My boating accident 2 years ago...

[deerhunter_matt]

Figured I would post about this cause I rehashed some of the ol' pictures. This 'boat accident' happened in Summer of '05. My fiance of 4 days and I were driving home from McMillans Cabins on Golden Lake, ON. We were heading down the 65 mph highway when I realized I forgot my wallet and passport at the camp. Turned off the highway onto a 25 mph rural road that looped back around. Drove about 1/4 mile and BAMMMM SKKKKKKKSssshhhh.... :eek:

The trailer had given out. The passenger side front leaf spring bracket sheared off and the entire axle got jerked back, bending the tire rim, popping the tire, and slid about 25 yrds.

Here is the damage:

(That's just the spare I was using to sit down. The tire is back underneath the boat)
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v321/mahar421/random/Boat/jackiespics1136.jpg

How far I slid...
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v321/mahar421/random/Boat/jackiespics1139.jpg

Damage as seen from beneath the boat, note the bent rim...
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v321/mahar421/random/Boat/jackiespics1142.jpg


Needless to say, we were very very fortunate. I was doing close to 80 on the highway before we turned off. Imagine if I hadn't realized I forgot my stuff when I did. Also, there were only minor scrapes to the boat, so I was very fortunate indeed.

I was also very fortunate to have the help of some great people. One guy brought a front end loader to help us get the boat off the trailer. The guy who runs the camp we were staying at brought a bunch of tires to slide my boat onto. About 10 guys from the camp came to help out. And there was a guy at the camp staying another week that loaned me his trailer to get my boat back to the states. (12 hour drive to my place) I had to meet my dad halfway (he was staying there another week too) to bring back the trailer.

All in all, I was uber-lucky, and very fortunate.

Here is my boat as it sat on the loaned trailer, notice how we had to ratchet it down to keep it from cantilevering off the back.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v321/mahar421/random/Boat/jackiespics1148-1.jpg

[Jeff Goebel]

Matt,
I have a boat of similar size and trailer it all over the U.S. You have just given me a visual of one of my worst nightmares. Glad no one was hurt and the boat wasn't damaged.

Oh yea, here's my other nightmare....

http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c240/Goeb/pic3554.jpg

[mrjbigfoot]

Man, I went through a very similar situation on a road trip home from Chapleau, Ontario. Got back into the US on I-75 & I was driving 75 mph when I hit a pot hole & my boat trailer frame cracked in two right in front of the right rear (passenger side) trailer tire... I felt the big jerk, looked in the side view mirror & saw my 16 & 1/2' Starcraft hanging sideways... I was able to get her off the road, we jacked up the boat off the trailer frame, used ratchet straps & some 4' 2x4's I had to pull it all back together. We were able to make it to the next exit where we found there was a welding shop 2 miles down and 3 hrs & $150 later we were back on the road home... Where we'd been fishing was 80 miles of rock & gravel logging roads from the nearest blacktop road & we 4x4'd & probably cracked the frame on the way in and out. Actually the welder repaired 2 other frame cracks besides the one that broke and said it was most likely because we had so much extra crap/weight packed inside the boat... we'd had an extra 25 gal of gas in 5 gal cans inside the boat on the way in also...

[Jimmy]

Matt....you were very lucky!!! And very lucky to have all those friends to help you out.

[deerhunter_matt]

I was very fortunate. I also lucked out cause I got a new trailer for practically nothin. Before we had left, I had some work done on the outdrive, and putting it back together, the guy accidentally put the steering cable on backwards...

Needless to say, that was quite interesting when I put the boat in the water for the first time... Circling in revers right towars a bunch of rocks...Oh man. Anyways, when I got back to the states, I called the guy up to ask him if he had a cheap used trailer, and also told him bout the steering. He felt so bad, he gave me a trailer from a junk boat he had in the back. Just had me pay for labor to adjust the runners, and that was about it. So, I was very fortunate indeed. Would have been better had it not happened at all, but since it did happen, the way it happened I was lucky.