@willowleaf said:
Actually, what the hapless Max needs at least as much as a PFD is a bow bulkhead or a flotation bag stuffed in it. I often use that video to illustrate to newbs the folly of taking rec boats with open bow and/or stern out in water over your head.
Agree.
I wonder though how eager I’d be to rescue this guy if I came upon this scene. I would but I’d be real wary of him grabbing my boat and capsizing both of us .
We regularly run a portion of the Snake River in Idaho that’s called the Southfork Canyon. Just south of Jackson and Palisades Reservoir. Fast current, cold water, and a couple class I-II rapids. Lots of fishermen in drift boats. We are in rafts, with PFDs, and a CFD on our river dog (chocolate Lab with class IV skills). Yahoos in drift boat with no PFDs on give us crap about the dog wearing her CFD. “Doesn’t your dog know how to swim?” they taunt. “Yes, she swims just fine. So do we. But swimming in cold water can lead to drowning, and we love ourselves and our dog too much to let that happen,” we reply. They flip us off. We notice a sheriff’s jet boat on the water several times that day. When we hit the takeout, we find out that they are searching for a body. A fisherman who’s drift boat anchor got hung up, capsizing the boat. He wasn’t wearing a PFD. His buddy wasn’t either, but he made it to shore. Sad.
@Raftergirl said:
A fisherman who’s drift boat anchor got hung up, capsizing the boat. He wasn’t wearing a PFD. His buddy wasn’t either, but he made it to shore. Sad.
Yup - 99.999% of the time you don’t need a PFD, but for that 0.001% you better have it on.
@Overstreet said:
@willowleaf said:
Actually, what the hapless Max needs at least as much as a PFD is a bow bulkhead or a flotation bag stuffed in it. I often use that video to illustrate to newbs the folly of taking rec boats with open bow and/or stern out in water over your head.Agree.
I wonder though how eager I’d be to rescue this guy if I came upon this scene. I would but I’d be real wary of him grabbing my boat and capsizing both of us .
Yep. Max seems to have no self rescue skills at all. He also doesn’t take direction from Sarah either. I noticed that she wasn’t offering any hands-on assistance to Mad Max. Maybe she had the same feeling as you Overstreet? He might put her in danger as well.
This reminds me of another good rescue story. Couple years ago. Memorial Day weekend. Moab Utah. Running the Moab daily with some friends. I’m in my mini cataraft and they are in their double IK. Weather is overcast and a little blustery, air temp is barely 70. Water level is medium high. We are dressed accordingly. The Moab daily has lots of riffles and straight forward class II- III rapids. We are leap frogging a group that consists of a small oar rigged raft with a couple on it, 2 guys in single IKs, and a guy in a WW kayak who doesn’t look like he has WW kayak skills. They are in T-shirts & shorts and they keep asking us questions about how to run the rapids.
One of the IK dudes flips in a small riffle. Their raft is way out in front, and the other IK and kayak guys paddle over to him. They talk to him, but offer no hands-on assistance. A small rapid is coming up and they paddle on, leaving their friend in the water, clutching his IK & paddle. He swims through the rapid and his friends do not eddy out to help him. We are watching all of this from behind them. Well, ok, I guess we should help him out. I take off and catch him. He looks cold & tired. I asked him if he wants help. Yes he answers. I tell him to hold onto his boat & paddle and grab my boat so I can pull him over into an eddy. He grabs for my boat, but in doing so lets go of his boat. I tell him to hold onto his boat & paddle with one hand and grab my boat with the other. Then I see the problem…he’s clutching a beer can as well. I tell him to let go of the stupid beer can and I get him into the eddy. He’s tired and cold and needs a few minutes to rest and collect himself. We help him flip his IK over, get some warm clothes on, and stay with him for awhile until he’s good to go again. He paddles along with us to the takeout, where is “friends” are waiting for him. “What took you so long?” they ask him. “Why didn’t you just get back in your boat?” He walks over to us and thanks us for helping him. We tell him that he needs to paddle with different friends from now on.
That video had to be the guy acting just to get views of the video. IF its for real the guy doesn’t need a pfd he needs to grow a pair. What a snowflake.