Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length.

[BreezyB]

OK here's your starter for 10 !!. Consider this hypothetical situation. You have been given the day off, so you take your newly finished beloved yacht down to your local lake all by yourself. You launch it and it sails out into the lake when the receiver packs up  . Bearing in mind you can't swim, what is your cunning method or device that you would use to retrieve it?? No , it hasn't happened to me yet but I wondered what I'd do if it did.  ??? Cheers , Barrie

[Arrow5]

Yacht ? Let the wind do its thing and walked round the pond . Hope you don't sail on Lake Windermere.

[malcolmfrary]

If its a windy yacht, it will certainly do its own thing and head for shore.  Without anybody driving, probably faster.  With a gin palace yacht, it will drift, but downwind.  You just have to hope that it heads for a bit of shore you can get at.

[BobF]

Hi BreezyB,

Actually not such a hypothetical question.

I used to sail regularly, and it is quite common for this to happen.
Sadly it is also quite normal for the rudder to be hard over left or right at the time every thing stops working,
so you can stand and watch for hours as your yacht sails round and round.
The only sure way is a rescue boat, so perhaps a small plastic beach style inflatable is the best answer. Even if it's not allowed, in an emergency, I'm sure it would be OK. (if not who cares) argue once you get your boat back. Obviously always wear a buoyancy aid or life jacket.

Bob

[funtimefrankie]

What about a ball of string tied to a tennis ball, thrown past the boat and then pulled in. (you keep hold of one end!)
Perhaps those fishing lines that come on a square frame.

All depends how big the lake and how far out the boat is.

[cos918]

had a fire tug and lost main power so had to use the water cannons to push her back in. As for when you are on your own a weight /flote and a light weight string is all i could say

[Stavros]

Well you certainly could not use a ball and string in LLanberis you usually have quite a long wait for it to get to the other side of the lake ,and by the way the other side is 3/4mile away!!!! Proper Lake

Stavros

[cos918]

mmm that a far bit out , better have thunder bird 2 on stand by

[Ghost in the shell]

before now I have gone to the fishermen on the lake next door "hello, caught anything yet? can you please do me a big favor please? and cast a line onto my model and bring her in before she ends up on the island, my batteries have died  and she's dead in he the water" if they say no, the offer of a pint sometimes works, of the few times I have asked for help, never had an issue yet. :)

[Captain Povey]

I am with Ghost on this one. A friendly fisherman helped me out too. Graham

[BreezyB]

I'm most grateful for all of your ideas and suggestions. I guess that I am probably becoming unnecessarily paranoid about a radio or mechanical malfunction because the two "ponds" I will now use on a regular basis are specifically designed for model boats and can easily be walked around. One, I am told, is wadeable. I would think that the ball and line system would probably work quite well in the given locations, sadly there are no fishermen. I must admit that I hadn't considered the International Rescue option mmmmm, that really would be the ultimate answer.
I will be trying out some recovery ideas this coming year and let you know how I get on. Thanks again. Barrie.

[Circlip]

OK Barrie you got me again, no sillies this time (only cos I can't think of one) If you look at the price of the  collapsible go anywhere fishing rods with the multiplier type reel attached I think even on your pension, they are cheap enough or get one of the family to donate one, at our time of life they seem to want to indulge our eccentric whims. you can do the beach casting thing yourself. We used to use a water filled rocket (pump up and whoosh) with a loooooooong length of string fastened to it, fire over the boat and drag back. 

[malcolmfrary]

If you can walk round the pool, all you need is a long length of floating line.  Tie one end down, walk round the pond paying out.  When you get back to the start, begin pulling in.  The boat will be within the loop and will come back to you.

[MikeK]

If you can walk round the pool, all you need is a long length of floating line.  Tie one end down, walk round the pond paying out.  When you get back to the start, begin pulling in.  The boat will be within the loop and will come back to you.

But be VERY, VERY CAREFUL that she is nice and watertight on deck 'cos more often than not the rescue line will snag the mast area and she will be pulled along broadside  with 'lee rail' under.

Mike

[BreezyB]

I'm glad that I posted this problem, it has certainly promoted some ingenious methods and ideas along with aspects that I hadn't thought of i.e water ingress whilst "towing". ( It even prompted Circlip to put down his Beer and Mince Pies to add some valuable help     ). However, thanks again to all who contributed; great ideas, some of which I will certainly try so that I am prepared. You know what they say "When you carry an Umbrella, it never rains" !!!. Happy New Year, look forward to "meeting up" with you all again in 2008
Regards , Barrie.

[Mr Andy]

Build a Springer tug as a rescue vessel, ditch the sail all together and sail the Springer instead.

Andy.

[cos918]

hi i know it involves another boat. I have a length of rope say 4 meter long. At one end the is a loop that go on the back of the rescue boat, then about 50cms the a cork and the one every 30cms till all most the end. About 30cms from end the is a see fishing float and a small weight at the end. What happens is the rescue boat circles the stranded boat towing the rescue line twice.this cause the line to snag on the stranded boat then the rescue boat pulls in the other boat carefull.
If you have a nuclear missile sub (boomer) you can do what we did once. My mate air boat broke down and was drifting out. So blew the ballast tank so only the top of the sail (tower) was showing. Came along side so he diffed over the top. Blew the tank and up she came with one air boat on the top just like dockwise. Very slowly brought sub and air boat in.
john

[tubby tomo]

hi all i made a rescue boat  that i take with me if i go to the lake on my own    ps if that fails i get the sandwich's out and wait

[Circlip]

cos918 if we have a nuclear missile sub (we call them bombers over here) surface vessels are classed as TARGETS. There's only two kinds of ships, BOATS and TARGETS.
    If you take a rescue vessel with you and the battery runs down should you take another boat withyou just in case? ? ?

[cos918]

i know the link was how to rescue boat with out a second boat and i made a suggestion Early . I was only suggesting a bit of kit i made that i take when me and my friends go sailing. Of course battery's can go flat but its up to you to check before you sail if the boat stars slowing time to bring her in. My nuclear sub is one of the us navy and so is a boomer as that is how hey are called over there .
john

[BreezyB]

Originally I had thought that a small electric "Rescue Boat" was probably a very sound idea. Particularly as I am also building the "Skimmer Air Boat" from Model Boats (Nov was it ?) and it's rescue potential was demonstated on www.youtube.com listed as "Ben's Skimmer Boat" (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aArgdFwVz3o).But Circlip has a point about a backup for the backup so I am going to try , in the first instance, to keep it simple. I have been following up his suggestion of carrying a small telescopic fishing rod particularly as the pools I will be using are not too large. I suppose the next thing is that I will be chucked off the park for fishing in a no fishing area. Ho Hum!!.  :-\  Thanks again to all contributions.
Barrie.