The sharpest knife in the box?

[bilbobaggins]

From a raggie-sailing friend, on vacation in Calif.

[ QUOTE ]

Last summer, down on Lake Isabella, located in the high desert, an hour east of Bakersfield, California, some folks, new to boating, were having a problem. No matter how hard they tried, they couldn't get their brand new 22 ft. boat going. It was very sluggish in almost every maneuver, no matter how much power was applied.

After about an hour of trying to make it go, they put into a nearby marina, thinking someone there could tell them what was wrong. A thorough topside check revealed everything in perfect working condition. The engine ran fine, the out drive went up and down, and the prop was the correct size and pitch.

So, one of the marina guys jumped in the water to check underneath. He came up choking on water, he was laughing so hard. Under the boat, still strapped securely in place, was the trailer .


[/ QUOTE ]

Could that happen, do you think, around here?

/forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[BrendanS]

it depends which version you read. Often attributed to Californian blond, it does also get attributed to many other blondes.

 

[Norman_E]

The old ones are the best. Sorry to pour cold water on a good story, but if the trailer was "securely strapped in place" the straps would have passed right round the boat, probably including one through the cockpit. Pretty obvious without getting in to the water .

 

[rickp]

Even Mythbusters have done a version of that now. Confirmed the basic story, but pointed out the obvious flaws (straps around the boat etc).

Rick

 

[ValleyForge]

Hmm, my Searay is fastened to the trailer by 3 towing eyes, bow, 2 stern, all just above the waterline. You will still of course see them, as you would the wheels, winch etc.

Still, a good tale, and it could only happen in the States (couldn't it ?) & better than the missing bung stories everyone can tell. (eg my plumber ...)

Merry christmas /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

 

[snowleopard]

And there's the one about the new mobo owner whose boat drifted away.... "how can it have gone, I left it in gear".

 

[Lakesailor]

I hestitate to recount this.
However, it has the advantage that I was told about it by someone I know well, who saw it on more than one occasion.

On the lake there are some landings in the south basin with steep tracks down from the road.
One guy couldn't get his vehicle and trailer with a powerboat on up or down the track. He took the boat home over winter and brought it back for the season.
So he would arrive at Ferry Nab with boat on trailer, back it into the water, still strapped on (before the days of wardens saying "you can't do that" about everything) and motor slowly down the lake to his landing complete with trailer. He would launch and recover all season from there, and then at the end of the season motor gently back to Ferry Nab, carrying his trailer beneath him. Then take the outfit home.

 

[waterboy]

It does happen. Last year, my 16 year old daughter used the dinghy to transport some friends from a beach barbecue back to their boat. The dinghy has a pair of fold-down wheels bolted to the transom. Down to pull the dinghy ashore and up for in-water use. Guess why she took so long for the return trip.

 

[Guest]

Stranger things ...

You would think that a hull that has been peeled or blasted for osmosis work would have to stay out of water ?

Not so. It was not unknown for a certain repair facility to not be able to have the debris of the peel / blast on site. So they set up a system where the boat was lifted at one site ... blasted of to lay-up ... then re-launched ... sailed round to repair yard .... lifted and dried out.

 

[michaelh]

We have a small 11' zodiac with a 4hp which we use as a tender for the rib when we are in Scotland. If I'm only going out to the mooring I leave the transom wheels down. These are not the fold up sort. It cuts the speed down a bit but makes retrieving at the beach a doddle. Drive flat out until the wheels hit and then jump out and pull past the surf.

Otherwise you end up with launch, lift boat to remove wheels, stow wheels careful not to lose the screw that goes through the transom; On return beaching, struggling to lift the boat which probably has water in it. Refit wheels (careful not to drop that screw).

 

[brianrunyard]

It must be Christmas, the old chestnuts are coming out!!!

 

[enterprise]

I heard a very similar tale.
Having bought a new boat & trailer, a guy trailed it north from the dealers.
Not wanting to rush with the new outfit it took considerably longer than anticipated to reach the ferry which separated him from home.

Missing the last sailing he was stranded, a few phone calls later he had aranged for his brother to meet him down at the local launch ramp, the guy lauched the boat complete with trailer, motored the short distance to the island & recovered the boat & trailer using his brothers car, returning the next day for his own car.

Don't know if it's a tale or not but seams quite plausable.

I once launched (tried) forgeting to remove the loading strap which passed through 2 "U" bolts under the bathing platform, no matter how much reverse thrust I gave the engine it would not budge off the trailer, then it dawned on me what was wrong, to all the onlookers it looked like a perfect recovery..... /forums/images/graemlins/crazy.gif

 

[fisherman]

Bit of thread drift: a local farmer retired to a cottage and bought himself a smart motor mower. After a while it broke down so he called the dealer who sent out a mechanic. He fiddled a bit and got it started, gave it a quick run up and down the garden, returning to find the farmer standing open-mouthed: "I've been pushing that ****ing thing for two years........."

 

[DaveS]

That's a variation on the Irish lumberjack joke....