Amazing Story. Chilling Thoughts

[J-Doc]

Pardon the terrible pun in the subject line but its to make a point. Some of you have heard the tale below but most may not be aware that the vessel that sank was a 21ft bass boat. This was not just some 12ft jon boat......it was a modern day vessel. While no mention of what boat it was (should not matter make or year model), the US Coast Guard requires all vessels to stay afloat for a select time frame before failure (sinking) occurs. It baffles me that this fellas boat went down so quickly. I assume it was already "floating" as required by USCG standards and he was simply unaware of the situation. By the time it was too late, he panicked and tried to save not only himself but the vessel as well (which we all would have reacted the same way I imagine).

So......the chilling thought. This could have been me or you.

http://www.bassmaster.com/news/angel-bass-boat?j=20746642&e=jb_adams@hotmail.com&l=4031116_HTML&u=420881281&mid=10688361&jb=0#

This could have happened to anyone. Yes, I have a "Ranger" but you can't make that argument. Yes Ranger probably leads the industry by going above most and seeking the NMMA certification like Skeeter and others. Many have certification but nothing is truly unsinkable in a worst case scenario. While I feel safe in mine and think of it as unsinkable, the truth is, it's not totally and emphatically unsinkable in every situation.

Find your boat manufacturer listed here for NMMA certification:

https://www.nmma.org/certification/certification/boats/certifiedmanufacturers.aspx

What does NMMA do or mean?

http://www.boatus.com/magazine/2014/february/what-nnma-certified-means.asp

So be cautious out there. Be aware of your surroundings and be extra cautious during the winter months.

[fishinwrench]

Yep, boats sink. Bass boats with livewell plumbing especially.

Soon I will replace a dozen or more livewell valves that froze, swelled up and busted over the Winter. Never fails, every Spring.

An auto bilge is often the only indicator the operator gets that a boat it taking on water before it's too late. (Too late: meaning there's too much water in the boat to get on plane.)

So if you do not have an Auto Bilge switch....Get one!

[Quillback]

And he did not have his life jacket on, and wasn't able to put it on when he realized his boat was sinking. Should have been point number one in that story.

[J-Doc]

Yep. All good points. Water below 60 degrees impairs movement. Below 40 pain consumes you slowing your movement. Anyone that has done the ice bucket challenge can or should be able to attest to this.

[kjackson]

PFDs are a must to wear whenever you fish alone. A point I have to remember.

Having said that, if you do fall overboard, then you can get back in the boat--or get better situated--by straddling your big motor and hitting the trim switch. In most cases, it will lift you out of the water, and that should make it easier to get on board. While I haven't tried it, a walleye tournament pro mentioned that he had done the same thing when he went over. I'm not sure if the trim would work in Ardister's case as he is a big dude--340 pounds might be more than a trim pump can handle. However, getting some of your body out of the water would make it easier to get a foot on the swim ladder or on the back deck, especially if you're wearing heavy clothes.

[MeatintheFreezer]

Just a few years back I had a live well pump go bad one late fall fishing trip, when I got home I pulled the cartrige so I could get the correct gph replacement the next time I was at bass pro. Flash forward to early spring, I hooked up the boat and headed out without giving a second thought to the new pump still laying on my work bench.

The boat felt a little sluggish coming up leaving the marina, but it still didn't dawn on me what was wrong. I fished for maybe an hour then decided to run to another spot. When I stepped down off the front deck, I saw the miniature fountain of water coming up through the floor drain. Uh oh!. I turned on the bilge and fired up the motor. We plowed through the water trying to get up on plane, my buddy went up to the nose of the boat, I turned right and left back and forth and finally walked it up on plane. We headed straight for the loading ramp and go it loaded back up without incident. I have a 20' Ranger, and the whole time this was going on I was picturing Forest Wood in that old commecial where they cut the sections out of the boat and it still floated.

I never really gave it much thought about how close we were to sinking until I clicked on the link in this story.

By the way, shortly after that trip, I installed float switched on the bilge pumps.

[PMB]

Thanks for posting. We should all be more cautious.

[J-Doc]

Just a few years back I had a live well pump go bad one late fall fishing trip, when I got home I pulled the cartrige so I could get the correct gph replacement the next time I was at bass pro. Flash forward to early spring, I hooked up the boat and headed out without giving a second thought to the new pump still laying on my work bench.

The boat felt a little sluggish coming up leaving the marina, but it still didn't dawn on me what was wrong. I fished for maybe an hour then decided to run to another spot. When I stepped down off the front deck, I saw the miniature fountain of water coming up through the floor drain. Uh oh!. I turned on the bilge and fired up the motor. We plowed through the water trying to get up on plane, my buddy went up to the nose of the boat, I turned right and left back and forth and finally walked it up on plane. We headed straight for the loading ramp and go it loaded back up without incident. I have a 20' Ranger, and the whole time this was going on I was picturing Forest Wood in that old commecial where they cut the sections out of the boat and it still floated.

I never really gave it much thought about how close we were to sinking until I clicked on the link in this story.

By the way, shortly after that trip, I installed float switched on the bilge pumps.

I've got a new Ranger RT188. I know a guy in Hot Springs that has one just like mine. Literally. He said he forgot the plug one day and they saw water in the lower floor from the drain. He had been fishing for at least an hour before realizing. (I think the guy in the story had the same issue). He realized what had happened, reached down and put in the plug (bet that wasn't easy) and turned on his bilge pump and went back to fishing. Bet that took a while to pump out. :-)

Yep I believe we are all a little too over confident in our rigs floatability. I know I was after hearing the tale about the rig like mine. After reading the story above, it's made me more aware and I prefer to be on the safe side than risk what he went through. I have two kids also that need their Dad.

[5bites]

That is an amazing story. Thank God it worked out the way it did.