Honey I sunk the boat

B

bridma

New member
Harry asked for any funny boat sinking stories. This one still makes me laugh.
My mate was backing his 20ft cuddy boat and outboard down the ramp for launching. I was holding the dock lines. The boat was launched into deep water and my mate drives off to park the truck and trailer. I'm holding the rope and the boat starts sinking. My mate had not put the stern drain plug in. I haul the boat back into shallower water, it now turns 90 degrees to the dock and sits on the bottom. Completely blocking the launch ramp. Other boats and trailers are backing up like crazy waiting to launch. I can not repeat their language on this forum. My mate returns to the ramp, sees what has happened, and runs back to his truck to get the plug. He returns in a panic saying that he has locked his truck keys in the cab. With no time to lose, he finds a big brick and is just about to smash the window, when I notice through the rear canopy the window is open. I reach through, unlock the drivers door, he grabs the plug and we run back to the dock. The incoming tide is in danger of submerging the boat. He runs in fully clothed, puts the plug in, and then bales the boat out like crazy to make it float again. The back up at the ramp is now miles long and loads of people have gathered to watch this gong show. It makes me laugh just writing this and remembering that day. So glad it was not my boat.

Martin.
 
ok some of you have heard this story before but I still find it funny.

When James, my son, was 5 we had a 12 ft Delhi alum boat with a 25 hp motor. We went to the lake and launch the boat. I handed James a line and told him to keep the boat at the dock until I got back, and keep a eye on it while I parked the truck and gathered up our gear. When I walked back to the ramp there was James feeding the duck our lunch on the left side of the pier and the boat sunk on the right side of the pier, but he was still holding the rope as all my gear was floating out of the boat. I had left the plug out but the look on James face when I asked where the boat was, was priceless.

Good thing the water was only a 1 1/2 deep so the boat settled on the bottom with the bow sticking out. I just dragged it out of the water and drained it and my gear. We ended up fishing and taking our limit of trout that day.
 
The boat is fine. The truck, however...

P5094141.jpg


One of my dive buddies snapped this picture at the Marina del Rey (CA) launch. An Arizona couple backed their trailer into the water without releasing the tie downs first. The boat lifted the trailer and rear wheels of the truck. The truck and trailer both ended up un the water. By the time the tow truck arrived, the truck had spun around 90 degrees. They hooked up to the rear of the trailer and pulled the entire mess out of the water backward.
I posted the picture right away, and within a day there were dozens of websites carrying it, all with people guessing aboiut how it could have happened. Most thought the couple tried to drive straight into the water.
 
Ok I was coming to the dock nice and smooth...just a little bit of reverse to stop the forward motion. Exit the cabin, grab the dock lines and jump onto the dock. I was about to tie off on a cleat when I noticed that the boat was pulling me to the end of dock. What a strong current. I fought it best as I could but I was running out of dock. At the last second I made a last ditch jump onto the boat and headed to the cabin to use some power to overcome that nasty current....when I noticed that I had left the motor slightly in reverse. Two more seconds fighting that "current" and the boat would have been headed to Japan without me. Ever since I make sure the motors are fully in neutral before exiting the cabin.
 
ok I will admit to one more act of stupidity.

I took my nephew Pat fishing in Ice house lake in early spring. This is during the spring run off when the lake is raising 5 to 10 ft a day with snow melt. Lets just say a polar bears balls would be in danger if it fell in.

Well there is no dock at the ramp so I beached the boat and went to get the truck. I backed up the truck and told my nephew to sit in the truck and wait. I motored the boat to the trailer and on to it. That's when I realized that I could not get out of the boat with out getting wet. Even thou I have a set they are not covered with white fur. So I yelled to the kid, age 13 or so, to put the truck in gear and idle up the ramp. Which he did just fine and I was able to jump out of the boat with out getting wet. I walked up along the truck and told the kid to put it in park.....That's when he put it into neutral and him the truck and the boat all rolled back into the lake and sank.... I was able to get him out the door and on to the ramp but we were both soaked and it was getting dark.

Some one in a near by camp ground head the truck go in and came over to see what the hell was going on, They were able to get us dry and warm and call my brother to come get us. In the morning I went back with a tow truck and we got the boat out. The driver, a friend of mine, rode in a small boat until he was over the truck and then jumped in with the cables and hooks. He has a fur covered set but they were not seen until late summer that year. The truck boat all ran for two more years until i sold them.. at a profit :wink:
 
Just in case!

When launching or retrieving your boat - Open the windows, have all passengers out of the vehicle and REMOVE YOU SEAT BELT.
This way if the whole rig goes in the drink you can swim out and everybody else is safe.

Drive the rig yourself and set the parking brake in addition to putting the vehicle in park if you plan to exit the vehicle.

Have a check list for launching. Plug is in. gas in turned on. motor is tilted up (so as not to drag the foot on the ramp). unhook all tie down straps and winch straps, etc.

Murphy says if s**t will happen it will happen.

As the Boy Scouts say "Be Prepared". :lol:
 
Just in case!

When launching or retrieving your boat - Open the windows, have all passengers out of the vehicle and REMOVE YOUR SEAT BELT.
This way if the whole rig goes in the drink you can swim out and everybody else is safe.

Drive the rig yourself and set the parking brake in addition to putting the vehicle in park if you plan to exit the vehicle.

Have a check list for launching. Plug is in. gas in turned on. motor is tilted up (so as not to drag the foot on the ramp). unhook all tie down straps and winch straps, etc.

Murphy says if s**t will happen it will happen.

As the Boy Scouts say "Be Prepared". :lol:
 
Back
Top