Weather was so Cold, I ............

[Hookset]

Lost control of my truck with drift boat in tow. Without touching the breaks for fear of sliding, I let the compression slow the truck down before the corner. This particular corner comprised of a old two lane wooden bridge. And just as I rounded the bend, the truck turned left, tried to correct right, then left...next thing I knew the boat was passing me by. I slid up a slight rise to a stop, the boat and truck stradling both lanes. I re-started the truck, pulled the boat off to the side of the road and examined the damage.

One wheel sheared completley off the axle, the boat crashed into the fender, caving one side in bending the floor up. The truck was fine and I was a little shaken. And a little lucky. Turned out the boat and trailer were both totaled.

That event happened just over 5 years ago and still haunts me a little when ever the weather gets cold enough to start freezing the roads. Got to thinking about this tonight with the cold weather out and wondered if anyone else had any past problems traveling icy roads to go fishing or problems with cold weather while fishing. I never did make it fishing that day.

Figure I can learn what not to do by reading some other stories and prepare myself for winter driving and fishing. Second thought, maybe I'll just wait for warmer weather. :wink:

Do you have a story to share?

Gregg

[ 11-09-2001: Message edited by: Hookset ]</p>

[BlueWater]

Hookset-
You just typed out one of the biggest fears I had when towing my boat with the jeep. As soon as I could after buying my boat I made sure I bought a tow rig that out weighed my boat. If what happened to you would have happened to me with my jeep I would not have been as lucky as you. It is more comforting to know your rig has controll of your boat and not the other way around. Just something to think about.
BlueWater.

[Chris Nordling]

Is there something I should know about towing driftboats with a Jeep Cherokee Sport? When people say "Jeep" I assume it's a Wrangler. Please clarify, cuz winter is just around the corner. Thanks.

Chris :cool:

~ Team U.S.A. ~

[BlueWater]

FWF1-
I have a 19 foot bluewater fiberglass cudy. And to clarify I had a jeep cherokee with a full tow package. The only reason I got away with towing the boat with it was because I have trailer brakes on my boat.
As far as drift boat towing goes I don't think you could do and better than the cherokee. I loved mine and was very sad the day it left my driveway for another. Mine had the full or part time 4wd select track transfer case. It was the best snow driving rig I have ever owned in the full time mode. You have a good rig for what you are doing. I like mine enough to have 196,000 miles on it when I sold it.
BlueWater :smile:

[FEAR NO FISH!]

Hookset,
Just this morning on the way home from McNary I had the truck and boat fishtailing. We were coming home in the fog and were driving to fast for conditions. It never occured to me that there could be icy conditions. After pulling over to change shorts we moseyed our way home from there on. An inexpensive but valuable lesson. :shocked:

[willierower]

It was a few years ago in January. We hit the Nestucca and floated from 1st Bridge to Three Rivers. It was froze out and fairly slick in places on the way over. About an hour into the float it started to rain. The only problem with the rain was it promptly frose when it hit the gound or almost anything else. Needless to say we cut the day short. Just pulling the boat out of the water was a nightmare. The shuttle rig was froze over and it took almost an hour to get into it to retreive the tow rig. The shuttle rig as a 2 wheel drive Toyota truck. Just driving from 3 rivers to te launch took almost 45 minutes. Then my Truck was coated in ice and the locks were froze. That took about another hour to get into it. After we got back to Hebo we asked Ray Hammer at Nestucca Valley Sporting goods if we could leave the boat and the 2 WD truck there. He said it was ok. Off we went to get the boat loaded up. Once I got the boat on the trailer I couldnt pull it up off the gravel bar. Some guy ended up hooking up to my truck and helping me off the bar.
We left the other truck and boat in Hebo and headed back to Albany. Because of the ice coated road, downed trees and numerous accidents it took us almost 7 hours to get home. 2 days later we returned to retreive the boat and pickup.
We were lucky, I saw lots of serious accidents that day. I now watch the weather forcasts closer and I dont go too far from home if advers weather is forcasted.

[Pete]

I remember heading to the coast down HWY 6 about 15 years ago ... traffic was crawling along at about 20 miles an hour through Banks. I decided to go pass, so I sped up, pulled into the oncoming lane ... and, well, that's when I realized the dew had frozen on the road and I was skating! I managed to slow down and avoid contact with inelastic objects, but I still carry a healthy respect for icy surfaces over the coast range.

The last year or two the Oregon Department of Transportation has been spraying some de-icer on the road, which seems to keep the road from freezing as easily, especially on the bridges. I like the icer better than the gravel they used to load the road with. The de-icer washes off the front of my boat ... the gravel pitting-sandblasting of the front of my drift boat is permanent.

[FishinMission]

Greg....scary situation. Some years back, while a buddy and I were standing in front of the Guide Shop on the Wilson River, we heard a terrible noise coming from the direction of Mills Bridge. We walked out to the road and saw what I would estimate to be a a 20-22 foot fiberglass boat that had come off it's trailer just west of the bridge. Evidently, both vehicles hit ice on the bridge, the trailer fishtailed, and when they hit the dry pavement just off the bridge surface, there was enough traction on the pavement to throw the boat off the trailer.

Bridges are real trouble this time of year, and as "pumped" as we all are to get there, or be the first one on the water...some of us forget the danger.

Be thankful you were O.K. As for your boat and truck...well...sorry to hear they were totaled, but I know you were smart enough to have insurance.

Good post.

Mark

[Chris Nordling]

Bluewater-
Thanks for clarifying. Whew ! I love the jeep, and to tell the wife we have to buy another rig to tow a boat would not have been good, although she does finally like this rig. Good fishing to all.

Chris :cool:

~ Team U.S.A. ~

[NAUTI-NOTIONS]

AFTER FISHING UNTIL 12:30 FRIDAY NIGHT MY BUDDY FELT HE WAS TO TIRED TO DRIVE AND I FELT GREAT. SO BEHIND THE WHEEL I GET AND IN THE BACK SEAT HE GETS. 15 MINS IN TO THE TRIP HOME IN THICK PEA SOUP I'M RUNNING ABOUT 50 MPH AND KER-SLAMMMM WE'RE SIDE WAYS IN A 2000 FORD EXPEDITION AND A NEW ALUMA-WELD ($80,000 PACKAGE) WHICH NONE OF IT WERE MINE. THANK GOD IT ONLY LASTED THE LENGHT OF THE OVER PASS... IT SNAPPED WITH SUCH FORCE IT THREW HIM ON THE FLOOR. I SLOWED DOWN FOR THE NEXT 100 MILES AND BEGGED HIM TO TAKE OVER. IT WAS SO FOGGY HE DID'N WANT ANY PART OF THAT DRIVING. HIS RIG OR NOT. HE MOVED UP TO THE FRONT TO HAVE AIR BAG PROTECTION AND STAYED AWAKE THE BAL OF THE TRIP. "10 TIMES BETTER THAN ANY TRIPLE SHOT MOCHA"

[Hookset]

And just think, we are just getting into winter, lots of hazards to navigate along the way.

I know tires are important and there isn't much a person can do regarding rubber on ice. But I got to thinking on what I read so far about the tow rig. Are there better tow vehicles then others? I've always used a pickup, you can always add weight to the rear. I thought a suburban would make a nice tow rig. Does anyone really see any difference between the differnt makes and models?

Gregg

[Tagster]

I have a 19' North River Sportster (Loooove it!!)
that I used to tow with a Jeep Wrangler..the one with the 4.0 liter, inline 6 cylinder...I towed with it until I saw a large bayliner flip a Wrangler over on a corner going to Astoria...Since then I have been towing it with either an Expedition or a 93 F-250...of the two, the F-250 feels much more solid and I feel like I am towing the boat, not the other way around...although for long trips, the expedition is much more comfortable...

Hope this helps...

Tag

[ 11-12-2001: Message edited by: Tagster ]</p>