re: Boat Accident on the Tickfaw

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So why chastise

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Sure it’s smarter

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I chastise dumb people.

My old neighbor bought a used Cigarette boat out of Miami spring 2006 and bought a condo on Tickfaw at the same time to keep it. He paid if I remember $230,000 or so and I’m guessing another 125-150 for the condo with slip underneath.

He had never owned or driven a boat.

It was delivered to him and they spent one day riding with him to teach him. One day. I believe he spent $1500 on fuel in the first fill up. His wife told him he was nuts and he would plow up and down the Tickfaw until around end of Summer. Wife tells him get rid of it and the condo too.

He found a young guy who had made a bunch of money cleaning up NO after Katrina and the kid paid him exactly what he paid for it in cash. Cash.

Kid buys it on like Thursday and Saturday afternoon he has a boat load of people and comes out hot from the Prop Stop and promptly drives that boat about a good 30-40 yards into the cypress trees a mile upriver, destroying it and hurting a couple people.

After the kid gets out of jail for his DWI on Monday he finds out his insurance company doesn’t cover the boat if he was drunk.

Yeah that kid lost his Katrina winnings in a three day period.

True story.

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So you ride in every boat with your pfd on 100% of the time?

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When I'm running, yes.

And I connect that red string that gets in the way to me as well.

I'm a tard, I guess, but my death won't be the subject of an OB discussion.

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Even as a passenger? On a big center console etc? You have never been on a boat without a life jacket? If so, commendable, but not sure id believe it.

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I don't have rich friends so I'm never a passenger on big boats.

I mean with type 5's now, it's pretty dumb not to have a PFD on. Especially when you are not on a big boat.

I live on Tickfaw. And have been on large and small boats. I have never had issue even with a 16’ boat. If you keep a good head and take large wakes slow you will be fine.

Another fact on crash. It was older boat and steering arm broke when they hit the wave. Checking for worn parts and boat maintenance is key in boat safety.

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My old neighbor bought a used Cigarette boat out of Miami spring 2006 and bought a condo on Tickfaw at the same time to keep it. He paid if I remember $230,000 or so and I’m guessing another 125-150 for the condo with slip underneath. He had never owned or driven a boat. It was delivered to him and they spent one day riding with him to teach him. One day. I believe he spent $1500 on fuel in the first fill up. His wife told him he was nuts and he would plow up and down the Tickfaw until around end of Summer. Wife tells him get rid of it and the condo too. He found a young guy who had made a bunch of money cleaning up NO after Katrina and the kid paid him exactly what he paid for it in cash. Cash. Kid buys it on like Thursday and Saturday afternoon he has a boat load of people and comes out hot from the Prop Stop and promptly drives that boat about a good 30-40 yards into the cypress trees a mile upriver, destroying it and hurting a couple people. After the kid gets out of jail for his DWI on Monday he finds out his insurance company doesn’t cover the boat if he was drunk. Yeah that kid lost his Katrina winnings in a three day period. True story.

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That happened just two years after I started working for David. We were at the 200 that year but we left from the Diversion and were in Madisonville when it happened. Ironically enough, when he bought the Cigarette from your neighbor, he named it ‘Storm Debris’. That boat sat at our shop for almost 2 years during the insurance battle. The last we heard is the DWI didn’t stick, but he’s still paying the note. That was over 10 years ago.

I went out to the sandbar in my 24ft cabin boat. When I was in the stretch between the propstop and the lake I had to come off plane several times due to the wake of all the boats heading up river. There were several large trawler style boats plowing through and throwing huge wakes!
We went to the sandbar and soon after saw the helicopters circling. It didn’t take long for the news to spread of what happened. My dad who was also out on his boat, saw them pull his body out of the water.
That has to be a terrible ride back to the landing without your friend on board. Pretty much 100% sure of the outcome.

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That happened just two years after I started working for David. We were at the 200 that year but we left from the Diversion and were in Madisonville when it happened. Ironically enough, when he bought the Cigarette from your neighbor, he named it ‘Storm Debris’. That boat sat at our shop for almost 2 years during the insurance battle. The last we heard is the DWI didn’t stick, but he’s still paying the note. That was over 10 years ago.

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well now I know how it ended. The neighbor got pissed at his wife, had weight loss surgery, got braces and an oily girlfriend and left her so we haven’t been neighbors in years. Ran into him a year or so ago and he’s put all the weight back on and his new girlfriend looks like Mama Cass.

My neighbor growing up had a 65’ cabin cruiser they kept in Warsaw Marina and about an 18’ tri hull ski boat with a Volvo Motor. Not sure why I remember that. His dad was pulling him skiing right around that old bridge and circled to give him the rope and sliced his thigh up on the prop. We carted him to Hammond and he got like 200 stiches. About 6 months later we are doing the same thing and his old man ran over his other fricking leg. He’s got big matching corkscrew looking scars on his legs to this day.

Another true story.

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" was a passenger in a 19-foot fiberglass boat when he and the driver of the boat went over a wave. XXXX was ejected into the water without wearing a personal flotation device."

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There is quite a bit more to the story that I’m no too willing to share. Here is what i am willing to share. We were coming out of the the lake head back to the landing when we spotted the boat 200-300 yds in front of us. The boat made a hard turn to the right. It basically did a 180. The passenger was thrown from the boat. The driving was so erratic that we slowed our boat for our safety. We then noticed the driver throwing life jackets into the water. At this time, i noticed the man was drowning. I told my son to go, go go as fast as he could. Once about 40 yards out, i dove in followed by my son and his father in law. We swam as fast as possible, but literally watched the man disappear before our eyes. We dove looking for him, with no luck. Only the mans arms were above water when i dove in. He could not swim and wasn’t wearing a life vest. It was truly a shame and heartbreaking. I’m not sure why someone who can’t swim would ever enter a large body of water without a life jacket.

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I do now and have all of my adult life. I’m sure when I was young I didn’t from time to time but I don’t remember ever not.

To me it’s like buckling the seatbelt

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I pretty much wear mine all the time now. I even swapped to a near shore vest complete with reflective tape. LINK

We pulled a guy out who was thrown and ran over by his boat in big lake. Crazy ordeal he was in a center console. Had his hand just about cut off completely. Once we got him stable and off laoded at shore you begin to think about a few things.

If his center console had hydraulic steering it may have just gone straight until it hit someone or something. Could be you hanging out fishing getting plowed through.

I have 3 kids under 10. Wife quit teaching to homeschool. I take zero chances anymore.