Bass Boat Crash

[motocross269]

Wear your vest and Lanyard at all times even when fun fishing....
This guy was hotdogging, but we have all been known to do some of that...With the waves that are on LSC it doesn't take much to get thrown in a bad direction...Especially on the weekends..

[Huxley]

I saw that last night...He is lucky to be alive.

[Wolf_fisherman]

Wow thats all i can say

[bassmandan]

i always have my life vest on with the big motor running, i also make sure my passenger has one on also when it is on. with the incident that happened in my club a couple years back, he was running about 50mph on st.clair then he lost all control of his steering and was launched out of the boat. now being a 2nd year boater i always try to be cautious of whats going on around me, btw the guy i mentioned is fine

[djkimmel]

Had a somewhat similar accident happen right behind me on Muskegon Lake during a tournament blastoff. Boater was hurt bad. Ejected from the boat. Then flipped back onto the back deck out cold. I did not see it because I was watching the boat that had just passed me go airborne almost straight up and come down so hard every box in the boat came open!! I was told later by the boat driver what happened to him and his partner right behind me. I had already slowed way down to take the big 'tuna boat' wake.

Non-boater suffered minor injuries after being tossed over the console. Their day was over a mile into the tournament, but the mandatory life jacket and kill switch kept it from being much worse as happened in two cases resulting in a fatality - 'testing' boats with no kill switch or life jacket.

My chief lesson came about 25 years ago skipping a bass boats sideways to path of travel at almost 70 mph! No life jacket. No kill switch... I was just taking the boat for a quick test drive around the lake - my first time by myself driving a bass boat. Scared me half to death. Happened SO fast!!! I realized right then that ANY TIME you're driving a high speed boat, you have to be fully prepared, trained and responsible. I've worn my life jacket and kill switch every time since.

ALWAYS wear your life jacket and kill switch when running the big motor. It will happen so fast and then it is too late.

[bassfan586]

Do you  think he had a hot foot?  As soon as he hit the first wake his foot should have come off and scrubbed some speed.  Should of.  Slighty over trimmed to hit a wake that fast.  A lucky man.

[LAPORTE]

I'm new to driving a bass boat and It sure looks like I can't drive it like I do a fire truck... I have alot to learn.

Don L

[REEL_MAN]

this guy was very lucky!!!!!!! From the beginning of the video you can see he was out of control, he was fighting the wheel trying just to maintain control. When he left the drivers seat it is amazing that he didn't hit his head on the other side of the boat.
The first thing I do is put on the inflatable vest and it doesn't come off until back at the ramp putting the boat on the trailer. The new inflatable  (mustang) vests are very comfortable and well worth the money. I recommend everyone get one and use it. You never know when the other boater might do something stupid.

REEL MAN
<((((>{

[McCarter]

it kinda looked like he was still holding the steering wheel when he was ejected. 

Thank god he was alright.

McCarter himself

[djkimmel]

Don,
Get comfortable at the low to mid-range speeds in boat traffic first. Too many first timers (like I did - I was very lucky) want to see how fast they can go. You can lose control before you even know you have.

Keep the trim down to about half or less until you get very used to the feel of how the boat runs through different sizes, mixes and directions of waves.

The accident that happened behind me on Muskegon was caused by the only boat wake on the entire glass smooth lake. The big tuna boat running across the middle of the lake was a clue to me, but some people really get excited and caught up in the morning blast off. I've seen some serious temporary insanity on many blast offs. I tend to let theses 'crazies' have their way with the middle while I stay a little more conservative off to the side or otherwise out of the way. There really aren't many tournaments won by the fastest boat.

Two things to avoid at all costs:
1) Over-trimming - the most dangerous mistake. You'll get a good feel for how much trim is just right verses too much as you get used to your hull and motor combination driving it at lower trims and slowly working into comfort with a higher trim. Only try to trim out past 2/3's on calm days in light to no boat traffic AFTER you've driven for a while at lesser trims first.

2) Panic due to excess speed in tight or varying water conditions. This has caused tragic accidents. One of the worst being to trim down too fast while having to turn. If your bow comes down too fast at any angle at speed, it can bite and cause you to spin out or even flip.

Smooth and steady is the key. Always watch the waves immediately ahead of you for surprises, and out ahead of you for oncoming challenges so you don't have to react too fast. Just like driving a car, keep the eyes constantly moving, left to right, immediately in front and out ahead. When driving the boat, that is where your complete concentration needs to be.

[djkimmel]

I remember years ago on Charlevoix, we launched out of the very south end of the South Arm. There was a member notorious for needing the fastest bass boat. He put almost all his time in brands you don't normally see up here and souped up motors.

We take off and he is about boat 15 or so. Less than half way up the arm he's screamed by boat one and is on his way... only to blow the motor a couple hundred yards later. Day over. Sitting in the middle of the South Arm as the rest of us go on our way to our fish.

The fastest boat driven the most aggressively does not catch the most bass. The best angler does. The best anglers I know are more interested in safe driving, safety equipment and comfort rather than pure top speed. Doesn't mean there boats aren't fast. Some are, but that is not their primary concern. Many years ago, my local club was dominated by someone with a 10 foot jonboat and 4HP outboard.

One other thing about fast-boat-itis, always be aware that no matter how fast your boat is SOMEONE WILL BE FASTER! No sharp turns before you make sure someone isn't overtaking you on the left or right first. You have to take responsibility for avoiding collision or accidents no matter what the other does (or doesn't do). Don't expect him to turn. Take action. That is the primary rule of boating.

[motocross269]

Good post Dan about scanning the horizon....I have caught myself twice this year already concentrating on waves in front of the boat and playing with the GPS and all of a sudden I realize there is a boat crossing my path...They have been 300 yards or better out, but a Bass Boat can cover 300 yards pretty quickly...So that is one thing I am going to work on this year to improve...Especially on July Weekends on LSC...

[dashaver63]

Man that is scary. I know when I have my boat at tournaments, I always idled out when my turn came. Some of the guy's thought it was because I didn't want anyone to see where I went. Nope, I don't have a very fast boat and I wanted to be out of the way when the rest of those crazy guy's took off. I always got to my hole and caught fish and was safe about it. I don't understand the need for excessive speed when It will only get you about 5 or 10 more minutes to fish.

[djkimmel]

Key word being 'excessive'

[Jay-MadWags]

He should have taken a boating class before starting up his new rocket sled.

[Buckeye]

That kind of stuff really should wake some people up.  That guy is lucky to be breathing, life vest, kill switch or not.  He could have easily been killed from hitting his head or snapping his neck. 

I remember fishing my BFL regional on KY Lake in 2007.  I can't remember his name, but a boater hit something and his engine flipped oto the rear deck.  It hit both he and his co-angler.  The only thing that saved him was another competitor named Whitney Stephens and his co were close by and rushed to help him.  I've fished with Whitney, and he is one heck of a boat driver and stand-up guy.  That guy was lucky it was Whitney; I know everyone would help, but I just have a feeling that Whitney would be better at it than most.  He just comes across that way.

Eric

[Dougdad]

just plain lucky thats all I can say.!  common sence would have told me to slow down when my boat started thrashing around, and before I cut accross a wake of another boat.