Went offshore yesterday and when I loaded the boat on the trailer, I forgot to lower the antennas…well you can guess what happened. Antennas and low hanging Live Oak tree branches don’t mix…first my power pole deploys going down the road a few weeks ago (thanks for the pic Fritz), and now this. Guess you got to pay to be stupid.
I left Lemon Island landing once and forgot to take the rods out of the holders on the T-top. When I drove under the bridge, it was ugly [:0][:I]
Not as ugly as the fellow I saw who pulled his T-top through a McDonalds drive though canopy though.
Capt. Larry Teuton
Cracker Built Custom Boats
“Ships are the nearest things to dreams that hands have ever made.” -Robert N. Rose
Yep…years ago…I took out the roof of the Hess station with my Robalo…another bone head move. In my defense though…if my trailer had not come up on the curb, which was 4" higher…I would have made it…
The ICW in South Florida is littered with low bridges, like 1 every mile… And you would be amazed at the number of VHF antennas that were snapped off 12 inches from the top…
Oh, ask me why I lower my outriggers every time I go under the Ashley River Bridge now… Never mind… Don’t ask… I don’t want to have flashbacks…
Yep I hear ya skinnee…I wasn’t going to lower my outriggers going under Tea Table channel bridge in Islamorada…my friends made me do it…did lose the antennas though…and my wife calls me an idiot…go figure.
quote:Oh, ask me why I lower my outriggers every time I go under the Ashley River Bridge now... Never mind... Don't ask... I don't want to have flashbacks...
More than a few years ago I fished in a kingfish tournament out of the Landings Harbor Marina on Skidaway Island. The Marina has an enclosed breakwater and a fairly narrow entrance. In the last few minutes before the weigh in I watched a 50+ foot Buddy Davis come rushing through the harbor entrance with it’s outriggers down. That had to be expensive [:0]
Capt. Larry Teuton
Cracker Built Custom Boats
“Ships are the nearest things to dreams that hands have ever made.” -Robert N. Rose
quote:Oh, ask me why I lower my outriggers every time I go under the Ashley River Bridge now... Never mind... Don't ask... I don't want to have flashbacks...
More than a few years ago I fished in a kingfish tournament out of the Landings Harbor Marina on Skidaway Island. The Marina has an enclosed breakwater and a fairly narrow entrance. In the last few minutes before the weigh in I watched a 50+ foot Buddy Davis come rushing through the harbor entrance with it’s outriggers down. That had to be expensive [:0]
Capt. Larry Teuton
Cracker Built Custom Boats
“Ships are the nearest things to dreams that hands have ever made.” -Robert N. Rose
Ouch... Luckily my riggers survived. I had the Taco's then which are pretty whippy. That's the one time I am glad they were! Even though I had no permanent damage, the pucker factor was high and the noise was awful!
I’ve broke 3 antennas by forgetting to let them down. No rods so far… guess some of us are more hard-headed than others. Not only do we have to learn our lessons the hard way, but we need to have the lessons repeated a few times before we learn.
On the bright side, a broken 8’ antenna makes a good “bean stake” for the garden.
Knock on wood I have not broken anything yet, but every time I go across the old Wando River bridge with the big truck and now the bigger boat, all I can see in my head is the boat scrapping down the concrete guard rails because the bridge is so narrow. But, it looks like they are staging equipment to get the new bridge started. Maybe there will be a new one up in about 5 years at the pace they work at
2012 Skeeter ZX22 Bay
Yamaha 250 hp SHO
Minnkota Riptide 101
I was at Wappoo cut a few weeks ago and was getting the boat ready to back in. It was my first trip with my new center rigger, I never put up my antenna until I’m in the water but for some reason I wasn’t thinking and went ahead and put the rigger up in the t-top rod holder. I was over in the bushes taking a leak as I watched my buddy pull out of the prep lane and smack the rigger on that pine tree by the ramps. No damage done, but lesson learned.
One antenna vs the old Stono River bridge, another vs the trees on River Road. Monday my buddy was driving the truck pulling the boat out at Limehouse ( I was still on the boat) and decided to cut right resulting in a blown tire against the concrete barrier. Thank goodness for spares and dual axles.[:I]