275 on the rocks

[FSH 210 Sport]

So far I’ve only towed one boat back to the marina, it was roughly a 1/2 mile tow. I just used one of my long dock lines and towed off of tow point on the stern. I just used idle ahead and towed them all the way to the dock, I thought ahead and was able to swing them slowly around to the dock.

@biffdotorg makes a great point about using nylon ropes, their stretch and snap back if they break.

If I was going to tow another boat over a greater distance I think I would tie a bridle to be able to use two tow points as in two rear cleats. To make a bridle check out the two vids below.

I keep an extra water sports floating tow line in the wet storage area of my boat to use as a tow line for towing another boat.

Another thing to absolutely have in your pocket is a very sharp knife to be able to cut the tow line if things go south.

https://www.boattest.com/article/top-12-tips-towing-stranded-boat

 

[Ronnie]

damn that looks heavy!

It was but we communicated our intentions clearly before we moved the boat an inch, so we were not working against each other.

When were we’re done my buddy’s wife asked, “why didn’t any of the women on that boat help?”

I replied, “why didn’t any of the women on this boat help?”

My wife replied by shaking her head and flipping me off.

just another reminder that no good deed goes unpunished.

 

[Ronnie]

I found this while looking for pics for the throw back Thursday string. As I recall my son and I just get back to the ramp after eating lunch on the water when this guy asked me to tow his boat from the dock back to the ramp 50 yards away.

I didn’t want to, didn’t have my boat or a proper tow rope. I did it anyway, no regrets. the next and last time I saw this guy on the water was a few weeks later. Ironically, he was towing a black pwc (seadoo) back to the same ramp.

About me: navy right out of high school in 1987, I remember the training videos of guys who lost legs after a mooring line snapped near them. bought my first jet ski just before college and my first of four jet boats soon after law school. Been towed many times and towed others many more times (i.e., Learned to tow though trial and error not a formal class), never by tow boat us or a pro of any kind (well once by a sheriff, sucked up a tow rope on a weekday with no one else on the water, first he lectured me politely for having too many people on my boat than he towed my overloaded boat back to the ramp about 1 mile away, it felt like 100, longest mile of my life, let me go without giving me a ticket) never resulted in an injury, property damage, insurance claim or lawsuit.

 

[Nightmare]

I towed someone about a mile back to the launch ramp the very first day we had the Yamaha on the water.
And since then I have checked on 2 other boats that looked like they might need help.
It doesn't take much time, and as long as you aren't putting yourself in harms way, you should at least check on the fellow boater

 

[HawaiiBreeze]

Lot of posers there at that inlet. Left a guy floundering. Shame. Shame. Shame. All that money in those water palaces and not one good Samaritan. Not a "captain" among them.

 

[Nightmare]

I’ve watched a bunch of the Haulover videos.
Where are they going with those 2000+ HP boats?
Only about 5-10% look like they are going fishing.
Is there some party spot?
Just cruising offshore burning $500-$1000 in gas a day?
Just ‘Flexing’ for all their rich friends?

 

[swede4198]

Using the bow eye works BUT with two boats moving around in waves it is VERY easy to get hurt reaching down to the eye. A better way is to use a bridle off their two front cleats and your stern cleats. The boat will pull straight and the load on each cleat should not over stress them. You should verify that at least your bow and stern cleats go all the way through the deck with a backer block which makes them much stronger than a cleat just screwed down. If you do tow someone, make sure you tell them you are not responsible for any damages and they agree.

 

[lbccpt]

I’ve watched a bunch of the Haulover videos.
Where are they going with those 2000+ HP boats?
Only about 5-10% look like they are going fishing.
Is there some party spot?
Just cruising offshore burning $500-$1000 in gas a day?
Just ‘Flexing’ for all their rich friends?

There's a few sandbar party spots, but those race boats are going out to enjoy the thrill of 70mph+ on the water. Also, Bimini and the Bahamas are only 50 miles from south Florida.

 

[FSH 210 Sport]

There's a few sandbar party spots, but those race boats are going out to enjoy the thrill of 70mph+ on the water. Also, Bimini and the Bahamas are only 50 miles from south Florida.

And with those boats, some them could cross that distance in less than a hour.

 

[marcham]

The comments about " I would not tow" are really disheartening. If you don't know how, maybe it's time for a boating education course. I've towed many times with all kinds of boats. Take it slow (5 mph or less) and use a long rope.

Throwing a line and tying to a cleat in no way will endanger your boat, no more so than docking, anchoring or pulling towables.

US code 46 ch 23 sec 2304 (and Canadian Shipping Act) makes rendering assistance a requirement, providing you will not cause SERIOUS damage to your vessel or injury to crew.

In this case though, the boater wasn't really signaling he needed assistance, although the circumstances would hint otherwise to any experienced mariner. I guess no one wanted to risk ruining their fun on the water that day... what does that say about society?

I would have thrown him a line, I hope most boaters here would have done the same.

 

[marcham]

On that subject, If we were to tow someone, would we attach to cleats to to the lower water sports tow point? I assume if I'm being towed I'd just use the bow eye

I've used the stern tow point ... I usually let the boat being towed provide the tow rope, provided it's at least 30 ft long.

 

[Cleveland Steamer]

I'm pretty surprised by all of the "I won't tow" comments and "It's not safe" comments.

It's similar to towing a car, at slow speeds, using a rope type item and 'reasonable sense'. I've never towed another boat but then again I'm not a total dumb sh*t so I'm pretty confident I could do it smartly and safely at no wake speeds to accomplish the mission. It's not rocket science. I have however used my truck to pull many people's vehicles out of the roadway/ditches and everything went just fine. Was there a chance someone could have gotten hurt or there by some sort of damage? Sure.

But you could also get hurt walking to your mailbox so does that stop you from getting the mail?

 

[Jim_in_Delaware]

The comments about " I would not tow" are really disheartening. If you don't know how, maybe it's time for a boating education course. I've towed many times with all kinds of boats. Take it slow (5 mph or less) and use a long rope.

Throwing a line and tying to a cleat in no way will endanger your boat, no more so than docking, anchoring or pulling towables.

US CFR title 46 ch 23 sec 2304 (and Canadian Shipping Act) makes rendering assistance a requirement, providing you will not cause SERIOUS damage to your vessel or injury to crew.

In this case though, the boater wasn't really signaling he needed assistance, although the circumstances would hint otherwise to any experienced mariner. I guess no one wanted to risk ruining their fun on the water that day... what does that say about society?

I would have thrown him a line, I hope most boaters here would have done the same.

In the regulations, what does "rendering assistance" mean? To the persons on board the vessel? To the vessel itself? Or possibly both?

Jim

 

[adrianp89]

In the regulations, what does "rendering assistance" mean? To the persons on board the vessel? To the vessel itself? Or possibly both?

Jim

"
(a)(1) A master or individual in charge of a vessel shall render assistance to any individual found at sea in danger of being lost, so far as the master or individual in charge can do so without serious danger to the master's or individual's vessel or individuals on board.

(2) Paragraph (1) does not apply to a vessel of war or a vessel owned by the United States Government appropriated only to a public service.

"

I interpret this as persons not vessel.

 

[marcham]

In the regulations, what does "rendering assistance" mean? To the persons on board the vessel? To the vessel itself? Or possibly both?

Jim

Both... rendering assistance to the people or the vessel. Unless there's a fire or immediate risk of capsize, it's sometimes safer to leave them on their own vessel to avoid overloading your own. Transferring people between boats at sea can be risky (often safer to swim from one to another), unless one vessel is a RIB.


Here's the code:

46 U.S. Code § 2304 - Duty to provide assistance at sea

www.law.cornell.edu

Furthermore, good Samaritan acts are protected under 2303 (specifically states towing, salvage, medical treatment, ) etc...

46 U.S. Code § 2303 - Duties related to marine casualty assistance and information

www.law.cornell.edu

Lawyer's perspective:

Ask a Maritime Attorney: Do I legally have to render assistance to a distressed boater? – The Log

www.thelog.com

USCGA perspective:

The Good Samaritan – Safety of Life at Sea - WindCheck Magazine

A Master or individual in charge of a vessel shall render assistance to any individual found at sea in danger of being lost, so far as the Master or individual in charge can do so without serious danger to the Master’s or individual’s vessel or individuals on board.

www.windcheckmagazine.com

 

[adrianp89]

2303 only applies if you were involved with incident. "(a)The master or individual in charge of a vessel involved in a marine casualty shall— "

2304 only applies if an individual is at risk of being lost. Interpretation could be lost as Sea or loss of life. The definition can go a few ways. In either case there is nothing in the law requiring recovery of a vessel. Your obligation is to the individual and by law a vessel is not considered an individual. A guy banging up against the rocks on a heavily populated beach because his engines didn't start would not be applicable to either law mentioned.

The law is the law. Morally doing the right thing people can argue all day.

 

[tdonoughue]

A very good discussion above. A few of other points to consider:
- In order to render aid, you need to have a vessel and crew capable of doing do. Would I undertake to tow this guy solo in my boat? Probably not (how could I man the helm in those waters and also get him a line?). Of course, I would stop and ask if he needed help... and could call some if needed.
- On towing, consider that there are primarily 2 ways to tow: aft and abeam. When you use each will depend on your circumstance. Aft keeps the disabled vessel farther away (good if you might need time to cut a line, say if it is sinking, or if there is a fire danger), but is more difficult to control. To tow abeam you put the disabled vessel just aft of your vessel on your beam and secure it with springing lines (and fenders, of course). That is easier to control, especially in traffic, easier to communicate (and get the disabled vessel to assist with steering, if possible), but has increased risks if the disabled vessel is taking on water or a fire danger.
- Consider also having that sharp knife handy, if something goes poorly. You don't want to have to hunt for that. Find it before you hook up.
- I now got myself a truck tow strap (with the hooks on either end- 10k lbs?). I can use it as a bridle between the two rear tiedown hooks and run my tow line off of it. No, I don't have a nice anti-chafing cuff on it, but I don't figure I will use it often. If it gets too scuffed, I will toss it and get a new one. A nice feature is that the strap will certainly not be the weak point in a tow. If a line snaps, it will at least be farther away from my vessel and crew. It does not eliminate risk, but it does help mitigate it some.

 

[StanM]

Both... rendering assistance to the people or the vessel. Unless there's a fire or immediate risk of capsize, it's sometimes safer to leave them on their own vessel to avoid overloading your own. Transferring people between boats at sea can be risky (often safer to swim from one to another), unless one vessel is a RIB.

I rescued 2 men and 2 kids who had fallen overboard in rough seas. I used my small 9ft RIB to pull them out of the water as it was not safe to attempt bringing them aboard my 27ft cabin cruiser. A small 16ft fishing boat with a ton of gear came up to help. Thinking it would be "safer" on a bigger boat, they attempted to board. All the weight on the starboard side (plus the rough seas) caused the fishing boat to fill up with water and sink. Now I had 4 adults and 2 kids. I slowly motored to shore (about 1 mile) and they disembarked.

 

[Ronnie]

Getting back to the 275 on the rocks. I wonder what went wrong / why the guy couldn’t start it. I’d bet it was something simple like he killed his engines intentionally and forgot to put the lanyard back in or the throttles in neutral. Maybe the clean out hatch wasn’t secure and would open occasionally in rough water activating the safety engine cutoff switches. Does connext send display a warning telling the operator why he/she can’t start the boat?

 

[Julian]

Towing long distances in rough water can hammer your boat....but throwing this guy a line and hand dragging him 50 feet away from the rock while you wait for seatow....no brainer!! Perhaps he was offered help and declined it? Sad.