Missing Boaters

[luv2fish]

Do you think it would do any good to put signs at the boat ramps warning people about the wind on stockton and to wear life saving devices? Some people with boats are very inexperienced, some are new to this lake and unfortunately some just aren't safety minded ,nor follow the law concerning children.

[Gilly]

Do you think it would do any good to put signs at the boat ramps warning people about the wind on stockton and to wear life saving devices? Some people with boats are very inexperienced, some are new to this lake and unfortunately some just aren't safety minded ,nor follow the law concerning children.

You would like to think common sense would prevail.

When we researched Stockton as a possible place to buy a home most of the folks we talked to mentioned the winds but didn't place any emphasis on dangerous conditions. Seeing all of the sailboats docked on the northern end kind of gave us a clue that the winds could be pretty steady. We've fished a lot of the bigger lakes in Minnesota and South Dakota and they can get large waves too. For the most part if you're going to operate a boat on big water you need a big boat. The down side of that is if you're not familiar with boating in windy conditions a larger/taller boat is that much more prone to extreme weather. Again, common sense needs to prevail.

My PFD has always been the old school type, zipper front. I have no experience with the inflatables. Mentioned above is 'SOS...'. Is that a particularly reliable brand?

[Gilly]

I once heard a weather man explain this. He said that the prevelent wind in our area is from the south. With Stockton running from south to north the wind runs the length of the lake. The lake is like a wind tunnel, the hills on the side funnel the wind toward the dam and with that long of a run the wind really picks up steam. Now having said that I can tell you I have absolutely no idea if he was right, but it sounded good to me.

That sounds like a dang good explanation. I don't know if you guys ever heard of the Boy Scouts that were killed a couple of years ago in Little Sioux Iowa. That was one of our regular camp grounds that we took our troop to. We fought the winds almost everytime we went there. The winds would do exactly that, funnel into the valley and blow right up it. And that's exactly what the storm/tornado did when the scouts were killed. Dropped right into that valley and focused all of it's energy there. So I would say the weatherman is accurate in his reasoning.

[mrgungho]

[ What kind of boat were they in?]

A friend of mine works at the Stockton State Park Marina. Not certain if they towed the boat there or not but he said the boat was a jon boat, not over 16', but he guessed it to be 14'.

Oh wow...Man, even on a good day @ Stockton I would personally not take out into the main lake in a 14" Jon boat. Well, thanks for the info, this is such an unfortunate accident.

[yummysmokedham]

I am bad about wearing my PFD, but I always wear it while I have the outboard running and I also wear it when the water is especially choppy. If I had my 8 year old kid out on the water I would make them wear it at all times. I would be curious how many people have drowned in Stockton since in was impounded, I would say that it has to average around 5 a year or so it seems like. I am not a big fan of the mandatory seat belt laws, but I can maybe justify it when it comes to children. Should there be such a mandatory PFD law for children? Or maybe there already is and I am not aware of it.

[Flysmallie]

There is a law but it ends after they are 7 years old. Seems kind of young to me.

Taken from here - My linkhttp://www.boat-ed.com/mo/handbook/pfds.htm

Personal Flotation Devices (PFDs)

• All vessels 16 feet in length or longer must carry one wearable U.S. Coast Guard—approved PFD (life jacket) for each person on board or being towed. Vessels less than 16 feet in length must carry one wearable or one throwable USCG—approved PFD for each person on board or being towed. Under federal law, however, a wearable PFD is required for each person on board regardless of vessel length.
• Children under 7 years of age must wear a USCG—approved PFD at all times while on board any vessel, unless the child is confined in a totally enclosed area of the vessel such as the cabin area of a houseboat or day-cruiser.
• One USCG—approved Type IV personal flotation device must be on board vessels 16 feet or longer and readily accessible, in addition to the above requirements.
• Each person riding on a PWC must wear a USCG—approved Type I, II, III, or V PFD.
• Besides being USCG—approved, all PFDs must be:
  • In good and serviceable condition.
  • Readily accessible, which means you are able to put the PFD on quickly in an emergency. PFDs may not be stowed in closed or locked compartments.
  • Of the proper size for the intended wearer. Sizing for PFDs is based on body weight and chest size.

[straw hat]

Gilly was asking about the Sospenders. I have used them ever since they came out. They work very well. The CO2 cartridges are posted with their weight on them and should be weighted each year to be sure they are still full of CO2. Each time they go off a new cartridge must be put in. They actually generate a 30 lb bouyancy where most of the foam zipper types are only 15 lbs. (depends on brand) I am one of those unlucky people they call a "sinker" (no that is not "stinker"). One out of every 12,000 people can not float. While I took swimming in college some times you are just to far from shore to swim even if you are a floater. A Sospemder will float me a zipper type will not.

By the way some of the cheap brands of zipper have an expiration date on them. The cheap foam they use degrades with time. You guys might want to check yours out if you have this type.

We talked about the winds on Stockton but it is not just the winds that are an issue. I had a Glasstream bass boat sink on me a few years ago. The water feed to the areator came apart inside the chamber of the boat. The line was a 1 1/4 Diameter and the boat sank in less than 30 seconds!!! I was wearing my life jacket and had no problem making it to the bank. By the way my current boat is foam filled, it will not sink.

Just a week after my incident a man sank a new bass boat while back trolling on a windy day on Stockton. The Water Patrol agent who did the report on my incident told me about it. While this bass boat had 900 lbs of positive flotation. It still sank. I was told by the agent that positive flotation is the the amount of weight that the boat will handle over and above the weight of the boat and motor. This man weighted 250, had a trolling motor, 6 batteries, one anchor and of course all of his gear etc ....

Once he started taking on water the boat sank quickly. Luckily he did manage to get to shore.

[Jiggy]

Thanks Straw Hat for solving the mystery of why my husband has never been able to float...sinks like a rock--he must be a stinker...I mean sinker too

[BolivarBasser]

Oh wow...Man, even on a good day @ Stockton I would personally not take out into the main lake in a 14" Jon boat. Well, thanks for the info, this is such an unfortunate accident.

Yeah, you would get tossed around pretty good in a 14 inch jonboat haha...My 14 FOOTER does just fine on calm days, I never feel endangered, always wearing PFD of course.

[Gilly]

Any updates on this story? It sounds like the lake was busy this weekend.