Help me get my keys back from the lake bottom

M

Monroe Boater

New Member
Jun 30, 2010
115
Sarasota, FL
Boat Info
1999 280 Sun Sport
Engines
Twin 5.7 Mercs Alpha drives
Can anyone give me ideas on how to put together a dredge/rake/scoop to get our keys back from the lake bottom?

The bottom depth is around 12 feet. We tried diving for them but the water is stained and the bottom is mud so that did not work without light. I tried using the marina's small but heavy magnet that had coat hanger hooks but no luck (the hooking area was too small, and the keys are not magnetic anyway!). We know the general area they are at, just need to get them.

It will be cheaper to try for a few more hours than buy new smart keys/fobs!
 
Go get a diving light and try again. can use a fine mesh fishing net but 12 feet is an awful long handle.

I would suggest a float key chain in the future.
 
They might be OK. Low voltage electronic devices generally do ok if you can get them out of the water, rinse any muck out out of them using fresh water and then dry them out in the sun. All of the chips are sealed. A key fob doesn't have speakers or a microphone, which don't always work correctly after being dried out. The buttons are the only thing susceptable to damage, and most modern devices have buttons that will work ok after being dried out if you get the mud and sand out of them.

I had a guest lose his keys between my boat and the dock once while stepping on board. Fortunately for him, he was a NASCAR fan, and someone in a pit crew had given him a lug nut which he attached to his key ring. It made them sink like a rock, but at least it was a steel lug nut, so the magnet on a line trick worked. He did have to fish for them for over 2 hours, though.

Keep diving. Good luck.
 
Throw on the mask and fins and go! I've done that for a lot of things that I'd hate to admit were dropped overboard. The worst was a nice camera! I've done it for other folks retrieving glasses, sunglasses, outboards, cutlery, lures and a host of other items. If it's murky you just have to get that much closer before you find them. Don't do too much dredging because you'll cover them with mud!
 
You could try and find someone local who had an underwater metal detector who would help. I have a White's Surf Pro PI which can go 100 feet under and would probably find something as big as your keys in 5 minutes. 12 feet deep would be a bit of a challenge but probably not too bad. Perhaps there is a metal detector shop in the area where you could make a contact or find an enthusiasts club.
 
Sounds like a lot of work for a set of keys, anyway, just how much do they cost to replace?
 
Yeah. One thing about the fobs is that if you can remove the batteries and place them in a jar of rice it can absorb the moisture pretty well but you have to find them first. Best of luck.
 
SCORPIO said:
Sounds like a lot of work for a set of keys, anyway, just how much do they cost to replace?
Click to expand...

Too much if you ask me...

One car is around $120, the other is well over $200. Generic/aftermarket keys and fobs don't exist for the cars yet so we are at the mercy of the manufacturer/dealer for the rest of this year at least.
 
Monroe Boater said:
She has already gone searching twice :thumbsup:
Click to expand...


Well now I guess we now know who dropped them in.....:grin: Good Luck on the search.

I was cleaning a strainer basket last week and that slippery little thing jumped right out of my hand, bounced once and went swimming in ten feet of water. Off to West Marine I went and 50 bucks later I was back in biz! I feel your pain....well, sorta anyway.
 
Tie a line where they went in, then you know where to start, just start doing circles from there...12 feet you could do without a tank...
 
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