50 boating fails that cost people a lot of money

I live minutes from the shore of one of the Great Lakes and have spent my fair share of time on it and smaller lakes. Not to mention a few times on the ocean.

I’m fairly comfortable on a boat, but I have found that I like to be able to see land wherever I am. Because so many things could go wrong and being in the middle of the ocean, no land in sight, when something did go wrong would be horrifying.

Here are 50 examples of things that could go wrong on a boat, ship, yacht, canoe, whatever. Some of them happen in the water, some don’t.

1. Well, this is different

It’s not like we’ve never seen a sunk boat before. But we’re used to seeing them sunk underwater, not under sand. I can’t even begin to imagine what happened here.

2. I wonder what he’s thinking

I think there are various reasons why this could happen, and they are all easily avoidable. And depending on the engine and if it’s fully submerged, there may be no coming back from this.

Hmm

Doesn’t water generally douse fire? This is true, and eventually, the water will consume the fire, but fire safety is still a necessity, even on a boat in the water.

4. Gone Fishin’

Well, he has his fishing rod at the ready. But did he fail to pay attention to where the boat was drifting? I doubt he’ll be able to get off that mudflat by himself.

5. There is so much wrong here

First, it appears that they are sitting on the dock or some other wooden structure. Second, talk about getting skewered through the middle.

6. Was this note part of the written test?

What do you do when you get close to land? Multiple choice. a) Throttle back to slow down. b) Pick up speed. How fast were they going to be able to cross the beach and crash into a building?

7. The need for speed

This watercraft is built for speed. Perhaps the person piloting couldn’t handle the speed? Or they, for some reason, that it was amphibious and thought they would just take it for a drive on the highway above.

8. Nope. That’s not how the trailer works

The point of a boat trailer is to properly attach the boat on top of the trailer. Now is was wheels under it and can be transported. The boat is not supposed to trail behind the trailer. That’s extremely bad for the boat!

9. Was the pilot at the helm?

How does this even happen? That coastline is clearly visible. And I bet that baby has all kinds of sweet navigational tech in it. So again, how does this even happen?

10. Hovercraft?

I hope they’re prepared for a crash landing. Because that boat is in the air. And while boats are often in the air as they speed across the waves, there are no waves there. There doesn’t even appear to be much water.

11. Not a crash

That boat didn’t crash into the rocks. It flew up the rocks. You know how they say there are a lot of people who should never be parents? Clearly, there are a lot of people who shouldn’t be boaters.

12. How…? What…?

I’m really having trouble wrapping my head around how the boat came to land like this. Even after reading what happened. The pilot hit the pier only doing about 12 mph (20kph). It was at night, and the pier has no lighting. Which is stupid. But how did he hit the pier and end up in that position?

Penticton Western News
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Penticton Western News

13. So redneck

What am I looking at? My of the boating fails in this list are about boating accidents and mishaps. This abomination is a fail of a completely different kind. Apparently, it’s a houseboat.

14. Failure to stop

Can you get a ticket for this kind of thing? Are there marine units out and about policing stupidity? Because I think there should be a fine for not knowing how to dock your boat and damaging property in the process.

15. What an amazing feat

That boat is longer than the space between those two docks. So how exactly did they get the boat in this position? Not to mention getting the hull between those posts.

16. Taking on water

That thing is mere inches away from completely sinking. But it does appear he’s close to shore, so there is a good chance the outboard motor is sitting on the bottom and he can’t sink further. And he is roped off and smiling. So I guess his life isn’t in jeopardy.

17. I hope they were on the way home

If this happened on the way to the lake, they are doomed. So much for that sunny day out on the water. Instead, they’d be dealing with police and tow trucks. And insurance if there was any damage to nearby vehicles.

18. Is this a skiff?

My boating knowledge is limited but I think a flat-bottomed boat is a skiff. I wonder if they are also easier to capsize.

19. Sprung a leak

Either that or the drain hole has become unplugged. Someone is going to be very unhappy when they return to their boat.

20. At least save the lifejackets!

Okay, so you flip your boat either close to shore or you manage to get it close to shore. And then you abandon it there. Why leave the lifejackets?

21. My worst nightmare

All you can see is the horizon in the background. I wonder what’s in the other direction. Just more water? It would be terrifying to sink in the middle of the ocean. Mayday! Mayday!

22. Yeah. That’s not how you do it

I’m not sure if he is launching the boat or bringing it in. But that’s pretty irrelevant, right? because his truck is submerged. At least the cab and the engine are.

23. Ceiling fixture

At no time should the words boat and ceiling fixture be synonymous. At least not when we’re talking about a full-size boat. I wonder how far this is from shore.

24. That’s not good

It appears that the boat is properly tied off. But clearly, it was taking on water for some reason. I guess there wasn’t much this poor guy could do. Just go down with his ship—assuming he was the captain.

25. Fast stops are never good

Don’t you hate it when you slam on the brakes and something in the backseat comes flying at your head? Imagine the boat you didn’t tie down properly doing this.

26. No-fault

Well, in this case, we can’t fault the owner for this boating fail. Unless he left something sea lions would find yummy lying around. The boat was sitting peacefully at anchor when these guys climbed on. And they are huge!

27. Still waiting for that delivery

I bet someone is in trouble! With all that cargo, I’m sure it’s supposed to be evenly balanced and properly secured. However, that doesn’t seem to be the case.

28. The need for speed

One has to assume this happened because of excess speed. The thing with speed is you need to be in complete control and know what you’re doing. Or something like this happens.

29. What a waste

So this is a custom-built luxury yacht that it’s owner managed to keep seaworthy for only a few short months. Then he disobeyed coastal speed limits through rocky waters and did this.

30. Someone got this way wrong

This is the Holland Tunnel is under the Hudson River in New York City. Under it. If this driver was hauling his boat to the river with thoughts of launching it for a sail past the Statue of Liberty, they failed.

31. So ironic

I guess you shouldn’t dare Davey Jones. Because something like this could happen if you do. I wonder if there was a No Worries ll.

32. The waters of Thunderdome?

Well, since Mad Max took place in the middle of what seemed to be a dessert, I’m guessing not. But this looks exactly like something old Mad himself would be piloting if he were on the water.

33. Body language

I’m trying to read it. Is his hand up covering an unmanly sob? Covering a yawn of exhaustion after trying to keep his boat afloat? On his phone calling his insurance agent?

34. It’s all about the attitude

At this point, what could you do anyway? Your boat is sunk. Completely sunk. Fortunately, the water seems shallow so retrieval shouldn’t be a big deal. And you can still sit in it. So take a load off, have a beer, and work on your tan.

35. This will not end well

I bet that thing has a seat belt for the pilot. Which, in this case, would have been a very good idea to have been using. I hope that didn’t land on top of him.

36. The world is full of fools

This is a fail and the boat hasn’t even made it to the water. What kind of idiot thinks this is a good idea? And I hope he eventually got pulled over.

37. I bet this hurt

Because I think there is a good chance the pilot was thrown straight ahead. Which means his head and channel marker three likely got up close and personal.

38. Two outta three…

In this case, two outta three is bad. The boat is docked in the right spot. Check. The boat is tied off. Check. The boat is still floating. Fail!

39. The best of the best

Olympians become Olympians because they are the best of the best at what they do. However, here is proof that even the best can fail. And fail quite spectacularly.

40. He’s committed

Or should I say he needs to be committed? This shot has to be some kind of a prank because I honestly can’t see this being legit—unless he really does need to be committed.

41. Good thing he’s not on a boat

This really doesn’t belong in boating fails, but I really couldn’t help thinking that it’s a good thing he is on land. Or is it? He is determined not to let go. Is it better for this to happen in a boat or on the ground?

42. He’s serious about his sport

What do you do if the road is flooded out? Sit in your car and wait for rescue? Or grab your fishing gear and take advantage of it?

43. Is this standard procedure?

Why do some people make things so much harder? I get he might not want to get his clothes wet, but unless he’s going commando, wouldn’t it make more sense to undress and get in the water? Or maybe he’s wearing tighty whities that will go see-through when wet.

44. Let’s just stop here

I’m thinking piloting a boat should be much like driving a car. You really need to keep your focus on what’s in front of you. Because just because you are in the water, it doesn’t mean you’re in the clear.

45. Um, okay

Talk about redneck. This is a boat slash living room slash deck. We’ve got the gross old recliner from the living room and the grill from the deck. All on the boat. Freaky!

46. Fuel efficient

Well, when you want to get out on the water and fish, you want to get out on the water and fish. Even without a boat. But nothing is stopping this old guy. At least it’s good for the environment.

47. The splits

There is no way out of this without something landing in the water. He really should have made sure the boat was secure before trying this.

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DailyPicks&Flicks

48. Just dropping in

I hate it when people drop in unannounced. I like to have time for a little preparation. And frankly, I think it’s rude.

49. Um, wow

When this person pulled into port, they really pulled into port. I mean, right into it. I just can’t make sense of the angle in which it hit. It must have been sinking already, that’s the only thing that makes sense.

50. That didn’t go a planned

I wonder if that is a brand-new boat being launched, or something coming out of seasonal storage. Either way, that is just horrifying. Fortunately, that’s not the ship flying apart, I think it’s just some of the scaffolding.

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