One of many SHTs I've done

[Floridaguy32514]

So, my old boss calls me up (We hauled boats for the insurance companies) And tells me he bought a boat from a local dealer, to use a parts for a boat he was fixing up, and asked me to go pick it up. So I go down to the CAR dealership it was at (should of been my first clue to make sure nothing was wrong first) hooked up to the trailer, made sure the boat was tied down, and pulled out, I made it about 300 yards up the road, just around the big blind curve on the busy 4 lane road, when I hear this god awful explosion, and I see the boat and trailer sliding sideways, and the axle shooting across the road.


You guessed it, the U-bolts were rusted out, and the first bump I hit sent the axle flying, some how not hitting any cars, but gave several people a heart attack, so I lock my truck in 4x4, and managed with everything my turbo diesel had to get the trailer and boat over the curb and into the grass (mind you this is a 20ft bowrider, should of been no problem to drag) and start figuring my next course of action, which of course, is cuss myself for not checking out the trailer, then figure out what to actually do ha.

Well, we were pretty good buddies with this paticular dealer, as he bought a lot of the boats we had that weren't badly damaged, repaired and sold them, so I unhook this POS from my truck, drive back to the dealership, where everyone is surprised to see me back with out the trailer, and even more confused when I drive out of the back lot with the 40ft flatbed trailer behind me. so here I go, pull up on the side of the road in front of this boat, park my truck and big trailer. Then I walk back to the lot, get the mechanic and the backhoe and tell him whats going on, as we passed a very worried looking owner in his backhoe heading onto the street. we get there, we run straps under the boat and trailer and onto the backhoe bucket. lift this whole contraption in the air, and back my truck under it, strap it down, and I tell him, "you take the EDIT backhoe back, I'm down walking, and drive to my bosses.

Boy was the look on his face priceless when his new parts boat showed up like that.

 

[MH Hawker]

Re: One of many SHTs I've done

Don't you just hate days like that.

 

[Floridaguy32514]

Re: One of many SHTs I've done

Here's the next one, that Happened a few weeks ago.


I just bought my new to me 2000 18ft Pro-line Center Console with a 90hp Johnson, Took my boaters safety class, and after a few fishing trips I decide to be Mr Romance and take my girlfriend to dinner at a local seafood place on the beach, by boat, and tie up at the docks and go eat. (This SHT is partially mine for being new, and partially the manager of the resturant)

So I call this place up, and ask the Manager what landmarks to look for, since I have never been by boat to their resturant, and my GPS is still on the christmas list. The manager asks where I'm coming from, and he tells me to go under the toll bridge, and look for the first cove / opening / whatever you call it, marked with a BOUY (This becomes important later in the story), and turn in there and it will lead me to their resturant.

So I load the old lady up, having her conviced we're going to this great fishing spot I heard about, and I pass the bridge and see the first cove marked with a bouy, slow down and start heading in at about 5knots or so. when I get to where I'm about to enter this cove, I notice a symbol from my boaters safety class on the bouy, and read it just in time to see it says "DANGER ROCKS". I begin freaking out, but trying to not let her know I'm nervous, the current is to strong for me to reverse it and stop in time, since I can now see the rocks under water, but I manage to kill the motor and trim it up enough, right as I Hear the horriffic sound of rocks scraping my hull, and my depth finder going insane as it crosses the rocks. I trim the motor back down and slowly start motoring around these rocks, trying to find away around, I thought about jumping out and pushing the boat across a low spot since the water was only 5ft deep, but the current was too strong, there was no way I was moving the boat. So I finally find an opening, in this what turns to be a very long underwater barrier wall for the waterstation on the beach. one problem, it's only as wide as my boat, and the current is blowing across it, so I get my redneck engineer skills thinking, and I pray I timed it just right, where the current would push me into the opening as I'm flying straight at the rocks. so I back off some, take aim, and throttle about half way, get right by the rocks, and kill the motor, and by a grace of god my redneck skills were dead on, I slid through with no additional damage.

I am now mildly angry at this resturant, but I decide to take her anyway, so I throw the anchor, and get her busy fishing, while I google map this place and look at the satelite view (while getting yelled at that I'm playing on my phone while I should be fishing, of course) Then I tell her we're moving again, pull anchor, after checking my blige area numerous times to make sure I'm not taking on water, and head to where this place is suppse to be, I found the buildings I was looking for, saw the cove, which is very well marked with CHANNEL MARKER POLES not a friggin bouy. So I turn in, find this place, and get tied up, (which was very fun doing for the first time, on a dock that is made for much higher / bigger boats than yours) and take her to eat, even though I scared her half to death, She had a blast, was very surprised, and happy, me and the manager had a talk, and I was given my food for 75% off, and told to call them if I develop any problems from.

Turns out, I had 2 small holes in the bottom of the hull from it, but they didn't start showing water till later that day when I noticed my blige was running more than usual, they weren't bad, I was able to finish our fishing trip, take her home, and patch her up for $20 bucks, so I still came out cheaper than our food should of been. Once I knew the repair was fixed, I made sure I had a few extra tie downs on the boat, and used my buddies skid steer to lift the trailer and bow very high in the air and hold it there for a few minutes to make sure all the water drained out.

(I recommend everyone doing that once in a while if they have access to equipment, or can get it, You would be very surprised how much water holds in there in some boats. I try to do it every two weeks, but since I work nights and don't sleep much, I'm on the water at least 2-3 times a week (slowing that down with the cold coming near )

 

[floattest]

Re: One of many SHTs I've done

I like florida guy, he's funny.

one thing to say is; going to a place on any water for the very first time should raise a flag for all captains.

I learned that the hard way and it's changed my thinking now for all boat trips.

I don't think you're stupid tho, you did good all things considered.

Nice save!

 

[Floridaguy32514]

Re: One of many SHTs I've done

Ok, next story,

Went out to a new fishing spot I've heard of, launched at the river by my house, went through the grass flats and out into the open bay, being a new boater, and sure that of all things, things in the boating world would make sense, we head out. The catching was good so we stayed longer than planned, and it got dark. so we decide to start heading in, and realize, this extremely busy (apprently not when I needed it to be) shipping channel up river, is not marked, not only no light bouys, no bouys at all. I cannot see anything. the grass is tall enough I can't even see the bridge that has the only marked markers are. We spent 2 hours heading up the different openings, finding deadends, and shallow spots to the point we would bottom the boat out and have to back off. we we're about at the point of just throwing anchor and sleeping in the damned boat when someone on shore realized what was going on, and flashed us with a spot light and flagged us to his dock. lowered his small Center console, and led us back to the ramp. Saving the day for us.

Dunno who heard about this incident, but the next week they were putting non lit can bouys marking the channel