Helping other boaters

skunkman

skunkman

Active Member
May 27, 2014
452
Longboat Key
Boat Info
2014 330 DA sold
Current boat 2021 Formula 350CBR
Engines
Triple 350 Mercury Verado
This weekend I towed two boats back to boat ramps as others passed right by the disabled boats. The first boat was a small boat (12 ft). There were two adults on board and the man was making little headway with his oar against a current. I witnessed at least 8 boats pass him. He was only a couple hundred yards from the ramp but he was really struggling. He said he had been rowing for almost an hour. I had him at the ramp in less than 5 minutes. The second boat was about 16 ft with a dead outboard. A man and 2 small children were on board and they broke down in a high speed channel. I was amazed at how many people didn't even slow down and reduce their wake. The man was even waving his arms signaling for help. Towing him in did add 40 minutes to my trip home and I was having guests over for dinner and this did set me back a bit. I guess the boaters who ignored the disabled boats assumed that everyone can afford sea tow. I don't know how it works if you were to call the Coast Guard but I don't get not lending a helping hand.
 
I'm curious if the other boaters even noticed them. Similar to drivers here in the DC area they don't focus on anything but where they want to go and their cell phone screens and not necessarily in that order. Good on you for helping out.
 
As a guy who has been on both sides of that equation, I do all I can when I see someone in that position... it's always good to have someone stop and ask if they can lend a hand... kind of the same thing that goes on right here in the virtual world, I'm so appreciative to the advise and help we are able to get on here. I'm sure of two things... at some point the people that didn't stop to help will one day be glad when someone does to help them... kind of the same thing happens for people who serve in a waiter or waitress capacity... amazing to see how many people leave a poor quality tip... even when exceptional service was given.
 
I generally will stop and offer help - last WE saw a pontoon boat having trouble getting their anchor up - went over helped the two women get their anchor up. It was windy as heck and they just needed an extra pair of hands to do some heavy lifting. They live in that cove and I now have two new friends at the lake. I've given jump starts and the occasional tow - sometimes just standing by until SeaTow or BoatUS arrives.

It all comes around, one day I will need help.
 
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Saturday night after the fireworks we were headed back in and a jet boat was having engine problems.
You could only see his nav lights and there was quite a bit of traffic (on plane, morons).
I turned around to see if he needed help but he finally got it going and took off, fast as well.
I always try to help if needed, and have been helped before.
 
This weekend seemed so odd to me. Just the other day I was out with a non-boater friend and I was bragging how other boaters help each other out.
 
skunkman said:
This weekend I towed two boats back to boat ramps as others passed right by the disabled boats. The first boat was a small boat (12 ft). There were two adults on board and the man was making little headway with his oar against a current. I witnessed at least 8 boats pass him. He was only a couple hundred yards from the ramp but he was really struggling. He said he had been rowing for almost an hour. I had him at the ramp in less than 5 minutes. The second boat was about 16 ft with a dead outboard. A man and 2 small children were on board and they broke down in a high speed channel. I was amazed at how many people didn't even slow down and reduce their wake. The man was even waving his arms signaling for help. Towing him in did add 40 minutes to my trip home and I was having guests over for dinner and this did set me back a bit. I guess the boaters who ignored the disabled boats assumed that everyone can afford sea tow. I don't know how it works if you were to call the Coast Guard but I don't get not lending a helping hand.
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Well good on you for doing the "right" thing - as someone has already said, it comes around. The admiral and I often speak about what the appropriate responses, behavior, actions should be - I have to say in the end we always feel better by doing what we think is right, even when the person you are helping may have dug a hole themselves, or is not in any way grateful (try letting drivers out in a big city today out of courtesy).

I have to say though - I see just as much discourtesy on the water today as I do on the roads - I may be getting old and overly nostalgic - but I seem to remember the water was a place where you were almost sure to find good Samaritans and neighborly folk. Seems to be not as much the case any more.

Again - ending on the positive - good for you, I hope you are around when I need someone.
 
One time I helped a guy back to the dock. Saw him later getting towed back by someone else and again later I saw him broke down out on the lake. Needless to say I didn't stop to help!
 
wish2fish said:
One time I helped a guy back to the dock. Saw him later getting towed back by someone else and again later I saw him broke down out on the lake. Needless to say I didn't stop to help!
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Hey fuel is expensive!
With so many good Samaritans around, why burn your own fuel?

Just kidding..I've towed several boats in.
 
Many people are preoccupied, for sure.

Even when paying attention, sometimes it's difficult to tell if people are in distress or just chose a poor location to anchor/fish/hang out/whatever, unless they're waving or signaling in some way like the gent you described. I had that happen last year: it was a boat I didn't recognize and we weren't passing closely, so when one person waved a little--barely a hello--I figured it was someone who knew me and we waved back. She still didn't seem really concerned or anything, but something made me drive closer anyway. Good thing I did: their engine had failed. Someone else ended up towing the boat in, but we tied her to us in the meantime to keep her from floating toward the shore. (Don't get me started on her giggly "I guess this is what happens when you buy a boat on a cocktail napkin" proclamation, which described inadequate gear for anchoring, among other things.)

But I'll still stop, whether for a boat or a PWC. More often than not, people aren't in need, but I sleep better knowing for certain I didn't leave anyone stranded!
 
Funny, I got beat up here recently for getting towed in when my prop hub blew out (now have a spare prop AND hub). And we had extremely bad weather approaching with SeaTow well over an hour away!! A good Sam towed me the three miles back to the marina, which is where he was docked also, so not going out of his way. I ALWAYS flash an OK??? sign to people who seem to be just sitting there. And I ALWAYS tow folks in if needed. Try to pay it forwards!! I've been towed more than once in my 40 plus years of boating.
 
I always try to stop and help and many times you can tell in our area the ones that need the help. On the 4th we towed a 22' Regal in, he was having fuel issues. I put him on the bulkhead and headed back out....next thing I see is him headed back out again! As we came back in before the storms there he is again, dead in the water. We tow him in again, he tells my wife all about how his boat had sat for the past 4 years and how he wanted to go out and see the fireworks! His issue was he didn't understand why the 4 year old fuel in his tanks could be bad...my wife...she just went below and fixed herself another drink before telling me the story
 
My engine died on the water on my 2nd day running the boat. The first day I took the boat out to test it, it ran fine so I brought my wife, mom, and twin toddlers on board the next day and the engine shut down 30 minutes in. We called Coast Guard on the radio and they had a call out to a sheriff's boat up the river. I tried flagging down about 6 or 7 boats before two guys in a fishing boat stopped and towed us to the nearest ramp.

For sure, now I pay more attention when passing other stopped boats. I very much appreciated the help and would be happy to return the favor to someone else.
 
I'm always on alert for stranded boaters and have towed or just stayed with a few waiting for a tow on many occasions. One time I went to tow in a friend who broke down. We get all bridled up and am towing him back outside the channel to minimize the effects of wakes and this big 35 - 40 ft cruiser sees me and instead of coming off plane, aims right for us and then turns away maybe 20 yards before hitting us, big grin on his face like this is a fun game to play. The wake almost swamped both of us with people getting tossed around like rag dolls. If we weren't tethered up I would have chased him down and kicked his a$$. Lots of helpful boaters out there but just as many a-holes.
 
SteveRuss said:
I'm always on alert for stranded boaters and have towed or just stayed with a few waiting for a tow on many occasions. One time I went to tow in a friend who broke down. We get all bridled up and am towing him back outside the channel to minimize the effects of wakes and this big 35 - 40 ft cruiser sees me and instead of coming off plane, aims right for us and then turns away maybe 20 yards before hitting us, big grin on his face like this is a fun game to play. The wake almost swamped both of us with people getting tossed around like rag dolls. If we weren't tethered up I would have chased him down and kicked his a$$. Lots of helpful boaters out there but just as many a-holes.
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When I was towing the second boat back 2 teens on a PWC kept cutting across my bow at a high speed. I honked my horn and waved them off and they continued 3 more times. If one of them fell off in front of me it would have been difficult to stop and/or maneuver to avoid them. Pulling back fully on the throttle would have resulted in the disabled boat crashing into my stern. My course of action would have to have been to slow my boat safely even if the consequence was injury to the PWC riders. I would not have risked the safety of my passengers and the other boats passengers for the benefit of someone being irresponsible. I was quite ticked off.
 
going slow in towing mode even if they fell off they would slide down the side of the boat anyway.
Even if the prop did get them, you couldn't just stop and get rear ended, now could you.
I help anyway I can on the water when someone is disabled.
Even if their drunk and disabled, I just call the local enforcement or the CG with their location.
Standby incase something happens until official help arrives then leave.
 
Agree with all above. I feel like it is my responsibility to help others. Actually haven't had to tow anyone this year. Scariest tow I've ever been a part of. Back in college a buddy and I stayed the night with some girls on a houseboat at a marina. We were in his 210 SeaRay Bowrider and his family cabin (where they keep their boat) was up the lake about 15 miles. We woke up in the morning and let's just say, both of us were ready to get out of there. We got in the boat and after rounding a couple corners we hit VERY dense fog. So we slowed to idle and stayed within 10 feet of shore (this was as far away as we could get and still see the shore). Luckily this is a very deep lake where it drops off quick. After about 5 miles we heard a guy screaming HELP HELP HELP at the top of his lungs. We stopped the boat and were able to figure out where it was coming from. Long story short it was a guy who had been out night fishing and his batteries died from his fish lights (didn't have a separate starting battery). He was scared to death because he couldn't see anything and couldn't figure out which way to paddle. Evidently he had been paddling off and on for a couple hours, but couldn't ever get close enough to shore to figure out where he was. We didn't have jumper cables, so we tied him on and idled to the closest marina (where he had put in). He tried to give us everything he had in his wallet (if I remember right it was over $200), but we just declined and told him to pay it forward some day. I haven't seen fog that thick before or after that. Hope I never do again.
 
We woke up in the morning and let's just say, both of us were ready to get out of there.
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I take it things looked different the night before with your "beer goggles" on?
 
Keep in mind that as boaters we are legally required to "render assistance" to those in need on the water.
 
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