I once took out a novice on a 19-foot powerboat with a 150-horsepower outboard. The biggest shock that this person had was realizing that he wasn't even close to stopping where I indicated he should. Luckily it was open water, and the stop target was a lobster buoy, because we overshot the position by more than 60 feet. After several re-trys, the novice was able to perform the task with ease coming off full throttle and with proper planning and anticipation. I'll never forget the expression on his face when he came to the realization that boats have no brakes to apply coming off full throttle. Thank God, I had him try this in open water and not a congested marina nor with many other watercraft about. Some serious damage and injury was avoided, and the novice learn a very important boating rule; anticipate!

– Steve Alyward