so i get boarded by the coast guard on friday...

[biggmatt]

in the heavy wind and waves. they pull up and throw a rope around my front butt seat. now, we were fishing next to a barge and were drifting towards it at a good rate so the coast gaurd boat hits the gas in reverse and breaks the front seat/pedestal from where its mounted on the deck. the carpet didnt rip but the seat and pedestal is not securely mounted anymore. they gave a me a claim form but i have no idea where to go to get this fixed. any ideas?

[biggmatt]

routine safety check

[Guest]

WHere were you at?

[Whoopbass]

Claim form huh?
Wonder if their gonna pay or call it an act of God instead of an act of stupidity.
Did it rip the pedestal completely free from the deck or just crack it and make it wobbly?
I would think any boat fiberglass repair shop could fix it.

[biggmatt]

s.e. side of franks tract. any ideas where to get it fixed?

[biggmatt]

Claim form huh?
Wonder if their gonna pay or call it an act of God instead of an act of stupidity.
Did it rip the pedestal completely free from the deck or just crack it and make it wobbly?
I would think any boat fiberglass repair shop could fix it.

ya, its just nice and wobbly now. i hope i dont get the shaft on this one

[bassenvy]

that was some BS Matt...felt like a drug seizure for a minute ay? too many peons and not enough brains.....wat'd they have like 6 guys on the boat?

I say once you find a shop have them install a nice Legend seat so you can get a taste of what's to come

[Vince E]

So they board you in the interest of safety and leave you with an unsafe butt seat?!?
I hope they were at least apologetic about the whole thing if not outright embarressed.

[biggmatt]

ya, they were really sorry about the deal. i still cant believe my tax dollars go that...hahaha.
oh man, did i need that butt seat yesterday too, rockin and rollin out there

[whazup]

Did they actually come on board and tie it off, or throw a line and instruct you to tie it to the pedestal? Either way I would be pretty ticked. Were cleats available?

[biggmatt]

they told me to throw the line around the pedestal then they tied it to their boat...they were in a hurry cuzz we were getting blown towards shore. there were cleats but when law enforcement tells you to do something you do it. anyone have any ideas where i should go to get it fixed?

[Dan McKenzie]

Call Pro Fiberglass in Livermore, they do excellent work. This is assuming your boat is glass.

http://www.profiberglass.com/

[bassindon69]

I had been checked before and every time they just had me hold up the items they were looking for. I heard the one guy say there is no reason to get to close where they are fishing. I thought that was cool. I can see them boarding if they feel there is alcohol or drugs on board but thats about it. Never been checked by the coast guard. Just rangers and fish&game
Hope it all works out.
Don.

[whazup]

IMO, unless they are looking specifically for drugs or alcohol there is no reason for them to board. (I can't believe I am saying this. I am a huge supporter of law enforcement) They could accomplish the same thing, and get more bang for their buck, by simply sitting on a marina and inspecting as we launch or recover. Boats are expensive enough to keep up without enduring unnecessary damage. Sorry for the rant but this blows my mind.

[pokey69]

Take a picture of the damage. Just in case. Then get a lawyer

[Saechao]

do they really have the right to jump on board and search ur boat. i know that cops cant search ur car unless u given up that right. just wonderin

[Fred Fullerton]

I agree call a lawyer and get it fixed right this just not right we pay a lot to fish california water and we sure do'nt need to have harassment by want to be cops that break things and go aon ther way this is not the way lawful people should be treated

[PF3352]

I do agree it might not have been the smartest idea in the world to place the rope around the seat..I am sure they will use this as a training tool (I hope) but before we go and call them "want a be's" and slam them as hard as we can...Take 5 seconds and tell me who you will call if you have a major problem out there??? Its now 35 mph winds in the channel and you cant get back..your fishing partner goes down ( heart, overboard, ect)...who will risk there butts and come find you??? I know BLA, BLA, BLA..I hope you get your seat fix ( they will pay for it)..The picture idea is a great idea..

Paul Fontaine

[basstamer]

Amen Paul.....they are just doing their job and like the rest of us they are human-everyone is entitled to do stupid things once in awhile-now if you dont get it fixed then I'd complain but remember like Paul said these guys are out there saving lives just like fireman and police officers every single day and deserve all of our respect for the job that they do. "We" complain about them but what if they werent there? Who'd come help you in an emergency?Who would stop Akman from "attacking" us via waterways? They have it tough enough without being criticized by us that sit at desks in a controlled enviroment-don't get me wrong I would be pissed to IF they didnt own up to it and repair my baby,but until that did or didnt happen I'd play nice! Just MY .02
Scott

[whazup]

You are right PF3352. We were "on the rocks" one time and the prettiest sight I've ever seen was that Coast Guard raft busting waves headed our way. They do right much more than they do wrong.

[miklanderson]

I'm usually the first to support law enforcement as well but I'd be pretty pissed if they broke my pedestal seat. Do you have to let them tie off to your boat where they want to or can you refuse to let them tie off in rough water? They can just as easily check to make sure you've got everything from 5 feet away...

[bassenvy]

we were rockin' pretty good and were gettin pushed near a bardge and some rip rap. they could have picked up the bull horn as mentioned earlier there was no need to tie up as pretty much everything was done by checklisting the necessary items... in which they let a few things slide

I have respect for the CG they just came at a hectic time...must have been 3 foot swells where we were

[PF3352]

Yes they do have the right to tie off to your boat just as a CA police officer can ask you to get out of your car..We keep making the rollers and rip rap and barges the main focus..Let me ask a question...When is a good time for you to be checked..Maybe a calm tuesday afternoon, no wind, or your just about done fishing, and you were given a phone call the night prior to let you know they are coming? Im sure drunk drivers complain when they cant believe they got stopped in the RAIN and have to get out and do test. Its funny that people complain about this stuff..We have to place DUI check points in the newspaper the night prior to settting them up so that people dont feel like they were trapped ( thats weak)..There is never a good time to be stopped..If there was Im sure our prisons and jails would go out of bussiness. The way I look at it is, the weather was bad..rollers and all..that is the best time to make sure you have your jackets and safety gear..if your are willing to test your rough water skills then they are there to make sure you do it legally..I promise you they will fix the boat...that was a part of doing bussiness..I am sure they had to log in your stop and right up a damage report. ...Last question..above a person wrote "lawful people"..What does this person look like? How does the CG know what this person looks like? Please type a reply and describe this person (race, clothes, nationality, what kind of boat he owns)..please come to court with me tuesday and tell the jury what a law abiding person looks like..You might get your butt in a ringer...

Paul Fontaine

[NaCl]

Coast Guard safety inspections ARE a valuable service to the marine community. But, when some MORON on a CG boat doesn't care that he is CREATING an unsafe condition by calling for a "safety inspection" in an unsafe and inappropriate setting then that officer/boat captain should be demoted and removed from a decision-making position. Remember, no crime had been committed. No "hot pursuit" or "national security" matter was involved. It was just a simple safety check that turned into an unsafe condition BECAUSE of the idiot commanding that CG boat.

If the numbskull in the CG boat really felt it was that important to harass the fisherman, then he could just as easily have instructed the bassboat to follow them to a nearby sheltered area for the all-important safety check. But, if that CG moron forced me to submit to the check in dangerous conditions and damage resulted, I would be jumping on his local Coast Guard Commander's desk, demanding punishment for the completely incompetent officer or enlisted man who created this problem...and damage. That guy needs to be removed from the water. PERIOD!

.....NaCl

[bassenvy]

he could just as easily have instructed the bassboat to follow them to a nearby sheltered area for the all-important safety check

.....NaCl

we had just got done fishing some protected water minutes before where I caught a nice little chunky 4....so I asked them hey why don't we pull around over there its protected? um lets just get hooked up and we'll navigate....oh sh*t you just broke my seat!

so yes the emphasis is on the 3' rollers and windy conditions...was there a reason to tie up 50 yards from a protected area?

see what you started matt

[PF3352]

You are right guys, the 3 or 4 foot rollers are a problem and thats why I said this should be a training issue and I am sure the guy had alot of explaining to do and others learned by this..I hope you get your problem solved..I enjoyed the post until it got to the point of demoting guys and and trying to have there jobs...I am glad some of us never make mistakes and learn by them..just take his job because a fisherman got his seat broken which will be fixed, and the CG did give info (I asume) on how to make the claim..I totally respect your above post and thoughts (believe or not) NaCL..

[GW]

I think I you should let Dean handle this....excellent comments

[Pil9rotten]

14 USC 89 - Is the statute the CG uses to board your boat. We are participating in a regulated activity which subjects us to a boarding anytime we are on the water. The boarding teams are not specifically looking for drugs or other contraband. They are stopping and boarding you to ensure compliance with "Federal Law" more specifically boating safety law. Without boardings, many more people would die at sea and on our waterways. The basic boarding is an inspection not a search. During the course of the inspection nearly every area of the boat is looked at so it may seem to be a search but isn't. Can they search you and your boat? You bet they can and they need no probable cause to do so. Yes the CG can and will pull you over even though you have not violated any law. We subject ourselves to this by CHOOSING to participate in the regulated activity called boating. It's part of doing business just put up with it. Without it boating fatalities would easily quadruple. These guys are keeping us safe from ourselves and terrorists not to mention they are doing an incredible job keeping our porus boarders as closed as they can with the limited resources they have.

Tieing off to a pedastal seat is a rookie move especially if there were cleats available. The Boarding officer should have not only given him the form but explained the process as well. You can call the Marine Safety Office at Coast Guard Island (Alameda) and they will help you through the process.

The crew of this boat was responsible for the damage and the CG will pay for it. Would I have done it the same way? probably not but I wasn't there to second guess the Coxswain driving the boat. Every CG small boat is equipped with line of various sizes to accomodate the many different boats they encounter. They also have fenders and a line with a snap hook they can use to attach at the trailer eye.

Just my .02

Kenji
27 year CG Vet.

[Pil9rotten]

One last thing. The crew was probably from Station Rio Vista or maybe Station Vallejo. Call Rio Vista first and ask to speak with the Executive Petty Officer or the Officer in Charge. They will straighten the situation out, explain the reasoning for the boarding and help with the claim form processing. Like I said before this is part of doing business. The CG boards thousands of boats every year and a very small percentage are damaged in the process. In the 27 years Iwas in the Guard nearly 99% of the claims I saw were taken care of. And yes I had a few myself. It happens.


Stay safe.

Kenji

[biggmatt]

wow, this thing has gone of in few different directions eh?
anyways, i called the rio vista coast guard station and actually talked to the guy who was driving the boat. he told me how to handle this and the boat is in the shop getting an estimate right now. so, the moral of the story is...**** happens! luckily for me the coast guard is going to take care of it and hopefully this doesnt happen again to me or anyone else.

[Pil9rotten]

If there's anything you need to know about the Coast Guard or regulations please send me an e-mail. If there's anything I can do to help with your current situation let me know also. I know the system intimately. Been on both sides of the helm and have been there, done that and got the t-shirt.

God luck.

Kenji

[Pil9rotten]

The official line goes something like this:

Skipper, U.S. Coast guard, we are going to conduct a boarding of your vessel to ensure compliance with all applicable federal regulations. Without touching them, do you have any waeapons on board?

How many persons on board...including yourself?

What was you last port of call?
What is your next port of call?

Then the coxswain tells the boarding officer "Hurry up, WWF is on I wanna get back to the station" The kid B/O then hurries through the boarding and they zoom off to get back before the show starts.

The bottom line is they board you primarily to check your safety gear and registration. Anything that falls under federal law is up for grabs as well. So hide yer pot and illegal "migrants"

[Duckman]

Bass fisherman are more likely to have all there papers and equipment in order. Where are they is the summer time with all the partiers and skiers out in big numbers. They could fill their ticket books with them.

[NaCl]

In case any of your haven't seen it, Danny Miller went from winning the 2000 West Coast Bass Classic on Folsom to building hotrods. Here is the sweet old Pontiac he just completed. Its not as cool as a bass boat, but its a close second! LOL!

http://www.hotrodders.com/forum/journal ... ction=view

Let's see...Pat Dilling gave up tournament bass fishing to build a hotrod. Danny Miller's doing the same thing. And, I know a couple other guys who left bass fishing to build race cars or show cars. Wonder why there's a link between fishing and hot rods?

.....NaCl