Freestyle Test ride ettiquette(and common sense!)

[aero92x]

Bump for good measures and noobs to surf.

 

[Sanoman]

Nice thing about my old surf ski,no one will ask to ride it!

 

[yamanube]

Nice thing about my old surf ski,no one will ask to ride it!

I mean...if you're offering.

 

[Sanoman]

I mean...if you're offering.

You are more than welcome to ride it!

 

[Tim]

This reminds me of World Finals in Lake Havasu at a clinic given by Ric Roy several years ago. Ric Roy let us all ride his personal ski and said specifically " I don't want to see the bottom of my hull". The very first time Jimmy Visser got on Ric's ski, he made a wake and barrel rolled it! C'mon guys, show some respect. No matter if you are pro caliber - ASK before you attempt ANY maneuver that might compromise a guy's toy - no matter how expensive.

Tim

 

[Big Kahuna]

This reminds me of World Finals in Lake Havasu at a clinic given by Ric Roy several years ago. Ric Roy let us all ride his personal ski and said specifically " I don't want to see the bottom of my hull". The very first time Jimmy Visser got on Ric's ski, he made a wake and barrel rolled it! C'mon guys, show some respect. No matter if you are pro caliber - ASK before you attempt ANY maneuver that might compromise a guy's toy - no matter how expensive.

Tim

You coming to Daytona?

 

[NiagaraMike]

I have read and heard so many stories of guys taking $30 k boats out for a test ride and beating the piss out of it like it was their own ski! I own a $30 k ski and have let people ride it but only those i trust and those that can pay for it of they break it! I know some things will break no matter who is on it but those go unsaid.

Heres my common idea and sense thoughts on demo rides:

Like they do at rental places- make a rider put a credit card down before they can ride.
If the rider is in the market for a ski of that nature he/she should have the funds to buy one.

If you cant or have never tried to backflip before, dont go trying it on someone elses ski unless they are telling you to.

Offer to pay for fuel when you ride. At 9+ a gallon for race gas which most of us run, a test ride costs at least $15.

I could probably go on and on but my hand is hurting from typing on my phone in a cast.

Moral of the story, use common sense! We spend a lot of our hard earned cash to build awesome skis, dont hop on them and beat them like they are your own. Please respect the fact that guys are kind enough to let you ride their skis......they can always say no

The trouble with common sense is it is not common!

Well said and sorry that it has to be said. MUTUAL Respect goes a long ways! Maybe others could add add to this and it could be made into a printable contract!

Some words of wisdom from the past that still make sense today: "Neither a lender nor a borrower be" and "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.' Some might call you a sucker for lending your machine when they can rent. Once you give them the machine it is out of your hands. One way to lose a potential friend? Lend them money because every time you see them you might think "where's my money? "and they will simply out and out avoid you so it doesn't come up. You cannot be hurt by a user if you say no and you have every right because you have saved long and hard to buy that machine. Nice to be generous... buy them a beer instead! OR show them how well it rides under YOUR control.

 

[AAlamo]

The conclusion I have come to from owning some nice skis is that if your friends or potential friends can’t afford to own one, they can’t ride one either. And when they ask to, I ask them if they are going to replace it if they sink it. They usually understand that they can’t, and don’t ask again. I’ve got some cheap beaters I’ll let them ride all day, and it’s just as much fun!

 

[kevbo]

I could never let noobs loose on my old X2, they would always have it swamped after a few minutes.

 

[roman]

Ive played this game with others and "friends". What is important to me is how things are handled "if" something happens.

If something happens, you better be offering to pay or fix it! Then its up to my discretion if I think you actually caused the problem, whether or not it would have happened to me (one example that comes to mind is I had someone driving my boat where I told them to drive it, and we struck bottom and bent a prop. Totally my fault even though I was not the one driving. That was on me).

I would let almost anyone ride/try my toys, but I also have people who I dont trust anymore.

I also don't own a 10k or above ski. Its also nice to comp people for their troubles/wear and tear/consumables. You are more likely to receive that treatment though from someone who actually is in the sport and understands the troubles.

As far as test rides for sale are concerned. That's tricky. You want people to stay excited, so you want some hooning. But if the test drive is too restrictive that's no fun either and almost makes you question if they are hiding something.