Boat Safety

[Tiger Cam]

Hi Raiders,

Just returned from a mates place who showed me the aftermath of an accident his son and a couple of his mates were involved in. They were fishing in BB off the end of the runway when he noticed a boat speeding towards them. He didn't slow down or stop. The three young lads jumped just before impact when the twin hulled 6m+ boat cut a swathe over the top about a third of the way from the back of their boat. Apparently the driver of the other boat was blinded by the rising sun and his windshield covered with salt. Most boat owners/drivers have experienced this bad combination. Their boat remained afloat which allowed them to get back on board. One of the lads found it difficult to get back on board and needed assistance. They were badly shaken but OK and were towed back to the boat ramp. Seeing the badly damaged boat sent shivers up my spine. My mate and I agreed that the wearing of life jackets cannot be overstated and that we can be blasé about their usage. Keeping them stashed in the boat somewhere just doesn’t seem to cut it when circumstances arrive so quickly and unexpectantly.

Safe boating,

Cam

[mr magoo]

jesus ,im glad to hear your mates are all right,was this this morning?

arman

[pelican]

Post us some photos if you can. It'll probably make us all feel ill I reckon. That is really scarey and not something you ever want to hear about and is a near death experience. Lucky they were keeping watch around them. There isn't too many 6m cat that you wouldn't be able to see over the screen easily.

I hope the other bloke stopped and gave assistance and the police were notified or dollars to fix the boat and brown undies was sorted.

Edited July 13, 2008 by pelican

[Tiger Cam]

jesus ,im glad to hear your mates are all right,was this this morning?

arman

It was last Thursday morning Arman - they were the only boat anchored in the area. On an given weekend there would be a few in that area.

Cheers,

Cam

[Kruzenvax]

For my next "full" season on the water I have invested in good "wearable" PFD's for the whole family. I hope the person who was responsible the accident gets reported.

[Scienceman]

Bloody shocking, imagine driving down the road without being able to see throught your windscreen. That cat driver was in clear breach of the boating handbook and shouldnt have been driving at speed without sufficient visability. i hope they throw him in jail for his reckless behaviour.

Water Traffic Rules

Speed

All vessels must travel at a safe speed

at all times.

A safe speed cannot be expressed as

a maximum or minimum number of knots

because it varies with circumstances and

conditions. The master (skipper) must continually

assess the safety of the vessel’s speed.

A safe speed is one at which the vessel

can be stopped in time to avoid any danger

which arises suddenly. In judging a safe speed

the master must consider a number of issues

including:

Children under the age of 16 must not be

aboard any vessel travelling at 60 knots or more,

unless approved under an Aquatic Licence.

Visibility – drive slowly in rain, fog, mist, smoke

or glare. At night, special caution is required

because many potential hazards may not be lit

or may not be easily seen. Background shore

lighting may confuse you.

Edited July 14, 2008 by Scienceman

[Tiger Cam]

Post us some photos if you can. It'll probably make us all feel ill I reckon. That is really scarey and not something you ever want to hear about and is a near death experience. Lucky they were keeping watch around them. There isn't too many 6m cat that you wouldn't be able to see over the screen easily.

I hope the other bloke stopped and gave assistance and the police were notified or dollars to fix the boat and brown undies was sorted.

Pelican,

The other bloke to his credit returned and towed them back to the boat ramp. The water police were called and the cat driver was booked. Here are some photos:

As you can see my mates boat acted as a speed hump. We are all capable of making mistakes. This has certainly served as a wake up call for us to always take care on the water.

Cheers,

Cam

[hoges1974]

Pelican,

The other bloke to his credit returned and towed them back to the boat ramp. The water police were called and the cat driver was booked. Here are some photos:

As you can see my mates boat acted as a speed hump. We are all capable of making mistakes. This has certainly served as a wake up call for us to always take care on the water.

Cheers,

Cam

That is scarey shit glad all were ok

[pelican]

Wholey crap that is 3 very lucky blokes. Hands would still be shaking. Hope they get quick service from the insurance company. Mates dig me about how I always cleaning our screen as a log I didn't see cost me a lower unit and prop ages ago and the size of some of the things you see in the water will do real damage. . Pretty glad I do that when you see the alternative. Can say I have missed seeing some debri but never a whole boat.

Thanks for the photos.

[gone_wishin]

I wouldn't be supprised if that becomes a write off.

There is one moral to this story... Always drive to the conditions...

If you can't see, slow down and poke your head around / above the screen.

[Dreamtime]

Some serious damage there.

Thankfully only to the boat.

I agree with gone_wishin, possible write-off, would be difficult to repair to original condition.

Sorry to the owner - insurance will probably have that section cut out and a new piece welded. Should not affect the integrity of the hull if done correctly, still wont be the same though. It's possible that the whole hull may have been twisted or deformed to some degree.

Who's gonna pay for the new undies though?

Good luck to all concerned, thankfully there were no children on board.

Life jackets - mmmm - should be worn at all times.

I have a Marlin PFD TYPE 1 MODEL EXP-1M gas inflatable which I wear at all times. This, when not inflated, does not inhibit the wearer whatsoever. It weighs less than 1 kg and gives the wearer piece of mind that if a situation arises he is already prepared.

Food for thought.

[Laredo]

the cat driver must have been seriously negligent to broadside that boat at anchor

glad everyone survived

[achjimmy]

I wouldn't be supprised if that becomes a write off.

There is one moral to this story... Always drive to the conditions...

If you can't see, slow down and poke your head around / above the screen.

From my exprience with an accident last year that boat will be written off. Glad everybody is safe.