Thread: Boating idiot

So i was at the ramp at the end of marina drive yesterday afternoon
Guy with TX plates onis busy launching an inboard boat

Struggled to get motor to run but after about 15 minutes it takes
It cannot go into reverse(I guess busted crown gear) so he shoves it off trailer puts trailer in lot,loads his lady and by revving it high enough makes it clear of the slip way into deeper water.
My wife is sitting watching from the car andis expecting me to say or or somthing as we come from a family all with off shore sailing experience
I just watched, yeah im an ahole like that sometimes
It was a popcorn time moment, like when that loudmouth drunk goes to lip a spanish
Sometimes you just watch

Tide was pushing in so no fear of him washing out the pass
Lots of cussing
Lots of revving of motor
So he jumps offboat
Because its easier to fix an inboard from 10 ft deep water or something
The guy eventually was trying to tow it by swimming with the painter but was goingbackwards
at which stage i hailed a passing boat and got him back to the dock
There lady throws me thepainter which comes offfrom the cleat as its not properly secure
Too thick to even go through the cleat

I explained to them all they had done wrong but doubt it even sunk in
They were p.o.ed at me
Both were convinced if they reved motor enough it would still go or some magic would happen
I just hope nobody gets hurt helping these idiots next time
There are courses in seamanship and they looked offended when i suggested thy took one

I've spent a lot of entertaining afternoons at launching ramps. The person you describe, though, is not entertaining. He's scary. The kind of person who would go out the pass in an unsafe boat without the proper equipment and when he breaks down would get blown halfway to Yucatan by this north howler. It could be tragic, because his wife would be at his mercy and I'm sure they would have families who would grieve. Best scenario is a rescue that would put rescue personnel at risk.

It's a good thing there was another boater there to help, and that he didn't make it out.

We've all done dumb stuff---except me, I've never forgotten a drain plug. It's the stupid stuff done in ignorance that can be dangerous.

I'm reminded of an incident that happened over thirty years ago, back when I was chartering. I got a call from a friend who sold boats and he said he'd just sold a nice inboard/outboard to a fellow who wanted to learn to run his new boat and asked if I'd go out with him. It was winter and I sure wasn't busy, so I agreed and met the man at the marina with his brand new boat.

The first thing he wanted to do after I showed him how to maneuver away from the dock, was to go out in the Gulf. I said no, hell no. His jaw kind of dropped and he asked why.

Well, it was blowing a blue norther that day, and I asked him if he had an anchor, "No", did he have a radio? "No." Had anybody given his engines a test run? "No." Did he have any distress or signaling devices? "No."

I explained to him the scenario if we got out the pass and broke down---back then, there were also absolutely no other boats out that time of year. He wasn't dumb, and he got the picture real quick and decided there was more to the boating business than cranking up and going. He was innocently ignorant and was excited about his new purchase and hadn't thought it through. I'm sure a lot of incidents happened that way.

We went back into the marina, had a couple of beers and I told him I'd help him out when he got the boat outfitted. Never heard from him again.

Well, we are talking about some my family and I am still laughing. Haywire, I hope your acquaintance sold his boat, and Kobkilla's new friend sells his, too.

Had launched my boat one day and was sitting out from the dock waiting on some friends to come when this guy backs into the slip and buries his boat up to the bottom of the motor and fills his boat up with water. He pulls forward and pulls the plug and lets it drain then puts the plug back in and backs down again with same results. This time as he is draining his boat I yell to him that it would work better if he took the straps off that are holding his boat on the trailer!

I resemble that remark^^^^^^^

There is a difference between ignorance and stupidity. Combined with a boat on open water, both will get you killed.

Larry,
i watched a similar incident wherein the trailer was not locked on the ball. Whe the guy backed his boat in, it floated with the trailer strapped underneath it and drifted out. Took a while for someone with a boat to help get it back to the dock.
Boat launches can really be entertaining.

Originally Posted by fshntime

Larry,
i watched a similar incident wherein the trailer was not locked on the ball. Whe the guy backed his boat in, it floated with the trailer strapped underneath it and drifted out. Took a while for someone with a boat to help get it back to the dock.
Boat launches can really be entertaining.

Heard of this before but have never witnessed it happen. Yes, sitting at a dock can be some real entertainment. If you ever need a really good laugh set up some chairs on opening day of snapper season and sit back and watch.

Watched a guy rip one of the axles out from under his trailer at cotton Bayou last summer during snapper season. If he would have stopped it would have been fine but he just kept on trucking and absolutely destroyed that axle.