Helped a bachelor and a ski

[TheGreekTitan]

So, we round a turn and I notice 3 guys looking at a jet ski they had obviously pulled to shore. Get closer, and I see one of them scooping water out from under the seat. I pulled up , and asked if they were ok. Before they said anything, I could tell they were about 5 minutes from panic mode.

Brief conversation, and I gather that they sucked up a rope, "fixed it", but now it won't start. I don't know much about skis, but it's obviously full of water, and I ask if there is a bilge pump.....the look on their faces was like mine would have been a year ago...completely dumbfounded. BTW I don't know if skis have bilge pumps, but they should.

Anyway, I anchored my boat and swam over to them, leaving my beautiful wife, our 2 friends and their 3 yr old on board.

Long story shorter...They sucked up a rope, and decided to flip the ski over to cut the rope free. Wow!!!!! They got the rope, but flooded the ski. Wow!!!! Luckily they were close enough to shore to not sink it.

Tried a couple things, but in the end just instructed them to keep bailing it out enough to float. Got it floating, and had them swim it out to my boat.

Tied the ski and tube up, got them on board, gave them each a beer, and towed them about 20 min to our marina. Thankfully for us, that's where there friends were. Not so good for them, that's where their friend that owned the ski was.


Oh yeah...I asked them how long they were there. Over an hour, and only one other person stopped. He loaned them an allen wrench (for what I have no idea), one of the guys dropped and lost it, and the good Samaritan got pissed and took off. Another Wow!!!

 

[TheGreekTitan]

Great day!!!



Our Godson, enjoying the ride...after the rescue

 

[robert843]

I bet that ski owner was mad when they got back lol. I agree what the heck was the wrench for. Most skis do not have bilge pumps unless they have been aftermarket installed by the owner. It's about the dumbest thing I have ever heard of as they are cheap and easy to install while the mfg is building the ski. Instead they mostly come with a type of siphon system that pulls water from the hull but this requires the ski to be running and moving. Newer Yamaha skis started adding bilge pumps straight from the factory I'm guessing the other brands will follow soon behind. Great job stopping to help out as that sucks being stuck out there like that.

 

[Ronnie]

Good job on stopping to help them.

Both my ''06 fx cruisers came with bilge pumps installed, it looks like my son's '96 waveblaster came with one as well but most my other older ski's (Kawasaki and Seadoo only had the referenced siphon system).

I'm guess the Allen wench was used/needed to remove the intake grate from the ski which would make getting the rope off the shaft easier.

If they cleared the engine of water th should be able to get the ski started again pretty easily.

Again, good for you for you and boaters / boating in general for stopping to help.

 

[Julian]

Pretty sure the labels on the skis on which direction to rotate the ski has nothing to do with it taking on water, but all to do with avoiding water in the exhaust getting dumped into the cylinders and hydrolocking the engine. Skis on their side will take on water....sounds like these guys were real bozos! Hope they didn't destroy that ski!

 

[PEARCE]

In all my years of boating I've never had to rescue or tow anyone in till yesterday. We were heading out of the marina in the cruiser at about 10am and there was a jetski with a Dad and two boys that were probably 8 to 10 years old. The Dad was waving his arms and was obviously in distress. I had my wife go up to the bow to talk to him and he said that his battery was dead. So my wife grabbed a line as I circled closer and we got the line to him and he tied it around the handle bars. I started to put them and it almost immediately turned them over and into the water. I circled again and as I got close I killed the engines and had the boys climb aboard our boat while the Dad turned the ski back over and tie the rope on the bow eye where it should have been to start with. He climbed back onto the ski and we got them to their dock in the marina. They were very greatful and it felt good helping someone out in a stressful situation.

 

[Scott E]

A couple years ago while at the in laws with the ski, we saw 3 teens out about 1/2 mile from shore having a good time. Tipping their ski over, doughnuts etc. well, they flopped it one to many times and couldn't get it to start. I towed them back to shore, and put it on my trailer, hull and motor full of water. I got the hull emptied, and pulled the spark plugs. Still would not start. I towed them back to their camp and just before rounding the last point, it fired up.

"Boy it would be better if your not towing us back, it's my sisters ski.. Can you just follow us to be sure it stays running..."

I did not hang around, but really wanted to to hear the explanation of where they had been, and why someone had to help them back...

 

[Cobra Jet Steering LLC]

I bet the guys with the rope sucked up were on a sea doo with the carbon driveshaft seal .
The second one as soon as I read you hooked to the handlebars I knew the ski would tip over ,, you need to have the rope tied to the bow eye just for future reference.
I did a post about some kids flipping their sea doo over out in the water and sitting on top of it upside down and cutting out a ski rope a few years ago. I see all sorts of things out on the water with p w c's.
https://jetboaters.net/threads/i-thought-i-had-seen-it-all-maybe-now-i-have.7478/

 

[Cobra Jet Steering LLC]

I often just watch the no numbers trying to drive through the flats at low tide, Yamaha shoots a nice mud stream up in the air to let you know it's in 4 wheel drive mode. The others have a very obvious and continuous beep, beep, beep when they are in 4 wheel drive mode.

 

[luckie_529]

I have helped several boaters over the years. In my area there is no sea tow or boat us. I am always amazed at how many people will just drive bye. But as they say no good deed goes unpunished so I always wonder what will happen to us. Something always does but we still stop and help.

 

[ENC boater]

2 weeks ago we were out and the bottom was about to fall out lightning strikes getting real close. Started hauling to lift just started raining and saw small outboard with with guy back by motor as I blew by him asked wife did he look ok. Turned around drove back asked if ok . He gave a very jack ass "changing tanks do not need help." Then as we turned back around bottom fell out so bad could only see 15 - 20 feet in front of boat. It was a long ride back up the creek. That was 3 minutes I would love to get back. But I will stop again , just not for him.

 

[Cobra Jet Steering LLC]

I just get close and show them the thumbs up , they respond with a thumbs up also I go on my merry way. Reminds me of a recent encounter.
Good laugh No offense to you guys but some fishermen are real asses. I usually stay away and turn on my camera when I sense they are going to pull stunts it's really criminal what they do just because I'm on a ski. They like to aim at me or run up behind me with their boat and see how close they can get as they pass, I have had them cast their lines at me deliberately when they are fishing in a narrow channel that is the only pass through an area Even though they are blocking the pass and I slow down to idle they actually think I should turn and go back.
In any event I was out last week with my girl on the back and we happened across a huge school of Snook feeding on a drop off near the skyway. I saw two fishing boats near by and being a fisherman myself for over 50 years I thought I would idle over and tell them about the Snook . I got the usual hands up in the air and that routine as I came within 50 yards of them just going slow so I put my hands up in the air and yelled do you want me to tell you where the Snook are or not? Funny how the attitude changed, I even got the thumbs up after telling them the fish were about 150 yards down the wash channel from where they were fishing.

 

[Wayloncle]

Labor Day weekend I was headed to the ramp/marina. About 200 feet from the marina I see two guys in the water trying to pull a sunken canoe toward the marina, I got beside them and grabbed the canoe and put my ladder down for them to get in my boat, they were exhausted, I tied a dock line to the canoe and to the cleat.
The guys had been in the water pretty much in the same location for an hour and a half trying to get the canoe to the marina, where they rented the canoe from, I asked if anyone had stopped at all and they said no one had at all.

There were jet skis and boats all around, and what pissed me off the most is the people that work at the marina could clearly see them. They were two young, probably 19 year old, military guys in training both in great shape but were so exhausted they could barely pull them selves onto the swim deck.

I pulled the canoe over to where they rent them, the workers came out when they saw me tie the canoe to the boat, they pulled it up on the dock, when I got my rope back I asked them if they saw them out there, none of them would answer me, just kinda looked away and shook their heads, I told them they would feel pretty shitty if they would have let someone drown as they sat on their ass and laughed at them.

 

[TheGreekTitan]

Just realized the thread title doesn't make much sense. The driver of the ski is getting married next month...hence "Helped a Bachelor", and, the bachelor party is why they were at the lake. Really nice guy, but very timid...I wish him the best, but I fear he's in for a world of hurt.

Don't see that emoticon often. Ha!