have u ever hit anything solid while cruising?

[erictetterton]

just trying to get a general understanding of the durability of the riveted model boats, specifically the .053" hulls. I have a 1236 alumacraft and want to get a general idea of the strength of the hull because i run in shallow areas with lots of logs. Of course i dont run wide open in known shallow areas, but its the ones u dont see that will get you. I run a 15 evinrude so my top speed is 22mph.

So does anyone have any experiences with hitting logs, rocks, etc. in there 12 or 1436 models with .053" hulls?

*Of course id love to have a thick all welded boat but something is to be said for the lack of weight on the riveted models

 

[10mm]

I have hit many things in the local river that i cruise alot, it put a few good dents along the bottom, but never any holes, and it is an older thinner 1232 sears boat. I will tell you hang on to your tiller tight, I have hit way more things on the foot of the motor than the boat, and several times I've had the tiller ripped out of my hand and the motor kick up, wide open, usually turn all the way, then slam back down in the water... not fun in a narrow river!

 

[Vagante]

This should be a good one. opcorn:

 

[muskiemike12]

I have never hit anything with the hull, it's my Evinrude's lower unit that takes all the punishment.

 

[earl60446]

Hit about a 12ft branch that was just under the water. It turned my tiller motor all the way in one direction and slowed us down real fast, I was at full speed (not fast with my motor but on plane), threw my buddy off the seat and on the floor. I was jolted off the seat forward and we took on about 10 gallons. No damage done to crew or boat though.

Did not hit this but found a full size power pole floating in Lake Michigan about 2 miles off Chicago, tied onto it and brought it into shore at the launch ramp. Park district person yelling at me for doing it, we pulled it into the parking lot with my truck.

Also about 120ft of some kind of large coax type cable (about 2 inches in diameter) on Lake Erie. Just did the "security" call on it, too large, gave the coast guard the EQL and let them pursue it. Did not want to get hollered at again.

Tim

 

[lovedr79]

My 10' Jon has hit many things while fishing. Many dents in bottoms
. My outboard lower unit on my 1448 hit a huge submerged boulder leaving me with a damaged prop and bent prop shaft.

 

[T Man]

Clipped a Dead head at 27mph on the river with my lower unit this summer....that was a wake up.

 

[RadarJet]

I've had a 2 foot diameter log stump come drifting down the river and smack the side of the boat and jet foot while anchored. Not fun to get nearly swamped when it catches on the foot and drags the side of the boat down. No dents though.
A few years ago I was using my canoe and trolling motor to get a half mile from the launch ramp to a hunting spot in the dead of winter. I should have turned around when I had to break ice off the ramp just to get to the water, but I pushed on anyway thinking the ice slush out on the river was a coating. About half way across I realize the ice slush is really solid 1-3' thick icebergs that had broken free from upstream and I was caught in the middle of several hundred. Ended up making a wrong move and solidly beached the boat on top of one. Ice is interesting as it will dip underwater and let you glide partially over it. Had to nearly get out to push off. Counted my blessings when I made it back at dusk- safetly and with a nice doe!

 

[FerrisBueller]

A while back now we were idling through a channel between 2 lakes on our way to another channel for some opener walleyes, and all of a sudden our boat stops and we see a big flash towards the back of the boat in the water. Turns out a power line worked its way up through the sand and we ended up catching it and getting it jammed in the prop. Big 'ol 2"+ power cable so we use a paddle to carefully push the prop to turn and free the cable. Called the power company and they were out later that day, and half the lake lost power.

 

[Ranchero50]

I've hit fish and ducks at speed, think I wacked a beaver one evening. They usually just thump on the hull and are ok later.

I nailed a rock, did a video on the damage. Tore the transom free from the hull for around 3-4", ripped one of my trim tabs off.

I also rode over a couple big rocks while idling back downstream in the dark after cat fishing without a working light. Ominous when the hull lifts and tilts.

Oh yeah, millions of bugs in the air, Dobson flies and even a bat.

 

[Vagante]

opcorn:

 

[PSG-1]

I've hit plenty of sandbars and oyster beds, but usually, the lower unit of the outboard, and the transom itself, is what takes that abuse, not the hull.

The one time I hit something solid was with my jetboat, I scraped along the top of a partially submerged galvanized pipe sticking up. As I slid along the top of it, some of the paint was scraped, and it made a very slight longitudinal dent. But as it got to the stern where the boat was heavier, it dug in some more and as the transom crossed it, it hooked the corner where the transom meets the hull, causing that weld to separate. In the process, the gutter got mashed, and it just happened to be the gutter where the drain plug was located. At that time, I was using an internal drain plug, which I believe dampened the blow significantly, if it had hit any other gutter, it probably would have ripped a hole in the boat. Also, another casualty, it busted my steering cable and the steering cable bracket on my turning nozzle.

I heard the impact and wondered WTH I had hit. But there wasn't much time to think about it, because as soon as I hit it, the boat lost steering control, so I immediately shut it down and coasted to a stop. I heard my automatic bilge pump running, and saw water coming out the fitting, so I opened the engine compartment and saw the water leaking in. I folded and jammed a rag in there, which slowed the leak down a good bit, then tried to determine why I had no steering. When I reached down in the water and felt around, it was apparent what had happened.

So, I called and got a tow back to the hill, and hauled it out, welded up the damage, then replaced the steering cable and bracket.

But the FIRST thing I did, upon getting back to the hill, was go back to that spot with my 14' Duracraft with a 15 merc, and proceed to hook a line to that ^%#&* pipe and snatch it out. It didn't want to budge, either. I'm surprised I didn't rip out my transom, but at that point, I was beyond pissed off and was determined to take that navigation hazard out. Which I did, and hauled it back to the hill, where it went to the dump.

 

[T Man]

I also hit a 45lb carp with my prop while on plane this summer.

 

[PSG-1]

T Man » 48 minutes ago[/url]"]I also hit a 45lb carp with my prop while on plane this summer.

I've seen boats out here hit stingrays in shallow water. They go to flipping everywhere when they get hit!

This past summer, we were going back in my channel at low tide, and while we didn't actually hit it, the prop wash spooked a trout that ran up into the shallows and got stuck up in an oyster bed, and couldn't flop back into the deeper water to swim off. (We immediately netted him and put it in the cooler, and had trout for dinner!)

When I lived in Cherry Grove, about 1988, they were clearing land over on Little River Neck to build Tidewater golf course. Apparently this activity displaced some wildlife, including snakes, because, I saw a HUGE snake swimming across Williams Creek over toward Cherry Grove. Not sure what kind it was, but I circled around with the intent of running it over (in hindsight, not a wise choice). Well, when I hit it at full throttle, I got an unexpected surprise. The motor didn't kick up, but it snatched the tiller out my hand, and the boat lurched sideways, and I nearly went out.

Immediately I started looking for the snake, with my dip net, because I was going to take it back to show to some people I was sure would doubt my story. My guess is when it was hit, it sank, because I never found it, or any part of it, and like I suspected, when I told people about it, they didn't believe that a 6 foot long snake was swimming across the surface of saltwater.

Still don't know what it was, but my suspicion is probably an eastern diamondback, as they are known to swim from island to island, saltwater is not a problem for them. A few years ago, I found out from a herpetologist that moccasins can also live around saltwater, so, it may have been a moccasin. Either way, my decision to hit it probably wasn't the best, both in terms of needlessly killing a snake, and it terms of risk to myself, either being launched out the boat, or having the engine kick up and fling a huge snake in the boat with me!

Hitting large fish, or large snakes isn't really considered hitting something 'solid' but it'll **** sure get your attention! :shock:

 

[T Man]

A 40" fish sure felt pretty solid.

 

[PSG-1]

T Man » Yesterday, 22:28[/url]"]A 40" fish sure felt pretty solid.

Yeah, I imagine hitting a fish that size was about like hitting a log. That thing is huge!