Almost disaster

[jharvey1984]

Scary moment for me yesterday. Just finished aerial 8 build out. Went to secluded ramp to break engine in. Came back and put in on semi crowded lake at home to just ride around and get the feel for the ski. Had a lanyard like the pic attached around my wrist.. Not exactly sure what happened but ended up going over bars (think i buried nose into a boat wake). Either way I bailed and next thing i know ski is idling off away from me towards the shore and some residential docks. Look down and the dang neoprene part had broken off right where it attaches to the bungee part. Not sure if lanyard got wrapped around bars or what but I just sat there in horror as the dang thing puttered off into the distance. It went about 300 yards and finally started turning left eventually tightening up and doing circles. Luckily there were no boats in the area. So I swam as fast as i could toward it and finally got in its path and was able to grab it and yank the lanyard.

Soooo. I say all this to ask if anyone has any ideas to keep this from happening again.

So far I ordered a “stronger" lanyard that clips to vest and a stronger looking one that velcroes around wrist. I think I'm also going to dial my idle down a bit so I have to blip the throttle ever so slightly to keep it running.

 

[SteveC]

I’ve had the cord wrap around grips a number of times, so I finally decided to wear the arm loop above my elbow instead of on my wrist, to take the slack out of it so it can’t as easily get looped around the grip. But most of the time I now use a lanyard that clips to life vest, which seems to be problem free.

 

[aboarder]

Keep you idle slightly rich, where you get good throttle response and the idle low enough that it can still idle on its own, but will load up fuel in the bottom end. I have one ski without a lanyard and one with. They both will die after 10 seconds of idle. The one without the lanyard will idle long enough to do a half circle and almost make it back to me. I've never had it go straight after falling off.

 

[800750]

Never let go of the bars.....but that's my opinion

 

[Quinc]

Let a new guy ride one of my couches with that same lanyard and same thing happened. Luckily it went in circles right away.

 

[Vumad]

Be careful with a lanyard too strong. They can get wrapped around the bars and drag you.

 

[DylanS]

I know a thing or two about Ariel 8’s running away..

 

[JetManiac]

Your pic is of an oem lanyard. They are fine to use, but when the neoprene wrist strap has been in the sun too long and getting old they will break quite easily.

 

[E350]

Finally, a topic I know something about and am really good at! -- Falling off.

1. I use the lanyard below velco'd tight to my wrist. No problems. The velcro lasts about three years. If JetManiac or Watcon sell them, buy from them.
(I don't do inverted, so cannot comment on wrapping the lanyard in those moves, but never has wrapped for me.)

2. I have the idle turned down low, so our skis don't really idle very long before dying.

3. The Buzzard once told me: "Never let go." And that has served me well on most falls. My left hand never leaves the handle bar, even if I am skimming along on my back. For those 45-50 mph FX1 incomprehensible "where did that come from?" falls, where you actually skip over the water with your body a couple of times before sinking in, I simply cannot hold on, that's where the lowered idle keeps the swimming down to between 30 and 50 feet.

4. Ski with your wife if, like me, she is a better jet (and snow) skier than you. If my wife is close enough to see me far away from my ski, she will drag me to my ski.