Hey, how about some stories?

[Lootas1]

Hey, how about some more musings? I'm beginning to get tired of re-reading Marty's and my musings. I know there must be lots of great stories about old boats out there. In spite of Slough Runs and such, this is a time to rest the boats, work on the boats and tell others about your boats. Reminds me of a near-death experience or two that I've had on the water but I'm not writing them until someone else posts musings.

Ok..... I have a 15ft tri hull skiff with a 25hp yamaha its a work boat kinda.... for chasing logs, broke hydros, my docs that break loose from runaway logs & trees especially spring melt..... this skiff stays in the water and I keep it ready to run 24/7/365

I have a 1/2 dozen kayaks on one of the docs for family and friends when they visit...I noticed one of the kayaks was missing the kids just used them, I jumped in the skiff our little yorkie dog was riding on my lap as usual and ran up the river looking for the missing kayak (incoming tide thats why I looked UP river) Im running 30mph because its dusk & almost time for a tide change....

3/4 mile from home, at WOT I hit a sinker...(cottonwood thats so water logged it barely floats and is usually a few inches beneath the surface) this is the river runners curse and there is generally no warning.

the Yamaha didnt kick up like my old mercs when you strike a submerged object.. and unknown to me the transom had rotted under the glass.... the top 4-5 inches in the outboard mounting area of the transom

the Yamaha clamps tore right thru the transom and the motor rotated 275 degrees towards me into the boat and and ended up on the passenger seat beside me ....prop towards me STILL RUNNING 4" inches from my leg

I voilently smashed my left forearm into the midsection, to prevent the prop from hitting me, the dog was freaking out and I still have no idea what was really happening but between the dog, trying to keep the prop from taking my leg off, the motor screaming I had one hell of a time trying to reach the emergency kill switch string....with the engine screaming those 2-3 seconds seemed like 5 minutes of terror

I did get the engine stopped, checked to see if my shorts were clean and tried to calm the dog.Now I have to worry about getting home, tide will get me there if I wait a couple, three hours, and there is still no guarantee I can get to my docs....I may just get swept by , the river & tides run strong the time of year the trees & logs come by.

I decided to see if I could get the outboard on....holy crap... one shot at this and if I miss the motor goes in the river and will be dangling from the control cables.Im not a big man, 5'7" 170lbs, but the adrenalin was still pumping, my heart felt like it was coming thru my chest.....this isnt as easy from inside the boat as it may sound, its not only this great weight but your over extended reaching out over the transom on an unstable floor, the boats rocking!!

I picked the motor up, at the time I didnt think about it, but later it occurred to me the motor didnt even seem heavy (this time) from the adrenaline push and I stabbed at the transom with the motor and got lucky .

The new issue is, there isnt really anything there to clamp to that I can trust. as you screw the clamps in the transom was crushing. there was a machete on the deck so I slid it under the clamps and screwed them in and it held!!!.........Now WILL THE MOTOR RUN?

Again I dodged a bullet, the Yammy fired right off like it didnt even know it did a cart wheel...... (edit by mod) the kayak I needed a Jack Daniels NOW, so I limped the skiff home, still shaking.

To this day I get a wierd feeling when I get in that skiff & I cant tell you the anxiety that floods me every once in a while, when I realize Im playing Russian Roulette running the river at 70mph in a 150lbs balsa wood hydro

whataya think now Will-E.....still want to run my 30H race motor on your new hydro and outlaw race on the river with me?

edit: little (edit by mod) across the river stole the kayak, caught him in it a week later , but he didnt know I engraved my ID into the inside the hulls

[Tim_Mattson]

Michael,
Great story,nothing like learning from other`s experiences,the ones you learn first hand seem to cause physical reactions when memories are stirred.
I`ve never lost a motor after an impact but working at a Jetboat factory showed me what lurks when playing with shallows.
It is really easy to go upriver but turn and go down and you need a different technique or you meet the riverbank or bottom.
I saw bent steering wheels,smashed dashes from inboard engines and bolts pulled right thru Welded Alum transoms.Gashed bottoms were almost standard on new boats sold to rookies.Out ,friday ,back on Monday for a new bottom.
Never was a good result for the Driver or passenger(s).
The roaring Yamaha saga reminded me of a winter fishing trip to Southworth where a fellow fisherman was trolling nearby in a Whaler.His motor suddenly roared as it came off the transom mt. and he had a hold of the tiller as it did a cartwheel into the water.
The smaller Japanese guy held on for dear life and got it under control but was now on his chest ,laying off the transom.
He saved it but didn`t linger very long after his near death (ok ,more deadly for his Yamaha kicker...) ordeal.
I remember it looked like the kicker picked him up by his throttle arm and layed him out across his boat......as it went Womp ,womp ,womp thru the air.
Today, I`m bolting my Yamaha 55 on my G3 for the Slough Run as it has the manual transom bracket that kicks up on impact,unlike my bigger Electric Trimmed OMCs that will be deployed after the shallow water event.
Being a Saltwater fisherman ,I kinda get nervous in just 10` of water as one submerged object touching bottom would be disasterous.
A buddy hit a Telephone Pole this year with steel ladder rungs all along one side.I heard the CG "hazard to Navigation"warning while boating that day and he called the following morning.....I got to tell him where he was before he could finish.

Nothing like having the river to yourself but I know why certain places are left to the Bold.Or those seeking "Darwin Awards".
That "weird Feeling" described by MadProps is called common sense.
As Capt. Kirk would say,"To boldy go where no man has gone before!"
Please calculate the risk and always have a plan.
TimM

[slo-mo]

short but sweet...

Great stories guys, your experiences illustrate the respect a spinning prop deserves. While learning from others is the best technique, we wouldn't have any self-deprecating tales to tell if we didn't screw up at some point. In lieu of humiliating myself before meeting most of you , I will tell a little story with a happy ending.

Early in my gathering the present armada, I had an Evinrude Starflite IV 75 that would actually start and run flawlessly whenever the boat was deposited into the lake...all without removing the hood or fiddling around with the toilet-esque carbs.

Beat that!

Greg

[Lootas1]

Gee, now I'm kind of sorry I opened this can of worms. Boating sounds so scary!

[Tim_Mattson]

You wanted Scary?
Well,back in the early 90`s we`d go to the Hoh river on the Wa coast and launch at the lagoon just off the ocean.
We would follow a buddy who had a Commercial Fishing license for catching bottomfish with Rod and Reel.
His 28` Alum behemouth would bust thru the Surf while we trailed in the wash in our 15` SAFE Boat.
They saw the Beach,Trees,and strip of daylight under our hull as we floated off the backside of the 10` wave behind them.
Going 40-50 mph on water isn`t all that fast but try it skipping down the backside of Ocean Swells and you`ll know why my hands get sweaty and my heart palpitates each time I see Surf from the beach.
We even drove our little 15` center console up Goodman Creek,near La Push and took a lunch break on land.Other days we threaded the rocks and landed on Destruction Island.
I don`t like to beach on Puget Sound,let alone the Pacific Ocean!
Think we saw 1 Freighter on the horizon ,2 CG choppers(both times they circled us until we waved we were OK) ,and not one other fishing boat during the week trip.
Only our one-day Swiftsure Halibut trip topped that one as we did a 22 mile run straight out from Duncan and Duntze Rocks at the NW tip of the coast.
Then we hit LaPush on the way back and racked up 135 miles in one day of fishing ,Whale watching and dodging Huge Rock piles.
Looking at the statewide weather map that night put it in real perspective.That was also before I found having a kicker was a good idea....my 70 hp used to be left running virtually all day long,back when gas was cheaper.
Now filling up with gas is scariest of all.

TimM

[Tim McCrain]

OK I've got one ...

When I was a lot younger my older brother had a 16' fiberglass runabout, a Glasply I think, that we used to take salmon fishing out of Shilshole. A guy I worked with had been bugging me to take him fishing so one day I borrowed the boat and we headed out. The day was overcast, breezy and gray but the water didn't look too bad from the launch ramp. (Yeah, yeah, I know … )

So we head out and once we got outside of the breakwater I realized two things. One, I was a doggone idiot, and two, we needed to get ourselves back in pronto. So I tell my buddy that it's too rough and we're going back. I get the boat about half turned around and suddenly the steering wheel is spinning free in my hands. I look under the dash and see a tangled mess of steering cable that somehow doesn't seem to even be friendly with the steering spool, much less married to it. The water behind us and the breakwater in front of us suggested that I needed to figure out how to steer the boat, and quickly.

So, not knowing what else to do, I reached under the dash and grabbed the steering cable on either side of the spool, pulled it out on either side of the wheel until it tightened against the pulleys and then took a couple of wraps around each hand. Now I could pretty much steer, using the cable like reins and working the throttle with my elbow. By the time we got tied up to the dock my fingers were several different colors and my hands felt like a truck had run over them. I felt lucky, stupid and grateful all at the same time. Really taught me a lesson.

So MadProps! Did you recover the Kayak?

Russ Johnson

Hi, I'm new here and this is my first post, thought I'd share a story from my early years. I was 12 yrs old in 1963, I had saved about $150 and decided I wanted a boat of my own. I went to my Dad, who didn't seem too excited about the idea but told me he would "think about it", I didn't get my hopes up to high. A few days later he came home and told me he had found me a boat, I was in heaven. The next day we hitched up the trailer, drove from Bainbridge down to Belfair and pulled into Sande's. My Dad sold insurance primarily group life and health to small busineses and manufacturers in western WA, Sandes at the time was a client of his and unknown to me he had worked a deal. The boat I wanted was the "Ace" but I knew it was out of my price range. Dad introduced me to Mr. Sande (I can't remember which one) we went out back and there it was. It wasn't an Ace, it was a 10.5 ft unfinished plywood hull, no deck, seats, etc. I can't remember the details, I was just a kid, but the hull was similar in shape to the Ace and I think it was a one of a kind. $50.00 later we were loading it on the trailer. Brought it home and started in, Dad helped me design deck supports,carlings, seats etc. Bought the materials and started cutting , fitting, glueing and screwing. Made it a split cockpit w/center deck like the Ace. Put in cable steering and wired in lights. Time to paint,decided on red hull with white deck, had already brush painted the interior gray. I was ready to brush paint the hull and deck when dad pulled out the spraygun, mixed the paint, set the gun and regulator and told me to do a good job. With his supervision and help it came out looking pretty good. I bought the boat in june and by now it was august and I wanted to get it wet but I needed a motor. I had a 5hp Johnson but that wasn't enough I wanted more. My initial funds were about gone but I had earned an additional $125. I was caretaking a local cemetary earning $2.75 an hr, big money in those days. My uncle managed a sporting goods store in Seattle and they sold Scott Atwater. I told him what I had and what I wanted. He had a 22 hp Scott taken in on trade, so for the 5hp Johnson and $125 I got the Scott with controls, gas tank and fuel line. I was ready! We launched a few days later and I was the happiest kid in the world. Dad gave a final inspection and told me to have fun but don't "get crazy". I should have listened. I had the boat in the water about 2 weeks, using it every day as much as I could, Puget Sound was Mine. I was keeping it down at the community dock in Port Madison about a 1/4 mile from the house so access was quick and easy. One afternoon as I was leaving for the boat my Mom told me explicitly to be home by 6 for dinner as for the last two weeks I had been out in the boat till dark almost every day, neglecting my chores. When I got down to the boat I noticed my paddle was gone, looking closer both lifevests were gone too. Upset but undetered I started the Scott, untied and headed out. Checking the gas tank I saw about 1/4 full so I headed for Shilshol for gas. Starting out it was breezy with small chop on the water, as i got further out beyond the lee of Jefferson Head the wind picked up and so did the waves becoming 1 to 2 ft w/whitecaps I didn't slow down. Got a wet ride to Shilshol, fueled up and decided to cruise the marina. I lost track of time and before I knew it it was 6 and I was late. I headed out of Shilshol and started across the Sound. By now the wind had really come up and waves were now 3 to 4 ft, undaunted I tried to open it up but it was just to rough and I throttled back to 1/3. I wallowed across the sound getting a very wet ride doing a lot of bailing as it was getting later and later. I don't know how rough it was exactly I just remember that out in the middle when I was in the trought of the wave all I could see was sky. As I got closer to Bainbridge and back into the lee the waves dropped back down some and I decided to go for it, opened the throttle and held on. Coming off the crest I would get airborne the engine screaming as the prop lost contact, I was landing hard getting bounced around but having a ball. By now it was getting dusk and hard to see, I was still about 1/2 to 3/4 mile off of the Island when as I was launching off another crest I saw dead ahead a sinker. No time to react I slammed down right on top of it, next I felt the lower unit slam into it the Scott was screaming so I reached back and shut it off. Climbing in back I raised the motor and was greeted with a mangled lower unit and prop, dead in the water. It was about this time I noticed water coming up from under the floorboards UH-OH. Taking on water fast, its getting dark, no other boats in sight, no paddle or lifevest, and a long cold swim to shore thru rough water. I did have one floating cushion with me, placing it on my chest I slipped my arms thru the straps and waited. When just the tip of the bow was still floating I struck out for shore. What a swim, if it wasn't for that cushion I would not have made it. It was well past dark when I made it to shore, tired, cold, hungry and scared to death, the impact of the experience hitting me as I sat on the beach. Now I had a 3 mile walk home, it was after 11pm when I got there and was I in trouble. Found the boat a few days later washed up down by Skiff Point the impact had split it along the keel from the base of the stem back about 18" and about 1/2" wide, it was a total loss.

[Lootas1]

This is kind of fun! I just wrote of three "near death" boating experiences for "Musings" and sent it off to Marty for approval. Hope it makes it onto that site.

So MadProps! Did you recover the Kayak?

absolutely, the guy acrosss the river went out paddling in HIS new kayak
but I am an artist and as most do, I have a photographic memory & I know my stuff when I see it.

so when he argued he just bought MY kayak 2 months ago I showed him my ID engraved inside the hull

[Tim McCrain]

[quote="Wheels, post: 8472"]Hi, I'm new here and this is my first post, thought I'd share a story from my early years. - edit -[QUOTE]

Wow! Good story Russ, and welcome! You had me on the edge of my seat. If you have any more good reads like that post away.

Tim

[Will-E]

Hey, ya know someone could break their neck falling off the couch. Might as well be having fun if your time is up
(gotta get that boat finished)
I don't know of any tomestone that reads, "I should have spent more time at work"
Will-E