Whale in bay

steplift20 · #1 07-21-2018, 07:27 AM

I was going to fish Friday but a whale surfaced right in front of my boat and we had to drive over the whale, scared the crap out of us now my boat is listing to starboard th e only thing I could think is e fuel tank is full and moved to starboard, did anyone fish out if AHMM one Friday see that whale? It was nice out and turned into a friggin nightmare in secounds now my boats damaged Sorry guys and girls I just have to vent

Destroyer · #2 07-21-2018, 11:18 AM

Hopefully you didn't injure the whale with your prop as you went over it.

steplift20 · #3 07-21-2018, 12:33 PM

The whale was fine ,my boats knot

SkunkBoat · #4 07-21-2018, 03:00 PM

I see whales all the time. Humpbacks and Minkes. Sometimes a dozen at a time out in chicken canyon. In along the beach when they are feeding on bunker it is a sight to see. I have had them come up right at the boat while drifting live bunker and that always results in a double or triple bite of stripers.

If you didn't hit it, why do you think it caused your list?
If your fuel tank moved, that was a problem waiting to happen at the next big boat wake.There isn't much room between the stringers for a belly tank to shift that would cause a list.
I think you should investigate further and maybe not cloud your thought process with whales.

A list on V20s can be caused by clogged bilge pipe under the tank and clogged pass-thrus in the stringers. Water gets stuck in the space outside the stringer.
Anyways, not something to take lightly

steplift20 · #5 07-21-2018, 10:29 PM

Skunk,I did hit it and my boat went airborne but the prop didn't hit it I think

Destroyer · #6 07-22-2018, 03:47 AM

Anytime I see a whale I always slam the throttle into neutral. (I know that with my forward momentum I'll still hit the beast, but at least my prop won't be turning like a food processor) Sorry about the boats list. I'd look at the hull again. It seems unlikely that the tank moved. Anyone that's ever tried to remove a tank from one of these boats knows how hard a job that is. They are foamed in place, are made to withstand years of bouncing over waves and DO NOT move all by themselves. Keep searching for the problem.

scook · #7 07-22-2018, 10:46 PM

You can get a video camera with a probe/cable for $20 or $30 online that will work with your Droid phone or laptop computer. I got one to use as a bore scope for around $12. I don’t know if the quality is good enough for detailed bore inspection but it’s got a light and mirror for looking at right angles - need to get time to try it out on a barrel.

If your tank is between stringers and foamed in like mine, it didn’t shift. It would have to rip out a stringer to shift far enough to cause a list.

steplift20 · #8 07-24-2018, 01:25 PM

I just came back from my boat and the surveyer checked her out and we couldn't find a thing wrong tanks good and there is nothing else that I could think of that would cause my boat to list maybe we were just in shock and wanted to get back to the dock I still think it is listing to starboard

randlemanboater · #9 07-25-2018, 11:49 AM

Glad no one was hurt, I have never even considered what to do if a whale pops up in front of you...slim chance around here of it happening.

Sounds like maybe you should put your boat back in to make sure it is listing...could have been some gear on deck moved that you didn't notice in the heat of the moment.

Redneck · #10 08-05-2018, 06:30 PM

That’s a crazy story and experience you had Steplift. I was wondering if that happens I just came home from Prince Rupert and had a group of 6 to 7 humpbacks feeding along the island I was fishing at. All the sudden they did there bubble net thing and surfaced twenty yards right in front of the boat. I’ll admit it scared the S$!t out of me dad told me to get out of there I slammed the boat in neutral and stayed put until they were heading down the coast.

Hope all is well with the V!!!