Aces High Bulletin Board
General Forums => The O' Club => Topic started by: TheWobble on February 13, 2001, 07:25:00 AM
-
A few Years ago I sold My friend Rick my 16.5 foot Procraft bass boat. I didnt use it anymore and was tired of paying storage. Well this morning he called and told me something I thought and hoped I would never hear.
Yesterday evening He and his friend and his friends girlfriend took the boat out to go for a ride as they often do, accept rick forgot to put the bilge plug in before he launched, he noticed the boat riding low in the water and put the plug in. He switched on the pump to get the water out but for some reason it didnt all of it, it didnt get alot of it, about 200 pounds worth. He didnt notice it and took off, the boat will go about 60mph wide open and thats the way they always run it. Well rick made a left turn and all that water shifted to one side, when he straightened it out the water sloshed back and over to the right side making the boat lean wildly to the right and the side of the boat knifed into the water doing an almost instant 180 degree turn, all of them were thrown out. He friend and his frineds GF were sitting in the front deck fishing set and when the front of the boat was spun out from under them the back came around and the prop struck the girl in the head killing her instantly. It will probably be ruled a freak accident and he will not be criminally liable for anything. But Those of you who have boats PLEASE remember that no matter how long you have had your boat or how well you know its characteristics, things can go wrong, please be careful.
We had been going to the lake on in that thing since we were 15, all those years of using it and not a single accident or mishap and now after 6 years THIS. I really dont know what to think about all of this, im still trying take it all in, I just wanted to mention it here, for some reason it make me feel better, and maby this will keep someone else from making a similar mistake.
-
Very sad story, and I could share more with you but I'd rather stress doing what I've done...make a safety check list prior to launching the boat and on the back side a safety check list prior to towing the boat, then laminate it in plastic. Safety procedures are easily forgotten once someone becomes accustomed to anything. I always read over the list prior to launching, and read the back side prior to towing...its funny, I can count several times when the most obvious thing can be forgotten, like a plug.
Boating is a very serious matter, but people don't look at them the same way as a car...they need to look at driving a boat even more seriously since you are indeed outside your element once floating on water.
-
Wobble
Very sorry to hear of your friends misfortune. My condolences.
Eagler
-
If the story is true, its truly sad.
If not.. classic wobble.
AKDejaVu
-
Living in Oregon and Idaho, I've done alot of boating. Ripsnort is very spot-on when it comes to how serious you take things out on the water. The inexperienced boater sinks boats, loses trucks on boat ramps and does your typically stupid stuff.
The experienced boaters check things over about 20 times. Still, the occasional mishap occurs. Forgetting the plugs is a common one. It even happened to us once. However, when it did happen... we did not put the plugs back in, fire up the bilge pump and assume it got all of the water out before firing the boat up to 60. Its your boat, you watch the water level go down and make damn sure more isn't coming in. Failure to do so is neglegence.
As for why I'd not believe the above story.. the above is one reason. A 60 MPH 16.5 foot boat is another reason. Of course its possible, but that's not much of a hull to help stability at high speeds. Also, I've done 70 MPH in a 20 foot bass boat before... NOBODY was sitting up front at the time. Doing 60 in a boat is not kick-back time.. its hold on for dear life time.
Wobble, I believe the story is based on truth, much like the "girlfriend's auto accident & settlement" story. You just need to stop embelishing or living so vicariously.
AKDejaVu
-
are you the redneck that other rednecks make fun of wobble?
-
I'm more of a city slicker. But, when you're stationed in Mt. Home Idaho, you have to do some Redneck stuff. Thus the bass-boat experience.
Most of my experience is ski-boat related. Such is the luxury of wealthy people working only 3 days a week during beautiful summers.
AKDejaVu
-
Thank you for posting it. Safety is always a good thing to preach. I'm sorry to hear it happened. My friends brother many years ago was out on the Columbia River and had a boating accident. They still aren't sure what really happened but drinking and drugs were involved they suspect. The strange thing was he didn't die in the boating accident. He swam to shore and in his half frozen (the Columbia is cold all year around) and probably drunk state he tried to flag down a train for help by standing in the middle of the tracks. It could have been a suicide from guilt over the accident they will never really know. The point is I guess as you said don't take your equipment for granted and don't drink out there on a boat either. Any accident can turn REAL bad if your trying to handle the accident and the alcohol on top of that.
-
I hadn't heard of that one Jimdandy.. sounds like something that would have made the news. A tragedy that never ended. How long ago was it?
AKDejaVu
-
I could give you countless situations of boating accidents around this area, wife works at Harbor View...however, one stands out...
A fellow with in I/O, forgets to hit the blower to exhaust all fumes from the engine after refilling the boat near a dock...his girlfriend is sitting on top of the nice padded engine housing when he hits the start key...the explosion from the fumes not only blew her and the engine cover off up into the air, but gave her 3rd degree burns, and placed her about 20 feet from the boat. She spent 2 weeks in the care of my wife and her co-workers afterwards.
[This message has been edited by Ripsnort (edited 02-13-2001).]
-
He swam to shore and in his half frozen (the Columbia is cold all year around) and probably drunk state he tried to flag down a train for help by standing in the middle of the tracks.
Oh...my...God...I think...I ...have ..pee'd...my...pants...laughing!
-
Yep those plugs are important. I went out in my cousin's boat once and we forgot to put the plugs in. We backed the boat off the trailer, went and parked the truck, came back to the boat and noticed it was really low in the water. That was when we realized we forgot to put the plugs in. We almost didnt get it back outta the boat ramp with my cousin's little Nissan pickup....he almost sank his boat because his truck was too small to haul the boat and all the extra water inside the hull. Not a tragic story, but it just shows you what can happen if you forget even the smallest details.
-
I've seen things you woouldn't believe. I've seen the entire upper deck/cabin/flybridge of a 45' Viking blow 50 feet in the air, spin and land on shore. I've seen a hull, burned to the water, 100 miles offshore. I've seen a skiboat wrapped around a bridge piling, with the mashed bodies inside. I've seen boats, trailer and truck sunk off the ramp. I've seen boats run completlty over another boat, killing everyone. I've seen a boat pump out 200 gallons of gasoline from the bilge into the harbor. I've seen a 2 million dollar boat hit a Offshore rig leg being towed and sink in 2 minutes(the mate risked his life to go below and get 5 pounds of frozen crawfish boudain).
All it takes to own a boat is money. Skill and common sense are not required.
-
Originally posted by AKDejaVu:
I hadn't heard of that one Jimdandy.. sounds like something that would have made the news. A tragedy that never ended. How long ago was it?
AKDejaVu
It was about 12-15 years ago. Man it doesn't seem like that long. If I remember right they were above the Bonnieville some place. Not as far up stream as Umitilla. That area before you really get into the gorge where the railroad tracks run along the river. It's been a long time.
[This message has been edited by Jimdandy (edited 02-13-2001).]
-
seems to me, if he was gonna commit suicide I don't think he woulda taken the time to swim to shore first. as for flagging down a train, people do some crazy stuff when they are that cold.......you don't really think straight.
-
The boat could do 60 EASY, it has a 115 Johnson on it(max rating was 130hp) I just relayed the story exactly as i heard it. If anything was inaccurate it isnt my fault.
I dont appreciate being called a liar BTW, my friend and myslef are going through alot because of this and the only reason I posted it was because I though it may remind some people to be careful, I wont bother again.
-
Actually, I accused you of embellishing and living vicariously.
I haven't called you a liar since your "girlfriend is awarded $100k" thread (http://bbs.hitechcreations.com/smf/Smileys/default/wink.gif)
And Jimdandy.. that time frame was when I lived in Idaho.. guess it explains why I haven't heard of it. That stuff gets around pretty fast with the crowd I hang with.. many actually live on Government island during the summer.
AKDejaVu
-
There was once a shepherd's boy named the wobble who minded a flock of sheep in the fields. By way of a joke, he would often shout: "Wolf!
wolf!"
This caused the men working in the neighbouring fields to run to the rescue, but after being deceived two or three times,
they decided to take no notice of the boy's shouts. Soon after, a wolf really came, and the wobble cried out in earnest.
But no one took any notice of his shouts, and so his sheep were killed.
-
That wasnt a wolf, it was Creamo and Me
And we didnt kill the sheep, we sexually harrassed them.
They now have their own Punk band where they play angst ridden music about how men are pigs and how their owner betrayed them, etc.