# my boat was finally found



## bcbouy (Oct 25, 2017)

while camping/fishing on stuart lake we woke up to a missing boat.we ended up driving home with an empty boat trailer.it was found 2 weeks later banging around on a beach at the end of the lake.after 2 months our insurance company has finally decided to write off the boat and the 2 motors.now i'm debating on a new project like a princecraft yukon or just buying an alumacraft escape 145 cs.we're just waiting to see what the final # will be for the payout. it is insured up to 14K.all our gear for fishing,life jackets,the whole 9 yards are a 4 day drive away.i am definately going with the etec this time.nothing against my tohatsu,but i want an etec.


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## MrGiggles (Oct 25, 2017)

Was it stolen or?


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## richg99 (Oct 25, 2017)

I'd guess that the gear could be shipped to you for less money than the cost of driving and lodging for 8 days.


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## bcbouy (Oct 26, 2017)

not stolen.just broke free and wandered off.we are hoping they ship all the gear down to us.too much of a pain to replace everything.there are well over a thousand flies and 6 flyrods and reels.thats our 5 k max contents coverage right there.


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## richg99 (Oct 26, 2017)

"max coverage" I presume that one could pay for a ..rider.. if you had substantially more "stuff". We did that with a necklace and a ring for my wife many years ago. 

As it turned out, the necklace was lost while she was on a golf course, helping in the Special Olympics Preparation with a local youngster. Somewhere out there, there is a pretty expensive diamond! (She never replaced it).


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## bcbouy (Oct 26, 2017)

nope.$5560 for motor replacement,$4000 boat and $550 for trolling motor and max up to $5000 for anything to do with boat operations and anything like rods and flies and such we need to file a separate claim.the ins. adjuster is doing all the inventory and cost to replace stuff and we should hear about what they plan to do in a few more days.


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## GTS225 (Oct 27, 2017)

Rich; There is a website called "ringfinders" that is a network of metal detectors that will do a search-to-order type of thing. Many of them do charge a fee, but that may help you recover the necklace, if you and the misses are so inclined. The problem is that it may have been found some time ago, or if the ground has been disturbed to any extent, it may have been relocated from where she lost it.

Roger


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## richg99 (Oct 27, 2017)

Thanks, but the loss was many years ago. 

That area ( a fairway on a golf course ) has been cut, aerated, flooded (twice) and Lord knows what else since the incident. 

She and the Special Olympics student played five or six holes that night! She wouldn't know where to start, even if it was yesterday.


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## stinkfoot (Oct 27, 2017)

There was a guy on my local news the other night who got his wedding ring back 45 years after he lost it on a dirt road on his farm!


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## turbotodd (Nov 3, 2017)

The OP's situation reminds me.....

I rented a cabin on a local small river a couple years ago. Popular place, world renown. There was another cabin right next to us that a couple had rented for the entire week, and they were on day 6 and 7 as we were just getting checked in. They were from New York as I recall. The river changes, and changes often, and drastically. It's not uncommon for it to rise 10 feet (vertically) in 20 minutes time, stay high and swift for hours, or maybe only 1 hour. All depends on how much the corps wants to release and/or generate electricity. We were there in late August/early Sept of 2014. I had my boat, knew the waters, but chose to leave the boat on the trailer until it was time to go fishing. My "neighbor" had his boat tied to a tree right below the cabin, which the river is about 50 feet down a steep but not so steep that you can't walk down, bank from the cabin. Well we turned in for the night after chit-chatting with the neighbors and said I'd see 'em on the water in the morning before they had to check out. I get up at about 0500 and walked outside to enjoy the crisp summer air and watch the sun rise, neighbor guy's down at the water's edge but his boat is gone. Figured he'd loaded it already. I walk down with a fishing rod and he asks me if I'd seen his boat. Nope. Just woke up. So we decided that my boat was a good candidate to go boat hunting with. I launched, picked him up and headed down river. Made it about 11 miles down river and found it up against a gravel bar, not hurt much, but the tree he had it tied up to broke (was a small tree) and away the boat goes at about 7 mph. He drove it back no problem and I'm pretty sure that's an event he won't forget anytime soon.

OP-I hope your situation turns out for the best.


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## bcbouy (Dec 1, 2017)

finally got a settlement from our ins. company.4.5k for the boat and trolling motor,5.5k for the motor,5k for all the gear to run the boat and 6.5k for all the fishing gear,etc.and no deductable. i'm going in tomorrow and ordering the alumacraft escape 145 cs and yamaha 40.spent all day buying new fly rods,gear,minnkota deckhand 40,a humminbird helix 7 and a new bimini top and a new wireless trolling motor.i'm really looking forward to having all new gear.wholesale sports outfitters are closing all their western canada stores and i've been getting screaming good deals.average of 60% off most of the stuff i need.all the cheap flyrods have been snapped up so i splurged and bought 4 high end rods.i can't believe it took 3 months for this.good thing it wasn't my house that burned down.i'd be living in a cardboard box by now.after 3 months of our gear sitting around almost everything that was worth anything was stolen.we did get some of it back,but the 3 rods that were left were all broken when we got them back.and all the reels were gone.i honestly can't figure out why the adjuster even bothered shipping what was left.they shipped the fish finder but no transducer??


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## Jim (Dec 1, 2017)

Glad you can finally put this behind you and i'm looking forward to the new pics!


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## richg99 (Dec 1, 2017)

Good for you. 

Tough way to get to buy all new "stuff". But, at least from here on out, your gear will be new. I like buying fishing items.


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## Crazyboat (Dec 1, 2017)

What size rope and or anchor did you have on her, also what age was it?

Never had a boat "break free" just like that, doesn't sound right to me.


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## bcbouy (Dec 1, 2017)

not really sure what you're getting at,so i'm going to ignore it because it sounds like you're accusing me of something??


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## gnappi (Dec 2, 2017)

In the days before hurricane Wilma blew through the east coast of So Flo (I lived on a salt water canal) and I had plenty of lines from my Pursuit tied to my dock pilings, the deck, seawall AND an anchor fore and aft with enough line to accommodate rising water. The marine and hardware stores were totally out of any type of line to secure boats with.

During the storm I looked out my back window and there were boats spiraling past my boat that had ripped free of their docks, pounding my boats starboard side which luckily I had secured many bumpers / cushions to which kept them from damaging my boat. Mine was one of the few remaining on the dock after the storm.

When the storm was over many boats were piled up at the end of the canal some 60 yards from me.

My next door neighbor had a nice Boston Whaler that (I had advised him to get more new lines previously but he was too value conscious) had hung onto the dock by one flimsy line that had not broken and was 90 degrees to the dock and he was on it holding a piling yelling for help. The same dude had thrown away several thousand dollars in meats (twice after storms) he kept in a large freezer as overflow from his business because he was too "value conscious" to get a generator. He felt I should run a line from my genset to his house because my genset was so big 

Anyway, I got my boat hook, pulled it in and secured it. He sold the boat, brought the freezer back to his business and got a 2000 watt generator that he thought might be sufficient to keep him comfy after a storm. 


A few things came out of this.

1. Far too many people rely on too few lines to secure their boats.

2. Way too many people wait till the last minute (if ever) to replace old, faded, frayed lines.

3. People gladly pay insurance to a company but too often don't buy products to keep their valuables safe.

OP, I'm glad your boat was found and hopefully you will get your stuff back.


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## bcbouy (Dec 6, 2017)

so far this week i picked up an anchor buddy,trolling motor disconnect,gimbal mount and neoprene cover for the fish finder, remote switch for the anchor winch and an aux 12volt /usb socket.all i need now are boat/seat and engine covers for the long,dusty forest service roads,a couple new deep cycles and a boat to put everything in/on.i think it may be in by march or april at the latest.


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## bcbouy (Mar 6, 2018)

it's being prepped for shipping today.less the crappy fishfinder,mannequin and trolling motor.i've got better ones waiting in the garage(not the mannequin of course).should be here by the end of the week.6 long months without a boat.last thing to buy is a big deep cycle and trailer rims to match my ram.then i'm done for a couple months.i'll post some pics of the add ons as i go.


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## richg99 (Mar 6, 2018)

Just in time for Spring fishing.


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## bcbouy (Mar 6, 2018)

i want to get in some sturgeon fishing before freshet starts as well.


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## LDUBS (Mar 8, 2018)

I like Alumacraft boats. Congrats.


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## bcbouy (Mar 18, 2018)

picked up the new boat yesterday,so lots of work going on today.adjusted the bunks and side bunks.mounted the quick release plates for the deckhand and the trolling motor,and added the quick release plugs to both units,ran the cable and mounted the remote switch for the deckhand,mounted the fishfinder on a ram mount and ran the transducer cable and mounted the trans,removed some dealer stickers,did my online registry so now i'm official, and ordered 2 new sets of transom straps.next up is mount a second battery tray in the bow so i can parallel a couple optimas,mount a battery gauge for the t/m batteries because for some strange reason the trolling motor batteries are independent of the boats power,mount 4 rod holders to the alumatracs, a 12 volt plug and a couple usb plugs on the wifes side of the boat,fish some wires through the rod locker to power said panel and mount my 4 bow bimini.now i'm looking into a minn kota single bank alternator charger to charge the trolling motor batteries.some good news when i went to check the oil level,the dealer had reprogrammed it for xd 100,so i just saved myself an hours worth of shop $.crawling around on the boat for the last 7 hours has killed me.i'm going to feel it tommorrow.


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## richg99 (Mar 18, 2018)

Wheew....I've done most of those things...but..not all in one day! Yes, you will be sore and tired tomorrow. Probably ought to go fishing.


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## water bouy (Mar 18, 2018)

Quite an ordeal. Did you consider a 16 ft boat. I went from a 14 to 16 really quick and it still looks too short.


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## bcbouy (Mar 18, 2018)

oh,i considered a 16.i even wished for my garage to grow another 2 feet for the last 6 months,but it didn't happen,so 14.5 is as long a boat as i can fit.the worst part is i have a house in the okanagan that can fit a 40 footer but it's a 6 hour drive from my full time house.


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## bcbouy (Mar 28, 2018)

all that's left is to install and wire a 12 volt gauge and minn kota single bank alternator charger for the trolling motor batteries


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## water bouy (Mar 28, 2018)

The bench looks like it takes up 2 valuable feet of space. Kidding. 
The other day it occurred to me I should have used two big garage doors so I could drive right through and unhook the boat. Too late now.


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## LDUBS (Mar 28, 2018)

water bouy said:


> The bench looks like it takes up 2 valuable feet of space. Kidding.
> The other day it occurred to me I should have used two big garage doors so I could drive right through and unhook the boat. Too late now.



I had the same thought about drive thru garage doors. Problem is I would have to drive thru my family room. Mrs Ldubs wouldn't like that. :LOL2:


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## richg99 (Mar 28, 2018)

Ha! Two houses ago, I added a garage door in the rear of a standard garage. That allowed me to back my boat all of the way through to the back yard. 

It also gave me a great, breezy, cool, fun place to work on my boat or anything else.


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## LDUBS (Mar 28, 2018)

richg99 said:


> Ha! Two houses ago, I added a garage door in the rear of a standard garage. That allowed me to back my boat all of the way through to the back yard.
> 
> It also gave me a great, breezy, cool, fun place to work on my boat or anything else.



That is the ultimate! I have two wide side yards with wide gates, so I'm pretty fortunate. 

BCBouy, hope to see some fishing reports.


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## bcbouy (Mar 29, 2018)

if you look really close you can see where i notched out my bench so the trailer winch can fit and the swing away tongue is right against the back wall.i also have an atv winch mounted to the bench so i can pull the boat into the garage.


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## richg99 (Mar 29, 2018)

What we do for our boats! 

Personally, I'd love to have my boat at home. I'd be tinkering with it all of the time. I will be dragging it home this morning for a project.


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## bcbouy (May 29, 2018)

so,i've been working 70 hr. weeks for the last 2 months and camping/fishing weekends since the lakes iced off in mid april.been doing very well with the rainbows.the wife has a slight edge on fish number,but i'm killing on size.i managed to bust off my new transducer the second trip out so i got fed up and dropped some coin on a steel transducer mount and a stainless spring loaded bracket.also a new pair of deka agm group 31 deep cycles.what a pain it was getting those things stuffed in the boat!you would think a new boat would be ready to go fishing.i'm almost 5 k in add ons into it after initial purchase.also took my grandson out for his first time on a boat fishing.he wouldn't give up the captains seat for anything.full speed figure eights all day long.


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## richg99 (May 29, 2018)

Sounds good!


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## LDUBS (May 30, 2018)

That is the nicest transducer mount I think I've seen up to now. 

Your grandson has a good grip on the wheel. Haha. I'll bet he was all smiles.


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## bcbouy (May 30, 2018)

he had an ear to ear grin all day long.he had been bugging me to take him fishing since the first day i got the boat home,but with my crazy work schedule it was really tough working in a sunny saturday.we fished,raced the boat,had a good swim and a weenie roast over a shore campfire.and my second grandson is due in september as well,so that will make 4 grandkids so far.i'm going to need a bigger boat in the next few years.i'm seriously considering a ski boat for our vacation house.


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## bcbouy (Jun 1, 2018)

since it's illegal to transport live fish in my province,i picked up some 1/2" pink foamboard insulation,some rubber roof seal for rv's, a tube of gutter sealant, a couple 3/4" livewell plugs and some black spray foam for the overflow tube and turned my live well into a giant cooler.i froze 3 gallon milk jugs and taped the caps on so it stays dry and i can re use them.turned out great and keeps the refreshments cold and dry all day long.


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