Ooooops

That's scary. How's your back Don?

--Winston

WHAT COLOR DID YOU PAINT IT??? IT'S BLUE ISN'T IT??? ...told you so!

Not much of a drop, no problem. Just minor inconvenience until I get it fixed because I have to keep the boat on its trailer. Leaving a boat tied to the dock overnight on this lake is asking for trouble. Wind happens, often suddenly and unexpectedly.

I *knew* you'd bring that up!

The part that broke was not part of what I made -- it was part of the original lift which is of unknown age since I got it used.

The lake is often blue, do you suppose that could have caused it?

Saw a fellow untie his boat completely, then sit in the captain's chair as his wife backed him down a steep ramp towards the water. Before they got to the water, she hit the brakes. The rollers must have just been lubed, because they sure worked good. In a second, he was sitting right there on the asphalt, and didn't even come out of his chair.

Steve

I think there is a photo of this event:

Heh! I'm surprised Tawm didn't take advantage of your misfortune to sell you some brushes.

Could it be he's losing his touch?

Harold

Mine went down straight and level, just a lot faster than usual.

But it still begs the question - What the F*** were you doing IN the boat while it was on the lift? Are you INSANE? ;-0

You hang out here, and I'm sure you have been introduced to Murphy's Laws and understand the principle of "Nothing ever goes as planned."

News Flash: I think {$Deity} is trying to get your attention.

If it didn't go down level but fast, but instead the lift decided to drop the ass end and eject you (and all the heavy cargo) in the drink (bouncing you off the motor) and then drop the boat on top of you...

Fix the lift - but RUN IT FROM THE DOCK away from the "Splat Zone".

-->--

It has been so alleged, but what has that to do with anything?

Maybe you'd have to see one of these lifts. Check out:

If/when the cable breaks, the cantilever parallelogram mechanism keeps the boat level on the way down. It only has about 2 feet to fall. Those Ranger boats are built tough, like jet skis. They can handle hitting a big wake and being airborne for a ways at 45 to 50 mph. No problem!

Picked up 30 feet of 1/4" SS wire rope today. 6400 lb rating. I doubt that the boat, motor and cargo is 2000 lb and the cable is arranged with a 2:1 mechanical advantage. The old cable is galvanized, could easily be 15 years old.

I see that SS "cable" is standard now on Shoremaster lifts. Mine isn't a Shoremaster, but I don't think it was standard on anybody's lift 10 years or more ago.

Okay, that's a lot smaller than I was thinking, so I'll tone down the yelling - but common sense says you still don't want to be in the boat while raised or in motion. It's to get the hull out of water for storage, not as a thrill ride.

There is a reason they put that big handwheel where it needs to be operated from on the dock. Stuff breaks, that's life, plan for it.

Yes, but if you are standing in the boat (or even sitting in a bad position) the sudden movement can still cause you to bang around and break things like legs and hips and arms and shoulders...

The boat might well survive unscathed... And when you hit your Golden Years healing takes months not weeks.

-->--

None of the marinas around my home lake allow cable lifts. They have to be float types.

Liability...

Stuff does break, you're sure right about that.

That's also true when fishin' in a "walleye chop". That'd be 2-foot seas on Cass Lake or Big Winnie, running at 49.5 mph according to the GPS. Hang on ol' Son, the boat can take it if you can stay in it. I may be old but I'm not yet quite as fragile as a clay target or a fine French pastry.

Ya think? Yer dead right! Laying belly-down on the dock working with the broken cable did sorta raise hell with the zipper in my chest.

I do not intend to spend my "golden years" in a cocoon. My golden years are RFN. I was approximately dead on 9 May. We discussed terminal options with me prostate and gasping on the gurney. I said I'd like them to save my arse if it was worth saving but pull my plug if my prognosis would be no fun at all. Mar was there and rogered.

Roger that, they got 'er done. Good guys. Professionals. They might not have bothered with me if I'd indicated I wasn't up for bothering with me. I sure couldn't blame them for that.

I later learned that I was a bit of a problem because I got very violent during surgery. My excuse is that who wouldn't get violent when somebody was grabbing yer heart, right? They said it took six big orderlies to restrain me and they kept me "under" for four days thereafter. Mar was a bit chagrined on night one when I was screaming epithets but she says I utttered a codeword the next morning that she recognized and knew we were OK. We're a small team from way back. I don't recall any of that because they administer drugs to supress memory which is a very good idea.

My cardiologist said, "you're very strong, you'll do just fine". I thought "yeah, right" but it has turned out to be so. I sure as hell didn't feel strong, still don't but gettin' better. I've had a bit of a trip back, mostly done now. I'm grinnin' most days.

Good for you. :)

If you had a guitar, you could be 'pickin' and grinnin'!' ;-)

My boat is on a cable lift with a cradle. It's the smallest boat in the place, a 22' Pathfinder. It probably doesn't weigh 2000 lb (1300 lb hull with 150 Yamaha 2-stroke). The lift is rated for 12000 lb. If the tide's out, it's just about too far to the dock. The norm is to lower the cradle in with the remote, pull 'er into the cradle, then hit the remote until you can step out. The marina runs more to 26' cats with 2 225's or monos with 3. I don't know how those guys pay for the gas.

Pete Keillor