THROTTLE YOUR BOAT FROM A IDLE OR SLOW SPEED WITHOUT TELLING EVERYONE  ON YOUR BOAT ,OR YOU MIGHT HEAR  ''MAN OVER BOARD''!!!! 

 CAPTAIN, LEARN TO CONTROL YOUR BOAT AS WELL AS POSSIBLE MECHANICAL FAILURES,CHECK YOUR REQUIRED SAFETY GEAR,LEARN WHAT ALL NAVAGATIONAL MARKERS MEAN AND ALWAYS BE AWEAR OF YOUR SURROUNDINGS. AND PROTECT YOUR PASSENGERS,, IF THEY COMPLAIN YOUR TO STRICK,PAT YOUR SELF ON THE BACK BECAUSE YOUR DOING YOUR JOB!   AND ONLY THEN YOU CAN ENJOY YOUR BOAT.

 I HOPE SOME OF THIS INFORMATION WAS HELPFUL.AND GOOD LUCK!!  BILL