Feel like I let fellow boater down?

[palace]

So last night my son and I launch at sunset to get early start fishing in the AM. Well there is this old guy with an old 17 foot 80's open bow, out board (which by looks is somewhat neglected). As we are launching he says to me "it just died". I say sorry. I get my son tied up to the dock and as I am getting back into the car. The same guy as if I could tow him back up the hill to get some gas in his boat. I told him sorry again and that I really want to get out on the water.

I felt kind of bad for the guy but, you should be responsible to get your boat out of the water with your trailer. Not sure how the guy launched in the first place.

So was I a A....Hole for not helping this guy? What do you guys think?

Oh Yeah fishing the morning of a full moon. NOTH'N!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[pevaguy]

Re: Feel like I let fellow boater down?

You may always wonder how the fishing might have been if you had helped the old guy out, who knows.

 

[tpenfield]

Re: Feel like I let fellow boater down?

It seems like the guy was asking for help . . .

 

[LippCJ7]

Re: Feel like I let fellow boater down?

I'm not going to judge you, thats not up to me.

I would have helped, in front of my son I absolutely would have helped.

But I am who I am and you are who you are.

 

[Bondo]

Re: Feel like I let fellow boater down?

So last night my son and I launch at sunset to get early start fishing in the AM. Well there is this old guy with an old 17 foot 80's open bow, out board (which by looks is somewhat neglected). As we are launching he says to me "it just died". I say sorry. I get my son tied up to the dock and as I am getting back into the car. The same guy as if I could tow him back up the hill to get some gas in his boat. I told him sorry again and that I really want to get out on the water.

I felt kind of bad for the guy but, you should be responsible to get your boat out of the water with your trailer. Not sure how the guy launched in the first place.

So was I a A....Hole for not helping this guy? What do you guys think?

Oh Yeah fishing the morning of a full moon. NOTH'N!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Ayuh,.... So yer sayin' the guy launched his boat, 'n It's outa gas, or his tow vehicle,..??

If the Boat is outa gas,... Tuff,... shoulda Thought of that earlier...

If his truck was blockin' the launch,... Ya, I'd drag 'em outa the way, to a gas pump, if Close by...

Or are ya sayin' he wanted to put his boat, on Yer wagon, to get to the gas pump,..??

 

[jigngrub]

Re: Feel like I let fellow boater down?

Yup, A-hole. The next time someone denies you help you need to remember what you did last night.

... and the next time someone helps you out you need to feel like a triple dog A-hole for not helping the old guy out.


You'd have loaded the boat with fish if you'd helped the old timer out... the fishing gods were watching.

 

[Howard Sterndrive]

Re: Feel like I let fellow boater down?

could tow him back up the hill to get some gas in his boat.

you might have saved him a heap of headaches by keeping him on dry land.... after launching isn't the time to check the gas gauge

I suppose you could invite him out with you and your son...maybe he'd give you that gas money for your properly maintained boat.

maybe he knows where the fish go after a full moon

maybe he just dumped a body and that's what chased the fish off

 

[Barnacle_Bill]

Re: Feel like I let fellow boater down?

That would bother me for a very long time had I refused to help somebody. As you get older sometimes you forget things. Don't ask how I know.

 

[glenn property of pam]

Re: Feel like I let fellow boater down?

i would be willing to help anyone but for him to ask you to trailer his boat up the hill would have been crossing the line and a little odd. maybe he got his wife to drop him off and would return later for pick-up ive done that myself which would be a messed up situation had i forgot to get any gas. i might ask for help to get a can of gas but im not sure i would ask for someone to load my boat and run me to a gas station. i dont think your a A-hole if you was going fishing as sunrise is short lived and he was not in any danger. had the guy been floating in the channel then not helping would be a major A-hole

 

[T_Herrod]

Re: Feel like I let fellow boater down?

I would have helped the old guy out........But that's just me.

 

[theBrownskull]

Re: Feel like I let fellow boater down?

I would have tried to help him. It would only take 5 minutes to check out his situation. I was not there so I can't judge. If it happens again just check out the situation and see if you can help.

 

[foodfisher]

Re: Feel like I let fellow boater down?

Karma, Circle, Do unto others, yeh, I would have helped. I think you're conscience agrees.

 

[emoney]

Re: Feel like I let fellow boater down?

Why sure you did the right thing. I mean, come on, some old guy was going to waste your time with his problems? For all we know, he might not have had any money and was probably hungry too. Sheesh, the nerve of some people. More people need to be like you and only think about themselves. I mean, it was primo fishing time, right?
Next thing you know, cashiers at gas-n-go's will start being friendly, or companies will waste their time with "Customer Service"...bleckk.
Helping out a fellow boater??? What the heck is this world coming to?
What happened to the good old days anyway? Why when I was a kid, we would've not only not helped the guy, we would've tried to swamp him when we took off to, you know, to send a message.


**Disclaimer** the above post was written in dripping sarcasm and does not reflect the actual opinion of the writer.

 

[1stgenbird]

Re: Feel like I let fellow boater down?

I broke down on the water last Sunday. There wasn't any boat traffic other than kayaks and sailboats. Suddenly a guy in a bass boat came by an I asked him for a tow. He was vary gracious and towed me quite a ways to the launch ramp. If he said "no" I might be still out there. Us boaters have to stick together and help each outer out.

 

[matt167]

Re: Feel like I let fellow boater down?

If I'm following this right, most likely the guy launched his boat at a different marina/ launch facility. He either wanted his boat towed out and to the gas pumps on a 'borrowed' trailer, or he wanted to pull his gas tank ( if it was a non permanent tank ) and catch a ride to the gas pumps... I'd have probably gotten gas for him if his tank was removable and the tank vent didn't leak, but wouldn't put his boat on my trailer



My dad owned a '73 Starcraft Chieftan quite a few years ago and it had a 140hp Mercruiser I/O. Mechanically it was sound, but visually it was a wreck ( tree fell on the cabin at previous owners and we fixed it up, but at that time interior was still rough ). One day we were out trolling and the engine quit. Dad looked at it and noticed the distributor cap or something was messed up. No spares in the cabinet, so we hailed the coast guard, put out the flags and everything like your supposed to. The Blue Ghost came on the radio and said they were near and would give a tow. The Blue Ghost arrived before the coast guard, and they gave us a tow. We thanked them but they wouldn't take any money. We ran into the blue ghost a few more times thru the years, but only a few years after that, my dad started fishing Seneca instead of Cayuga.. That was over 10 years ago now, but I remember the boat name because they helped

 

[UncleWillie]

Re: Feel like I let fellow boater down?

...I would have helped. I think you're conscience agrees.

The fact that you are asking the question to the world on an Internet forum answers the question.
If you think you sounded like a jerk, and acted like a jerk, then you are a jerk!
If you really didn't care you would not have asked.
If you now feel guilty and remorseful; There is still hope for you.

Consider how desperate you would need to be to have to ask a stranger at a ramp for help.
Consider how you would feel if they said, ...
"Sorry, My fishing in the morning is more important than you being stranded at the dock", Twice!

I think it is safe to say that the next person that asks for help is going to get the Royal Treatment from you!

 

[ihaveabrownboat]

Re: Feel like I let fellow boater down?

More so when I was younger than now, but still a fair bit, I've spent a lot of years and miles on motorcycles. Also more so when I was younger than now you never rode by a stranded bike. Newer riders seem to adhere to this less than the old farts like me.

The same instincts would've kicked in. Would've found some way to help the guy out. Wouldn't have occurred to me not to. So I lose an hour's fishing. Big deal. If I wasn't comfortable putting the other guy's boat on my trailer to haul it for gas I'd have take the guy to the local station to buy a plastic gas can and the gas to go in it. There would have been some way to give the guy a hand.

The issue hadn't crossed my mind before reading this as I'm new myself to boats that are big enough to get far enough away from where they started that breakdowns would become a huge concern. Without thinking about I'd have assumed folks generally looked out for each other on the water. It's good to read here that they generally do.

 

[Frank Acampora]

Re: Feel like I let fellow boater down?

The guy was tied up at the dock. No danger. How did he get there? No gas in his boat? You offer to help and next thing it twists and turns and you are drawn into drama, towing him around. Next thing you know, you are towing him home and wiping his a** after he craps. That is called being an enabler.

No pity from me. Just because he is old is no excuse for stupidity. I'm old too and I make sure that the engine starts and I have gas in the boat before launching--I also make sure that the drain plug is in. You are not an a- hole.

Someone breaks down on the water, I will gladly tow them in. Once at the dock, it is their responsibility to take care of their hull and transportation.

 

[MH Hawker]

Re: Feel like I let fellow boater down?

It is a tough call any way you look at it. The marina I keep my boat at is filled with mostly older guys, and I have been able to help out several, and even knowing their docked and safe and so on it is very hard for me to turn one down.

 

[glenn property of pam]

Re: Feel like I let fellow boater down?

break down on the water you have a 99.9% chance that someone will help you. break down/can not start at the ramps then maybe 50/50 if you are lucky. i have stopped to help people before including towing them as i believe in karma but im sure alot of people have seen boats not starting or having trouble at the ramp and dont think for a second about helping them then use the "it was for there own good if they carnt get it started then its best there not out there". would i fell guilty about not helping....maybe but that realy depends alot on what was being asked of me to begin with.