What TO DO if you get stuck on the water???

[Sander]

Re: What TO DO if you get stuck on the water???

Sander, you started this thread with my motor has been giving me trouble lately...yet you take offence when someone says get it serviced first?? If your question is what equipment should I have in the event of a breakdown, ask it that way, otherwise, take what comes when you make the statement you made in your original post.

I guess I should have wrote a better/longer description, so some of you can understand better. By saying giving me troubles, don't immediately come to a conclusion that I am taking it on the water, and I am not working on it. That is just dumb.

I think some people only read the first few words and than attempting to give a constructive comment.

 

[Sander]

Re: What TO DO if you get stuck on the water???

being a pro at getting towed in.....

there are certain things you must have.....

paddles......swim fins....and a girl willing to "flash em" when a posibility of a tow boat drives by....lol

seriously......just make sure the motor is running as best you can......have your tools and basic knowledge or a manual.

if something serious goes wrong.....do your best but be prepared for the worst.!

Best idea yet! Hehe! Thanks for the input, I will have tools on board in case something happens again.

 

[Sander]

Re: What TO DO if you get stuck on the water???

I really think Sander has a good question.

I also go out on small/medium lakes with no tow service to speak of. Of course I always have my cell phone but often wonder what whomever I get in touch with will be able to do. My boat is brand new, just over a month old, and I still get concerned about possible breakdowns. I figure I'd be able to flag down someone who could help if need be, but I hate to rely on this!

And yes, before anyone asks I do have all required safety equipment. I have also taken a boating safety course and been boating most of my life, just never had a breakdown. AND my engine is running fine. But "stuff" happens.

My boat is a 71

I dont think you will have any troubles mate

 

[jigngrub]

Re: What TO DO if you get stuck on the water???

Your title question isn't that long or complicated... and all the answers here have been to try to help you whether you like them or not.

Maybe you should watch some Bear Grylls vids on youtube to boost your confidence in the great outdoors.

 

[Sander]

Re: What TO DO if you get stuck on the water???

Your title question isn't that long or complicated... and all the answers here have been to try to help you whether you like them or not.

Maybe you should watch some Bear Grylls vids on youtube to boost your confidence in the great outdoors.

Again, you are completely missing the point my friend. But thanks for all the "info".

 

[TomB985]

Re: What TO DO if you get stuck on the water???

My boat is a 71

I dont think you will have any troubles mate

I'm not as sure, it's making quite a racket when I turn the wheel under power. It's under warranty, but we are near the end of our short boating season and figure I'll get it taken care of when it gets winterized. I'm not worried about the safety thing, we just have small lakes and large rivers around here, and I have never had it on a body of water big enough that I couldn't easily swim to shore if necessary!

 

[Home Cookin']

Re: What TO DO if you get stuck on the water???

Hey guys,

Recently my motor has been giving me troubles,
1. fix the troubles, or have a back-up plan.
what is one to do if the motor fails and you are nowhere close to any ramp or people?
2. no answer is possible because there can be a million variables. 14' jonboat or 25' cruiser? wind/current with you or against you? Dangerous weather or pleasant conditions? Remote area or likely someone will come by? Shallow or deep?
No back up motor or means to move the boat.

3. You should always have a means to move the boat other than your primary motor, or don't go out.
These include a buddy boat, a tow service and means to communicate, paddles/oars/shove pole (for the right boat), anchor and line (unless 100' deep), sail.
4 Willingness to listen to, and take, advice.
OR
5 always go upwind and up current of your home base.

PS do not deploy emergency signals such as flares unless you are in danger.

 

[Tetondan37]

Re: What TO DO if you get stuck on the water???

I too boat on small to medium lakes, and I bet there is not one marine tow company in my state much less the lakes I play on.

Last time out I had a significant issue that could have turned very bad very fast. Long story short a hose broke and started to fill my boat with water while the kids were swimming. The bilge pump was running and I didn?t hear it because the outlet is under water. By the time I realized what was going on my battery was dead and I had a lot of water onboard (couldn?t start the engine and the bilge stopped). I was with friends and was able to jump start my boat and get the pumps running. I keep a variety of tools supplies with me and was able to make a rapid repair on the water.

If my friends were not there I would have been on the phone with 911. National Park Service would have been able to respond to assist in my situation. As a member of a search and rescue team we have been dispatched to vessels in distress.

I also think a person should only go out in boats that are in good working order and have supplies to make repairs. You never know when things will go south.

 

[badkins50]

Re: What TO DO if you get stuck on the water???

dropped the anchor, got on the cell phone, or ship to shore called up towboatUS, turned on the radio and let the kids swim until they get there to tow us back in. this is what we did when the fuel pump decided to stop working while tubing last year.

 

[saxrulez]

Re: What TO DO if you get stuck on the water???

With any boat/motor there is a possibility of having issues on the water. The lake and bay that I boat on have a pretty good amount of traffic. I've had to be towed in once(driveshaft let go). There aren't exactly symptoms of a driveshaft about to let go! Just literally went from fine to free revving.

A lot of us boat with much older engines and sometimes stuff just breaks even with the proper maintenance/care!

Paddles, air horns/whistles, and a good flag or something to wave to get attention work for me.

I only had to wait about 10 minutes before I got my free tow in. Anyone on the water is usually willing to give you a tow in, I know I always check on someone with the engine cover off to see if they need help.

 

[ac0j]

Re: What TO DO if you get stuck on the water???

Make sure you always have a few passangers, and have one paddle for each of them.
Or make sure your motor is running properly before you go out. Breakdowns happen, but if you maintain your motor like it was an aircraft, you may NEVER need a paddle.

 

[saxrulez]

Re: What TO DO if you get stuck on the water???

Make sure you always have a few passangers, and have one paddle for each of them.
Or make sure your motor is running properly before you go out. Breakdowns happen, but if you maintain your motor like it was an aircraft, you may NEVER need a paddle.

As someone that flies every single day, there is no way I could afford to maintain a boat engine like an aircraft engine! Taking many items apart every 50 hours or 30 days to service/inspect them would get insanely expensive very quickly.

And even with that, we still have to do precautionary landings due to problems or sensors detecting problems.

 

[Sander]

Re: What TO DO if you get stuck on the water???

dropped the anchor, got on the cell phone, or ship to shore called up towboatUS, turned on the radio and let the kids swim until they get there to tow us back in. this is what we did when the fuel pump decided to stop working while tubing last year.

That is exactly what happened to me, my fuel pump started failing one day - lucky enough somehow I got it started and barely made it back to ramp before the pump completely failed.

 

[Sander]

Re: What TO DO if you get stuck on the water???

With any boat/motor there is a possibility of having issues on the water. The lake and bay that I boat on have a pretty good amount of traffic. I've had to be towed in once(driveshaft let go). There aren't exactly symptoms of a driveshaft about to let go! Just literally went from fine to free revving.

A lot of us boat with much older engines and sometimes stuff just breaks even with the proper maintenance/care!

Paddles, air horns/whistles, and a good flag or something to wave to get attention work for me.

I only had to wait about 10 minutes before I got my free tow in. Anyone on the water is usually willing to give you a tow in, I know I always check on someone with the engine cover off to see if they need help.

Well said sir!

 

[ac0j]

Re: What TO DO if you get stuck on the water???

As someone that flies every single day, there is no way I could afford to maintain a boat engine like an aircraft engine! Taking many items apart every 50 hours or 30 days to service/inspect them would get insanely expensive very quickly.

And even with that, we still have to do precautionary landings due to problems or sensors detecting problems.

Agreed, BUT boat parts are MUCH cheaper than aircraft parts, and you dont have to have certification to do the work. I didnt consider the fact that alot of people use their boats daily. I live so far from water, and with the hours I work, 50 hours or 30 days is about two years worth of boating for me!

 

[saxrulez]

Re: What TO DO if you get stuck on the water???

Agreed, BUT boat parts are MUCH cheaper than aircraft parts, and you dont have to have certification to do the work. I didnt consider the fact that alot of people use their boats daily. I live so far from water, and with the hours I work, 50 hours or 30 days is about two years worth of boating for me!

Haha, I bet I do 50 hours in a month or 2 quite a few months during the summer. I wish my engine had a gauge for hours. It's never been rebuilt according to the PO and I've put a LOT of hours on it the 2 seasons I've had it. So far just had the only thing that has actually broken has been the driveshaft.

I've been super lucky so far with my job locations(military). I live about 3 miles from a lake here and my next duty station(kansas) I should be about 5 miles from a 16000 acre lake. I'm so excited about that I can't even explain it!

I did blow 2 trailer tires last week though! :facepalm: About 15 miles apart from each other(headed to the beach/bay). Not fun!

Also, I'm a pilot, I'm spoiled. People are supposed to do maintenance for me!

 

[zopperman]

Re: What TO DO if you get stuck on the water???

oops is spot on about the girl...

But actually... don't say you have an iffy motor and not expect us to tell you to get it checked or fix it or something.

Really, your options are trolling motor, kicker motor like a 9.9 or something, or paddles.. or proper service, trusting your motor, and sea tow.

I have no money. I do have paddles.

 

[saxrulez]

Re: What TO DO if you get stuck on the water???

oops is spot on about the girl...

But actually... don't say you have an iffy motor and not expect us to tell you to get it checked or fix it or something.

Really, your options are trolling motor, kicker motor like a 9.9 or something, or paddles.. or proper service, trusting your motor, and sea tow.

I have no money. I do have paddles.

I have paddles as well. Honestly if I were staying here(Alabama) much longer, I would probably end up with a kicker/trolling motor of some sort in case I ever got stuck in the bay(Florida). I don't worry about it too much on lakes as the times I'm out there is a lot of other boat traffic for me to flag down if I break down.

I have no idea how long it would take me to paddle my boat to a shore, but I bet it would be terrible. I still like the idea of a trolling motor mounted next to my outboard later down the road since my bow isn't really ideal for one. I may get to it eventually.

 

[badkins50]

Re: What TO DO if you get stuck on the water???

That is exactly what happened to me, my fuel pump started failing one day - lucky enough somehow I got it started and barely made it back to ramp before the pump completely failed.

Sucks don't it. We were about 4 miles from our dock and ours did not give us any warning. It was running great all day then started choking, then died within seconds and it would not start back up at all. Telling you I think I pay 60 a year for towboat and considering this bill was for 560, I think I'm covered for a long time to come. If it's in your area, you can not beat that deal.

 

[DuckHunterJon]

Re: What TO DO if you get stuck on the water???

Funny, when I saw the title to this post, my first thought was...

Put it in 4 wheel drive...


Guess I have snow on the brain. My advice to the original poster, have paddles and a few strong boys onboard. Or, alternatively, what oops said!