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Drunk driver plows in to Boston Whaler
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ContinuousWave Whaler Moderated Discussion Areas
ContinuousWave: The Whaler GAM or General Area
Drunk driver plows in to Boston Whaler
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| Author | Topic: Drunk driver plows in to Boston Whaler |
| Nantucket Sleighride |
posted 07-24-2010 02:29 PM ET (US)  
R/V Ridgeway was originally used by Moss Landing, in Northern California, as a research Vessel to study HumpBack Whales at the Faralon Islands. This is how she looked prior to the accident.
http://s389.photobucket.com/albums/oo336/Nantucket_Sleighride/ ?action=view¤t=VRidgway.jpg On Saturday 7/24/10 at 3:30 am my brother and his fishing partner were en-route to Cape Cod when a drunk traveling at a high rate of speed smashed in to the back of their Boston Whaler "R/V Ridgeway".
The impact was so great that the 22' Boston Whaler passed them on the freeway and then spun their Chevy Suburban around. The 2009 Nissan Maxima driven by the idiot was destroyed. Fortunately there were no serious injuries and everyone walked away from this accident. Drunk Drivers should be Keel-Hauled! Bill |
| Estero |
posted 07-24-2010 04:55 PM ET (US)
What a bummer! Glad no one got seriously hurt. The stern of the boat looks in remarkably good shape for having been hit so hard. I'm glad that the legal system has taken a stronger stance stance on drunk driving offenses. There's just no excuse for that crap. |
| jimh |
posted 07-24-2010 05:40 PM ET (US)
Consider getting an estimate of the repairs from the Commercial and Government Boat division of Boston Whaler. Since they were the original fabricators, you should make a case that they need to make the repairs. I hope you are well insured and can get that classic Boston Whaler back into the fine shape it once was. |
| alfred |
posted 07-24-2010 07:25 PM ET (US)
Ouch! That is nasty. I hope the driver has some good insurance. Glad no one was badly hurt. |
| Tom Hemphill |
posted 07-24-2010 09:35 PM ET (US)
My wife points out that the boat may have saved their lives by taking the brunt of the impact. I once encountered a wrong-way driver enroute to the Cape late at night (towing my Whaler) and thought it was all over for me. I was glad I was as alert as I was. |
| contender |
posted 07-24-2010 09:41 PM ET (US)
[Questions whether the two boats shown are the] same boat [because in the] first picture [the boat] has [an outboard motor made by] Johnson [but the picture of the] wreck shows a [different motor]. |
| Nantucket Sleighride |
posted 07-25-2010 12:06 AM ET (US)
Tom--Your wife is absolutely correct! If the Boston Whaler had not taken the brunt of the impact there would most likely have been severe injuries and possible a fatality. Contender--Several years ago my brother upgraded from the older Johnson to the more efficient outboard motor. You are very observant. One of my brothers fishing partners just pointed out that the outboard motor is actually a Suzuki DF250 four-cycle with less than 100 hours on it. If you look closely at the port side of the transom you will see the point of impact at the water line. The commercially built hull held up extremely well. I can only imagine where the motors propeller would have ended up had the drunk driver hit the Boston Whaler dead center. Bill |
| jimh |
posted 07-25-2010 11:09 AM ET (US)
The drunk driver probably intended to overtake your brother and pass him, but did not quite clear the port stern quarter of the boat hull when he pulled out of the lane to pass. When I am on the highway towing my Boston Whaler with Whaler Drive, the boat hangs rather far off the end of the trailer, and I am always worried that an inattentive driver will not notice the skeg of the outboard motor when coming up behind me. People seem to come awfully close, or at least it looks like it in my rear-view mirror. It seems entirely reasonable to me that the outboard motor might have changed in the time interval between the taking of the photographs. Changing the motor on an older outboard boat is quite common, and I did not find it remarkable that the pictures showed a different motor. It was rather hard to miss, inasmuch as one was white and the other black. |
| crabby |
posted 07-25-2010 11:36 AM ET (US)
All I can say is Wow! I'm also wondering what may become the fate of the pilothouse? Are you going to part things out or repair and rebuild? |
| contender |
posted 07-25-2010 12:36 PM ET (US)
I noticed that also about the hull being a Red Dot Whaler (Red DOT By the Whaler Name), Happy to see everyone is ok, Sorry for the trouble you going to have to go through for the repair. Looks like the vehicle nosed under your hull and hit more of the trailer than the boat. How did the transom fair? Going to repair/keep her? |
| dfmcintyre |
posted 07-25-2010 05:17 PM ET (US)
Jim - Re: your skeg concern. Ever think about attaching some sort of red cloth on them? D |
| daveweight |
posted 07-25-2010 05:28 PM ET (US)
It's a requirement to have a fluorescent orange bag over the bottom of the outboard leg in the UK, now perhaps I appreciate why. Dave Weight |
| 199213 |
posted 07-25-2010 08:52 PM ET (US)
Jim, Have you considered adding a tail/blinker/brake light such as a "Piranha LED Auxiliary Towing Light" onto the lower unit of your outboard? I find it helps people notice the motor hanging off the back of the trailer. |
| elaelap |
posted 07-25-2010 11:36 PM ET (US)
If the insurance companies (primarily the drunk driver's and secondarily if needed your brother's UM/UIM carrier) try to "total" the boat, claiming that its repair costs exceed the boat's value, your brother should get in touch with a lawyer conversant with actual BW values. If he can't find one back there, I'd be glad to discuss the matter with whatever atty your brother does end up with, sine pecunia of course ;-) When my pal "Napa Stan" lost his Whaler in the surf out here just about exactly five years ago, I gave him a hand settling his property loss claim, and relied on the gracious written estimates of his boat's actual (as opposed to NADA) value provided by several long-time continuousWave forum members. I'm sure many of us would again help in this situation. Thank goodness no-one was seriously injured; of course that's the most important thing. But man oh man, what a lovely boat to suffer damages at the hand of an idiot driver! Please send along our best wishes and condolences to your brother. Tony |
| tom976 |
posted 07-27-2010 09:49 AM ET (US)
There are a few differences aside from the motor.... The bow rails/handles are for one. Sad to see any boat like that... Hope that drivers has some decent insurance to pay for that mess. |
| Nantucket Sleighride |
posted 07-29-2010 06:09 AM ET (US)
Tom You are correct, originally my brothers 22' Guardian did not have hand rails on the gunnels. When I was building a pilot house on "Nantucket Sleighride" I had custom bow rails fabricated for her. All the best. Bill |
| Nantucket Sleighride |
posted 07-29-2010 12:58 PM ET (US)
These are photographs of the damage done to Danny's Boston Whaler and the Nissan maxima that slammed in to it. After looking over the damage the final score was: http://s389.photobucket.com/albums/oo336/Nantucket_Sleighride/ ?action=view¤t=DSC_1716.jpg This could have ended very tragically. Bill |
| towboater |
posted 08-03-2010 07:44 AM ET (US)
Bill. Glad everyone is ok.
There are MANY other classic restorations here and looking at Whaler sales here and elsewhere, seems to me the effort/results/value are underestimated. Of course, the Market drives this. I hope you and your Brother will be kind enough to reveal the INSURANCE VALUE of that boat if it is totalled or the repair estimate if it isnt. Thanks, good luck with your negotiations. mkj |
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