Does Every Woody Boating Event End With Someone Towing A Boat?
The end of the show, ended at the end of the line! Don and Addie enjoy a nice slow ride home.
For the record, I am still laughing. What is it about this years batch of Woody boater shows? Seems like we are towing or being towed in, in a bunch of boats these days. And not crappy boats. Nice boats..Like Cobras, and in this case, one of the nations top award winning boats. As we were loading up the boats from a fantastic day both at the boardwalk and on the water, I got a call from fellow Woody boater and barn finder, Don Ploetner, he had run out of gas in Miss Hopatcong, a killer 1961 runabout. Jimmy was waiting to get loaded on the trailer, so we ripped out on the lake to drag Miss Hopatcong home. Half way out, jimmy and I said it at the same time.. “This is the boat ride of the day” the sun was setting, and the water was calm. It was perfect. Jimmys Riviera is running like a sewing machine.. a sewing machine with three carbs.. God, what a sweet ride.. Here are some fun photos of the rescue.. Sorry the shots are slightly blurry. Low light and iphones in a moving boat just don’t mix..
Woody Boater to the rescue!
As we came up to Don Ploetner and Addie Blackburn waiting for help!
Addie prepping the lines for towing.
Don and Addie enjoying what will turn out to have been a very memorable moment on Lake Mohawk. The magic of running out of gas on a sun set lake… Does it get any better than this. NO!
As the sun set, we made it into the ramp.. What a fun night.. It was a stunning evening to break down..
Stay tuned for on the water shots from Saturdays lake Mohawk Event!
Thank God it was only GAS!
Always prudent to have a good tow line coiled up in your 5 gallon bilge pump 😉 !!!
I’ve been on both ends of the rope. Can’t say I enjoyed either end. At least, as the towee, you know you don’t have to paddle…
My first boat was a 61 arkansas traveler with a sketchy 35 hp outboard. That piece of crap broke every weekend! and I had to be towed a lot. I swore after that , it didnt matter where I was going on the water, if I saw someone broke down we would tow them to whereever they needed to go, I towed a 32′ boat with my 17′ Cruisers inc 4 miles to a boat show once.
I have done my share of towing from 2 drunks on a jet ski to sailboats that were becalmed. I have also received my share of tows. Probably MORE than my share. Glad he was able to contact you before everyone was off the lake and it got dark.
The thing I love about the out of gas stories is they always seem to be veteran boat owners, not the newbies. That said, what was CC thinking when they paired V8 engines with 20 gallon tanks without fuel gauges?
As for towing, if you have not spent a few trips on both ends of the line, you are not a boater yet. Never pass up someone in need of a tow, because next time that someone will be you and you never know why or when.
Well said, M-Fine! I AM A BOATER! My best tow job was saving a new production Hacker with Pumpkin. Part of her crew were in the water holding her off the rocks when we arrived. My most bizarre was a pontoon full of young couples, with babies. Their only salvation in my eyes (other than Pumpkin and my patiently understanding family passengers.), was that the babies did have life jackets on (ONLY the babies). They had lots of beer on board, but had run out of gas , , , and had run down the battery on the trolling motor!
And each of my boats have towed each other, of course. Ain’t it a grand sport!
Just a thought, wouldn’t it have been easier to just bring them a few gallons of gas? I’m always afraid of messing up some varnish on a tow, or popping a cleat or chalk, either mine or theirs. That was the only “better” thing about ‘glass boats, they had a bow eye or transom eyes to tow from. Who knows how well they were “backed” up with glass or blocking to support the stresses.
Yes, but it was getting late, and we were the last boat around and a crew waiting to load the last boat. We would have had to run to the marina,bought gas, then gone to the boat, then yada yada, it was quiker to do what we did.
Well, well, well, On both ends of the line within 2 weeks! My most embarrassing tow was off Lake St. Clair in a old CC utility I owned for awhile when the impeller failed. By a sailboat no less, with all the boat babes snapping pictures of us. Still better than drifting around all night, but not much.