Wake up call !!!!!

[first2fish]

I have been around boats and the lake since i was 15 yrs old with no major accidents until last friday. Took my 17 yr old son to t/ville to fish with him for spring break. My 15 ft. Runabout i had just finished remodeling and got a great 70 hp johnson for it. Everything was going fine. Boat was running great,fish where biting ok. My son had to be at work at 4 pm so we headed back to settlers trace boat ramp to take out. My son was driving. He has been driving my boats since he was 13 and always made aware of dangers on the water. I looked back and the minnow bucket lid was getting ready to fly out of the boat so heres my mistake.....i got down almost on my knees to move to the back of the boat to secure the lid on the bucket and after i did i moved low in the boat back to the passenger seat to sit down and when i looked up we are 10 foot from the bank moving at 25 mph. No way to turn fast enough to get away from the bank. We where headed at the bank at a 45 degree angle. Lower unit slammed into rocks onthe bank first then went up a tree that was at a angle to finally slam into a tree headed straight out from the bank. Both of us where ok except for a few cuts{thats the main concern at first} i looked around stunned then asked my son what he was doing to cause him to run into the bank ? His answer was {watching me ! }. So now my little runabout boat is junk. Lwr unit needs repaired but all and all we are both lucky to be alive !!!!! I dont know when i will be able to let my son drive with me on a boat again and i will be very aware of whats going on around me when on the water !! Have a safe boating season all ! Later jc

[stripernut]

sorry about your boat....but glad you are here and able to write about it

[first2fish]

Thanks. Mistakes happen if your not paying attention. Oh by the way i had a guy in a nice looking ranger bass boat with his son that i alerted with a air horn and waved as my boat was sinking that looked me straight in the face and kept going. I was hoping he would be at the ramp when i got there. Maybe its better that he wasnt !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!. And on another note thanks sooooooooo much to the guy in the older pontoon with the 40 hp. Motor that saved my boat from sinking by towing us in. We werent but 1/2 mile from settlers trace. I always stop if someone is in need on the lake and hope they would do the same. But i know theres people out there like that. Jc

[roughscott]

Just pay it foward . :d

[Tom523]

Sorry to hear about misfortunes. I guess I've been lucky. I almost sank a boat at Nolin. I hit a stump at rough and put a nice hole in her at rough. I've had engine trouble with my last boat. But there was always somebody that came by and helped me. I'm thankful for all of those that take the time to care for others. There are many in Kentucky!

[RICHYD4U]

Glad that you and your son made it out of that situation ok...scary.

I have noticed the few times I've needed help on the water...I could never get the guys in the nice shiny bass boats to stop and help me...it's always the older guy in the pontoon, lol. Go figure.

-Rich

[catslayer]

Out fishing with my dad this weekend, catching some nice crappie. A guy started waving opposite of us in a cove 1-200 yds away. boat was stranded with a possible fuel leak, wind holding him to the bank. I actually thought of not going over, then he waved both hands. towed him back to his dock and glad we did. Did not accept his money, only asked that he help me if I ever need it. Worth the trouble knowing we helped someone out, wish everyone did the same. Too many bad attitudes on the water these days.

[colonelmeyer]

Glad you two fellas made it off the lake in one piece. Fishin' (well I was fishing, everyone else was "sunbathing") with some buddies of mine a few years back on Tayorsville a kindly fella in a pontoon towed us back in when our engine died. Same deal; more than one shiny bass boat passed by after staring at us blankly while we where waving for help. Swam to the bank and started fishing a point when the fella saw us from about 250 yards away and came over to help us. Thanks again cool family in the pontoon boat.

[cpsniper05]

Don't know if anyone is familiar with the Nolin Lake Estates boat ramp, but there are some stick ups directly across I would have to say **** near close to a mile away. After my dad's 75 Johnson refused to start me and my cousin had to swim the boat that entire distance without any help. Yeah it was about 7 in the am but I still remember about 2-3 boats going by. We also were only about 15 at the time. Glad you guys are really OK. Sounds like it could have been a lot worse.

[live4striper]

Was on Cumberland a bout 3 years ago fishing the striper night bite when we got caught in one of those nasty thunder storms with bad wind. Was headed back to the ramp at Lilly Creek (I think). Kept seeing a light flashing across from where ramp was about 200 yards. As we got closer I told my son that we needed to check on that, might be someone in trouble. Sure enough it was two guys in a john boat with an electric trolling motor that had been striper fishing and the battery was dead. Towed them over to ramp. Had we not checked they would have been stranded in a bad thunder storm and it rained most of the night.

[first2fish]

Read above post about swimming the boat. I was stranded a few years ago on a runabout w/o a trolling motor and ramp was 1/2 mile away. Here what i did....take your anchor to the front of the boat and throw it as far in frt of you as you can. Pull in and repeat until you reach your destination. Yes you will be tired but it works.

[KYCatfish]

that sounds like quite a workout. I have actually pulled my boat around throwing a casting net...and that was wearing me out. I can't imagine doing it with an anchor.