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Dragboating for Amateurs

July 6, 2004 Rick Kunze (rkunze-at-colusanet-dot-com)

Here's how we amateurs handle that most annoying part of owning a drag boat, the sinking thereof.  This series was shot from the sand bar across from Colusa, CA, where we were enjoying our 4th of July holiday.  (The quick thinking photographer was Pamela Craig of Colusa, CA.)   I'm still rounding up more pics, but we had a good 100+ people out there, it was a great party complete with hog roast, music, 2000 square foot hut with full sun shade, and once the racing stopped we fired up the gas blender, Mud Slides (the kind you drink), tons of food, the works.

But previously, one of us went out to do a pass  The unfortunate and untimely collision of the prop hitting the rudder and the ensuing 180 degree turn, complete with driver ejection, caused the sudden wave of water that immediately sunk the boat, as although the boat was facing the other way, it's direction of travel remained the same.  (No, it wasn't me, you'll see my boat in the foreground of some of the following pics.)  But in true Hot Boater fashion, without missing a beat, and despite the copious quantities of eats that had just become readily available, multiple boats were scrambled to the scene and the rescue commenced without undue delay, and before the hull bobbed down the river too far!  A rope was appropriately attached to the bobbing hull, the driver was politely asked if he'd like a life jacket as he floated by, and with a "no big deal" attitude the boat was righted, drained of the offending ballast, and within 15 minutes sat happily back on it's anchor as we cracked the bevvies and continued the party no worse for the ware.  All in a day's boating here in Colusa, CA.  Nothing to it.  <yawn>

Below, the rope gets attached.

But then it starts dragging the bottom a bit.

After a try or two the hull began to cooperate and face the right direction in the swift current.

Here it is (in the background) , still rather submerged but on the right side of the water.  As it was towed very slowly, the water continued to drain from the flapper valves.  Thanks goes to Karen Charter and Chris Bell (although not necessarily in that order) for the ski boat that provided the brute force required.

Once the flapper valves let enough water out it was floating ever higher.

And here it is, in the center foreground, sitting happily on it's anchor in front of the hut.