BruceK
Moderator Emeritus
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- Oct 31, 2011
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At last, a positive use for wake generators!
Accident?
With all the nav tools we have GPS, charts, depth sounders ect I see it as just plain not pay'in attention. In other words negligence. Just like talk'in on a cell phone and running into a ferry. Not pay'in attention. ...........
Yup, we narrowed down our purchase decision to the Selene we have (single screw) and one with twin engines. That was one of the large deciding factors, the protection the keel afforded the single screw.
At last, a positive use for wake generators!
WesK,
That's true but there are many areas of shoals and river flats here too. In your example of the cat aground he may actually have been pay'in attention. We all "push it" at times thinking we can get around this tide rip and seas OK but then get bit my the odds. This cat guy probably knew he was in very skinny water and was "just push'in it". Figured he could steak across w/o getting stuck. Or he could have completely unaware..
Accident?
With all the nav tools we have GPS, charts, depth sounders ect I see it as just plain not pay'in attention. In other words negligence. Just like talk'in on a cell phone and running into a ferry. Not pay'in attention.
Have I run aground? Yes. But there was no damage.
Yes, also for us.
AND I really need that protection
You must have it real easy up there in the NW.
Let's say you wanted to take your boat to Florida from the Chesapeake for the winter. Let's say your boat wasn't a passagemaker and you were not comfortable going outside for 1000 miles. Let's say you decide to use the ICW that is supposed to be maintained to between 8' and 10', but hasn't really been dredged for decades. And let's say you have invested in all that fancy navigation and you know how to use it and it works.
On the ICW, there have been times when your chart-plotter (the great ole Magenta line) tells you to pass the next can on the port, the paper chart confirms that, and your depth sounder (reading 10') suggests both are correct. Then your eyes notice that the boat in front of you, that passed the can to his port, has run aground. So, you pass the can on your starboard and drift through OK.
Was the boat in front of you, the one with the bent props, negligent for leaving the dock this morning? It would have been my props had I not seen that he was aground. I don't know what conditions you have up there, but when you transverse a 1000 mile waterway that is poorly maintained and varies anywhere between minimums of 4' to 10' depth, depending on tides and wind, going slower is not always the solution. Rocks is rocks.
No matter, Sea Tow was waiting near by, ready to tow and ready to bill some insurance company for his service. You can say that you are paying for that man's negligence, but that is what insurance is all about isn't it? Spreading the risk.
For many years - At infinitesimally slow speed (.01 knots)I often purposely run the nose of our Tolly firmly-aground up and onto the relatively soft, wet, yet well rooted and stable edges of small islands in SF Delta. Once nose touches ground I throttle up to raise nose onto island edge to the point that current/wind at that moment (in any direction) will not dislodge boat. Due to some Delta's islands steep drop-off at their edges in sloughs/channels 90 degree angle to the islands with nose firmly aground leaves rear 2/3 of boat in clear water of good depth.
Then I fling a light weight aluminum Viking anchor and line out at bow rail into islands weed and small tree growth (I get about a 40' toss accomplished). I make sure with windless that the flung anchor is well adhered to island growth.
Then I take our runabout and go out off transom some 250' across slough with a Fortress FX-23 aluminum anchor (set at 45 degree shank to fluke with 15' chain to 5/8 line) with my wife feeding line as I go and we drop rear anchor into the Delta's soft mud bottom. We slowly pull Fortress back toward boat until it firmly sets.
Then I go to bow and leave enough line to the front anchor on island so that boat's nose can be backed just a bit off island edge and into deeper water (so that the 4' +/- tide level change is no problem). I do this by starting engines. As I slowly back off island edge my Admiral pulls in rear anchor's then becoming slack line and when I have forward anchor's line fairly taught she fastens the rear anchor's line to our starboard transom cleat.
And a swimming we do go! Perfect for days of party relaxation/enjoyment and running around in our cute, fast Crestliner runabout.
This anchor-out technique is not for everyone and you must know how to read any island's edge to know if this technique will work in that location. Incorrectly attempted there are many bad items that could occur while performing the actions as well as can occur when sleeping, or during tide changes, or because of winds. I've seen some try and fail with damage to their boats and equipment. YRMV
I am always watching the depth sounder wherever I go that I feel water depth may become less than 10' deep under my keel. "So far" in decades of boating, I have never run aground - unless I wanted to!
Happy Anchor-Out Daze! - Art
Is it possible to run the AICW without running aground? Yes. It's also possible to win the Powerball. I suggest that those of you that think running aground is not an accident, try the AICW.
Is that the Skipper and Gilligan in front of the bow?
Later,
Dan
Reminds me of a story. We loaded up a buddy's boat(Boomerang...which is now owned by a TFmember) with all of us and our women with the intent of making it to a particular restaurant/bar in a shallow bay(Dickinson Bay). Well...we got stuck. We were kind of expecting it. As we sat there we were trying to figure out our strategy to get the boat to float again. Well we figured there was a bunch of people on board and if we got some people out of the boat then it might float. Ironically, it was all of the girls that got out of the boat first....and the boat floated!!!!! Although all of the boys looked at each other with a smirk...and the girls noticed.... not a word was said!!!!!
Beaching a boat is pretty hard on the bottom paint and gelcoat. OK for smaller trailer boats but I would never intentionally do it to my trawler. Beaching also puts the time of departure in nature's hands, not yours.
Beaching is really not a big deal if you know the pitfalls...even bottom paint survives unless you REALLY wallow in sand or plow through it.
Is it possible to run the AICW without running aground? Yes. It's also possible to win the Powerball. I suggest that those of you that think running aground is not an accident, try the AICW.