Important service announcement about swimming after your boat....

[modtruck69]

How sweet is that!

[Mad Racer]

Yep very sad to hear this.

I bought a H/K Swamp Dawg for $50 or around that. Added a cheap $20 radio and a ESC. All up under $100 for a retrieval boat .

So what happened the other day my mate came and picked me up unexpected to go for a run at a dam that he found and his rigger stopped half way out. He just swam a 1/4 way out on the previous run and he was so knackered I said I will go out as I forgot my recovery boat. When I got to the stranded boat I was so stuffed and had the return swim too go. I eventually made it but I was so out of breath for the next 20 min or so and couldn't believe I did that. I really struggled and thoughts flashed through my mind that I wasn't going to make it. This was in a nice warm water dam too...

I knew this was not a good idea but I still did it..

SO SO SO flipping stupid I was.

[T.S.Davis]

Total bummer.

I haven't needed it in a couple seasons but I have a blow up raft that has cloth wrapped rubber floats. I think it was a $100 maybe. Worth every penny.

Doug, please leave this right where it is. We've all read stories like this......"good swimmer lost retrieving a toy". Every couple years there's another. Maybe if we leave this at the top of the forum guys will read it and be smarter.

They're pricey guys but they're still toys.............remember?............fer fun.

[Doug Smock]

Doug, please leave this right where it is. We've all read stories like this......"good swimmer lost retrieving a toy". Every couple years there's another. Maybe if we leave this at the top of the forum guys will read it and be smarter.

[drwayne]

My state lost a swimmer to the pond monster last year.. his boat stopped, so out he waddled, waded then swam to fetch it back.... less than 100' ft from shore, but he failed to return.
Police divers returned them both to shore.

[penguinsurfboards]

I use this. Never been swimming for a boat. Up close we use a tennis ball on a fishing pole. Stiff bass pole so you can get the tennis ball way out there,

[gsbuickman]

Wahoo, I never noticed it until now but I didn't realize you guys hooked me up with my first sticky, Thanks

[wakenshake]

Sorry too, this is the reality that doesn't sink in till too late. Years ago My boat split open early spring and I jumped in and got it fine, but once you got it as stated before, the weight sinking boat drags you down. Then adrenaline wears off once you reach boat cuz you think worse is over cuz you got it. But then you realize you gotta get back to shore boats pulling you down and now start shivering uncontrollably. About time started to sink my head went under, feet hit ground giving shot of adrenaline to walk outta lake and stumble on ground and start running laps around lake to warm up....
Don't do it guys it's not worth and I'm lucky enough to tell you first hand. I though because I took James Bond showers and flick it to cold and can stand there for minutes made it ok to swim out there. But that wasn't case. Because I wasn't warmed up prior and only had shorts on.
So if anybody in Nepa area needs boat recovery pm summer or winter as im actually a lisenced diver don't do it yourself. Even with thickest neoprene there a lot more than water temp to worry about when diving or swimming in lakes even worse rivers...
Now ever time I run at lake a take kayak and basic free dive gear bag just incase

[Prtcleman]

You never think it can happen to you right? this is a real sad story, makes you think more.....
Im new to boating since a few years now, I had to go into real dirty pond to get my boat that flipped one time, where I had to swim around a dead seagul to get "capsized". It was very unsanitary and possibly fatal.
It was my last time doing it, till a friend of mine showed me his invention.
It was a heavy foamball, the size of a tennis ball, with a fishing line thru the center attached to a fishing reel ( I used a spiderman kids fishing rod from Walmart and cut the rod off completely) where he could throw the ball past the boat and then snag the fishing line in the rudder and reel it to shore. As a rule we always ran our boats, where we most likely in a throwing range. Right hand laps close to shore. Race circuit... This ball and reel has worked for me flawlessly upon flips, plz spread the word captians!!!

[mhzc5000]

God, so sorry to hear such tragic lost. I did it a couple times out here in socal, guess I would never do it again.