Towed in a Bayliner

J

Jeff_e_d

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Jul 27, 2006
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C Dory Year
1998
C Dory Model
22 Cruiser
Vessel Name
Miss Mirth
I was jigging off Possession Bar and just started getting into some blackmouth, landed a 23"er in the boat and saw some flares going off. The commercial crabbers were all around and ignoring this guy. Another boat pulled up and took off. So I went over towed him from Possession all the Way back to Everett. He had a 22' Maxim Sunbridge style boat. I am curious what folks think is a max tow for a 22' CDory Cruiser. That's about a 2 hour tow @ 4-5 mph. He was nice enough to fill up the tanks. It feels good to do a good thing every now and then.
 
Way to go, Jeff and Miss Mirth! Did your good deed for the day. We salute you, buddy!
 
Ya did good! I have been on both ends of that arrangement and speaking from experience.... I will never leave a boater in distress on the water. Crap happens and even if it is a function of momentary stupidity...
 
Good for you. helping out people on the water can take up a lot of time and fuel but well worth the it for the feeling you get after. My idea is that you help people when you can because someday it will be you.

I once stopped for a old lady with a flat on hwy 49. she was going in the other direction and a lot of people where just passing her by. I stopped and changed her tire and she offered me money. I asked if she had boys, she did. They where all in there 50s. Well I told her that each one of them owed a tire change to someone because next time it might be my mother by the side of the road with hunderds of people driving by not seeing her. I hope that someone got a tire change out of it. after talking to her while changing the tire I think her boys would have done it anyhow.
 
Good for you Jeff – Can’t answer your question about maximum weight a C-Dory can tow. I think the only way to know for sure is to hook up to it and see if you can move it. But then, weather, wind and current can change everything.

Tom – your policy is the same as my policy when I help someone.
________
Dave dlt.gif
 
Jeff, boats aren't like trucks or cars. There is no "maximum" tow limit. You could tow a destroyer in a dead calm (water and wind) but not very fast, you just have to get it moving (and stopped too! :shock: ).

Unless you have a lot of slack in your tow line(s) or bridle when you start, I don't think you could pull the cleats off the stern if you tried, as long as they are fastened correctly as most of them are. Also, I don't think you could snap a towline while underway as long as it was big enough and you didn't let it go slack and then whipped it tight again.

I once was involved in the tow of a battleship, two in fact (IOWA in one case and NEW JERSEY in the other), by an ocean going tug that was considerably smaller than the battleship....Once they were moving, it was simple!

Charlie
 
Jeff-Nice to see that Miss Mirth is in such good care. Were the boys with you? "The reward for a good deed is another good deed" (Old Jewish saying)
 
Hello Marty,

Yes the boys were with me and they got a chance to learn from that experience too. My 1st boat (a 16' with an old 65 Johnson 2 stroke) had the motor blow on the way back from Possession many years ago and I got towed in so possibly "the good turn was my way of giving back." We had the wallace furnace on the whole day as it was a bit cool out there and that was a welcomed change from the old boat. I am very happy with the Miss Mirth. I put on the bottom paint that you gave me, put her in Everett for a couple for months (cleaned up just fine after taking her out) and put electric disc brakes on the trailer (very nice).

I see you and Joe have a 16 now. Maybe we'll run into each other out there on the Puget Sound. take care,
 
I don't think there is an answer as to the limit of tow for a C Dory. I have towed a 45 foot cruising sailboat--(about 20 tons) with an 18 foot rundabout with a 115 hp outboard easily. But It depends on the experience of the operator, how the boat is set up and the conditions.

I tow boats all of the time. If a person has already called for a commercial assistance, I will standby until the commercial assistance arrives. The probelm is that many boats are not set up for towing (my TC 255 is not currently, but my 18 footer is)

You also have to know how to attatch the line to your boat--and to properly attatch the line to the other boat. There are multiple safety issues, including that many cleats on boats are not suitable for towing and many boats do not have adequate towing lines etc.
 
Bob points out some safety issues with towing boats.

I'll just add that you really have to be careful with ropes under large stress loads.

While nylon is more elastic and absorbs shock more readily, the elasticity can make it (or any rope) dangerous under load.

This isn't much of a problem with two aluminum fishing boats, but with two boats of several thousand pounds or more and expecially in a disturbed sea, a broken tow line can break limbs or even kill a person.

Joe.
 
Good job Jeff. According to the Rules of the Road, pp 201, %2304.

"(a) A master or individual in charge of a vessel shall render assistance to any individual found at sea in danger of being lost, so far as the master or individual in charge can do so without serious danger to a master's or individuals's vessel or individuals on board.

"(b) A master or individual violating this section shall be fined not more than $1,000.00, imprisoned for not more than 2 years or both."

According to the law, you were the only person not violating the law.

I bet most people do not know the boater responsibility to render assistance.

Again, good job.

Fred
 
You are quite correct (as usual) Fred, however the words

"any individual found at sea in danger of being lost, so far as the master or individual in charge can do so without serious danger to a master's or individuals's vessel or individuals on board."

provide a convenient "out" for those ignoring boats in "distress". Simply being out of gas or a conked out engine would not constitute being in danger of being "lost". And, I would submit that many of those who ignored him could not have helped with a tow "without serious danger to a master's or individuals's vessel or individuals on board" if they didn't know what they were doing. I'd wait for the right person to come along rather than have an ignoramous try to pull me in.

Given that however, there's no excuse for someone totally ignoring a request for help if they see it and recognize that there's something they can do to help. After all, it may be them the next time!

Charlie (with his sea-lawyer hat on)
 
Captains Choice":28qx7ze3 said:
there's no excuse for someone totally ignoring a request for help if they see it and recognize that there's something they can do to help.
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Well said, Charlie. The original post indicates that the vessel in need of assistance was setting off flares, but there was no mention of any "radio traffic" so I would suspect that the distressed vessel had no operable radio. Given that info, anyone seeing those flares would not know if ...a) he had a mechanical problem or b) if he had a medical problem as well.

Several years ago, I came upon a much larger vessel than mine that had someone on the foredeck waving their arms to "flag" me down. They had lost all electrical and could not radio out for assistance. After coming along side I was able to radio for assistance for them and stand by until vessel assist arrived.
 
Yup, saw that. I can only assume since another boat pulled up and then "took off" it was a matter of gas/no power/no radio or some such and nothing life threatening. The guy who took off probably didn't want to be bothered with the tow, or else went to buy them more beer until real help came :beer :shock: .

I think Jeff did a great thing :thup , have done the same myself for others. Hope I don't ever need it but if I do, hope there's a good samaratin around nearby....
 
Wow, this is turning out to be a great thread. As reported by the vessel that I towed, the guy that took off was collecting his crab pots. Not sure if the vessel that I towed had an anchor, but I am guessing he was 15 minutes from hitting the beach / rocks. So, once I came over there was no turning back. He , the vessel in distress, also had to collect his pots and I hope he is / was able to do so, but that wasn't my concern. I did not see an antenna on his boat, so I think he had no radio. He offered to have me tow him to a nearby dock at the bait box, but once under tow, things seemed to be going ok so I just finished the job as he was moored in Dagmars Dry storage and I proceeded to the gas dock in Everett.

One other interesting twist to this was the ferry. While approaching the Mukilteo / Clinton Ferry, sure enough the ferry touted his horn and immediately took off. I was able to do a hard right and stay out of the ferry's path. Those currents around Mukilteo though are tricky and at one point the boat I was towing took an abrupt right and the stern dug in. But we got through it and felt good about the whole deal. The guy at the gas dock helped pull in the boat in tow while my son released the stern line.
 
Jeff_e_d":37san1ad said:
One other interesting twist to this was the ferry. While approaching the Mukilteo / Clinton Ferry, sure enough the ferry touted his horn and immediately took off. I was able to do a hard right and stay out of the ferry's path.
Click to expand...

Oh, I wish you hadn't said that.... :cry

That brings on a whole new discussion on right of way, which is less clear. I looked up the regs for that, including what you should have been displaying as a towing vessel, what he should have displayed as a towed vessel, sound signals, burdened vessel, etc, etc. I need help from the experts here. Perhaps, since you are under 26 feet, it doesn't apply but the regs I looked at aren't particularly clear....For sure, if you were crossing the path the ferry normally takes and he wasn't underway (just leaving the dock) when you started across, a call to him on VHF would certainly have been in order. Sorry you had a problem, glad it turned out OK.

Charlie
 
I have lately been trying to update myself on all those rules, and do not know of a specific set of "toots" , etc., for this situation. However, I do clearly remember a suggestion of "pan pan pan" or something or other preceding a brief explanation of a likely hinderance to normal navigational channels in the area.

John
 
John, that's one way, but the long and convoluted way. Best to keep it simple. They are required to monitor CH 16, I'd have called him on that channel and said "Ferry X, this is ........ I am crossing your bow with a tow, please allow me to cross ahead of you before you get underway. I am restricted in my manuevering. Please acknowledge, Channel 16.". Repeat several times.

Then, if not acknowledged, run like Hell, or turn like Jeff did. Also, 5 short blasts on an air horn would have gotten attention.

The Rules of the road are found HERE but I'd sure like help in sorting out what was the correct action in his case. Joe, Sea Wolf, where are you when you are needed? Here's a great chance to catch up on the Pat Man.... :lol:
 
Good advise CC. I had 16 on and wasn't sure what to do with the ferry.
 
Hi Folks,

Five toots all in a row would alert everybody wthin hearing distance that there was trouble brewing.

In a narrow channel, RULE 9 gives the ferry boat right away.

Using the radio would also work.

Fred
 
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