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In the past
two years, this writer has had his steering wheel come loose twice
and the steering cable
break once. Larry Walthall, our good friend, was in a fast moving
boat on which the steering cable broke,
causing the boat to crash into the shoreline. Alabaman, Yogi Paetz,
experienced the simultaneous collapse
of BOTH of his dual steering assemblies at once, sending the boat
into a wild 180 degree turn and throwing
both of his passengers into the water. Tragedy was probably averted
by the functional kill switch. The point
here is no different than if you were to lose the steering on a car
at 50 miles per hour--control is lost and you
are on your way to an accident.
The steering
systems on boats are subjected to a great amount of pressure,
particularly in the higher
powered rigs. Think, for a moment, what would happen and what YOU
would do if it gave while you were
making like a flat river-rock across that light chop. Well, for a
fact, the first thing to happen would be that the
boat would go into a very sudden and hard left turn, as the motor
torque-d to one side. You'd experience
about five G's of force and, if you were still in the boat after
that, you'd be trying to get yourself back off the
floor or the console. The most helpless feeling I have ever
experienced was holding that disconnected
steering wheel in my hand as Ron Hunt and I were zipping across Lake
Eufaula. The dangers are so great
here that your boat, particularly the steering system, should be
given a checkout, similar to an aircraft
preflight inspection, before every trip.
A kill
switch is one of the most important additions to any boat. In fact,
it is my humble opinion that it
should be mandatory. We all know that there is no training or
licensing requirement for a person to be able
to get behind the wheel of a high-powered rig. Any Joe Cool can go
buy himself a boat with a 200-plus horse
power engine on it and head for the same pond the you and the kids
happen to be skiing on next weekend.
Suppose he loses control or has a steering failure just as he gets
abreast of your rig? It's serious business,
friends, not just idle chatter.
We recently
mentioned the HOTFOOT and having the return spring break. You WILL
be 50 yds further on
and be 20 MPH faster before you can react, if this happens. (Unless
you are aimed at a dock or the trailer at
the time. Then, you are in for a rough few seconds.) You can remove
your foot when the boat takes off, but it
WILL NOT slow down until you pull that peddle up or kill the
ignition.
It would
seem a little silly to have to speak about the need to wear an
approved life jacket, but let me tell
you just how much more it is overlooked. In the past twelve months,
I have been on the water in four states.
In each one, I encountered the Game Wardens and/or the Water Safety
Patrols. Let me tell you (and I dearly
hope one of you readers is an appropriate official involved with
state agencies) that NEITHER of any of them
was wearing the first life jacket. To top that, they were checking
me to be sure I had mine in the boat! Talk
about setting the example--. I asked the Florida Warden about it and
he got hostile and threatened to run me
off the water for being smart with him. I care not if you swim like
an Olympic champion, you are wearing that
jacket for that one instance in which you will be dazed, disoriented
or injured. Fail to wear it like it was your
religion and you will probably die.
I'll bet
very few of you have ever had a boat seat break under you. It has
happened to me twice. When I
set the hook using a plastic worm, I really come back on it. If I
happen to be sitting down at the time, it puts
a lot of stress on that boat seat. One of two thing happen when that
seat breaks- either you go over into the
water or you fall into the floor of the boat. In each case, the odds
are very good that your head will encounter
something hard. If you are lucky, you may only get a few hooks in
your backside. Seriously, if that boat seat
is loose and creaky, check it out. The only thing holding the top to
the bottom is a single pin between the
swivel plates. If the head on either end of that pin gets worn
enough, it can cause separation.
It's a good
idea to keep a neat boat. Not because it looks pretty and the
photographer may happen by,
but because of the hidden dangers. Loose anchor ropes, old line and
extra lures lying around are just looking
to trip you up. Stepping on a big treble hook can cause you to lose
your balance in a hurry. Once upon a
time, an angler drowned during a tournament. He was fishing by
himself, so we'll never know precisely what
happened. However, when he was found, he had some 14 pound line
wrapped around his legs and one arm.
We theorize he was picking out a back lash, got tangled and somehow
feel overboard. Wrap some eight
pound line around your legs and get in the shallow end of your
swimming pool and try and break it. You have
a big surprise coming.
If your boat
was professionally rigged, you should find all the electrical system
properly fused. Maybe you
should give it a check. Fiberglass burns very hot and very fast. Add
20 gallons of gas and two batteries full of
sulfuric acid, and it really will cause a few sparks. DO NOT cheat a
fusing system. If the trolling motor is
continually blowing fuses, it's a sign that something is
electrically wrong, just like it's supposed to do. Find
the problem and fix it. Along those same lines, the law says we
should have a fire extinguisher in most
boats. It should say ALL boats. An extinguisher doesn't take up much
space and, when it's needed, there's
not much substitute.
If you've
ever gotten a bug in the eye while running across the lake, you
already know that you are nearly
helpless for a moment. Loose items that blow around in the boat can
do the same thing. Two points are to
be made here. First, keep all items properly stowed away. Second,
always wear eye protection, particularly
if you are the driver. A pair of goggles works fine, but I recommend
a helmet with a full face shield. Not only
does it keep the mosquitoes off your teeth, but it is great if it
starts to rain. It's also warm in the Winter at 50
MPH.
Anchors are
pretty handy. And, one of those mechanical cranking and stowing
devices for them is also
fine. However, that ratchet assembly in those cranking mechanisms
can fail. This can be a major problem if
the anchor is hanging over the side of the boat and you are zipping
across the lake. You can flip a boat in a
heart beat. It can be even worse if you are making it up the
Interstate highway at the time. That anchor can
come up off the pavement and go right through the bottom of your
boat, or kill the poor guy in the car behind
you. A word to the wise: don't carry that anchor where it can fall
off. Crank it up and put it inside.
Have you
ever seen a boat sitting in the middle of the launch ramp or the
highway? No trailer--just the
boat? Let your winch rope or cable break sometime when the trailer
pads are wet and it can happen to you.
Use a safety chain and a tie down strap. They are a good investment.
Remember how
hard it is to see around that front seat on your boat when you're
coming out of the hole?
One of these days you may meet that old boy with the new 200 horse
rig just about that time. It's much
better to be safe than sorry, so either lower the seat or pull it
and put it on the floor. We sure wouldn't drive
a car with a chair on the hood, now would we?
Generally
speaking, safety is a matter of common sense. However, it is so easy
to become complacent
and to forget the little things. Check your equipment and remember
the basics.
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