On Sunday I was towing my 2005 Glastron after a weeklong boating trip in Arkansas for a small family reunion. I was driving a 2000 Explorer that I had since new and was by myself. I am pretty experience towing boats with my Explorer. It had rained in the morning but the sun was out when I left. I only got a couple miles away when heading down a pretty steep curvy hill I could no longer slow down due to the slickness of the roads and weight of the boat. I was tapping on the brakes trying to slow down with minimal luck. I managed to make one turn somewhat successfully but the next one was too much and I went straight into a tree. Airbags went off and boat came crashing through the cargo area.
I had all my straps on the boat on (two on rear, brand new winch strap on front, safety chain connected on front, and I also used a rope and a large yellow 8000lb rated sling to help secure the boat). The two rear straps ripped in half, the entire winch assembly on the trailer snapped off, allowing the boat to crash into the back of the Explorer. I think the sling prevented the boat from going further into the Explorer and snapped the boat back onto the ground.
A police officer was at the bottom of the hill leaving a wreck a mile away and pretty much saw the entire accident. I was going extremely slow up the hill (15mph) and pulled over at the top to let a truck pass me. That truck also saw a lot of the wreck. I wasn't issued any citations or anything because the officer could tell what happened. The driver and passenger of the truck also told the officer how slow I was going at the top.
I'm still not sure those rear straps should have ripped in half but in the future I am always going to make sure I have high quality and high force rated ones. Unfortunately I didn't take pictures of the ripped straps.
Fortunately there were no major injuries. I hit my nose pretty hard on the airbag causing some cuts but nothing serious. I was very lucky.
This is always going to make me very cautious in the future when towing anything. If I had been driving a truck or if somebody had been in my back seat there is a good chance fatalities would have happened from the boat.
Here are some pictures: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/fkey5jyr49zkkom/AAAYgPZEgRmp58tQhWj-d7Eaa
I have full coverage insurance on the boat and Explorer. I have a $9700 agreed upon value for the Boat and trailer. I am waiting to hear from insurance. I can't imagine anyway this boat is repairable, and at this point I really really hope it is a total loss.
I had all my straps on the boat on (two on rear, brand new winch strap on front, safety chain connected on front, and I also used a rope and a large yellow 8000lb rated sling to help secure the boat). The two rear straps ripped in half, the entire winch assembly on the trailer snapped off, allowing the boat to crash into the back of the Explorer. I think the sling prevented the boat from going further into the Explorer and snapped the boat back onto the ground.
A police officer was at the bottom of the hill leaving a wreck a mile away and pretty much saw the entire accident. I was going extremely slow up the hill (15mph) and pulled over at the top to let a truck pass me. That truck also saw a lot of the wreck. I wasn't issued any citations or anything because the officer could tell what happened. The driver and passenger of the truck also told the officer how slow I was going at the top.
I'm still not sure those rear straps should have ripped in half but in the future I am always going to make sure I have high quality and high force rated ones. Unfortunately I didn't take pictures of the ripped straps.
Fortunately there were no major injuries. I hit my nose pretty hard on the airbag causing some cuts but nothing serious. I was very lucky.
This is always going to make me very cautious in the future when towing anything. If I had been driving a truck or if somebody had been in my back seat there is a good chance fatalities would have happened from the boat.
Here are some pictures: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/fkey5jyr49zkkom/AAAYgPZEgRmp58tQhWj-d7Eaa
I have full coverage insurance on the boat and Explorer. I have a $9700 agreed upon value for the Boat and trailer. I am waiting to hear from insurance. I can't imagine anyway this boat is repairable, and at this point I really really hope it is a total loss.