rescued a boater in distress today

[slag]

We put in for the 3rd time ever today on Clinton Lake in Lawrence. We started cruising out to the middle of the lake and saw up ahead of us a lady waving her arms. We made a detour over to the boat in question, a 24 foot pontoon, and saw that their transom had rotted through and their outboard was hanging precariously in the water by the steering cable and controls.

They tossed us us a line and I boarded their vessel and helped the guy hold the engine up out of the water to take the stress off the cables. We eventually tied it off well enough to pull it in with our boat. After we got to the dock, I waited around to help secure the motor better and then wished them well while they loaded up and headed home to fix the problem.

I've pulled boaters in before on jetskis but that was for dead batteries and other simple stuff, but this was new to see the engine hanging in the water with part of the rotten transom still attached.

 

[tx1961whaler]

Re: rescued a boater in distress today

Maybe we'll see them post here soon..."my motor went under today, what do I do?"
Good job helping them out.

 

[Fireman431]

Re: rescued a boater in distress today

Way to step up and help. I hope the favor never has to be returned to you.

 

[a70eliminator]

Re: rescued a boater in distress today

Good thing it was a toon eh, sounds like you had some fun.

 

[ralphl]

Re: rescued a boater in distress today

a pontoon with a wood transom??? How old a boat was that? I have never seen a toon with anything but metal..

 

[seabob4]

Re: rescued a boater in distress today

Well done, Slag!!!

 

[H20Rat]

Re: rescued a boater in distress today

a pontoon with a wood transom??? How old a boat was that? I have never seen a toon with anything but metal..

my pontoon is a '91, wood transom. Every pontoon i've owned has had a fairly sturdy board for the actual attachment point. It keeps some of the noise and vibration from transmitting directly to the rest of the frame. (the actual transom frame is metal, there is just a single piece of wood that is maybe 16x16 or so, which is bolted to the edges of the metal transom supports.)

 

[slag]

Re: rescued a boater in distress today

a pontoon with a wood transom??? How old a boat was that? I have never seen a toon with anything but metal..

it was an 88 (I happened to look at the hull ID when I was standing back there, holding onto the aluminum railing with the other hand holding on to the outboard.

It was plywood sandwiched between two metal brackets that bolted to the boat.

 

[Jeep Man]

Re: rescued a boater in distress today

it was an 88 (I happened to look at the hull ID when I was standing back there, holding onto the aluminum railing with the other hand holding on to the outboard.

It was plywood sandwiched between two metal brackets that bolted to the boat.

My older toon was an `88. It had an all metal transom.

 

[salt city jim]

Re: rescued a boater in distress today

Way To Go Slag

They where sure lucky to have you around as hot as it's been out here.

Most people are in the house where the A.C. is at. It,s also great that you

stayed around to help do the loading

Now,,,About that football team your town has in there??? L.O.L.

Jim

 

[Borchik]

Re: rescued a boater in distress today

good story...i should print it and give it to my customers when they complain that we wont fix their motors when the transoms are so rotted they are about to fall apart.

 

[Home Cookin']

Re: rescued a boater in distress today

I tried to tow a toon once--not easy if you don't take the time to set it up right.

 

[slag]

Re: rescued a boater in distress today

I should add that my wife is the one who towed us in. I stayed on the pontoon to help if the rope gave way or if the motor started to drop further or any one of a multitude of things that could happen. She swung wide near the docks and we coasted in.

Last year I had an 87 bayliner that always seemed to need something and I was towed in by a pontoon boat, so it all evens out in the end.

 

[Captain Caveman]

Re: rescued a boater in distress today

It bears asking: what is the best way to tow a pontoon? I've towed other boats from the bow eye. What is the special trick?

 

[Home Cookin']

Re: rescued a boater in distress today

you have to be centered: a harness on the tow boat and center line on the towed boat. Once they veer over it's all over.

I suppose the next best thing is to tie alongsides. Steering will still be difficult.