Scary situation in Alton Bay

Jidge · 10-04-2009, 07:08 PM

Saw what looked to be an 16' -18' runabout hull up in Alton Bay today. Wondering if anyone knew what happened. The passengers seemed to be OK. A passing boat brought them aboard their boat. Kind of scary sight to see when you see a boat almost submerged. I think the flotation did its job and Fire rescue was able to tow it to shore.
On a happier note we took a nice slow cruise over to Wolfboro. Lake was like glass and it wasn't too cold. All around it was a nice boat day. Leaves still haven't popped,hopefully next week.

shamrock · 10-05-2009, 04:52 AM

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photos of of scary situation in Alton Bay

BroadHopper · 10-05-2009, 07:17 AM

Was heading to West Marine in Portsmouth to get my winterization kit when I saw a lot of commotion at the bay. Then I saw the boat sunk in the water. No one seems to know what happen at the time.

Skip · 10-06-2009, 05:28 AM

This morning's Citizen has a short story detailing the accident that occured. Story can be read by clicking HERE.

Coolbreeze · 10-06-2009, 07:27 AM

The dog had a Pfd but the guy didn't. Brilliant!

MeEscape · 10-06-2009, 07:53 AM

I’m glad to see that everyone (and dog) appears to be in good health.

"Marine Patrol reminded boaters as the season comes to an end that shore lines are lower than they are during the summer because of the winter drawback levels. " (Citizen.com article 10/6/09)

So, now can someone tell me, what is the significance of the shorelines being lower than during the summer because of the winter drawback levels?

Also on a different note, who is at fault? The boat operator taking a big wake at 35 mph or the operator of the other boat whose wake (BBW) caused the incident?

Kracken · 10-06-2009, 08:01 AM

If the MFG was in such poor shape that a hitting a wake causes a complete structural integrity failure, it is the owner/operator of that boats fault. The boat was obviously not sea-worthy. If the owner/operator was aware of his vessel’s deficiencies, he should be cited and forced to pay restitution to the town of Alton.

NoRegrets · 10-06-2009, 08:13 AM

Our family had a 1968 MFG 16 foot boat with a 60 HP Johnson. The transom rotted out and "broke" our boat in 1978. They were fiberglass over plywood structures. Water seeped in and saturated the plywood in the transom (caused some rot) and froze in the winter weakening the fiberglass..... We were fortunate to discover the problem before hitting a wave. The same construction was used to make the floor and structural members. The article did not say what happened to this particular vessel. I would guess it was something similar.

We are all fortunate the problem happened during this time of the year and not much later or in the spring time when less people are around or the water temperature becomes numbing!

OCDACTIVE · 10-06-2009, 07:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by NoRegrets

Our family had a 1968 MFG 16 foot boat with a 60 HP Johnson. The transom rotted out and "broke" our boat in 1978. They were fiberglass over plywood structures. Water seeped in and saturated the plywood in the transom (caused some rot) and froze in the winter weakening the fiberglass..... We were fortunate to discover the problem before hitting a wave. The same construction was used to make the floor and structural members. The article did not say what happened to this particular vessel. I would guess it was something similar.

We are all fortunate the problem happened during this time of the year and not much later or in the spring time when less people are around or the water temperature becomes numbing!

This is a very very common issue with MANY boats out there. Some brands you would never ever think would have issues like that and are never checked.

Especially if there have been any changes to the transom such as: custom swim platforms, new hydo-steering, custom trim tab assemby, ext. boxes.... any adjustments not done correctly can cause these issues.

There are very easy ways to check if you have an issue. The best is with a moisture meter. But if you don't have that and you can see your transom through the engine compartment, you can tap the back in a linear pattern with a small tack hammer to listen for voids or strange muffled noises in areas where there shouldn't be. Be sure to look inside the engine compartment for any supports attached to the transom. Obviously these would make different noises when tapped. But a moisture meter is the way to go and not that expensive.

10-04-2009, 07:08 PM	#1
Jidge Member Join Date: May 2008 Posts: 40 Thanks: 3 Thanked 17 Times in 10 Posts	Scary situation in Alton Bay Saw what looked to be an 16' -18' runabout hull up in Alton Bay today. Wondering if anyone knew what happened. The passengers seemed to be OK. A passing boat brought them aboard their boat. Kind of scary sight to see when you see a boat almost submerged. I think the flotation did its job and Fire rescue was able to tow it to shore. On a happier note we took a nice slow cruise over to Wolfboro. Lake was like glass and it wasn't too cold. All around it was a nice boat day. Leaves still haven't popped,hopefully next week.

10-05-2009, 04:52 AM	#2
shamrock Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: alton Posts: 177 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	photos [ATTACH][/ATTACH] photos of of scary situation in Alton Bay Attached Images __________________ A Good Snapshot Stops A Moment From Getting Away!

10-05-2009, 07:17 AM	#3
BroadHopper Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Laconia NH Posts: 5,512 Thanks: 3,118 Thanked 1,090 Times in 784 Posts	Driving by Was heading to West Marine in Portsmouth to get my winterization kit when I saw a lot of commotion at the bay. Then I saw the boat sunk in the water. No one seems to know what happen at the time. __________________ Someday may never be an actual day.

10-06-2009, 05:28 AM	#4
Skip Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Dover, NH Posts: 1,615 Thanks: 256 Thanked 514 Times in 182 Posts	Citizen story detailing the accident This morning's Citizen has a short story detailing the accident that occured. Story can be read by clicking HERE.

10-06-2009, 07:53 AM	#6
MeEscape Member Join Date: May 2007 Location: Da' Bay Posts: 38 Thanks: 6 Thanked 6 Times in 3 Posts	Questions I’m glad to see that everyone (and dog) appears to be in good health. "Marine Patrol reminded boaters as the season comes to an end that shore lines are lower than they are during the summer because of the winter drawback levels. " (Citizen.com article 10/6/09) So, now can someone tell me, what is the significance of the shorelines being lower than during the summer because of the winter drawback levels? Also on a different note, who is at fault? The boat operator taking a big wake at 35 mph or the operator of the other boat whose wake (BBW) caused the incident? Last edited by MeEscape; 10-06-2009 at 07:56 AM. Reason: add quote

10-06-2009, 07:27 AM	#5
Coolbreeze Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2006 Posts: 332 Thanks: 0 Thanked 51 Times in 26 Posts	The dog had a Pfd but the guy didn't. Brilliant!

10-06-2009, 08:01 AM	#7
Kracken Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Alton Posts: 223 Thanks: 46 Thanked 130 Times in 50 Posts	If the MFG was in such poor shape that a hitting a wake causes a complete structural integrity failure, it is the owner/operator of that boats fault. The boat was obviously not sea-worthy. If the owner/operator was aware of his vessel’s deficiencies, he should be cited and forced to pay restitution to the town of Alton.

10-06-2009, 08:13 AM	#8
NoRegrets Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Hudson - NH Posts: 408 Thanks: 233 Thanked 212 Times in 88 Posts	Our family had a 1968 MFG 16 foot boat with a 60 HP Johnson. The transom rotted out and "broke" our boat in 1978. They were fiberglass over plywood structures. Water seeped in and saturated the plywood in the transom (caused some rot) and froze in the winter weakening the fiberglass..... We were fortunate to discover the problem before hitting a wave. The same construction was used to make the floor and structural members. The article did not say what happened to this particular vessel. I would guess it was something similar. We are all fortunate the problem happened during this time of the year and not much later or in the spring time when less people are around or the water temperature becomes numbing!