Is your boat worth your life????

[webejpn01]

This happend locally last night:

http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/AB/20070615/NEWS01/306150004/

[smart_racer]

That is not good news , I wonder what caused the problem

[Punkie]

A tragedy for the mans family and friends. Dangerous places ponds or rivers, far more dangerous than people think. A lot of these ponds have a sudden temperature difference just below the surface and the sudden cold can quickly lead to difficulties in breathing and swimming. As for underwater obstructions even a bit of weed can catch you, and at the least make you loose your bearings.
Don't swim out to lost models, send out another model or borrow a row boat. Never dive unless you have the right equipment and know how to use it.
A model boat is not worth you life.

[AndyKunz]

Tried drowning myself for a model boat once too, at the 2000 NAMBA Electric Nationals. It was NOOO fun. Fortunately a life guard (Brian Vega) was on hand to drag my sorry butt to shore.

I learned my lesson, and I hope more learn from this poor fellow's.

Andy

[der kapitan]

Punkie is right on strange water, you never know what's beneath the surface, unless it's crystal clear, which most ponds and small lakes arent. ;)

The water my model boat club runs on is a retention pond designed for flood control, and is murky at best. It is about 15 feet deep in the middle, and is laden with tree branches and other debris. :cool:

A sunken boat will settle into the silt at the bottom and never be found, despite organized efforts to locate it. :(

A swimmer could easily get tangled in whatever is on the bottom, and someone diving in could hit something. :eek:

Bottom line here is, don't become a candidate for the Darwin Awards---. :D

[Frank Hurd]

In my younger days, I,too, swam out to retrieve my boat. I soon discovered that the distance to the boat was far greater than I thought. I retrieved the boat and it was closer to the other side!
Well, my Moma only raised half a fool and I decided that never again would I do that! IT IS possible to teach a Redneck! Darwin was wrong!
Not only are the ponds full of debris, but dem ponds got gators and water moccasins down this way!!!!!
Frank

[Kmot]

If you are a good swimmer, I see no reason to not go after your boat.

By good swimmer, I mean someone who swims weekly and can keep it up for an hour straight. The lifeguards at Hansen routinely go into the lake and swim laps around the lake!

If you only splash into a pool a couple times a year and swim 20', well then forget it and stay out of the water!

[Hoghappy]

Not only are the ponds full of debris, but dem ponds got gators and water moccasins down this way!!!!!
Frank

AMEN TO THAT! :D

[der kapitan]

If you are a good swimmer, I see no reason to not go after your boat.

By good swimmer, I mean someone who swims weekly and can keep it up for an hour straight. The lifeguards at Hansen routinely go into the lake and swim laps around the lake!

If you only splash into a pool a couple times a year and swim 20', well then forget it and stay out of the water!
Kmot, I've always been a good swimmer, and still am, at very close to 65, probably better than I can walk these days---. :)

I'm also not that desperate for a rescue to bother getting wet in some scummy pond. :eek:

That's what we've got these young guys like you around for---. :D

[Stu :)]

$20 Could have saved his life too.
Every model boater down here I've met to date always takes a cheap RTR from a toy store or department with them as a rescue tug.

I concur with Andy; I've almost drowned as child and thinking back on the experience drowning is not good way go, I'd rather go head to head with a tiger.

Stu :)

[smart_racer]

Or... even a cheap $20.00 life jacket/vest

[Prins Willem]

Condolences to his family. Even in the best of shape swimming for a boat is most likely not a good idea. Beyond the possibility of snagging something like weeds or a sunken picnic table (not uncommon in parks where teens hang out) it would be awkward trying to handle the boat and swim too. With all of the other methods available for retrieval swimming for will just bring bad karma. Around here we prefer the buddy system best. Go to the pond with a friend.

[tim slocum]

Several years ago,I was testing out a Blue Devil destroyer, and the electronics got wet.Well the DD was stuck in a sharp turn about 40ft from shore. It began to take on water and was obviously not going to be above water long,so I took off my shoes,socks and wallet and went after it.Did I mention it was early March?The cold water took my breath away and the bottom was lined with sharp rocks and even sharper broken bottles.I saved the destroyer,retreived my shoes,socks and wallet and hightailed it home.Not fun.I think deciding to go in the water was a spur of the moment thing,I mean I put alot of work into the boat and I didnt want to lose it.But,in hindsight, going in ice cold water for a Lindberg destroyer was not really very smart.Condolences to the family.

[der kapitan]

Several years ago,I was testing out a Blue Devil destroyer, and the electronics got wet.Well the DD was stuck in a sharp turn about 40ft from shore. .But,in hindsight, going in ice cold water for a Lindberg destroyer was not really very smart.Condolences to the family.
Tim, at least you're here to tell the tale, and THAT'S a good thing---. :)

[killick]

Around here, most of the guys take a cheap collapsible fishing rod with a small nerf-type sponge or tennis ball on the end of the line. Or they just wait for the wind to "blow the boat to shore". ....

Rule #1 -- Use the "Buddy System" when messing around near ponds and lakes.
Rule #2 -- Refer to Rule #1.

[TugboatTom]

Yeah an R/C boat stalling only 30' from shore is a nightmare. You just dont know whether to leave it there and let it bob there until it sinks, drifts away, or some other passerby somehow gets it. You just dont know what to do. But yeah im going to by one of those "Dickie" RTR tugs to serve as a rescue tug when I go sailing.

[rlboats2003]

I feel terrible for the family and friends - but I would go after my boat with some conditions a) I know the type of pond b) I know the basic bottom. I have 3 times when I had to go into the water for a boat - the first was a Santa Barbara that was caught in a vein type sea weed, I walked my way out (it was a boat lanuch) and then dog paddled to the boat so as not to push it out into the lake again. Freed it from the sea weed and pushed it towards shore, then I started swimming - in about a minute I was going under. I panicked for a second and realized that I had sea weed wrapped around my arms and legs and just stop moving and it fell off - then doggie paddled to shore.

The other 2 were in the lake der Kapatin was talking about and for a lindberg Coast guard tug 11.5 inches long and a diesel tug 13.5 inches long. Both a times were at a regetta and I had two important things going for me, two people point to were the tugs went down. It then was a matter of swimming other to the intersecting point and doing a search grid with your feet. You learn allot about model construction so you don't have to go swimming again (like really building a wall back by the quadtrant grates on a tug boat. and a min. 1/2 inch wall behing the deck house) and up to how much wind you are willing to float you scale boat in.

By the way - the real boats go through situations like this too - This year we were putting the sailboat in the water in the last week of April on Lake Ontario (the water was just about 40-45 degrees. A 28 footer was dropped in and tied to the dock the slings were removed and the dock lines were starting to get taunt. You can't beleive how much water can come in through a 2" Knot meter hole. Well the owner had to go swimming inside his boat to get the knot meter back in and screwed down. He was luck the water didn't get above his motor but he had to handpump it down until the water was below his batteries before he turn on the bilge pump.

Hey Tim - know you know how the passangers who jumped over the side of the Titanic felt. If the jump didn't kill you - Hitting the 32 degree water would almost send you into shock - That is why I don't take the boat out on the lake until June - My wife can't get the boat turned around fast enough before hypertherma starts to set in.

Rich

[der kapitan]

Rich, it takes a REALLY desperate soul to dive into Muir Lake, like you have done on several occasions, especially for a Lindberg tug---. :eek:

Several larger boats have gone to the bottom there over the years, and never been found. ;)

However, I feel so very happy that there are guys like you willing to go after my boat if it sinks there---. :D