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View Full Version : Still waiting for good Karma!



skylar18
04-26-2011, 11:45 AM
Easter Sunday. Out on the lake with my wife and two kids. Bit windy but other wise a spectacular day. A man on a jet ski with two kids flag us down, obviously broken down. As I preach to the kids, you always help someone in trouble on the water. This will be our 5th "save" in the last year.

I ask what is wrong. Says he doesn't know. I ask if he is out of gas and he says he doesn't think so. He has no phone or money with him. I ask if there is someone I can call for him and he says no it is just them at the lake. I ask what marina he is from and he mentions one 19 miles away! (Are you kidding me).

I put his kids on our boat and tow him the 19 miles. With it as windy as it was the fastest I could pull him was 14 mph. I finally get to his marina and ask where his slip was and he says go to the main marina. I motor over there and the boat rental people come running. He had a rental jet ski! I asked why he didn't tell me that as we could have called them and they would have come and gotten him.

Told the boat rental people I towed him 19 miles. They jumped on the jet ski and said it was out of gas! I am parked by their fuel pump. No offer for gas for me to bring their jet ski back. Guy grabbed his wallet out of their lockers. No gas money is offered.

I shake my head and leave. My son goes that sucks, we wasted an hour and a half and burnt up about 30 dollars in gas. I said yea, but we did what was right. lets go across the channel and eat lunch on the lake at a restauarant. Good Karma will come our way!

We eat, then get in our boat to make the long drive back. For the first time in six years of boating, the boat wouldn't start. Vapor locked bad i assume. Spent 45 minutes trying to get it started. So here I am 23 miles from our dock, looking at a $200 boat tow fee to get back home. Finally got it started!

Good times!

mmandley
04-26-2011, 11:50 AM
WOW brother, that sucks big time. I hear you on helping people out we try to help those in need also but at the same time i fear for the worst when people flag us down.

I mean they see a nice wake boat and you never know what they have in mind.

I think this is one reason i try to keep our boat tip top shape and then try to stay where no one else is.

kaneboats
04-26-2011, 12:03 PM
Hmmmm. I'm going to add a new question: "OK, who's the owner here?" Find out who owns the boat/ski. If it ain't them, let them call the owner. Thanks for the advice. Karma will come your way-- you'll see.

skylar18
04-26-2011, 12:11 PM
Yep, that will be the first question I ask if I pick someone up now!

brad460
04-26-2011, 12:33 PM
Wow dude that is some bad luck! Good karma will come your way for sure!

you da man
04-26-2011, 12:42 PM
On a weekday I was flagged down by a guy on a busted boat. Turned out it was there first day on their brand new boat. Guy said he was "just around the corner" at the ramp. I know the lake and knew the ramp was about 10-11 miles away. I towed him to the nearest ramp which was about 2 miles away and suggested he call a buddy to give him a ride to his trailer and drive it back to get his boat. There is a point at which I draw the line about towing. For one it can blow half a day on the water, gas, and possible stress or strain on your boat depending on weight of other boat and/or conditions. If it's a short tow, no problem. Also, I'm not towing if you are out of gas. You can anchor your boat and I'll give you a ride to the marina and you can buy a medium gas can, fill it up and I'll give you a ride back to your boat.

zabooda
04-26-2011, 06:38 PM
I do the same. To the nearest ramp they go and then they can figure out the logistics from there. I'll interupt my fun to ensure people are put in a safe location but that is it.

rdlangston13
04-26-2011, 07:07 PM
luckily my home lake it only maybe 4 to 5 miles at any of the furthest point! i can't imagine a 19 mile one way drive to a marina, talk about miserable!

cab13367
04-26-2011, 07:14 PM
Skylar,

You did a good thing and taught your kids a good lesson about helping others. But the guy on the jetski is an idiot. Who rents a jet ski then takes it 19 miles away, with two kids on board?? And then doesn't even offer any gas money when he is towed in for an hour and a half. He is clueless, probably his first time on any lake in any vessel. Sheesh!

Al

harmsway
04-26-2011, 08:13 PM
All I can say is typical jetskier! No respect.

KG's Supra24
04-26-2011, 09:44 PM
Wow! That sucks.

You did the right thing, though.

wolfeman131
04-26-2011, 10:44 PM
hope it comes back to you in spades, as they say.

viking
04-27-2011, 11:58 AM
Skylar,
Who rents a jet ski then takes it 19 miles away, with two kids on board??
Al

The guy should be ticketed for Child Endangerment and just plain ignorance.

rdlangston13
04-27-2011, 12:37 PM
The guy should be ticketed for Child Endangerment and just plain ignorance.

i dont think running out of gas qualifies for child endangerment

skylar18
04-27-2011, 03:15 PM
Running out of gas, I guess people make mistakes. Especially if he rented it and the rental place hadn't filled it.

Going 19 miles on a lake you don't know with your 2 kids with no phone, money, or credit cards, pretty stupid.

The lake I am on is 58 miles long. I found him at mile marker 0, the end of the lake at the dam. Good thing the dam and no gas stopped him, I guess he could have even been farther than 19 miles from his dock!