Do boat owners ever fall off their boats?

[markpierce]

I've gone overboard twice. First from my sailboat in Suisun Slough with a gentle breeze from astern. Meanwhile was on the cabin top leaning over when a wind shift cause the mainsail to jibe, with enough energy for the boom to push me overboard. The other time was when exiting the dinghy at shore, losing balance to fall butt-first into a few inches of water.

Surely, I am not the only one.

 

[DavidM]

I have gone over once, and with my dog no less. I had taken her to shore to do her thing, and afterwards brought the dinghy up to the stern to get off. That boat didn't have a swim platform, just a boarding ladder in the back. Half way up with our 35 lb dog in hand we went over. My wife who was on board at the time screamed at me to save the dog. Well I did but she really didn't need saving.

So count me as one for this thread and one for the other one (well 2 or 3 more actually but from the dock not the boat).

David

 

[Lepke]

In the navy, my destroyer picked up the same skinny guy 3 times after being blown off a carrier flight deck by jet blast. He later traded jobs with one of our guys.

 

[Dougcole]

Not sure if this counts as falling off, but here goes.


After a week of fishing guiding, my customers paid me with a check and I dropped them off at a marina near their condo. I put the check ($4,500) in my shirt pocket then ran to the "boat ramp" where I launch my flats boat. This ramp is really just a flatish beach and the water there is super muddy, you can only see down into for a few inches. There are a couple of deep holes right against the beach where boat motors have blown the sand out powering on and off of their trailers but other than that the water is less than knee deep next to the beach.


I was pretty tired and didn't pay super close attention as I beached the boat. I stepped off the bow of the boat into what I thought was 5 or 6 inches of water. Turns out I stepped directly into the deep hole. It was neck deep. Ruined the check in my pocket along with my cell phone and the clicker for my truck doors.


Not my best moment.

 

[C lectric]

I was waxing the hull in my slip. Used my dinghy oars to fit beneath the bull rails onto which I placed a 2x10 board which I lay on. It worked untill one oar broke and down I went. Didn't lose anything except my pride.
Next time I used 2 x10 for all of it .

 

[alormaria]

Yes.

 

[kapnd]

I “helped“ a neighbor fall in once, he had slipped Overboard headfirst, but his belt caught so he was hanging upside down off the boat.
I cut the belt and down he went!

 

[Solly]

Had a fight with a kayak once and lost....

 

[FoxtrotCharlie]

Yes, well not actually. was trying to get ON the boat - lifted a box (new vhf radio) onto the side deck and as I was stepping on, a fellow boater called to me and I, like an idiot, looked over to him - as I was continuing to step. Wind, and some current were combining to make a fool out of me. Boat had moved a foot or two in the slip - and down I went. Fortunately only hit the water and nothing else. I was making my way back to the swim platform when 'friend who had called' came and pulled me out.

 

[GFC]

I once was stepping from the dock down into the dinghy which was tied to the stern of my boat. My toe hooked on a dock line which caused my upper body to pitch forward. I went into the little "V-shaped" opening between the end of the swim platform, the bow of the dinghy and the dock.

My wife saw me go headfirst into the water and disappear. I came up beneath the boat in the next slip. As soon as I saw the hull of the boat I knew where I was because of an odd color bottom paint. As I felt my way to the edge of the boat and rose to the surface I could hear her screaming. She hadn't seen me go under the dock and under the boat next to us and thought I'd drowned.

Took me awhile to live that one down.

 

[STB]

I fell in once. I don't remember exactly how I did it, but, after inflating a brand new dinghy on the finger pier I was trying do do something with it before walking it to the stern. While putting it in, I became concerned it was going to catch nails on the dock and got distracted. I followed it in, swam it to the stern, tied it up, and hoisted it up.

 

[FoxtrotCharlie]

ok, up to 11 that have gone into the drink. Might a beer or two be involved?? Actually in my case it may have been a G&T.

 

[78puget-trawler]

Cant remember all the times I have fallen or been pushed in. Not lately though. When I had a 26' ex Navy whaleboat, my boy and I were trying to get out of the dink to climb aboard, he got too close to the gunnel and over it went, him all the way, me part. I got out first and rigged a line up for him to stand on below the waterline to assist and then I was able to lean over and help him out. He was quite large at the time and not yet able to pull himself out.
He could probably throw me 20 feet now!

 

[O C Diver]

I fell off my boat once. It was in the boatyard. Fell about 10'. Didn't hit the ground. Landed on the steel swim platform of my steel dive boat. Didn't break the platform, or any bones, but had some very impressive bruises. Was supposed to launch the boat that morning. It was delayed a few days.

Ted

 

[FF]

I stepped off into the water in Port Royal while dockside.


The indignity was my crew would not lend a hand getting back aboard till they had photos.

 

[Martin610]

I fell once. Boat shoes had gotten old, rubber had gotten hard and didn't grip. I am real careful about my boat shoes now.

 

[Pete Meisinger]

NO, but I really took a nasty fall one time while ON the boat, on the hard. I was doing some maintenance and fell from the flybridge to the aft cabin deck. I laid there for almost an hour before the pain lessened enough that I could get up. Very sore for a week.

The winter cover was still on so nobody knew of my plight. I suppose I could have laid there for a week.

pete

 

[Dave_E]

Sorry so many of you have had such luck. I have never and hope never to. Glad your alive to talk about it.

 

[MYTraveler]

I suspect this is apocryphal but in my boater safety class, I learned that 75% of male victims of boat related drownings have two things in common: 1) alcohol in their system, and 2) zipper down when recovered.

 

[O C Diver]

I suspect this is apocryphal but in my boater safety class, I learned that 75% of male victims of boat related drownings have two things in common: 1) alcohol in their system, and 2) zipper down when recovered.

I've heard that before and frankly don't believe it. I would have to see a reputable government source on that one. That's one of those that sounds good to encourage people not to do, but lacking any factual data.

Ted

 

[psneeld]

I suspect this is apocryphal but in my boater safety class, I learned that 75% of male victims of boat related drownings have two things in common: 1) alcohol in their system, and 2) zipper down when recovered.

I have heard that now for at least 40 years....so it is surely widespread..


I don't think I have ever read (credible source) anything to prove that statistic...but it is a mental picture easily painted.


I would think I might have crossed the actual source in my USCG career, USCG licensing teaching and almost 15years teaching the NASBLA State boating certification course.....and all the research that goes into those different jobs.


Would love to see it in writing....


(Beat me to it Ted...always the voice of reason...)

 

[Mike Negley]

Falling in off a boat is very common especially in FL

The problem is getting back in the boat. It is very hard to get someone out of the water and back in the boat and nearly impossible for a single person. If no one sees the person fall in it is also nearly impossible to find them. This is why everyone needs to wear a flotation device. In FL, alcohol is the leading cause of accidents and drownings.

 

[rgano]

Has anybody fallen off while underway and lived to tell about it?

 

[DHeckrotte]

Fallen twice in 30 years.

First time, a dock line rolled under my foot as I stepped on the dock. Ended up chest first on the dock with legs dangling in the water. Broke ribs.

Second time, stepped from boat to dock unsuccessfully, while carrying trash in both hands. Ended up one leg on boat, one leg and one shoulder on the dock, butt near the water. Didn't drop the trash. Didn't lose or wet my cell phone. Didn't lose my wallet. Didn't lose or wet my electronic keys. Did tear my Achilles tendon longitudinally(!).

 

[MurrayM]

Haven't fallen, yet.

The problem is getting back in the boat. It is very hard to get someone out of the water and back in the boat and nearly impossible for a single person...

...and in northern areas cold water saps strength quickly.

We have a collapsible rope ladder attached to the rail near the starboard stern. It's positioned so you can grab it from the water to pull it down. Something like this: https://www.amazon.com/SeaSense-008702-Rope-Ladder/dp/B004OT37NA

Welcome aboard, Mike

 

[jleonard]

30 years and still dry so far. But it’s still early.

 

[OldDan1943]

Ah, forgot what I was doing, tied to the dock, fell into the water, from the swim platform, while wear $6,000 worth of hearing aids. I was in and out of the water so fast, the hearing aids suffered no damage. I think my clothing got a bit more than damp too but not much more. LOL

 

[psneeld]

Has anybody fallen off while underway and lived to tell about it?

Not sure exactly how you mean the question.


With you experience in the Navy you have had to cross a MOB where they were recovered alive.....and I am not trying to be smarta**d....as I know falling off ships is a different world.


Have no clue of its accuracy but sounds right from my USCG experience....


From Wikipedia:
Since the year 2000, 284 people have gone overboard or fallen off cruise ships and a further 41 have fallen off large ferries. In any given month, approximately two people go overboard and between 17 percent and 25 percent are rescued.


From Soundings:
The Coast Guard’s 2004 recreational boating accident statistics tracked 488 crew-overboard incidents, which resulted in 199 deaths. That works out to a 40-percent fatality rate. Combined with capsizing, falling overboard produces 60 percent of all boating fatalities. How can these figures be improved?

 

[FoxtrotCharlie]

Our boat has enclosures on the FB and around the hard-top sundeck, and wood wing doors from the sundeck to the side decks. Those wing doors are the only way to the side and bow decks. If anyone steps out of those doors they must be wearing a pfd. We keep four inflatables, and about 10 orange pfds on board. When moving each person must have their pfd near them on the FB or sundeck, and wear them outside. Guests so far have been very cooperative. Have discovered that both my wife and I will come back up from lock/fender duty and look up a couple of hrs later and we still have on the infaltable pfd - they are so comfortable, especially in cool weather.

 

[Benthic2]

I fell off my boat once. It was in the boatyard. Fell about 10'. Didn't hit the ground. Landed on the steel swim platform of my steel dive boat. Didn't break the platform, or any bones, but had some very impressive bruises. Was supposed to launch the boat that morning. It was delayed a few days.

Ted

I think the pessimist would say you fell off your boat.....the optimist would say you fell on your other boat !!