Please everyone wear you PDF's

[MOPanfisher]

I believe the buoyancy provided by the Inflatables is about double what a regular wearable type is.  Something like 15 vs. 30 lbs.  Wearing one is a matter of getting used to it, like wearing a hardhat, or sunglasses.  Once you are used to it, you simply forget its on.  When I go out on a boat at work, I usually end up having to get back out of the truck after loading the boat back on the trailer because I am still wearing the Mustang Inflatable, get out take it off and put it behind the seat.  Sadly I am too cheap still, (yes I know better but just don't do it) to buy a good Mustang and wear it all the time.

[vernon]

11 hours ago, LD Fisher said:

Well, I learned my lesson the hard way....................as usual!    I generally always wear a life jacket, but now you can remove "generally" from that statement!!  And I have a ladder ordered for my Ranger that will be installed before the water temp drops.

I don't mean to distract from the post of this poor man's drowning but this might help someone who "thinks" they're covered by installing a boarding ladder.  

I bought a 2016 Z521c this spring and the boarding ladder is WORTHLESS!  I have had ladders on all of my previous Ranger's and they were similar to those on a boat dock or the side of a pool and made getting back in the boat a piece of cake.  Not these.  

On our trip to Table Rock in September, we decided to take a swim and utilized the ladder for the first time since buying the boat.  It was nearly IMPOSSIBLE to get back in the boat!

Now granted, I'm 63 and not quite as svelte as in my more athletic youth but still pretty strong and it took everything I had (and a half dozen attempts) to get back in that boat.  And that's under ideal circumstances wearing only swim shorts AND a life jacket!  Kathy, who is much slimmer than myself and several years younger had an equal amount of difficulty.  

The design of the ladder is such that the bottom is positioned forward and under the boat and Ranger no longer installs ladders with railings on top of the deck - I guess instead figuring the chrome "handles" that are part of the boat design (although purely aesthetic) will suffice.  NO DICE!  When you attempt to pull yourself up the ladder, your feet, legs and lower body are actually forward and under the transom and when you attempt to pull yourself UP you're actually moving backwards.  And there's just no way to get there from there.

We finally had to put one foot on the ladder step and the other on the outboard and literally pull/crawl ourselves back into the boat.  We were both exhausted (and bruised) after finally getting back in.  Had we been fully clothed, in cold water or simply under duress we would have been in serious trouble.  It was on my final attempt and with her help that I finally got back in.  I say "final" because if I hadn't made it that time I knew I was done.  She would have had to use the trolling motor to drag me to shore so I could get back in that way.

When we come back down in a couple of weeks I intend to drive over to Flippin and see who I can talk to about this deal.  I can't believe that no one else has encountered this problem.  I'm pretty sure this is the same ladder design that Ranger's been using since the early days of the "Z" boat with the chrome dealies on the back.  The ladder itself is smaller, more narrow and compact than previous models.  Looks nice but.....  I honestly do not see how even someone who is young, slim and athletic could climb up and in the boat using this ladder.  Now I ain't saying that bass fisherman ain't "athletes" but I think you know what I mean.

I'll be sure and re-post after visiting with Ranger.  In the meantime, please wear those PFD's.

[kjackson]

My next boat will have a boarding ladder, but still I can see problems when fully clothed, in cold water, and so on.  Since I"m getting to the old-fart stage of life, I've started wearing an inflatable PFD all the time.  

Here's something that should work--don't know if it will, but it happened to a walleye pro maybe 20 years ago. He was fishing in the Dakotas in cold weather and fell out of the boat and couldn't get back in. So he moved to the outboard, straddled the lower unit and used the trim switch to lift himself up enough that he could crawl back into the boat.  

And on the matter of boating safety, not that I want to hijack the thread, but I read a report from the Coast Guard that said the vast majority--something over 70% if I remember correctly-- of drowned males were found with their fly unzipped...kind of makes you wonder, doesn't it?

[176champion]

50 minutes ago, kjackson said:

 but I read a report from the Coast Guard that said the vast majority--something over 70% if I remember correctly-- of drowned males were found with their fly unzipped...kind of makes you wonder, doesn't it?

This is why i dont whizz off the side of my boat and i do have a coffee can i use...lmao

[fishinwrench]

Don't wanna get no dribbles on that purty boat!!  

[MOPanfisher]

Just whiz in the livewell and leave the pump running for a while.

 

[176champion]

23 minutes ago, fishinwrench said:

Don't wanna get no dribbles on that purty boat!!  

I wouldnt call my 1989 champion glitter sled purty....im more worried about dribbling on my shoes, i dont care much for damp shoes and feet.....lol

[merc1997 Bo]

being in the water and getting back in your boat is something anyone needs to actually practice.  this will give you a very good idea if you can do it by yourself, or if you need to have another plan, such as boarding ladders that actually work, and wearing a pfd at all times.  when cold water is added, it becomes much more difficult and in a hurry.  i still routinely get out in the water during warmer water conditions to make sure that i can still easily get myself back into the boat on my own.  there are tricks to doing it, and anyone with lifeguarding background will know what i am talking about.  you bob up and down and on a bob up, you kick at the same time, and it will easily propel you up on the deck.  the same way one used to get out of a swimming pool without using a ladder.

i hope that everyone takes being out of the boat into the water seriously and plans ahead and knows their each individual capabilities.  most definitely have your pfd on and buckled up and kill switch hooked up anytime the big engine is running.

a very good thread to remind us to be safe on the water.

bo 

[abkeenan]

2 hours ago, MOPanfisher said:

Just whiz in the livewell and leave the pump running for a while.

 

Wizzing a bass. More effective than fizzing. Also no need for Mountain Dew.

[176champion]

Pizzing whizzing or fizzing...i guess not much difference..