Post by fyimo on Oct 4, 2009 7:42:50 GMT -6
In 2004 I decided that the 17 foot Bayliner I had bought from my son Glenn just wasn't going to cut it as a fishing boat even thought I had put a fish finder and trolling motor on the front that had a bracket so you could remove it when you weren't fishing. I started looking for a Bass Boat and a friend at the VFW said his son had one for sale and I could get it for around $2500.
They brought it over and it was an older Roughneck tri hull 18 foot boat with a 175 Evinrude on it and it had been garage kept. It had new carpeting and the seats were in good shape but it didn't have a trolling motor or fish finder on it. The hull was mark free with no cracks or scratches. The trailer and tires were in good shape so I bought it. I had my Marine place move the fish finder and trolling motor from the Bayliner to the bass boat and I was ready to go.
So I told my Wife (passed away in 2005) that we should take it out for a shake down cruise as my son and his family were coming down on the weekend and I was going to take them fishing. She said OK so went to Piney Bay and launched the boat and headed up through the narrows for the big lake ( Lake Dardanelle) and the thing ran like a swiss watch and we were thrilled.
I stopped the boat and we were giving each other the high five about the great deal we got and we turned to run back to Piney Bay. As the boat came on plane I heard a sickening crunching sound and the boat went dead in the water. I turned around and looked at the back of the boat and the big black 175 HP Evinrude was gone along with about half of the transom. I grabbed the life vests and told her to get ready to jump when I told her to. The boat started to roll left so we jumped out the right side and then floated there and watched it sink in 35 feet of water.
We paddled to shore and waited about 45 minutes for another boat to come by and I flagged him down and he went and got someone with a bigger boat to come and pick us up. They did and when I drove up to that Park attendant shack and told her what happened she called the ranger. The ranger showed about an hour later with his shiny new Bass boat and asked me to help him launch it and to pick him up at the courtesy dock. I did and he said "Well at least you know how to drive a boat" Then he drove us down to where the boat sunk about 5 miles away and I showed him approximately where the boat sunk.
The Search & Rescue people showed up and found the boat about three hours later and got it raised after about 8 at night. They had let me go home so I got a call from the Ranger in the morning asking me to meet him at the Piney Bay Park at noon. I went and he promptly gave me a ticket because the boat was only rated for a 150HP motor and that cost me $175 fine.
Anyway the insurance paid off after I proved the boat had been sold by the dealer when new with the 175 HP motor on it. The court didn't care and still made me pay the fine. I bought the 1997 Stratos I have now and haven't look back. The Roughneck tri hull looked new with no cracks but the inner structure was all dry rotted.
They brought it over and it was an older Roughneck tri hull 18 foot boat with a 175 Evinrude on it and it had been garage kept. It had new carpeting and the seats were in good shape but it didn't have a trolling motor or fish finder on it. The hull was mark free with no cracks or scratches. The trailer and tires were in good shape so I bought it. I had my Marine place move the fish finder and trolling motor from the Bayliner to the bass boat and I was ready to go.
So I told my Wife (passed away in 2005) that we should take it out for a shake down cruise as my son and his family were coming down on the weekend and I was going to take them fishing. She said OK so went to Piney Bay and launched the boat and headed up through the narrows for the big lake ( Lake Dardanelle) and the thing ran like a swiss watch and we were thrilled.
I stopped the boat and we were giving each other the high five about the great deal we got and we turned to run back to Piney Bay. As the boat came on plane I heard a sickening crunching sound and the boat went dead in the water. I turned around and looked at the back of the boat and the big black 175 HP Evinrude was gone along with about half of the transom. I grabbed the life vests and told her to get ready to jump when I told her to. The boat started to roll left so we jumped out the right side and then floated there and watched it sink in 35 feet of water.
We paddled to shore and waited about 45 minutes for another boat to come by and I flagged him down and he went and got someone with a bigger boat to come and pick us up. They did and when I drove up to that Park attendant shack and told her what happened she called the ranger. The ranger showed about an hour later with his shiny new Bass boat and asked me to help him launch it and to pick him up at the courtesy dock. I did and he said "Well at least you know how to drive a boat" Then he drove us down to where the boat sunk about 5 miles away and I showed him approximately where the boat sunk.
The Search & Rescue people showed up and found the boat about three hours later and got it raised after about 8 at night. They had let me go home so I got a call from the Ranger in the morning asking me to meet him at the Piney Bay Park at noon. I went and he promptly gave me a ticket because the boat was only rated for a 150HP motor and that cost me $175 fine.
Anyway the insurance paid off after I proved the boat had been sold by the dealer when new with the 175 HP motor on it. The court didn't care and still made me pay the fine. I bought the 1997 Stratos I have now and haven't look back. The Roughneck tri hull looked new with no cracks but the inner structure was all dry rotted.