Trailer Park Casanova
04-12-2007, 02:17 PM
I was online with the wife logging onto: make me com. heal, no wait, it was: make me heal .com when the winds picked up here in Parker, just south of Havasu on the Colorado river.
Two Pontoon boats beached & secured a few yards away from us, but also a families new Kachina just broke loose from it's box anchor,, and the beach spike and took off for Bass Point. The family nowhere around, no clue where they camp'd.
I ran out the door and made it down the beach & into the water to just grab the boats stearn rope and hung on, but the then boat was caught in the winds irons and started to swing into one of the pontoon boats for a nasty t-bone, or me and the boat were gonna take off for a$$ point.
I was up to my ass in the water, gelcoat damage gonna happen to this beautiful Kachina for sure. Big ol' slab sided Kachina caught in a 45 mph+ wind, me with a graveyard class hangover trying to hold it.
I looked down river and saw Boatcop in route, then three neighbors came down and we held the families Kachina from harms way.
I sent Maynard to find the family, only on the strength we knew they drove a red Ez Go.
Damn,, a lot of red EzGos at Emerald Cove campground.
Good ol 7 year old Maynard found them and the thankful Kachina owner fired up his Kachina and got it in open water, we got his trailer on the ramp, and severl hot run tries in the strong winds and whitecaps, got the boat on trailer and all was well.
The lesson:
This time of year lots of new boaters buy a box anchor at the campground store, and like in this case, just simply tie 15 feet of rope throw it overboard in 12 feet of water and that's it. With no wind or current, they think they have it dick'd.
Ya gotta put plenty of rope on it and 6 ft of heavy chain,, even though Box Anchor claims ya don't need chain.
On a lake or the sand bar maybe no chain, but in current you should consider 3 times the depth for the length of rope leading to your
Box Anchor, and 6 ft of heavy chain,, hooked up old school style.
If you're anchored in 8 ft deep of flowing water then at least 24 feet of rope leading to your box anchor, and remember the chain.
At least that works for us.
Hope this helps someone.
Two Pontoon boats beached & secured a few yards away from us, but also a families new Kachina just broke loose from it's box anchor,, and the beach spike and took off for Bass Point. The family nowhere around, no clue where they camp'd.
I ran out the door and made it down the beach & into the water to just grab the boats stearn rope and hung on, but the then boat was caught in the winds irons and started to swing into one of the pontoon boats for a nasty t-bone, or me and the boat were gonna take off for a$$ point.
I was up to my ass in the water, gelcoat damage gonna happen to this beautiful Kachina for sure. Big ol' slab sided Kachina caught in a 45 mph+ wind, me with a graveyard class hangover trying to hold it.
I looked down river and saw Boatcop in route, then three neighbors came down and we held the families Kachina from harms way.
I sent Maynard to find the family, only on the strength we knew they drove a red Ez Go.
Damn,, a lot of red EzGos at Emerald Cove campground.
Good ol 7 year old Maynard found them and the thankful Kachina owner fired up his Kachina and got it in open water, we got his trailer on the ramp, and severl hot run tries in the strong winds and whitecaps, got the boat on trailer and all was well.
The lesson:
This time of year lots of new boaters buy a box anchor at the campground store, and like in this case, just simply tie 15 feet of rope throw it overboard in 12 feet of water and that's it. With no wind or current, they think they have it dick'd.
Ya gotta put plenty of rope on it and 6 ft of heavy chain,, even though Box Anchor claims ya don't need chain.
On a lake or the sand bar maybe no chain, but in current you should consider 3 times the depth for the length of rope leading to your
Box Anchor, and 6 ft of heavy chain,, hooked up old school style.
If you're anchored in 8 ft deep of flowing water then at least 24 feet of rope leading to your box anchor, and remember the chain.
At least that works for us.
Hope this helps someone.