OK. I just got my first driftboat this year, and I have to admit that I am a bit spooked reading about all the boats that have sunk / flipped in the past couple of weeks.

I have more time on the water / open ocean, than most people get in a life time, and I also hold a 500 Ton USCG Masters License w/ open ocean endorsment. I worked for Foss on their ocen going tugs for over 8 years in Alaska / Hawaii, and I have lived through 60+ foot seas in the Bearing and Gulf of Alaska, engine room fires 700 miles from the beach, and losing close friends over the side. You name it, I have seen it on the ocean. This all gives me a real healthy respect for the water. Any water.

One of the keys to being safe on the water is to be prepared, and think through what to do in the event of an emergency.

1) What do you do when your DB flips or sinks?
2) How do you recover it?
3) Is there time to get into a life vest?

Please help those of us who are new to drifting the rivers!

---
Steel-Addicted

60 FOOT SEAS!!!I have a good 6 years bobbing around in the gulf and the bearing sea.I thank god I have never experienced mother nature that upset.I will probably have dreams about that!!!

Ufortunatly the closest thing I have to a drift boat is a cheap pair of hip waders so I can not help you there but I am sure everybody else will.Enjoy your new boat!

I have video of the 60+ footers that will have you puk'n over the side of your sofa in your living room...

Seriously, I really want to hear from people that have actually sunk a drift boat.

If your drift boat flips, job one is to get everyone to shore safely. In a situation like this, there is typically no time to don a life jacket - the bad stuff happens before you know it. Also, many of the deaths that happen in flipping situations are caused by being pinned by the boat or caught in the log jam that caused the flip. In these circumstances, the life jacket is irrelevant. Earlier this month, a young fellow was killed because his boat was flipped going over a diversion dam, and he got caught in the backwash behind the dam. Wasn't pinned, but was held down by the water past his expiration date.

So what to do? The most common cause of sinking a drift boat that I am aware of is having your anchor release trip while going through a rapid, and then having the rope catch. If the boat is moving fast through the rapid, and the anchor goes down, and the rope snags (because you have a knot in the end, say) the boat will disappear from underneath you faster than you can [Bleeeeep!] you pants. Needless to say, there is no knot in the end of my anchor rope.

A related cause is trying to anchor in water that is too fast. Just because you CAN anchor in a spot, does not mean that you should.

Other common causes of issues are getting pushed up against the side of rocks and log jams. Avoiding these issues is a matter of rowing skill and caution. Also be very cautious about sweepers, which are trees that have fallen into the river. These can be nasty, as they're usually on the fast side of the current.

As to how to recover a boat, there is apparently quite a cottage industry on the Deschutes around recovering boats and rafts that have gotten highsided and pinned on rocks. They use swimmers, rope, block and tackle, and occasionally a wrecker to get the boats unpinned. Better to avoid the problem.

If you use the big head rather than the little head to do your thinking while you navigate a river, this won't be a problem. Best to avoid the more dramtic rivers, such as the Deschutes, and the Soleduc, until you get confident with your skills. If you're not sure how to get around a spot, get to shore and walk or rope your boat around the nasty spot.

An good book on this topic is River Rescue, by Les Bechdel and Slim Ray.

Well, you may get "pinned" 1st in which case it either happens very fast or your stuck there. If you do get stuck DONT MOVE until you come up with a plan! Then pray it works! Or you could play it smart from the get go and know your way through! The right path through sure makes it easier! lol Although I must say a little pinball when the rivers are low low low can be exciting!

In my opinion, this topic is probably the most important that PP has ever covered. In my view, a drift boater's philosophy should parallel that of rescue pilots: "There are old pilots, and bold pilots, but no old - bold pilots." The good pilots know their limits and stay within that personal "envelope."
In order to run a safe drift boat (or any other boat) it is prime to know that the owner/operator is the guy in charge. He's the king. What happens in his boat is his responsibility. He is the Captain.
In my drift boat, I tell folks that they need to wear a PFD when I ask them to. I tell them to look at the boat rod holders, oar locks, seat backs, etc. and think about where they will be in the unlikely event that they go out of the boat when it is upside down. I tell them that, in the unlikely event of capsize, to get out on the upstream side of the boat, and to let their gear go.
I want them to save themselves, not their $300 rod. I have insurance for that.
As an operator, I tie up my anchor (read Silver Hilton) in bumpy class 2+ rapids, and I hold off on the microbrews until after the float.
My thanks to Bob's Board for providing a place to discuss stuff like this. For writer credibility, I have 35+ years experience as a rescue person and boat accident consultant. Be safe out there and put me out of business!

as far as life jackets go i personally wear a vest be mustang that can be inflated with a pull of a string. its light wieght compact and it is on me,even when wading.

As stated above, the number 1 thing you can do to keep everyone safe is to have them in their life jackets "before" you go into anything big. Not saying that you have to wear them all the time. The rivers we run are pretty placid with some big drops every now and then. I simply tell the guys its life jacket time. I have not seen many sunken drift boats in 20 years of steelhead fishing, but have seen some jet boats at the bottom. In some places in the main Salmon river, and the Snake, there are several boats that were never salvaged. The boat simply wraps itself around the motor like a big 6000 lb smashed beer can.

I haven't flipped mine yet, Thank God!

I put a little thought into it lately as we have been fishing the 'Duc. I also was trying to meet the Coast Guard regs for Navigable waters as I get out on the Sound and The Columbia etc, (with the kicker).
I ALWAYS wear my lifejacket. I have found one that is quite comfortable, warm and dry. Everyone on board has to at least have one with them.
I have a whistle with me.
Cell phone is charged up.
I had an air horn, but it didn't last two weeks.

and just for luck ...
I have put "THIS SIDE UP" stickers on. I have also painted "CALL 911" on the bottom of the boat.

Some good advice on this board. I have had the unpleasant experience of flipping my drift boat on the upper Quinault. A minute of inattention, a hangup on a snag below the waterline, a 90 degree turn, and up against a small sweeper was all it took to put my Willie 16 under. My partner and I tried to budge it while standing in 4 foot of water but the hydro forces are mega strong--more than most people realize. We left the boat overnight in the river and returned the next day with a chainsaw, block and tackle, and comealong, (we had 100' of 3/4 line on board). We ended up snapping the 3/4 line but managed to get the boat out. Forutnately it didn't rain over night or my boat would have been toast. I've had driftboats since '72, commercial fished SE Alaska, and raced sailboats in the "big pond". Accidents can happen anywhere and anytime. I'm much more safety conscious these days. As was said earlier, keep safety in mind and you won't have to worry about how to get your boat right-side-up and out of the river. Be safe out there!
JT

Ctflyfish...Couldn't agree with you more. Great topic, you can't be to prepared for anything. When it time to put on the life jackets, there is no discussion.

This is good stuff.

As we all know stuff happens fast. But then again there may be times when situations "develop" more gradually and you begin to realize your in over your head. These can be critical times which DO NOT, I REPEAT, DO NOT call for immediate action. I can think of a number of situations, where someone would have been better off waiting until some else came through to guide them down, or park the boat and hike out if it was too dark, or sit in the boat all night if necessary (better and easier than clinging to a rock), or call for assistance or just plain chill out until they could regain their composure, strength or common sense. Anybody who has spent time on the rivers around here has got stories and some of those I'd rather just forget. But while situations can and often do happen quickly, more often they go from bad to worse, such as losing an oar or oarlock and not holding up or not being sure that all is clear and committing anyway. Many situations can be avoided out of sheer respect and awe of the rivers we float. A couple of additional warnings I'd offer to the many excellant points already made are:
1. STAY AWAY from sweepers; they are DEATH TRAPS!
2. Make sure your boat is anchored properly before leaving it. How times has a boat floated away when a guy steps out and the boat floats up and takes off without him realising it. People do not have to be in a boat for it to be flipped or lost.
3.Use extreme caution when WALKING a boat through riffles in low flows. Many bad things can happen when Capt is not on the oars.
4. By the way, low flows and floating summer rivers keep my hair standing on end, they should for you too.
5. And oh yes, did you ever know a sailor that didn't carry a knife?
6. Last but not least, in fact, come to think of it it is so basic I'm surprised it wasn't mentioned earlier and also that it only comes to me now, is Driftboating RULE 101: If have to hit a rock, hit it STRAIGHT ON! Avoid at all cost broadsiding obstructions. And even if it was mentioned before, it bears repeating again. Sideways is bad,bad,bad. Hey, with practice you can even piroet off the rocks you hit. Very Cool.

Be safe and live to float another day. Even if it is a replacement.

Two more safety thoughts occurred to me:

1) When anchoring, particularly if you are leaving the boat, put out more rope than you think you need. This helps the anchor hold. In water with any speed at all, you want a rop angle flatter than 45 degrees. To keep your boat from swinging on anchor, get some anchor rites, which are mini oar-rites. These keep your oars vertical in the water, which keeps the boat from swinging like a pendulum.

2) Sometimes when you're floating skinny water, the boat grounds, and the passenger has to get out. When exiting the boat, if it's not anchored, try to get out on the upstream side. If the boat moves downstream on you, it can crush a leg.