Stupid C-Dory Owner Tricks!

C

Captains Cat

New member
Well, I almost did myself in last night. Went down to the boat after dinner, it's on a lift, and started to fill/flush the fresh water tank. I had the lift motors going to lower it into the water so I could run the engines. In leaning over (that side of the boat is a stretch from the pier), I lost my balance and fell in! No one else there (my second or third mistake) and the generator was running (no juice on the pier yet). It was about 30 inches to the pier from the water surface, too high to hoist myself out.

What to do, lift is still coming down. Swam around the other side, I could reach the mud bottom but just barely. There is a ladder there but it was out of it's mounting and up on the pier. I managed to get it down and climb out. Stopped the lift/generator but not before most of the wire spooled off and tangled a bit. I worked with it a while but didn't have much success. Tied the boat off as it is now floating over the sunken lift. Came up to the house, showered and called the guy that installed it. Had to leave a number.

He called back this morning and will be over in a day or two to get it squared away.

Mistakes:

1. Going down alone. It's only about 500 feet from the house.

2. Running the lift while I did something else.

3. Reaching/leaning too far.

I think I've learned a lesson but at 65+, you'd think I knew better before. Apparently not!

Glad to be alive, no major damage (I don't think. We'll see about the lift wires). Bruises this morning but no other effects except to my ego

Charlie
 
Wow Charlie. Glad you're gonna make it. It looks like you have the lessons well in hand so no need for my comment there. Thank you for letting us in on the story. There is some valuable stuff in it.
 
Whoa Charlie!

I bit my tongue on that one, skipper and instead choose to give you a well deserved Bravo Zulu.

It took courage to admit to something as basic as that (ok, those) and then post the experience to remind the rest of us geezers that feces occurs, and to be more careful especially as we begin to mature.

Glad you're still around. Probably also minus cell phone, wet wallet/ID, and maybe glasses gone too. (sigh)

Don
 
Charlie I feel your pain. I've had some hair raising experiences with boat lifts. The best addition I made to my lift was a remote control switch (Gem Controls). It has a waterproof key fob with and up and down button and you have to keep the button depressed in order for the lift to operate. Lunmar Boat Lifts sells them for around $200 and they are well worth the money. They operate from about 100' from the lift so if you return to your dock and the tide has gone out and the lift isn't low enough you simply mash the button from the boat. The controller has a manual switch on the side in the event the battery in the key fob goes bad.

LINK
 
Marvin, Don, Pat and Mike, thanks! Sure feel dumb.

Went down there a little while ago and moved the boat around to where the mooring whips are and tied it up good. Now of the lift guy comes and gets me squared away on the lift wires, I'll be good to go again.

Fortunately, I had nothing in my pockets, no wallet, glasses, keys or anything. Also not much in my head apparently either.

Now for the exciting news. I guess I can't read either. What I thought was the water fill, and what I was trying to fill, was the waste outlet plug. I guess it was just dark enough. Wondered why there wasn't a tie down chain on it. Didn't look at it after I got back to the house last night either but when I went to complete the water job, I noticed it. Not before I put a couple of gallons into the waste tank though. That's not important, next time I go get gas I'll have it pumped out. Only holds about 9 gallons anyway. Anyway, put some water in the water tank this time, flushed a little, will complete later when it's cooler. Around 90 or so here and I've got office work to keep me busy the rest of the day.

Thanks for the good wishes!

Charlie
 
EDIT I just looked at the Gem Remote lift price and it's gone way up since I bought mine, it's now $360. It's well worth the money especially if you boat alone.
 
:shock: Man you got to be carefully. I am always amazed at the skydiver with 1000 jumps that forgets his chute. the pilot with 5000 hours that forgot to fuel up before take off. the 40 year boat owners that falls in while pissing with out a life vest. some times we get to comfy with our toys.
 
All you guys with the big boats and lifts should have a sixteen footer in the water tied to the pier. Then when you fall in, you simply step on the permatrim, push the little button on the side of the 40hp and ..shazam.. you're in the cockpit ready to go boating. No pumpouts, battery banks, scuppers, $40K tow vehicle, blah, blah, blah. Just a fine day on the water. :wink:
 
Since Charlie has been so forth coming with his experience I'll share one (there have been many) stupid boat lift tricks I was involved in. Years ago I had and old 17 Pro Line center console. Before I had the remote control I had a lever switch mounted on my dock. I pulled the boat into the boat house and jumped up on the dock and turned the lever switch on. After the lift had taken the load of the boat I stepped back on the gunnel of the boat holding on to the lift cable to steady myself when the sleeve of my sweatshirt became wound up in the cable pulley as it was lifting the boat. I managed to quickly slip out of the sweat shirt and get back on the dock and turn off the lift. That evening I ordered the remote.
 
Marty, you're right. It's just not enough boat for us. Sure looks neat though.

The lift guy just left. He responded this morning to my call last night and got here with a helper about 1 and was gone by 2 for $200, a real bargain in my book. Lots of work that I could not have done, with a come-a-long and going down into the water. Did a little damage to the wire but it's only in one spot and near the secured end of the wrap. Had to partially disassemble the spools to get the kinks and snarls out. Should be fine. The kid working in the water actually picked up a jellyfish and threw it when it got too close to him. Lucky I didn't find any last night. Never again.... Had to wash a lot of mud off the lift cross bars and the hull supports, none the worse for the mishap though.

As for the remote, I've got two motors and it's even pricier than yours. Our tides are such here that it usually isn't an issue (<2.5' range). I can always come alongside, let it down and then go into the boathouse. I will never walk away from the switches again!

Thanks for the support!

Charlie
 
OK, since this is confession time--I've been carrying around this garbage around for about 50 years. I met Dotty at college where we both worked in a kitchen for our meals. She was a waitress and I washed dishes. One day I rented a canoe down on the inlet to Lake Cayuga. As a Navy veteran on the GI Bill I figured all this water stuff would certainly impress this tall beautiful blonde. So, I step into the canoe and right out the other side! I lost my dignity and my watch, but she did marry me on graduation day, June 11, 1961.
 
Whoa - just read this thread... sorry you had that happen, Charlie, but glad the outcome was such that you are here to write about it. My Mother always said, "If nothing else, you can serve as a bad example." :wink:

I hope that didn't come across as a cheap shot - just glad to hear you're OK.

I was going to get in the spirit of things and make a confession... but I couldn't come up with any "Dumas moment" I've had... for the last 6 minutes or so. 8)

Putting fresh water down the poop tank is a whole lot better than the other way around! :disgust

Take care,
Jim
 
Hi Folks,

I have a question for Charlie and everybody else. If you fall out of your C-Dory, can you get back aboard? A big reason for deaths of boat owners is that they have no way to get back aboard if they fall overboard. THINK.

Fred
 
I have a nifty little dive ladder in clips on the back of the TC. Could I reach it from the water and pop it out of it's 3 clips and secure it in it's mount on the bracket? I doubt it!

As far as confessions, someone, possibly the captain, put 4 ounces of diesel fuel conditioner down the wrong hole on our Krogen! It was the fresh water fill! The total insurance claim was $ 8000... The deductable on that sort of boat is 10% of the value of the boat! BIG lesson learned about reading the wording on the deck plate, twice!

I'll do more research on the overboard captain scenario soon.
 
ffheap":t7wm7aru said:
I have a question for Charlie and everybody else. If you fall out of your C-Dory, can you get back aboard? Fred
Click to expand...

If I'm motoring along solo or with someone who knows zero about handling a boat and fall in I'm royally screwed AFAIC.

If I fall overboard and can swim around to the engine AND it's down, I'm saved. My Yamaha has a tilt switch on it and I can step on the trim plate or in my case, the Permatrim, and tilt up. I might fall or bruise a knee getting across the transom but it's far better than staying in the water.

If the engine is up well, I do have a swim step and trim tabs as backup. Trim tab to reach the trim switch or the swim step if I'm feeling strong.

Yes I only dry tested it but it worked great. :lol:

Don
 
I have purposely added a fold down ladder and several additional handles up the transom of my C-Dory 22.

The Sea Ray has a ladder built into the full-width swim step, but it only has two rungs and I had to add a rope loop to the handle on the transom to be able to pull my body mass up over the lower rung to use my legs to push myself upright over the steps and onto the swim step.

The pontoon boat has a great swim ladder that attaches through either side door, but may not be set up and stored under a seat where it's worthless to a MOB (man over board).

Valuable lessons learned from all the above experiences.

1. Make sure your ladder is accessible to a MOB alone.

2. Make sure you have a long enough ladder. Too short is useless. A few extra handles installed in the right places can be invaluable.

3. Practice the re-boarding maneuver to be sure the equipment works for you.

4. Remember that you may be cold and tired after falling overboard. If your system barely works when your in warm flat water and you're not exhausted, make it easier to use when your cold, tired, and weak!

Joe. :teeth :thup
 
Boy, did this thread bring a lot of confessions out of the wood work.

I do have that dive ladder for the TC engine brackets and, yes I could have used it to get out of the water except we keep it stored up in the bow bunk! It didn't even cross my mind to use the engines to climb out, it should have but it might not have worked anyway, they were down but the battery switches were off and the tilt function doesn't work then.

Anyway, the lift is repaired, I'm Ok except for bruises and all's as right with my world as it ever is! 8)

Charlie
 
Joe has some very good points!

I seems that I read somewhere that more accidents/injuries happen at or on docks than out boating.

When I had my sailboat I took a swim at a gas dock. As I came into the dock Karen stepped off and tied the bow line. The stern started to drift away from the dock. I grabbed the stern line and thought I could make the jump to the dock. Missed it by that much!

The dock was too high for me to get up on and I was wearing jeans, shoes and a coat. Karen had to grab the back of my pants to help me get onto the dock.

I now always tell others with me not to jump for the dock. If you can't step off safely - don't go - we will deal with it.

I don't always do it but I also think it is a good idea to have your life jacket on until completely docked.

Stay Safe,

Steve
 
Now the next logical question:

How many of you C-Brats run the boat alone and leave the helm to tend rods when trolling or do something else while the boat is still in gear going forward?

At trolling speeds?

At displacement speeds?

At planing speeds?

With or without a life jacket on?

And in what kind of sea conditions?

Finally, which of us C-Brats can swim fast enough to catch up to and board a boat in gear, and at what speed?

Maybe there a good reason to tow your dinghy after all!!!

Joe. :teeth :thup
 
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