I was today years old when I learned a cooler isn't a PFD

[drewkaree]

Thread title absolutely HAS to be what was going through the smooth brain of the captain here. Real Skipper & Gilligan sounding story.

This was on my home lake, and process of elimination has me reasonably confident I know where this was.

If these folks would have had the ability to paddle on their boat upgrade for a few hundred yards, they would have reached a depth they could have walked to shore, and safety.

This would seem to go along with not putting their faith in the Igloo Life Coolers, soooooo

@OB WI please tell me these aren't friends of yours... Or if they are, spill the deets!

Lake Poygan Boat Rescue: 5 Saved Using Coolers as Flotation Devices

Five people were rescued from Lake Poygan after their boat sank. They used coolers to stay afloat until help arrived. All are safe.

www.newsandcams.com

 

[tdonoughue]

I'll keep this handy in case I get pulled over and want to count the Igloos on board...

 

[OB WI]

Well, I do appreciate my YETI 40L hopper bag as it’s pushing 9-10yers old and it still the best cooler I have ever purchased. It would hold two maybe three people afloat. But I wasn’t thinking Over Board for a name. Is 5 coolers enough?

 

[Coult45]

See, this is why I read this forum. We never have a cooler with us, and I can't believe the danger I've been putting myself and my wife in due to this negligence.

 

[WiskyDan]

This is why we bring at least a half dozen empty coolers on the boat - you can NEVER be too safe..........

 

[anmut]

Poygan is super shallow, I wonder if they capsized due to waves or just general drunken stupidness I've seen out there?

 

[FSH 210 Sport]

Poygan is super shallow, I wonder if they capsized due to waves or just general drunken stupidness I've seen out there?

You’re correct It super shallow in a lot of places! Totally freaked me out when I was there last year LOL! .. other places its 7-8’ deep, and in some places is up to 14’ deep… the original news I had heard was that boat started taking on water rapidly about the time there was engine trouble… as with most news articles it lacks enough detail to ascertain almost anything except the event happened. The loudest of the stupid horns blowing is the total lack of PFD’s in the boat.



Their quick thinking was fortunate ?????? How about having enough pfd’s on board for everyone??? Remember that big ass boat they made a couple of movies about that didn’t have enough life boats on it for everyone??? Incredible.. just freaking incredible..

 

[Jim_in_Delaware]

Thread title absolutely HAS to be what was going through the smooth brain of the captain here. Real Skipper & Gilligan sounding story.

This was on my home lake, and process of elimination has me reasonably confident I know where this was.

If these folks would have had the ability to paddle on their boat upgrade for a few hundred yards, they would have reached a depth they could have walked to shore, and safety.

This would seem to go along with not putting their faith in the Igloo Life Coolers, soooooo

@OB WI please tell me these aren't friends of yours... Or if they are, spill the deets!

Lake Poygan Boat Rescue: 5 Saved Using Coolers as Flotation Devices

Five people were rescued from Lake Poygan after their boat sank. They used coolers to stay afloat until help arrived. All are safe.

www.newsandcams.com

I like how the linked article says, “Fortunately, their quick thinking played a key role in their survival. The group utilized coolers onboard as flotation devices to stay afloat until rescue teams arrived.” I guess in my locale, we think a bit differently than you folks in Wisconsin. Our quick thinking probably would have resulted in breaking out PFD’s. . Serious question, if your flotation cooler is full of beer, would it be more buoyant if you drank some of the beers in the cooler while waiting to be rescued?

Jim

 

[anmut]

One would almost think that, if the boat sank to the bottom of Poygan, you could probably just stand on it and be above water...

 

[WiskyDan]

I like how the linked article says, “Fortunately, their quick thinking played a key role in their survival. The group utilized coolers onboard as flotation devices to stay afloat until rescue teams arrived.” I guess in my locale, we think a bit differently than you folks in Wisconsin. Our quick thinking probably would have resulted in breaking out PFD’s. . Serious question, if your flotation cooler is full of beer, would it be more buoyant if you drank some of the beers in the cooler while waiting to be rescued?

Jim

Geesh, I thought this was pretty simple......PFD's take a up a lot of room in a boat and leaves less room for coolers of beer.

You have seen the list of the drunkest counties in America, right?

 

[anmut]

Geesh, I thought this was pretty simple......PFD's take a up a lot of room in a boat and leaves less room for coolers of beer.

You have seen the list of the drunkest cities in America, right?

View attachment 236227

Price County didn't make the list? WTF - did they run this poll outside of snowmobiling season?

 

[WiskyDan]

Price County didn't make the list? WTF - did they run this poll outside of snowmobiling season?

Pffft......light weights.......

 

[drewkaree]

See, this is why I read this forum. We never have a cooler with us, and I can't believe the danger I've been putting myself and my wife in due to this negligence.

I'm going to have to start billing for all the useful info. Patreon takes too much of a cut, so I'll be direct billing. Go wait by your mailbox thankyouverymuch

 

[drewkaree]

Poygan is super shallow, I wonder if they capsized due to waves or just general drunken stupidness I've seen out there?

I'll find out tomorrow hopefully, but my money is on the Omro-bound crew coming off the river, and sinking on the east end of Poygan there, and spots in that channel can be 8-9' depending on time of year. Still, quite easy to paddle to safety, or at least walkable water

 

[drewkaree]

Serious question, if your flotation cooler is full of beer, would it be more buoyant if you drank some of the beers in the cooler while waiting to be rescued?

Jim

This is what's known as "drinking in the name of science". I can personally verify that a cooler full of drinks still floats, but I believe its capacity as a life-saving vessel is diminished by a proportional amount

We'll strap @WiskyDan up and test this out for the Sandbar Bash.

Poygan is super shallow, I wonder if they capsized due to waves or just general drunken stupidness I've seen out there?

@FSH 210 Sport theorized that a hose or engine trouble is to blame. Given the lack of PFD's I'm guessing boat maintenance isn't high on the priority list either, so the theory holds water

One would almost think that, if the boat sank to the bottom of Poygan, you could probably just stand on it and be above water...

My neighbor went through the ice a few winters ago with his car. That's exactly what saved him - he was able to get out, and stand on his car until help arrived. Overhead photos showed it perfectly

Geesh, I thought this was pretty simple......PFD's take a up a lot of room in a boat and leaves less room for coolers of beer.

You have seen the list of the drunkest counties in America, right?

View attachment 236227

I recall the one where all counties were shown as dark blue regarding some drinking Stat, and the only spot that was light blue was Lake Winnebago (still registered on the scale)!

Price County didn't make the list? WTF - did they run this poll outside of snowmobiling season?

I've seen some of your posts lately, and I can tell you're doing your part

 

[drewkaree]

So, an update, which brought MORE questions from me, but the person relating the info to my wife, was the neighbor's wife.


I'm asked how I can spend 4 hours on the golf course and not talk with a buddy about life and stuff. Anyone see where this is going? This was the conversation with my wife - to be fair, she's operating from as little info on this as I am, so she gets SOME grace



Me: so where did the boat sink?


Wife character: she didn't say


Me: What?!? They had to recover the boat, where was that at?


WC: I don't know if they got the boat


Me: *blinking and rubbing my temples*


WC: She didn't mention it, if they did


Me: so the boat COULD be sitting there waiting to be hit?


WC: Her husband probably knows


Me:

 

[drewkaree]

The rescue operation launched right in front of our house, and they were recovered somewhere out front of the blue X. They most definitely came from up river, headed back to Omro, so they HAD to take the path indicated by the green arrow. This is an OLD topography map, 1987. Levels have definitely dropped since then, but you can see the danger those coolers were preventing in the mighty depths of Poygan. I'll bet every dollar I have that alcohol was involved (but I also have some inside knowledge of that, too)

Don't drink and boat kids, and the water cops do NOT allow you to count your cooler as a "throwable", no matter how floaty it is

 

[drewkaree]

 

[OB WI]

That looks similar to my grandparents supper club placemat when I was a kid in that Era. Or a Foster’s beer can coaster.