Something every boater needs to see...

[Shoemoo]

I recently bought my first inflatable pontoon intending to use it for stillwater and some leisurely floats, so I've been reading up on boating safety. Happened across this video and thought I'd share.

[video=youtube]

The scariest part is the current can grab you even if you approach the dam from downstream.

 

[toadfrog]

Thanks . I liked that scale model . Every kid needs to see that in school maybe when they are old enough to boat on there own they would remember . Or just messing around pools of water .

 

[BucktailJiger]

That happened not to far from where I live . Good spring Walleye fishing there . Thing is , it's not that big of a roller dam . Toad is right about that all kids should see that . Kids tube that river and tube right over the dam and keep right on going down river . Been more than 3 drownings there .

 

[AtticaFish]

Thanks for the video, will show it to my kids. We went kayaking on some flat-water yesterday with them and my daughter is very confident in hers. Could see her thinking she could skip right over something like that. On the other side of the coin - my son is afraid of everything - thinks the kayak will get a hole and sink it he bumps into a stick.

They need to get rid of the low head dams. Many of them around here have been removed because they really have no purpose anymore.

 

[StumpHunter]

That is a very good learning tool. Thanks for posting it and I hope a lot of people sees it. We have a lot of small dams that needs to be removed from our rivers, a few have been removed but there are many others that need to go.

 

[Shoemoo]

They kill more people than every other water hazard combined. Even experienced class V whitewater paddlers will not go near them. Part of the problem is they look so unthreatening, and they're all over the place.

One county here in Idaho has 24 of them. There's one right here in Boise on the Boise River. People float down the river on rafts and inner tubes in the summer, and it marks the end of the route. I've seen the dam from shore and remember thinking it didn't look dangerous. Now I know. There's portage around for people who want to continue downstream, and a line of buoys and warning sign in big, bright colors. The signs warn people of the danger, and a hefty fine if they go past the line of buoys.

 

[Jig Man]

Thanks for sharing shoemoo....