Whoops!! Years of Boating Blunders!

So I just finished going through this entire thread. Part of me thinks this should be required reading for every boat purchaser (naw, guess nobody would buy boats). Maybe for everyone who's thinking of becoming a captain (naw, I guess we'd have no captains). We all know better don't we? Yet here we go like moths to the flame.

Could be wrong, but don't believe she was built in the US either. Isn't that a Sealine or Fairline?

I hate to take the shine off the BBC but they screwed-up here, Sealines are built in Kiddiminster, right in the middle of Middle England. No other builder is further from the sea, hence they have a rubbish dead-rise and slam a bit. Well built though.

We just had yet another one out this week that went rock hopping, 21 X 29 props and none of my usual suppliers had them in stock. I had to go back to the factory . £595 each plus shipping, not sure of value in $us this week.

Fish

Redneck Yacht Club

http://hk.youtube.com/watch?v=OMD3jmUgnbQ&feature=related

Hi,

That's pretty good especially the last one with the boat that don't appear to start straight away. I am particularly impressed by the inverted passenger.

Hi,

I guess these are self explanatory. Recently spotted in Cape Coral area.

Those pilings look pretty good. Since the high tide mark is only about 2' below the dock level I think that could have easily been caused by a boat's wake lifting, then dropping the Bayliner. That's a picture that should be kept in mind while cruising the ICW.

Hi,

I hope you are not suggesting that the wake lifted the boat over the top of the pilings. I took the photos from a fixed highway bridge about 70 m from the boat. There is no way someone could pass that dock with enough speed to make a big wake without hitting the bridge going one way or not being up to speed the other way.

The boat looked like it had been supported in some kind of boat lift that had collapsed. I have another picture taken from alongside it. I will post it when I find it ( I e mailed those two to someone which is why I have them and not the other with me on the road). I also got a couple of great Iguana pics on the dock there too. One is visible in those two pics above near the bow if you look carefully.

"I hope you are not suggesting that the wake lifted the boat over the top of the pilings."
No. All you have to do is lift it off the stringers (which would only take a 3' wake), it could then move fore or aft so all the weight is balanced on just one stringer then boat and lift are coming down. Up near Palm Coast is probably worse. Those docks are less than a foot off the water. When I bring anything other than an express through it's usually done at about 4 kts. to avoid doing exactly that or busting up docks.

Hi,

Here is one from the Port Fwd area. I have also included one of a stumpy tailed Iguana as I mentioned in my earlier post about this boat.

It looks to me like the support for the lift has failed. The boat went down with it's cradle. The Iguana seems quite nonchalant about the whole situation.

Do you live in cape coral?

Id be willing to bet those pilings are completely rotten below the water line. Happens to all pilings that arent wrapped. I have collapsed a couple of old docks in the area. The worms take very little time to munch through a piling. It took less than 2yrs to rot through a 2 x 12 cross beam on our dock. Throw in a lil wind to get the lift swinging and down it comes. Either that or the man actually uses the boat and left the lift running while he went to the bathroom, lift winds all the way up, breaks and down comes the boat. I have had the joy of watching this happen, although to a much larger boat, its quite exciting.

I sincerely hope those sentences are misphrased. As for this dock, if you look closely you'll find that all pilings are standing secure with the exception of the short one on the port side which got pushed over a little when the lift collapsed to that corner. Granted those worms are voracious, but this looks like a victim of boaters not minding their wake.
BTW, given your first sentence I should point out that there are a lot of retired NY lawyers down there who have nothing better to do than sit around with a phone in one hand, a set of binocs in the other and have a great desire to get back into court.

Hi,

No I don't live there and it was my first visit by land to see some pretty nice wooden boats being built there by an ex USAF guy.

A buddy of mine who lives in Ft Lauderdale and I cruised over for the day.

I was however taken by the sheer number of homes that seemed to either not be lived in or not cared for at all. It doesn't look like a bad place and with the current market I am sure there are some good bargains to be had.

who is to blame

Hi,

I think that pic was on the most viewed post on YF to date.

The answer to your question is probably still being discussed by the lawyers!

Have to be quick around here Bstraker. But I think that the answer to your question has to be whoever the lawyers find with $$$ in their pockets. Welcome to YF.

Those pilings on the bayliner may appear new. BUT, can tell you the wood deck is a good ten years old and the pilings may be also. That looks like a residental canal and not something someone is going to be running down at cruise. I may be mistaken. But it looks like the pilings on the port side of the boat just gave way. The one near the port bow is not even visible in the photo and should be as high as the others. I have seen a lot of docks on the west coast of FL where the pilings above the water look like they were installed two months ago and the piling is about as thick as a toothpick under the waterline.