heliguy02

Hey guys, anybody have a good and easy way to retrieve a dead boat that is stalled WAY out in the middle of the lake. I love running my boats, but its alot of trouble to load up my row boat and take it with me every time. I normally don't need it, but I once had a scary thing happen so I take it every time now. JUST in case. I run my boats on public lakes and one time it quit in the middle of the lake. I had my fishing pole with a tennis ball with me, but this time it was way to far out. I sat and waited for what seemed like days to see if it would drift in close enough to snag it with the fishing pole, but it never did. My only choice was to leave it and go home and get my row boat. When I got back the boat was gone. There was a couple of fisherman that showed up while I was gone and they had retrieved the boat and had it in the back of there truck. I was lucky to get it back.
So I was wonder if anyone has built a retrieval boat or has a good method that they could share with me. I would appreciate it.
-Tony

Harvick

I personally have a electric cat, el cheapo boat, that I use to push my gas powered boat it. With the cat front end it is flatter than a deep vee and pushes ok. Not the best method, but it is better than swimming. It works ok, unless the boat has flipped over, because then it is taking in water most likely and on its way down (not very easy to push).

In the video section of this site(i think) was a video of a guy who built a rescue boat. It was a fan boat that he built 2 forks that would lift a dead boat out of the water. Sorry I can not remember where I saw it. It was titled "boat rescue"

Hope it helps!

hpiguy

Take my Hobbico Atlantic Tug and push it back. It has a soft nose pad like a real tug and it's very big. Looks awesome and runs for 20 minutes on one pack. Pushes big boats with ease.

I got it Scratch&Dent from Tower for a hundred bucks. Glued back the broken plastic pieces, fixed a little paint and tada, cool tug. RTR w/forward and reverse, heavy keel, very stable boat.

TERBObob

My Feedback: (21)

Those are good , but COULD push your hull even further down under [&o]

best to get one of those inflatable cheapo boats that they sell at places like WALMART for around $15.00 .
that way , YOU stay dry , the boat gets picked up and put in the inflatable with you , while you row back to shore .
One thing .... NEVER ... and I mean NEVER ( hey , did i by chance tell you yet NEVER ? , well , in case I didn't ---- NEVER , NEVER , NEVER )
try and swim for it ... NO boat is worth risking your life for .
You could also grab your fishing pole , tie a little rock on it , and put on a pair of waders , wlak out as far as you can , then cast your line out to go OVER the boat and reel her in .

hpiguy

True, but my boats all have foam in them, they will NOT sink. Even if held under for awhile, they will still pop back up. Don't ask how I know that.

BUT if the foam gets knocked out somehow it's glub glub glub.

BMAD01

This is MY retrevial boat. I won't even get a toe wet! Brian

Harvick

I am intrigued, tell me how you use your transmitter as a fishing pole? Do you just drive around the dead boat to snag it? How well does this work, looks promising!

BBuster

Boating is like golfing for me. Fire it up... chase it down.
Pack the row boat[sm=drowning.gif]
The quicker you get to it the less potencial for damge. (water, accident, theft)
Adapted my rack to fit the center seat of my row boat
It's a pain for sure, but you can write the day off to a boat ride also!!

heliguy02

Thanks everyone for your input. I think I will look around for a cheap electric pusher boat. Until then I guess I'll just keep on packing my row boat along.
-Tony

skoda450

Pushing is very tough to do. I use a 25' floating line with a empty water bottle capped tightly and attached to the end. The line is attached to an electric boat with enough power to pull a load for a long time. Keep the electric charged up (with extra batteries if possible) and the cord wrapped around the bottle. When your other boat dies out of reach, put the electric in the water and head for the dead boat. The line will unwrap from around the bottle and trail behind the electric. HINT, since you run with full size boats too, make the connection to the electric with a aligator clip just in case the line gets tangeled with a full size boat. Circle around the dead boat and the floating line will snag anything that is sticking below the surface of the water. Head for shore and the line will tighten up as the bottle catches the dead boat. It is very important that the line you use floats. Otherwise it misses catching the dead boat. Your retreive boat must have a BIG rudder to guide the tow to shore.

You can also use the fishing reel method and tow the line with the tennis ball from the reel inside the retreive boat and circle the dead boat then reel in the dead boat after popping the ball from the reterive boat.

Good luck

project5k

while i agree that towing a full size boat with you may be a pain, but if your looking for ideas, check this out.. im building a retrevier... it fits in the back of my truck and i can stay as dry as i need to(my feet get a little wet) but who cares, when im running my boat im knee deep anyway...
i have more done that i have posted so far.. and ill try and get it posted in the next few days...
http://www.mcgyveronline.com/peddle_boat_site.htm

NY 28 scarab

Heliguy02, What about using your helicopter

bebopin64

My Feedback: (2)

why does everyone make such a huge deal out of not swimming to get your boat. i mean if you dont know how to swim you shouldnt be stupid enough to jump in the water, but i swim in the lake anyway so why not get the boat while im out there?

dbm0011

Hello everyone,
I have tried several different ways of retrieving my boats when DIW. I have tried the small chriscraft type to push it in(which seems to work the best, Providing the batterys dont die on you)
purchased one of the large Wake board boats from Wally world (Useful - Not so much hard to manuver at the other end of the pond)
Fishing pole with bobber and weight - Not a fisherman - gotta be able to cast to the exact opposite side of your boat, or you are running back and forth on the shore trying to get the fishing line over the top of the hull or at the aft end to hook something.(still the method I use today.)
One man raft from Wallyworld. (this is a no-Shi**er. boat dead in middle of 7 acre lake, no wind. Blow up the raft, get in start to paddle out. About 40' from shore a small air leak, only half way to the boat, I keep going, made it to the boat, raft sitting lower in water, oars more trouble than they are worth on that little boat. laying in boat on my back, back stroking with my arms pushing the Cat to shore, I sunk as I got to the shore. So I do have a One man raft for sale - used only once.)

We do have a 12 canoe with a 4hp motor( alot of work to run for just a hour or so)
I am in the midst of building an electric retrieval boat with enough power for long run time and a prop big enough to push an 1/8 scale hydro or 44" cat.

The design is not exactly to push, but push and carry. Any ideas or interest?

Captain Ramius

It is a safety issue , even strong swimmers have drowned retrieving boats. Its irresponsible to suggest swimming for a boat.

BMAD01

What's the big deal? Take another look at my retrevial boat. Thems pics were taken last year, after I completed it. I have since flipped the outrigger upside down, so the line is just under the surface. Ya drive it out to the stalled boat, make a half circle round it, turn the transmitter off,(saves batts) and reel it in. I've got 125yds of 20lb. firewire on the reel, and have yet NOT been able to rescue someones boat. (my boats never stall! LOL) I got the boat new offin Ebay fer $17.01 + $28.00 shipping! The reel is from Wally World, bout $30.00. I fabricated the outrigger, and the reel mount on the radio, at work. It's going on it's second year now, and it ain't as purty as ya see in the pics. But it has one purpose, and one purpose ONLY. And it is as reliable as the day is long! Not bad fer under a hundred bucks, me thinks! Brian

biteme

As far a swimming, I live in CA, 15 miles from the beach. Summers I spent body surfing, 6 hrs a day, and vacations spent water skiing on the Colorado River. High School swim team, 50 and 100 meter freestyle, anchor for relay team. If I were to take any more SCUBA dive classes, it would be for Dive Master Training( to become an instructor) - yes, some people should not swim down their boat, If there is any question in your mind whether or not you can make it, you are not ready to swim. I can make 2-3 miles( had to - that's a standard swim workout) and keep in mind, I sink like a rock. My mother can (has) fall asleep while floating on her back in the pool - scary Generally, I feel that if you are used to swimming in a lake, river, etc, you are probably a better swimmer than the person who only swims the pool. I have had aquaitences( friends) who claimed they swam well (pool) when we got to the ocean, he nearly drownd. Like I said, if there is any question, or you are not used to this particular environ, DON'T.

Now to retrieval,

Take a look at this, http://www.rc-airboats.com/gallery/v...bumName=Rescue I think Airboaters tend to think a little more 'outside the box' - this even accounts for flipped boats, and gets em out of the water fast.

woodstock

Just my 02.
I have a cheap closed faced fishing real.with like 10 pond tes line.with a steal leader on the end.
I then have a tennis ball that i put a small hole in then on the end of the steal leader i put a big fishing sinker
Then just push the sinker into the ball.last what i will do is glue the hole shut.
its a great set up.
Just take time throwing the ball over your boat.While reeling in you can line the string over the boat and pull it in.
Almost every one at are pond use this set up.
It's small and can fit into all small spot's
last don't throw the real in while tossing the ball.hold that in the other hand.
good luck and hope it might have helped ya.
woodstock

BBuster

There are always life jackets $5-8 and fins!!

Just don't get hit by a real boat!!!!

Harvick

thought this might help you out!

Harvick