Ever been stranded on a boat?

[DavidPT40]

A couple of weeks ago, I got stuck out on the middle of a lake. While not a life threatening situation, we were on a secluded portion probably 20 miles via shoreline from our vehicle. It surprised me how quickly problems can arrise with boat engines. One moment we were doing 40mph, the next we were dead in the water. Even though it was a relatively easy engine to work on (4cyl 4-stroke), and we had a few tools, we couldn't find or fix the exact problem. The electronic ignition kept blowing fuses. Finally some other fishermen came by, and graciously towed us in after trying to help us fix the problem.

We finally did find the problem though. Oil was in the electronic ignition shorting it out. Strange.

 

[DennisS]

I've broken down a few times and only had to be call the towing company once, we got it squared away at sea. I have old carburated 4 cylinder inboards so repair is possible. If there is an electrical short or dead battery I carry a handheld VHF and GPS.

Down here in Florida we have the Gulf Stream and 95 degree weather. That means make sure you have lots of water, you may get rescued off of North Carolina 3 or 4 days later. In reality though all you have to do is tie a line to a cleat and start bending the rod, you'll be surrounded by tournament anglers in no time.

 

[archman]

I was moored a few miles offshore in the Keys one time, when the motor wouldn't turn over. I radioed into our marina to get some help, when the friggin' RADIO dies. So obviously, it was the battery that had pooped out.

The marina only got a weak, garbled message from us, and so they sent a boat out to find us. Except that the destination on my departure log didn't *exactly* match my actual location. We watched that rescue boat drive right past us and over to Looe Key before it got disgusted, turned around, and happened to bump into us on its way back.

After that, the marina checked its boat batteries more frequently. And I carried a cell phone.

 

[CAPT HOOK]

I've broken down a few times and only had to be call the towing company once, we got it squared away at sea. I have old carburated 4 cylinder inboards so repair is possible. If there is an electrical short or dead battery I carry a handheld VHF and GPS.

Down here in Florida we have the Gulf Stream and 95 degree weather. That means make sure you have lots of water, you may get rescued off of North Carolina 3 or 4 days later. In reality though all you have to do is tie a line to a cleat and start bending the rod, you'll be surrounded by tournament anglers in no time.

Best idea I've heard in a long time! ;-)

 

[JahJahwarrior]

After getting stuck 5 miles out in the keys TWICE on the SAME DAY, we bought a new engine

Then we up and bought a new boat, becuase the old one was falling apart. Then we rebuilt the floor of the old boat, and my dad doesn't want to sell it because it has sentimental value. I took it on a diving trip with a buddy a month or so ago, and it's working great with the new floor and motor.....pounded the crap out of it scalloping a month before that, with the rest of the family in the new boat and my buddy and I in the old one....according to my brothers, we left the water completely one time, none of the boat or prop was in the water. Well, I guess the fact that we survived means we did a good job with our stringers

My dad registered the boat and trailer with Seatow, so we can get help at sea or on land. The old boat had one radio, two antennas, and a portable VHF stowed in a drybox. The new boat has two radios, two antennas, a third portable radio (same one, switch it to whichever boat we use), a gps system that will send our exact coordinates out with our distress signal, and an epirb. When we go out to work on the boat at home, we don't bother carrying tools: the boat has half the workshop stored away in it. We could fix almost any problem at sea, I think.... We have more than enough lifejackets, tonnes of extra rope, and anchors. Two fire extinguishers, and a kicker motor which has it's own small gas tank, and can be fed off of the main tank.

Never been stranded ni it but if we were, it'd be hard to be stranded for long. We even have two batteries, and can switch between them, and even if that died we have a portable VHF we can hook up to our larger antennas, and we make sure it stays charged in the house. My dad is a safety nut.

The two times we got stranded inthe same day, the motor would run fine but if yous topped it, refuse to restart. The plugs kept getting fouled and it ran like crap. We replaced the plugs and it ran great so we went back out, and it started acting up again. The floor was also rotting...... We had Seatow then too but a nearby fisherman hauled us back in the first time, the second we limped back in, it took an hour or two to ge tthe motor to run, but we cleaned all the plugs at sea and got close enough before it died again to be able to get in with our trolling motor. We didn't have the kicker motor on the boat then, it had gotten dropped in the salt water a few months before that somehow when the motor was acting up, and was seized up.

 

[DavidPT40]

I like the idea of having a GPS locator beacon. The ocean is a big place.

 

[herman]

Been stuck several times, it's not a matter of if you are going to get stranded but a matter of when if you spend enought time in boats. I always carry 2 GPS, cell phone, hand held vhf radio (all in a water proof box). That's in addition to the installed vhf radio, gps and loran (hey it still works ) when headed off shore.

 

[Hank49]

I had a fuel line rupture 18 miles out. It took a couple minutes to figure out what happened after the motor died. (the guys that mounted the motor cut the line but not all the way through and it finally burst....like an aneurism) I dropped anchor so I didn't drift over the reef patch just downwind...and thought, "well, this isn't too bad a place to sleep and wait for someone". But I was lucky this time and had it going in 10 minutes. Buen mechanico.

 

[GrumpyOldGuy]

Been there done that. I was lucky as the lake was full of boaters and I was assisted in 20 minutes.

I boat in lakes and carry a handheld VHF (marine patrol monitors all the time), a cell (sometimes I get a signal, sometimes not), GPS, flares, smoke, water and first aid-kit.

If I was in the ocean, I would add a fixed VHF (better antennae == longer reach) and file a float plan with someone I trust so I could be assured of rescue eventually.

 

[Darnold9999]

During a beer strike, on a beer run (many years ago) exactly half way between San Juan Island USA and Victoria BC (about a 15 mile trip) my single inboard engine died on an 18' runabout. No radio, seas were getting lumpy. SO glad I had the tools along, but fixing an engine in 3' seas in a drifting boat taught me to only buy boats with twins. I get seasick and bending over a hot engine in a dead boat got me sick in record time. Short version is I got the boat running and we made it back no problem, but I was not a happy boater.

Just had an engine die on the last trip out, 40 year old boat - newest part on the whole damed boat died. Just replaced the coils on both engines last month as the old ones were getting rusty and fuel economy was poor. 6 days out in Desolation Sound one of the engines just quits - no warning, running perfectly one minute the next dead. Had to come in on the other engine. Turns out one of the new coils had air in it when I took it out - possibly overheated??? Got to love twins - Pretty much no matter what happens I can make one engine work with parts from the other.

Then no radio no flares nothing - now CB, 2VHF (portable and fixed), flares and cell. Amazing what age and a few $ will do.