Motor Falls Off Boat on Potomac

[Sam]

We almost had a horrible situation on the Potomac this Saturday, August 15.

The motor on a bass boat fell off, causing the hoses and cables to strike the driver, sending him to the floor.  Luckily he had only a small cut on his leg.  The nonboater was not injured.

They were going 40 MPH when the motor fell off.  Had they been going faster, the boat would have spun like a top and may have flipped over, killing the driver and the nonboater.

Seems the owner just added a jack plate and used short bolts.  The bolts failed, sending the motor to the bottom of the Potomac.

I did not notice any scratches or dents on the boat. Had you not known the motor fell off, you would have thought that the boat was waiting for a motor to be installed.

MORAL TO STORY:  Although we do a lot of work on our own boats, please have major work done by a reputable and responsible authorized dealer serivce/repair shop.

So will the boat owner's personal watercraft policy cover the loss?  I really don't know as I have not seen the physical damage exclusions.  

But I do know that wear and tear, gradual depreciation and defect in design exclusions are in many personal watercraft policies, so time will tell if the $16,000 motor is covered.

Just food for thought.  

[Catt]

I take it the motor was not bolted through the transom?  

[Wayne P.]

Catt, since he stated that the "owner had added a jack plate", the motor wouldn't have been bolted to the transom. It would have been bolted to the jack plate.

[gar-tracker]

I take it the motor was not bolted through the transom?

Sounds like the jack plate was on the transom, it fell off of the jack plate, i would assume.

[Catt]

Huh all bolts backed out?  

[Sam]

Catt, I don't know the details of the attachment, but I will try to clarify them and let you know.

My friend and I play to go to the guy's house on Monday and check out the boat to see what happened.

This is an example of why we all need a $1,000,000 personal watercraft insurance liability limits.

Can you imagine the legal actions arising out of this occurrence if someone was killed or injured????  :'(

[skeetermike]

I've heard of plenty of guys blowing up their motors, but to have one fall off in the middle of the river is a new one!  I bet a pic of the driver once he figured out what happened would be priceless!  WHAT THE ****! :-/

[mikey16]

a friend of mine on a 2001 20 foot long champion with a 250 broke his steering cable while running at 70-75mph and the engine flew to one side and flipped out of the boat he was fine but about a month later he blew his evinrude

[Sam]

Skeeter,

I thought the same thing.

Like a scene from the movie, Dumb and Dumber.

Sorry I don't have a video if the incident.  

[crw]

I called a friend of mine today, who lives in the Quantico Va. area, it was not his boat.  He did say that he saw a bass boat, without a motor, being towed in by a jon boat.  The guy in the bass boat did not look happy.  My friend went fishing, he did not follow them to ask questions.

[Sam]

crw,

It seems that after the motor fell off the boat and it spun 180* twice and then nosed into the water to stop, the non-boater transferred to another boat and the guy operating the damaged boat decided to use the trolling motor and continue to fish Aquia Creek back to Hope Springs.

So if you saw a guy in a white Skeeter without a motor fishing along the Aquia Creek shore it was the boat in question.

What is a little accident to stop one from fishing?  

[crw]

Sam,

I did not say I saw him, I said "I called a friend of mine today, who lives in the Quantico Va. area, it was not his boat.  He did say that he saw a bass boat, without a motor, being towed in by a jon boat.  The guy in the bass boat did not look happy.  My friend went fishing, he did not follow them to ask questions. "

I just sent him an e-mail (work address) asking the following:

Bernie,

Where did you see (a general location or a close boat ramp) the boat, sans a motor being towed by a jon boat?    Inquiring minds want to know (Bass Resources).

Chuck

I will post the answer.

I fished a tournament (holed piston, broke piston ring) on the trolling motor.  Caught some fish, but no money.

[cart7t]

If the issue was short bolts, I can only imagine that would mean the bolt never extended all the way through the nut which would mean the bolt would not be able to hold at it's typical rating and could cause it to shear or, the nut itself backed off.  

[Catt]

If the 1 thread of the bolt broke the top plan of the nut it was not to short and will hold to the maximum strength of the nut/bolt. The nuts should have been lock nuts and the bolt rating should not have allowed them to shear. With bolts you have shear strength which is pressure applied from side to side or top to bottom (cutting like a knife). Then you have tensile strength which is pressure applied by pulling.

[crw]

This what my friend said:

The boat past me by 10 feet about 4:30 Saturday heading back into HOPE SPRING marina, which is where I launch .  I was fishing the mouth, which is about ¾ of a mile from the landing. The two guys in the jon boat just smiled[ch61514] The guy sitting in the bass boat was sitting in the middle seat, just taking in the ride..he looked so sad!