Distracted Boating?!! Holy ****!!!!!!!!

[The Spank]

I’ll be watching out for fellow boaters much more closely now after reading this article and watching the accompanying video!!

http://www.oregonlive.com/pacific-no...man_jumps.html

[nast70]

I saw that one yesterday. Scary as chit!! Luck the old folks were paying attention to their surroundings and had lines in the boat!
I think 3 or 4 years ago we were at Cold Lake pp launch waiting to load and saw a guy unload and back off the trailer, and right into the middle of the bunch of boats waiting to get off the water. Lots of yelling back and forth, but nobody got hit.

[SNAPFisher]

Enough time has passed for me that I can talk about the accident I was involved in. This was 3 years ago in October at Sylvan fishing for fall whites in the shallows. My boat was completely run over by a large ski boat. I heard them coming, fast, yelled, slammed my boat into reverse (thank god the motor was running because I was thinking of moving spots…) and then got absolutely bone crushing nailed, broadside. I was in my boat alone and there was 3 of them in the ski boat – all 3 looking at houses on the North side and not looking ahead, speeding at 35-40 MPH just off the shallows. I was maybe 500 yds off to the East of the Sunbreaker launch.

You would think at that speed that they would have gone over top of me. But Crestliner double haul aluminum boats are tough but I also think the speed was just right. If they were full out at 50-60 MPH they would have likely gone right over me. As it was the nose of their boat was embedded into the side of my boat. What happened next is the two boats then turned broadside and slammed together. The other owners stainless steel prop cut deeply, deeply into my haul on the side – yes, on the side I was sitting. The amazing thing, I was no longer sitting there as I was shot up and over to the passenger side, landing on my fly rod and snapping it in half… If I was still sitting there, possible chop off of anything near the propeller.

Amazing thing number two. When I had enough wits to slam my boat into reverse in the split seconds I did have, I likely save my life or major injury as he hit two feet ahead of the console…otherwise it would have been exactly where I was sitting.

No poor me here. I was damn lucky to walk away from that with only bumps and bruises. Someone up there must be looking out for me. So I rather feel lucky than angry. Maybe at the time more angry but hey, anything you can survive like that, move on and live. Live damnit live!!

You could see through to the water looking at my haul. Luckily that hole was above the water line so I didn’t sink.

I’ll get some pics uploaded tonight or this weekend. That will help tell the tale even better than I can retell here.

[ATF]

Good thing stuff like that can't happen anymore now that boaters are all federally licensed.

[cube]

That Video was the best commercial to always wear your life Jacket I have ever seen. Wow

[SNAPFisher]

Yep, that boat is a mess. I'd like to say that I will stop driving vehicles and boats when I no longer should. But that is easy to say when I'm not that age too.

[LCCFisherman]

What happened to the boaters who hit you SNAP? Their insurance buy you a brand new boat?

[Wolftrapper]

Originally Posted by SNAPFisher

Enough time has passed for me that I can talk about the accident I was involved in. This was 3 years ago in October at Sylvan fishing for fall whites in the shallows. My boat was completely run over by a large ski boat. I heard them coming, fast, yelled, slammed my boat into reverse (thank god the motor was running because I was thinking of moving spots…) and then got absolutely bone crushing nailed, broadside. I was in my boat alone and there was 3 of them in the ski boat – all 3 looking at houses on the North side and not looking ahead, speeding at 35-40 MPH just off the shallows. I was maybe 500 yds off to the East of the Sunbreaker launch.

You would think at that speed that they would have gone over top of me. But Crestliner double haul aluminum boats are tough but I also think the speed was just right. If they were full out at 50-60 MPH they would have likely gone right over me. As it was the nose of their boat was embedded into the side of my boat. What happened next is the two boats then turned broadside and slammed together. The other owners stainless steel prop cut deeply, deeply into my haul on the side – yes, on the side I was sitting. The amazing thing, I was no longer sitting there as I was shot up and over to the passenger side, landing on my fly rod and snapping it in half… If I was still sitting there, possible chop off of anything near the propeller.

Amazing thing number two. When I had enough wits to slam my boat into reverse in the split seconds I did have, I likely save my life or major injury as he hit two feet ahead of the console…otherwise it would have been exactly where I was sitting.

No poor me here. I was damn lucky to walk away from that with only bumps and bruises. Someone up there must be looking out for me. So I rather feel lucky than angry. Maybe at the time more angry but hey, anything you can survive like that, move on and live. Live damnit live!!

You could see through to the water looking at my haul. Luckily that hole was above the water line so I didn’t sink.

I’ll get some pics uploaded tonight or this weekend. That will help tell the tale even better than I can retell here.

Wow that's crazy. Glad you're ok.
Did anything happen to the other boat driver, charges, etc?

[SNAPFisher]

Originally Posted by Wolftrapper

Wow that's crazy. Glad you're ok.
Did anything happen to the other boat driver, charges, etc?

Thanks.

Nothing really other than insurance on his side to pay out my current worth on the boat. $10K. Salvaged what I could like fish finder, bow mount, etc. My replacement boat costed $25K and it was a step up for sure so I was out of pocket $15K. I also had no insurance on my boat....I let it lapse the year before as the boat was depreciating...I've learned a lot of about "replacement value" and why one would want to carry insurance. Then I would not be $15K out of pocket for getting run into.

I thought about trying to get more and do more. I did seek some advice on this.

Over time I gained some wisdom and perspective and thought if we both could walk away from something like that, then we should both be thankful. I'm sure he felt terrible. His wife did shoot forward and hit her face on part of the console and ended up with a bloody nose. Otherwise okay, not broken.

[The Spank]

Wow, quite the story Snap. Glad you walked, err swam away from that one ok.

[SNAPFisher]

Finally remembered to upload some pics. They tell the story better than I can.

Ski boat front was embedded in that deep gash.




That would be daylight looking through...
And that would be the windshield in many pieces




2nd part of the collision when then boats slammed together and his stainless steel prop was still turning




Buckled end to end




Other than being able to walk away from this being a real positive, Thane from Free Spirit gave a smoking deal on my replacement boat for a sticker price of 37K for 25K and basically covered his expenses plus a few hundred dollars profit left and moved everything over including wiring in my down riggers. That meant a lot to me after this. The replacement:

[Jawjacker]

Thane is a good man. I bought my Crestliner form him also. He took excellent care of me .

[58thecat]

Holy crap snap...I thought I had a close call when buddy trolled completely around me and his line brushed my shoulder...I cut it and got a five of diamonds...

[catnthehat]

I have a friend who has prop scars on her back and shoulder from a drunk that hit their boat on the river .
Big lawsuit and more than a few months of physical recovery .
The emotional scars never really do heal from something like that
Cat