One of the difficulties that novice boaters experience when practising for boat races is dealing with the damage that their amateur boat handling skills inflict on their (often very expensive) watercraft. Here are two actions that these people can take to avoid damaging their boats during their practice sessions.
They should invest in a well-made bow thruster
One item that every novice boating enthusiast who is interested in the sport of boat racing should have is a high-quality bow thruster made by a well-known marine-component manufacturer. Whilst some boat races prohibit the use of bow thrusters during racing events, this component can still be of great use to novice boaters during the period when they are practising and are still trying to learn how to safely handle their watercraft. A bow thruster is a device which, when attached to a boat, can enable the person to 'thrust' the boat from the sides.
Having greater control over the sides of a boat can compensate for the often-clumsy or misguided boat-handling efforts of a novice boating enthusiast. For example, if a person moves their boat too close to another water vessel and then tries to turn their boat around, the presence of a bow thruster could make it easier for them to make this very sharp turn without hitting the other vessel with the side of their own boat.
In short, for a person who doesn't have much experience with marine-based motorsports, a bow thruster is not unlike a set of bicycle training wheels, as it provides them with a bit more control over their vessel whilst they're still trying to get to grips with operating it and thus helps to minimise the risk of them destroying their boat by crashing it during their practice sessions.
To learn about your options, contact a provider of products like Vetus thrusters.
They should consider hiring a private instructor
Another option that people in this situation should consider is hiring a private instructor who is familiar with this motorsport. Having an expert present on their boat whilst they practice for their races could allow them to make mistakes (and learn from these errors), whilst still keeping their racing vessel intact.
An instructor can monitor the boater whilst they operate the boat and should be able to use their expertise to predict and warn this person if any specific boat-handling errors they make are likely to have any catastrophic repercussions. If they can see that the boater has made a mistake that needs to be rectified immediately to stop the boat from crashing, then they can take over the driving of this vessel before it's too late.