Be nice, or not?
 

This weekend I was tied up to about 15 other boats (about 8 big cruisers, the rest smaller boats) when this moron in a 34' SeaRay motors in front and gets someones anchor line wrapped around his prop. I watch for about 30 minutes as the guy is just sitting there, his boat being held by 5 guys as the waves roll in, putting his boat in gear trying to "unwind" the rope.
Frikkin' asinine. I grab my very sharp knife and wander over. The anchor is still attached to the line, and the line is really wrapped around the shaft, just behind the prop - and it's wrapped up TIGHT. I tell them to cut the anchor off the rope, and then me and another guy spend the next 25 minutes diving under his boat taking turns trying to cut the rope free. Meanwhile this guy is blocking the entire line of boats, and his front end is swinging everywhere. Lucky for him a bunch of kids held on to the boat while we were working on it.
Long story short - we finally got the rope cut. The jag just kind of waves at us and leaves. WTF??!! :mad:
My rule of thumb on the water is that someday it might be me out there needing a hand - I've towed guys for 2 hours and refused any type of payment - I just tell them to help the next guy that is broke down.
But I swear if I see that guy out there again - he can just run aground and call for a tow.
So what's the nice thing YOU'VE done and gotten nothing but doggie doo-doo for your effort?

Can't say I've ever got doggy doo for my effort. I've towed a LOT of people (and in turn, have been towed too). I've had people throw money in my boat and walk away because I wouldn't take it. Oh well. Paid for my slip that night I guess. But I never ask for money, and I always refuse it. Now, if they wanna give me a cold beer........LOL!!!!

Never forget:
No good deed goes unpunished.
Gary

A real Mariner has class enough to help & be helped.

Sounds like you got a newbee that day G

A few years back I was on a houseboat for a weekend-long bachelor party. On Sunday afternoon I was shuttling a group of guys from the houseboat to the marina so they could go home. Enroute, we ran into one of those huge summer monsoon t-storms.

We're making headway into 4-5' seas with 50 MPH+ winds when we see a POS rental pontoon boat blowing sideways across the lake. There's a single woman and about 4 kids on it. As we get closer, we see a second female in the water about 100 yards upwind from the pontoon, trying to catch up with the boat as the storm blew it away from her. When we were aboput 50 yards away, we now see the woman is drowning! We get to her as fast as possible. Two guys dive in and pulled her out, literally saving her life. The stupid biotch told us she jumped overboard to retrieve one of those styrofoam beer can coolies that blew over in the storm.

We try to meet up with the pontoon, but it just too rough so we tell the driver to meet us at shore and we'll pass the rescued lady there. As we near shore, the woman refused to jump out of my boat, even though we were in less than 10' of water and could see bottom. She kept asking me to get closer to shore. When I did...CLUNK, CLUNK, CLUNK. There goes my prop on a huge rock!!! :mad: :mad: :mad:

To make things worse, the bimbo then jumps out of my boat and SWIMS back out to the pontoon that is idling in about 50' of water, even though she wouldn't jump into less than 10' less than a minute earlier. She never said thank you, f$&k you, sc@#w you, can I pay for your prop...NOTHING AT ALL.

Hindsight being 20/20, we should've let Darwin's Theory take it's natural course on this skanked out desert wench! :mad:

Boater etiquette, help those in need! If you do not get a proper show of appreciation then know that you are the better person. If they are stranded again, then

1. They probably deserve it because they are not concerned about operating a reliable vessel.

2. Do not offer assistance but call Sea Tow or the Coast Guard.

This still makes you the better person.

I have been stranded and very happy that someone would inconvenience themselves to help.

the ONLY time i dont help people with their boats is at the launch ramp! Seams like evey person at the ramp knows what they are doing and they'll be damned if someone tells them what to do! Even if its the proper way or will save them some time! Case in point this weekend at Diversey harbor launching the Scarab. We sat inline for close to 45min while this joker of a kid tried his best to get peopel launched. He actually had a good idea of having one ramp striclty for jetskiis, one ramp for launching and one for retrievel. So for the most part things were ok till you get the occasional guy who "has been boating all his life" yet cant back a trailer down the ramp if his life was on the line! Or even better are the A$$holes who sit there in line waiting their turn only to pull up to the ramp and THEN start to get the boat ready!!! I was about to jump out of my skin i was so pissed!!! he didnt even have the straps taken off the transom and he's backing to the ramp!?!?! WTF??? I think we need a "review board" at the ramps standing around with bats to "teach" these guys how to do things properly!!! ARGHHH!!! whew....that venting did me some good! :D

Anyway back to helping people out on the water.......i Always stop to check on someone if they look like they need it. More then a few time people have offered money and i will always refuse the first time. But if they insist who am i to turn down money! :D :D I know i would offer it to someone if i was to be helped as well!

Rember, as boaters on the water, we have to help save someones life if they are in trouble. We DON'T have to help save their boat. That's a judgement call.

I have to say that everyone I have ever helped has been very grateful. I believe it is more the rule than the exception.

I helped a guy this past holiday weekend (thurs) jump his boat while at the dock...he was just sitting there asking people to jump him. I didnt have my cables with me but I was kind enough to walk about a .5 mi to get them. I than connected them up for him and asked him to let it charge for a few min before he tried to start it. While waiting he stated that they are dead after two days, I said why dont you put a shut off switch in than. He stated the guy he bought it from said he shouldnt need one so he wasnt going to put one in. Anyway he waited about a min and tried several times to get it started and than after the fourth or fifth time I hear it start, all I hear next it the other end of the cables hitting the dock and him hammering it away from the dock. I look up and see one end of my cables just sparking away. On Sun I was coming in and this Jacka$$ was backing down the dock to put in and cant back to save his butt, my Dad was there just laughing watching him back up. I walked over to my truck and backed into the water, pulled out as he was just getting off the trailer. I than watched him ask people for a jump again as I dried off and put my straps on....I wanted to pull his drain plug so bad!

Just re-read my prior post, and it sounds like I'm suggesting we don't help save boats. That is not what I meant. Like most of you, I'm always willing to help, and thankful when helped. But if helping does not feel right for some reason, we are under no obligation to assist unless it is to save a life or limb. Even then only if it won't endanger ourselves. That's want I meant.

Personally, I'm going to keep helping when possible, even though an occassional jerk takes advantage of it.

OK, I'll admit it. I changed a guys impeller out in Party Cove a few years ago. He was about 25miles from his dock and had about 12 people on the boat. He was very appreciative and gave me and my girlfriend drinks all day. I ran into his dad (the boats owner) a week later and he offered me $200 for my work. I turned down the cash but let him cover my bar tab for the night.
So I guess it's not all bad.
Gary

early last season i was otu witah few friend and on teh way in (a storm was coming in later in the day) we went passed an bayliner from the 70s' with a bunch of latino fellows in it. Presumabley fishing. They were also feverishing waiving at us as we went passed.

I though nothing of it. But once back at the dock something didn;t add up. AT this point it started pooring rain. After 5 minutes in eth rain i can still see the iny mexican bayliner sittign out there no movement. I figured soemthign was wrong especially sinc ethey seemed to be drifting.

I fired up teh engine flew out in torential downpoors (solo0 my friend though i was nuts. When i get out to them i find 5 peopel in an oopen bow beat to hell bayliner. Dead battery, no pull start rope (outboard), no radio, no cell phone, no life jackets, no flares.
Big ass storm arriving at the present and they were drifting out to the middle of the LI sound. I towed them back. They were very thankful.

And that was my good deed for last summer.

Then there's the people who NEED help and refuse to accept it. Case in point: This past weekend on Grand Traverse Bay there was an older Excaliber (the 26 footer) with his hatch up. I stopped to ask if he was o.k. I can see into his motor compartment. Stock merc motor., TRS drive. Two muscle guys and two nice looking girls. "Na, we're o.k." So I go on my way. Half an hour later at the ramp they are being towed by a BAYLINER!!!! Gee......guess they weren't o.k. It was only a short distance to the ramp from where I offered assistance, and I would have towed them there no problem. Which boat would you rather be towed by, a 21 Bayliner or a 24 Baja??? LOL!!!!! At least the guys looked a but humble at this point.:cool:

I'll add to this by posting a good, good, good and good experience by helping someone in need.

On a trip to Lake Mead with the SCOPE guys and gals in 1999, we made an excursion up into the Grand Canyon which was frickin' far from where we departed. On the way back, after a stop in Temple Bar for gas, KWB, in his 32 Sunsation thought he had enough gas to make it back to Lake Mead Marina. NOT:D

That weekend was the first time meeting KWB, but I volunteered to tow KWB 10-20 miles back to Temple Bar. I thought that was good.

While towing KWB, we saw some guys in a Bayliner, fishing. We motored over to them to see if thay wanted to sell some gas. They said follow us, and led us to their campsite about a mile away. At the campsite they had two jerry cans full of gas and said KWB can have it. They even turned down offers of money. I thought was also good.


After we made it to Temple Bar and got gas, we got on it and headed back to port. It was getting late and wouldn't you know, I blew out a rubber hub on one of my props. Now I had to idle back as the sun was setting. KWB said I'll idle back with you. I thought that was good to.

After what was about a 2 hour idle, the last 45 minutes in the dark, we finally pull in to Lake Mead Marina. We still bring up that adventure for some laughs. Today, KWB and myself are good friends and I think that's good.

Any time you can help someone, remember ..... It's all good :cool:

In retrospect, maybe it's just the people in the cruisers. Last year, same line of boats...guy comes in with a 28' Carver. It's pretty shallow where we were at so my buddy and I offer to "walk" him in. He gets all pissed off and yells "I'm a licensed captan, I don't need any help". Fine.
60 seconds later he beaches the boat on the (submerged)sandbar and can't for the life of him get it out. We just kicked back, had a few brews, asked if perhaps he'd ever heard of the Exxon Valdez, and contemplated just where exactly he got his license from.

This year...same line of boats (see a theme here yet?). Guy in a brand new, really big, really nice Bayliner (i know...i know) pulls out from the line and promptly proceeds to go over an anchor line. I yelled at him to watch out and he killed his motor. And then he just sat there as his boat starts to turn into mine and another guys boat (it gets pretty wavy from passing boats). He just sat there with a stupid look on his face. His boat gets with 2 feet of mine and I dove in off my bow and grabbed his boat just as it comes up off a wave and is about to come down on my bow. Okay...tragedy averted. I drag him out to deeper water and he just motors away without a word or a nod.
The guy next to me and his wife were very thankful.
Next week...same guy....pulls out from the line and has his drives down too low. One hits bottom and dies. He freaks, kills the other engine AND THEN JUST SITS THERE AS HIS BOAT TURNS INTO 3 OTHER BOATS!!:mad: :mad: Once again I have to dive over the front of my boat (damn i can move fast when it concerns my boat) and haul his boat away. He starts them back up and AGAIN is going to motor away without a word...so I had a few words with him. He didn't come back this weekend.;)

G, I think you need to hang out with different people in deeper water. Hey, you should come over here and hang with us. No bottom problems, and we KNOW how to leave a line of boats!!!!

Yeah...I should!! We really get an assortment of people where I boat. Lots of weekend warriors and boy do they like to drink.:rolleyes:

I’m the Magiver of our boating group. I’ve towed, flushed gas tanks of water, even done a tune up out in the bay. Start boats with dead batteries, diagnose issues from leaking intakes to .. gee buddy, I think you’ve thrown a rod (I was right), but the one that sticks out was the day this damsel in distress was out on the water with HER shiny new Scarab 23’. The stereo would not work, her and her two very cute friends came over to me at the lock and asked if I could help. The wife is paying the lock fee.. so who am I too leave them high and dry. Anyway, I’m on my back and pulling out the unit, stereo that is, when the owner giggles that if I can fix it she would be very, very good to me. :eek: :eek:

Just then the wife walks by all smiles knowing that I’m just lapping up the attention. Anyway, do you think I could get that unit to work. ERRF! Turns out the guy we were with knew of her from the local strip club. Gees…. Where was this incident when I was single? :p

One thing I have learned. Boaters are nearly always willing to help. The only exception to this rule is the littel ******* punk kid with rich parents and a go-fast first boat.

Trouble is, too many people refuse the help or won't ask!
More than one time, I have rescued ramp problems before they began, only to make river buddy for life!

Trick to nicely teaching someone something. Save thier face. Talk to them in private...... Ask to go for a ride in thier boat. Suggest calmly a certain way to do something... ask to drive boat...demonstrate. Friends for life get made that way!

Puder, run your speel checker!

I've been on one end or the other of many tow ropes.

I have always offered (usually insisted) to fill the tanks of the good samaritans who have helped me.

I have been offered everything from nothing to free dinners at nice restaurants.

I have towed very "colorful" characters. I have been towed by very "colorful" characters.

Most recently (last fall) I ran out of gas in my 311 Formula 3/4 mile from the gas dock. A man, his wife, and two daughters came by in a 14' Astroglas tri-hull bass boat with a 45horse Merc outboard. They towed me to the gas dock and refused payment. Also refused gas since they had full tanks (I guess the little boat runs a month on a 6-gallon tank of premix).