Boat Accident....Need Advice

Yesterday I went fishing with an older friend. Everything went well until we got back to the ramp. He backed the trailer down the ramp, and I motored the boat up onto the roller trailer. The boat is a 16 Lund with a 30 tiller Evinrude. My friend got out and attached the straps and safety chain. I was still in the boat as he eased up the ramp with me and the boat. Suddenly there was a loud scraping sound and the boat slid backwards onto the ramp. Fortunately he stopped, but not until the boat scrapped the concrete for about 5 or 6 feet. This model Lund has three keels about 1.5" spaced across the bottom. I had tilted the motor up, but the skeg did drag, however, there is no bending or outward sign of damage other than to the bottom edge's paint. The Garmin SI transducer was tilted up, but appeared okay.The safety chain latch snapped and broke off. My friend did not engage the pawl of the winch, but did latch it to the bow eye. Altogether a big mistake was made. Last night I mentally replayed what had happened, the stress on the motor, transducer and boat obviously are major concerns. Just the stress of getting the boat back on the trailer, even though it did not fall completely off, is a concern. So my efforts from here on should be directed towards wisely checking the damage out before I schedule another fishing trip. I am concerned about leaks, and first thought about backing the boat still on the trailer into water and looking to see if water enters. I got to thinking that maybe a better way would be to place the drain plug in and wait until a dry day, fill at least the stern with an inch or two of water and look underneath the boat for leaks. Is the transducer damaged? Maybe, but the only way to tell, I assume, would be on the water. How about the motor? Just crank it up and go? Maybe not. Is it possible the boat flexed and caused metal fatigue? Right now I have more questions than answers, but have done nothing other than just look at it. I do not want to make a mistake. I sincerely would appreciate your input.

Make sure boat has oil in motor , go fishing as usual . All problems will surface quick . Don't go far from ramp and let boat idle . Check compartments for water . No issues in motor running , check depth finder while you wait, Sounds like a good duck boat's normal day . :biggrin

Inspect around seams on sides where transom meets sides of boat for cracks, trim motor up just a little then grab lower unit and work it up and down looking for flex in same areas. The do what you said, fill bilge area with water and let it stand looking for leaks. Doubt it damaged motor but check mounting brackets good. Most aluminum boats are a lot stronger than we give them credit for being. Like Eagle1 said day in the life of a duck boat.

Always hook up and secure your boat yourself. If a friend wants to, double check & triple check his work. I just tell everyone, that I will do it myself. Sorry, It happened and all. I know your friend is very upset. Your boat will be fine, hopefully.

Raise the boat a bit in the front, and start filling with the hose. Look for leaks. If it leaks, find a good welder, and fix it up. My guess, no issue - boats are tough! If no leaks, open plug, let water drain, hook up muffs to engine, and start. Rev up a bit and feel for any unusual vibration. Use forward and reverse to make sure that is also working. If nothing, get it to the lake, and check it out. Transducer will be fine, but check to make sure it is positioned correctly before going back out. I will be surprised if you find any issues. You're not the first to drop one off the trailer! :cool:

Being a 16 Lund with a 30 hp tiller, that's not a whole lot of weight to come down onto the ramp. Sure you have some scuffs and scrapes, but Lunds are tough boats. Just use it like normal, and any issues will surface on their own (if there even are any).

I had a 16 ft v bottom with 35 hp tiller for several years, you would probably be appalled at the things I did with it while duck hunting and never had leaks. It was a Starcraft though, I would expect the Lund to be even more durable.

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Like all the others have said, you will probably be fine. I have pulled my aluminum boat completely off the trailer onto the launch as has my buddy Jlaughlin (not on the same day)! Both of us have just gathered a few guys to push the boat into the water and fish with no problems. Just watch it while fishing, but I don't forsee any issues with boat, motor of transducer. As they have already said, a typical day in a duck boat!

Well I just checked the boat out and am relieved so far. I placed the plug in and filled with 4"s of water, waited and found no leaks ! Next I hooked up the muff, cranked the motor and it too tested out fine! The next time I am on the water I will check out the transducer and continue to look for leaks. I want to thank all of y'all that responded and gave encouragement. Again C.Com came through, as it always seems to do. :-)

That Lund is tuff........did not hurt anything but your feelings.

:hesaid

You'll have to drill a hole in the bottom of that Lund to create a leak. They have double layers of aluminum sandwiching a gasket. That's the reason they are so much heavier than their competition.

I agree with the others. Very likely no more than a valuable lesson and stress test for you and your central nervous system.
You have been given a "do over" by a lesson that really didn't have a very high cost... this time... thankfully. Go fishin'.

I’m certainly no expert but I agree with the others. IMHO you didn’t do any damage to that boat at all. They’re tougher than you think. Especially a Lund.


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You will be good to go as others have mentioned! Lesson learned tho!!
Your transducer will be fine, if it was properly installed that is how they are designed incase you hit something. Sounds like it performed as it was supposed to.

I got caught out in a storm with no time to load one evening so I just beached it and tied off to a tree. It rained buckets that night to the fact that I had to go down every couple hours and run the bilge pump, no big deal BUT the wind blew like crazy and the waves pushed my 2070 Xpress up on the bank in the pea gravel and literally "sanded" all the paint off the bottom of my boat!! I was SICK......
My HDSI transducer looked like I had drug it down a gravel road as it didn't have enough force to "kick" it up like it was designed to do. I took it off and used a series of sand paper and just kept sanding/wet sanding until I got it back somewhat slick again! I am actually still using it today and works perfect.

I am in the ouch ,don't do that again crowd . if you were at a some speed it might really hurt , but on a boat ramp mostly just feelings and paint is likely the final outcome .

theysaid Just like the current/future saga of the Pandemic illustrates...Life's events, whether personally created or not, should always yield to a new found awareness modus operandi!:twocents

u2s:fish

I did worse, much worse. With a roller trailer and all the boat on the ramp.
Brand darn new boat too. Only third time out. Insurance totaled boat. But, not motor. Couldn't get a new boat without a new motor. What was I going to do with two Yamaha 90 four strokes. Aluminum and Pontoon Boat Repair in Texas fixed it. Of course that was two trips to N Texas from NM. You were lucky, Very very lucky!
Learn Grasshopper Learn.

I’m getting here late , but as a former Lund owner and the way their seams are built, I would have been surprised if it leaked. I bought mine at 25 years old and sold it four years later and it never leaked a drop. No water no where. The motor and ducer may have had an issue but I see that they’ve checked out so far. Lesson learned. As already said, your boat then you make sure it’s road ready yourself, every time.

That's why I would never use rollers or the neoprene pieces that goes on top of the bottom bunks.

Just curious how did safety chain not hold ?

Rollers and neo bunk boards, DO NOT UNHOOK TILL IN WATER A LITTLE !!! I've seen a roller trailer on ramp in La. Steep ramp , boat setting on ramp 5' from water. OUCH.

The connector to the boat eye snapped; obviously not strong enough. That will not be a problem ever again.

Guess i better start using the safety chain at the ramp

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