What would you do when somebody else needs help

[DonziM79]

I don't post much on the site but follow and enjoy many of the discussions here. This subject came up on OSO today and being a fellow boater and Donzi owner felt the need to share. Hearing that Scot passed today makes you realize how precious life is and he truly liked to help. I meet him last year when a I bought a XZdrive for my 26zx last year at Victory. Great guy and loved the Donzi community as we all do and loved to help fellow boaters too. Below is my response on OSO to this subject there is no question on my mind you always help when needed especially after my recent experience.

On this subject I was recently on the sour end. I hit a sand bar last Sunday and ended up outside the boat with my life jacket on. I have boated my entire life and love the water and pulled people in many times, karama must exsist in my situation. This was supposed to be last trip of the season ( as North Texas lakes are getting too low, as I found out the hard way) I wanted to make a couple good runs by myself low on fuel, cool water, and go home. Well on the last run I hit a sand bar at 70+ pretty scary in it's self then slowed down and notice the temp gauge creeping up and I knew I sucked up a bunch of silt. When I turned to see if water was coming from the exhaust I hit something else some how knocked my laynard off and rolled off the sun deck with the boat in gear idling now. It was one of the worst feelings ever, watching my pride and enjoy slowly idle away from you, then relize there is not another sole in site. Its 60 degrees and fully clothed in the middle of the lake and the water is just as cold. Luckily someone at a marina nearby heard me, knew I was in trouble and directed some bass fisherman to assist they wrangled the boat and shut it off and then picked me up. It feels like eternity when your in water by yourself (maybe only a 10 min ordeal total). This could have played out so much worse and my greatest fear was to never see my two young daughters or wife again. Or have the boat hit someone else. I thank god I used my head and put the Life Jacket on that day and I can't be more thankful enough for the guys that came to my rescue. The answer in my book will always be help a fellow man in need you never know when it is going to be you. Our sport gets a bad stigma sometimes due to the type of boats but most of the boaters I meet are great people and will assist whenever needed. Just wanted to share as this is still very fresh on my mind and still think how much worse it could have turned out. Like many have said before our toys can be replace but lives can't be.

Be safe out there
Michael

[Carl C]

I towed some young guys in off Lake Huron once. Their small boat was dead and the wind was blowing off-shore. They could have gotten in real trouble. My friend noticed them in the distance waving towels like crazy! They looked like they didn't have any money and I didn't do it for money but they gave me $30. That was the only time I had an opportunity to help someone on the big water. I would take a reasonable risk of life to help anyone in need. An unreasonable risk if children were in danger. Wouldn't anyone?

[DonziM79]

I agree always help when needed. It's amazing on a busy holiday weekend at local lakes to see a boat with a engine hatch up and watch people pass by. I've seen it many times and always pull up to help. I think for me the pay it forward attitude paid off. Good mojo usually doesn't hurt but some on the OSO discussion worried about liability issues.

[MOP]

Never ever hesitate you can be the next one in need!

[yembo77]

Being stranded in a dead boat is the worst feeling. I always help out a stranded boater and I think most people feel the same way because we all know that horrible feeling. I think I might fix my disconnected lanyard this winter. Too many stories like this.

Matt

[mattyboy]

I always try to help and have towed in a few and have been towed in a few times.

maritime law always says to aid unless you put yourself or your passengers at risk doing so.

a basic human instinct is to help and sad to say now a days in this over legislative country we need good samaritian laws to protect someone trying to help.

NY has changed it's pfd law early and late in the season they want everyone onboard in a pfd . I guess to help the boaters and also to help first reponders .

[Ghost]

Wow, what an ordeal, glad you are okay .

[DonziM79]

It was definelty an humbling and eye opening experience. I just wanted to share as sometimes like myself we all forget how risky our hobby can be. I don't think most of us in the Donzi community would ever hesitate to assist when needed.

[Just Say N20]

I'm very glad you were rescued. Also that you shared the story.

I have found that those types of stories, are the things that flash through my mind when I am feeling like, "Just this once. . . .I won't put on the life jacket/wear the kill lanyard, etc."

If just one other person has your story flash through their consciousness, and as a result makes their boating safer, totally worth it!

I am also a big time Pay-It-Forward guy.

Thanks.

[hardcrab]

A long while (30 yrs) ago, I had a 14' Glastron with an 85 Merc that wouldn't start one night, I was about 4 miles to where I needed to be. I was alone and I was in the boonies.
If I had my cell phone 30 yrs ago.........

anyway, I'm drifting in the middle of nowhere after dark when the only other boat I was going to see that night putted on up and (him and his date) offered to tow me all the way back to my ramp - without a second thought

- Great folks! -

30 yrs later, and I'm still telling the story

[Carl C]

Unlimited towing coverage on the Great Lakes is ridiculously cheap through TowBoatU.S. I've had to use it twice. Once from Put-in-Bay when I ran over a shoal and clogged my cooling system with debris (now I have a sea strainer). This year I needed a tow in when my drive went out with a bang. Two tows in nine seasons. Cost is about $30 per year. Each of those tows probably would have topped $500.

[mattyboy]

Since I had an exhaust hose burn this year I have the need to crawl out on the back and check the water flow. My wife has said a few times one time you are gonna go in. I always make sure I am in neutral and have the neutral lockout on.

We had a guy on the lake a year or so ago around this time of year taking his last ride of the season they figured he must have walked out on the back swim platform of his cruiser to check something or take a leak. He fell off. They found the boat running at idle in fwd at the other end of the lake it had run up on against the shore. They found him a week later after he floated up.

One time I had a guy I was towing in get pissy with me that I wouldn't tow him to the other end of the lake back to his car and trailer I said I had my daughter and friend who had a dance class in 30 minutes it would take an hour or more to get him back. I said the choice was his I could leave him or I could tow him 10 minutes to another marina with a ramp then blast down the lake and drop him off at his car and he could drive back to his boat and dragged it out. He decided on the later but was still bitching I took extra pleasure bouncing his ass around the 16 on the way back

[Carl C]

Since I had an exhaust hose burn this year I have the need to crawl out on the back and check the water flow. My wife has said a few times one time you are gonna go in. I always make sure I am in neutral and have the neutral lockout on.

We had a guy on the lake a year or so ago around this time of year taking his last ride of the season they figured he must have walked out on the back swim platform of his cruiser to check something or take a leak. He fell off. They found the boat running at idle in fwd at the other end of the lake it had run up on against the shore. They found him a week later after he floated up.

One time I had a guy I was towing in get pissy with me that I wouldn't tow him to the other end of the lake back to his car and trailer I said I had my daughter and friend who had a dance class in 30 minutes it would take an hour or more to get him back. I said the choice was his I could leave him or I could tow him 10 minutes to another marina with a ramp then blast down the lake and drop him off at his car and he could drive back to his boat and dragged it out. He decided on the later but was still bitching I took extra pleasure bouncing his ass around the 16 on the way back

Wow. If he was actually complaining then I would have left his sorry a.. in the middle of the lake as long as he wasn't in danger. That's pathetic. Our high performance boats are not towboats and are not meant to be lugged for long periods. You were too kind to take him to his rig. I would have at least make him find his own way there. Yup, nearest marina or harbor with launch facilities and they can take it from there.

[Ghost]

One time I had a guy I was towing in get pissy with me that I wouldn't tow him to the other end of the lake back to his car and trailer I said I had my daughter and friend who had a dance class in 30 minutes it would take an hour or more to get him back. I said the choice was his I could leave him or I could tow him 10 minutes to another marina with a ramp then blast down the lake and drop him off at his car and he could drive back to his boat and dragged it out. He decided on the later but was still bitching I took extra pleasure bouncing his ass around the 16 on the way back

Too bad you didn't get his picture. That could be the guy to inspire something like, say unbelievableasshole.com.

[Conquistador_del_mar]

Too bad you didn't get his picture. That could the guy to inspire something like, say unbelievableasshole.com.

Apparently the guy thought Matty was a government employee and he was entitled to the tow of his choice.

I would say that 90% of the people I have towed over the years were extremely grateful with only a handful acting like I somehow owed it to them. I never accepted money from the ones who offered.

[Just Say N20]

You try to be nice.

When I had my 18, I was heading out to Lake Michigan from a small lake about 8 miles south of Grand Haven.

When I got out into Lake Michigan, there was a boat of people in a 24 Challenger with the hatch up. I went over to make sure they were OK. Their engine was dead, so I offered to tow them to the ramp I had just left. This was during the time when there were cell phones. They wanted me to tow them 8 miles up Lake Michigan to Grand Haven, and 2 miles up river to where they had launched. I didn't have any idea what my fuel burn would have been towing a 24' boat full of people that distance, so I told him no, but offered again to tow him back to the local ramp. He told me to pound sand.

I went boating, came back after a couple hours, and they were still drifting. I went over to them again, and not surprisingly, they were OK with me towing them to the local ramp.

As has been pointed out, Classics aren't the best tow vehicles, especially towing a substantially larger boat full of people. For 10 miles in Lake Michigan. I thought it was pretty gutsy of them to refuse my help unless I towed them where they wanted to go, when we were just outside of a port with a good ramp. I would have been OK running one of them up to their launch to retrieve their trailer, but they wanted me to tow them up there. Some people.

[Ghost]

Since I had an exhaust hose burn this year I have the need to crawl out on the back and check the water flow. My wife has said a few times one time you are gonna go in. I always make sure I am in neutral and have the neutral lockout on.

We had a guy on the lake a year or so ago around this time of year taking his last ride of the season they figured he must have walked out on the back swim platform of his cruiser to check something or take a leak. He fell off. They found the boat running at idle in fwd at the other end of the lake it had run up on against the shore. They found him a week later after he floated up.

FWIW, it was a real eye opener for me when I had a boat of mine go into gear on its own, with the shifter in neutral and the neutral lock engaged. Would not have thought it was possible but it happened. Couldn't figure it out for a long time. Best I can tell, it was a failure of a wire tie, where the heavy collection of wires and control cables dropped about a foot to 18 inches. The first impulse was enough to tear a few more wire ties, or a couple of ties near the failure had already worn through. It moved the shift cable just enough to put it in gear. Changed my mind about what sort of things I'd do climbing on the motorbox with the engine running, even with the shift lock engaged in neutral. I reported it to the manufacturer, as it was part of a factory install on a boat I bought new.

I think the cause was hanging the heavy wire and cable assembly by just wrapping wire ties around some skinny bolts, where the threads had sawn the plastic ties over the years. I repaired it by replacing the skinny little plastic ties with straps i made from pieces of a heavy leather work belt. Drilled holes in the belt and inset stainless steel collars, so the bolt threads were in contact with the collars, not the belt, and thus couldn't saw into the leather. Gave the leather a good dose of beeswax or mink oil so it wouldn't dry and crack. I suspect this was overkill, but WTH. My guess is the heavy-duty wire ties that have the built-in collars/loops on the end might be fine if using l lot of them.