Florida Fixture Strickland Dies in BFL Tournament

[Michael Stalnaker2]

Something to think about...



Michael
http://bassfan.com/news_article.asp?id=939

 

[TOMMY RICH]

Yeah and a previous post was just referring to boat speed in rough water...it ain't worth it!

 

[Texas Transplant]

Really a bad deal all the way around. I read about this the other day.



All the best to his friends and family.



Tex

 

[Brian Bell2]

This is a shame. Maybe its time BASS, BFL, FLW, and manufactures start thinking about the HP on the back of these boats.. How fast is fast enough. 300 HP on the back of a 21 foot bass boat, is a recipe for distaster..just my 02. A guy here in jacksonville, that my brother n law know has a Stroker that will do 100+ mph. When asked if I wanted to go fishing with him, I stated, no thanks..I have 2 kids, a wife and a good life, dont need to risk that cause someone likes to go CRAZY fast..

 

[Rob LaMoy]

People will still die with only 150's on the back. It boils down to behind the wheel experience, common sense, and paying attention. Unfortunate, but hopefully people learn. Passing a seatbelt law, didn't slow people down, or keep them from driving drunk. People still die in car accidents every year. Can ban cars. Shouldn't limit HP either. He was running a typical, 21 footer with a 225 opti.

 

[TOMMY RICH]

Sure wouldn't have happened if he'd been goin'slow...or would it?

I understand what your sayin' Rob..heck maybe it was a structure failure or somethin' they struck in the water...never know.

A lot of accidents I hear about usually have to do with speed and inexperience like you said.

I think Brians point is...When the HP on your outboard surpasses your IQ....that's trouble.

Not sayin' this guy was inexperienced by no means..if anything he might have been a little too "overconfident".

Gets a lot of people killed...

TEE

 

[Tom Jones]

Man, that article brought back bad memories. I was in a head-on collision between two bass boats (I was a passenger and the idiot in the other boat was at fault) and I broke my back in four places when I hit the water after being ejected out of the boat. I had a life vest on, but not zipped up, and it was ripped off me somehow. Luckily I was in chest deep water and didn't have to swim. It was in March and the water was COLD. I was shivering uncontrollably in minutes. The sound the boats made when they collided was so loud, many fishermen on the lake (Ross Barnett Reservoir in Jackson,MS) heard it and came almost immediately to help. One of them pulled me in his boat and carried me laying flat on my back in the bottom of his boat to the ramp where an ambulance had alraedy been called and was waiting.

Funny thing, when the man that rescued me was talking to me as I was in the water, trying to decide if he should pull me in his boat and possibly make my injuies worse (I told him he had to or I would go into hypothermic shock), as he started to pull me up, I said that I couldn't move my legs. He heitated for a second. I said that I could still feel them, but i couldn't move them very well. He pulled me over the side and rolled me on my back and started laughing. I looked down to see about 50 to 100 crankbaits stuck in me from my crotch to my ankles. No wonder I couldn't move my legs. I had had a Plano 777 tackle box full of crankbaits sitting right in front of me on the floor of the boat before the collision and it had exploded all over me!

As you can probably guess, I'm not a fan of fast boats or stupid drivers of fast boats. I am a fan of wearing your life jacket FULLY zipped and clipped on!!

Fishing is supposed to be fun!

BE CAREFUL out there!



Tom

 

[Brian Bell2]

Actualy what I was trying to say was that the HP ratings for bass boats has gone overboard, how fast is too fast in a boat of that size and only a very small portion of the hull is actualy touching the water. I would assume with the experience he had, something realy must have gone wrong.



I am not saying that big motors and speed is a bad thing, just that I think if the Bass Boat industry keeps putting larger more powerfull motors on the back of 20 and 21 foot hulls we are going to see more incidents like this one, how many novice bass anglers out there are purchasing 21 footers with 225 / 250 hanging off the back, that like puring gas on a fire. Maybe industry and Coastguard should consider bumping the hull length up to 23 or 24 feet per larger HP ratings.



I am by no means an enginer but look at the HP ratings and lengths of bay boats.. 22 / 24 feet 225 - 250 HP. And they are more stable at higher speeds. Been in 22 and 24 Skeeter bay boats serval times and at 55-60 MPH you feel like you standing still, thats how stable they are.. Just my opinion... Believe me I am all for big motors and big boats.. just build them stable and safe.

 

[Greg Duggan]

this is why i only went with the 115 4 stoke on my 882.

everybody on this board(well at least 90% of everybody) says get as much hp as the boat can take.

i was in a very scary situation as a nonboater at 70 mph.

i have been in boats all my life, my dad was in the navy for 35yrs and beat boater safty and the rules of the water into our heads. but i still know if i had gone with the 150 opti i would use it and be running at 65 mph every were i went. it is not always inexperiance. sometimes it is just bad luck.

stay safe



GregD

 

[Joe G]

yep kinda hits home here . made me think a little more about what i do by habit, then by thought. i live on the lake that T.S.was killed on. lk eustis. this time of year with all the fronts ,we have these rouge waves that come out of avg 2 foot waves.i have seen alot of them. just lucky that the few that hit me did not throw me out of the boat. so weird this past sat it was at least 80 degrees and sun shine was hot kinda looked like summer without the heat i was at the lake and there must have been 200 boats on the chain its hard to believe something like this could happen on such a nice day. i usally run my tracker wide open threw those seas along with everyone else just to get to the spot first.. big eye opener!!! and i am a careful driver..my prayers are with you Tony and your family...... joe

 

[Brian Bell2]

Greg,

Well stated. That is one of the reasons I sold my 2000 Triton with the VMAX 150 on the back, that boat did mid to high 60's ( gps ). And every oportunity I was WOT in it, it was like an accident waiting to happen. Even with all the years experience I have boating.. mid to high 50 in my 04 NX750 with 115 is plenty fast for me. The jump from 50's to 60's speed is HUGE and I think makes a big difference in being able to recover the boat if you get into a situation.

I cannot imagine what it would be like going 70 - 80 mph in a 21 foot bass boat, its gotta be pretty darn scary..

 

[C C]

Wow, so sad to hear of such a loss.



Ok to some this may be a silly question but since I have never owned a boat (until now) that will go over 30 mph I have no clue.



Question: Just because a boat can go 60+ mph does that mean it has to be run it at that speed or can you go slower and still maintain control over the boat?



Thanks,



Cass

 

[Brian Bell2]

If the boat is setup correctly you should be able to get on plane and keep it there at lower speeds. If you have problems keeping it on plain and it is not a setup issue, its just a matter of learning to drive the boat..

 

[Rob LaMoy]

I rarely run WOT. Only in tourneys. Your gas consumption goes WAY up from 3/4 throttle to WOT, and you only get that last 10 mph. My ideal cruising speed is right around 42-45 mph with the trim just so, and the boat handles great and I almost double my gas mileage.

CC, like Brian said, a properly set boat can stay on pad at low speeds. Mine does at 20 mph, barely, but it does. I think most people if they have the HP just use it all because it's there. You grow out of that quickly when you're spending over $1200 a month on gas and 2 cycle. Then throw in plugs and maintenance.....

 

[Tony Payne]

This is a sad loss...



It does not make me think about HP limits or driver abilities... it does help me to realize the importance of saftey, and that sometimes even the most experienced get caught by the unexpected.



My thoughts for his family and friends, and that we all hug our "significant others" before that next fishing trip.



Keep the Life Jackets on, and your eyes on the water in front of you!

 

[Mikel Stephens]

may not have happened if he was going slower but it was his decision to travel at the speed he was traveling at. May have been his time to go and god pulled him.

 

[Brian Bell2]

Big 0 is like a freakin ocean when it kicks up be careful, have a gps, cell phone, vhf radio and take it slow if it kicks up out there.. Same goes for stick marsh,, watch out for those wooden speed bumps in the marsh. In Big O, make sure when you come off plane there that you have plenty of water, most of the bottom below the muck is coral, it will snap your skeg like a toothpick. I would highly recomend getting a guide for both places before going off on your own. You will enjoy both places very much. On Big O look for clear water and pepper grass, buzz baits, plastics, like worms ( black grape ) zoom super flukes and senkos are the ticket.

Have a great trip, and stay safe..