Originally Posted by masher44

My engine builder gave me extra flares and an oar with my new motor.... heckuva nice guy

Originally Posted by tee4texas

although there are always exceptions, here is my generalization

sailboat - cant stop
fast boat - wont stop
family boat - unsure about stopping
ski boat - might stop
fisherman - always stops

Originally Posted by rainmn

Not sure how to start this, or if anyone will care, but it will make me feel better to type it. I guess a little background is on order. I'm 36 years old, and have been out on Barnegat Bay here in NJ on most weekends of my life. Over that time, I cannot count how many times I've stopped to see if someone was alright if I saw them with an engine hatch open. I've towed in more people than I count as well, and never took a dime from anyone. Same goes for my Dad.
Fast forward to yesterday - picture perfect day, tons of boats on the bay. I'm out on with my Dad, my wife, and 2 of my friends on my Dad's boat. (Not a performance boat, just a little 23' Larson...not that it has anything to do with my rant.) On our way back from a well known waterfront bar / restaraunt, my wife smells something burning. Just as I slow to idle to check it out, smoke starts pouring out of the gunwhale compartments.
I shut it down, kill the batteries, grab the extinguisher, and open the engine cover. By this time, a lot of smoke is in the air. I sprayed the engine down to be safe, even though I saw no flames. As it turns out, it looks like the starboard side exhaust overheated and the smoke was from burning paint and a wire or two that lost some insulation. All in all, could have been a lot worse.
Heres where the rant comes in. This happened literally 20 feet outside the ICW channel, on LABOR DAY WEEKEND. While it was going on, at least 3 or 4 dozen boats passed by. (A good number of performance boats in that number, BTW) Not ONE single boat stopped to ask if we were ok. Granted, I wasn't flagging anyone down, but that shouldn't make a difference. You see smoke and an open hatch, and you don't check it out? Hell, one or two might be even be here on this site.....a 38 Fastech came by slow enough for the guy to give me a dirty look, like I was an idiot anchored in his way in the channel. Guess he figured I set fire to my motor to keep greenheads away. Another genius in a big sportfish only slowed down to "Biggest wake possible speed", looked right at me (With a fu$%ing fire extinguisher in my hand) and didn't even wave as he throttled back up.
I don't know what happened to boating over the years, but something has definitely changed. I started noticing that fewer and fewer people wave, and more and more seem to be idiots. As we got to the restaraunt we went to before this happened, I was idling in a circle waiting for a guy to leave the mooring ball he was tied up to. Just as he did, some douchebag came in and went to go and take it. Guess he figured I just wanted to idle around the moorings for a while.
I used to think boaters were, in general, the best group of people there are. After a day like yesterday, I'm not so sure anymore. Hope I'm wrong.

Originally Posted by Expensive Date

I was up there earlier that day I would have stopped and always will.

Originally Posted by rainmn

Not sure how to start this, or if anyone will care, but it will make me feel better to type it. I guess a little background is on order. I'm 36 years old, and have been out on Barnegat Bay here in NJ on most weekends of my life. Over that time, I cannot count how many times I've stopped to see if someone was alright if I saw them with an engine hatch open. I've towed in more people than I count as well, and never took a dime from anyone. Same goes for my Dad.
Fast forward to yesterday - picture perfect day, tons of boats on the bay. I'm out on with my Dad, my wife, and 2 of my friends on my Dad's boat. (Not a performance boat, just a little 23' Larson...not that it has anything to do with my rant.) On our way back from a well known waterfront bar / restaraunt, my wife smells something burning. Just as I slow to idle to check it out, smoke starts pouring out of the gunwhale compartments.
I shut it down, kill the batteries, grab the extinguisher, and open the engine cover. By this time, a lot of smoke is in the air. I sprayed the engine down to be safe, even though I saw no flames. As it turns out, it looks like the starboard side exhaust overheated and the smoke was from burning paint and a wire or two that lost some insulation. All in all, could have been a lot worse.
Heres where the rant comes in. This happened literally 20 feet outside the ICW channel, on LABOR DAY WEEKEND. While it was going on, at least 3 or 4 dozen boats passed by. (A good number of performance boats in that number, BTW) Not ONE single boat stopped to ask if we were ok. Granted, I wasn't flagging anyone down, but that shouldn't make a difference. You see smoke and an open hatch, and you don't check it out? Hell, one or two might be even be here on this site.....a 38 Fastech came by slow enough for the guy to give me a dirty look, like I was an idiot anchored in his way in the channel. Guess he figured I set fire to my motor to keep greenheads away. Another genius in a big sportfish only slowed down to "Biggest wake possible speed", looked right at me (With a fu$%ing fire extinguisher in my hand) and didn't even wave as he throttled back up.
I don't know what happened to boating over the years, but something has definitely changed. I started noticing that fewer and fewer people wave, and more and more seem to be idiots. As we got to the restaraunt we went to before this happened, I was idling in a circle waiting for a guy to leave the mooring ball he was tied up to. Just as he did, some douchebag came in and went to go and take it. Guess he figured I just wanted to idle around the moorings for a while.
I used to think boaters were, in general, the best group of people there are. After a day like yesterday, I'm not so sure anymore. Hope I'm wrong.

Originally Posted by rainmn

Thanks for all the replies. Interesting to see that a lot of people have seen the same changes.
A couple points of clarification, for the record:
I wave to everyone. Maybe people think I'm an idiot, but that's ok with me.
I didn't need, and wouldn't have accepted a tow. As soon as I knew we weren't in any danger, I called an uncle who's boat is docked no more than 15 minutes from where we were. He was there quicker than Sea Tow or TowBoat ever would have been.
As for the "Welcome to NJ", normally I would agree with that, but I've lived here my whole life. It wasn't always like this on the water. (Yes, it's always been like this on land though...at least in North Jersey where I grew up.)
Glad to see that at least the people on this board stop to check on fellow boaters, but that comes as no surprise.