Helping a stranded boater: What would you do?

[Moonpie]

Just curious what you folks would do in this situation.

You're alone. Headed out to fish in your boat.
You happen upon a lone boater stuck up on a mud flat.
His boat is large and heavy.
He is stuck over 150ft away from water deep enough to float his boat.
He is stuck because he sat there while the tide went out.
His boat is not broken down.
He is not in distress just stuck.
Your boat is small and can not pull him off the flat.

What kind of assistance would you offer?

[coachlaw]

Been exactly there at SLP, but this genius didn't get there because of the tide. He was going over 50mph when he hit the flat in the middle of the pass. He was a good 60 yards onto the flat. The old Ugly Mudda was not going to do anything with her 60 horses. I offered to take him to the KOA and he kept trying to get me to try hauling his boat off. I had to be very firm with him. He finally relented and I took him to the dock.

[PasadenaMan]

I would hail him on the radio to make sure he is ok.
Ask him if he needed call someone if he does not have a cell phone.
If he does not have neither a Cellular or VHF, I would hail on channel 16 if any available boaters can help him out and where he is.
Then go fish.

[mstrelectricman]

Seems to me that all you could do is make sure that he can communicate with his people to let them know he is OK and make sure he has water to drink and wait for the tide. To have gotten himself into such a predicament in the first place would make me wonder if he should be out by himself!

[WestEndAngler]

Offer him water or a ride out of the sun until he can come back? Call the Gator-Tail in for a rescue mission?

[reeltime]

If i can't safely pull them off or out i will ask if they want to stay or hitch a ride.I also offer water or food.get there cell or offer the use of mine.

[Swells]

Unless there is some dire emergency, let them sit and stew. They're simply going to have to wait for the tide. Down here by SPI the flats are everywhere and everyone will get stuck now and then - just make you're you have enough water, beer, munchies, and tunes, and no problem. We all do it sometime so be nice - those shoals change all the time.

And why try to rescue somebody with a ton of boat hung up on a sandbar? You can really do some damage that way, pull off cleats, and even blow your engine if you get to sucking mud.

By the way, bad idea to abandon ship and take a ride home - unless you have some true emergency. That's a nice way to have your boat stolen or for a salvager to lay a claim. It has happened before, folks, just saying. Not everyone is as nice as you are. As noted above, some of these people who get stuck are mighty mad, and can turn out to be real drunken, violent jerks - a real pain in the boat. Unless it's a neap tide, about 2-3-4 hours of an incoming tide should start looking a lot better for a hull shot out of the hole.

[kenny]

No matter how much throttle you give it, a large heavy boat will just pull your small boat sideways. I towed in MANY large boats with my old 60 Yammy. I even pulled a couple around by the bow enough to break the suction and get pulled out.
I've only been stuck once and that was at the pass (knocking on wood...knock, knock) out a ways in front of Mud cut. I had 2coolers ready to deploy when two boats came to the rescue. One was a orange/white Gulf Coast or other similar style.

[Robalo]

Exact thing happened to me in about 1989, was with former wife catching reds east of Pass Cavallo-we were nailing them against the shoreline in 6-10" of water when this flounder rig pulled up and asked if I could help him with an idiot. Reluctantly I said OK, waded back to my boat, motored to as close to the idiot that had a new 17' Aquasport that he and his 14 y.o. son (they were from Spring) had anchored and camped at Pass cavallo and tide went out and boat was facing deeper water but was in 3" of water. The flounder rig had tied a line and the idiot had gotten between the flounder rig and his boat-the snaphook popped and went through his wrist-he was bleeding bad, compression on it and would not leave his boat. I radioed USCG, they said what the hecxk are they spota do since no big boat could get in shallow enuf to pull him out and I said "exactly" and he refused a ride to dock for medical aid and I offered to have his kid stay and we would wait for tide, then kid could follow me in his boat back to dock and flounder rig guy would take you to hospital and back to dock so kid and me would meet you later there in about 6-8 hours when tide returned. Nope, he asked to talk to USCG on my radio and convinced them to send a rubber boat with 4 huge Coasties out-we pushed his boat into water and I hurt my back and still have pain from helping the moron-he was rude, stupid and arrogant. Next time, I will merely make an offer to give ride-it was not worth my back injury and he was an idiot for anchoring in 1.5' of water on a high tide. I hope he reads this. I'm pretty sure the Coasties ticketed the crap outta him-they were not happy and neither was I or the Flounder rig guy. He simply could have gotten aid and we would have taken care of his kid and boat, but noooo.

[sfef84]

Tell em that you can call for towboat. Period. Too much damage can and will be done. Like rip out a cleat or whatever structure that the lines are tied to. If ypur boat gets screwed up you think hes gonna say " hey thanks bud, sorry your cleat ripped out... send me the bill" ??? Yeah right. i have screwed up my land cruiser at the south jetty beach. Tried to pull out a stuck van and their tow rope smapped and the metal hook flew back and put a hole in my tail gate. Those who are stuck got hemselves there and if the sitaution is beyond an easy 2 second tow... let them suffer the consequences and have some sense of personal responsibilty. dont be a hero, it will cost you money.

Tell em that you will get help if they dont have a phone but that is where your responsibility ends.

[corndog]

I think I'll just motor by point and laugh at him!! No ill tie off to his cowling and yank that off and keep going. No seriously see if you can assist him and just call the coast guard if you cant help.

[WestEndAngler]

I will always try a tug if I can't get it I won't risk it & push it.

[FlatoutFishin]

Screw em...dumb *** shouldn't been running there in the first place!





At least that was what I thought they were thinking everytime someone went by and stared at me....both times!

[txwhaler 22]

call Coastal Guide Service...for towing/water rescue.. LOL
we can stay with vessel and passengers till the tide rises
and slide her off the sand safely and get the sandbar hunter to the dock!

[FlatoutFishin]

call Coastal Guide Service...for towing/water rescue.. LOL
we can stay with vessel and passengers till the tide rises
and slide her off the sand safely and get the sandbar hunter to the dock!

Do you stock beer, because that's all I really would need!