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This is the best spot for "Whale tale's", these boat's SAVE LIVES ! they can get into tight spot's where other emergency vessel's CAN'T. The low freeboard makes them the "BEST" rescue craft out there, If you own a small "Whaler", and go boating for any length of time, you'll run across a situation where you are needed, for sure !
mw
I submitted this to Bosten Whaler in 1980 and they published it in the newsletter they had back then.
I was stationed on the USCGC Spike in Mayport Fl. Feb 28, 1979 a 44 ft. shrimp boat weighing 13 tons lost power in the 3-5 knot current of the St Johns River.
3 of us Coasties responded in our 17' Montauk with a 75 Mercury OB. We were the only boat available. The disabled boat took a strain that would have pulled the transom off another boat of this type. 2 hours and 12 gallons of gas later pulling and straining against the current, we towed the boat and moored it to the CG base. The whaler was used and abused dragging for sunken aids to navigation, medical evacs along the river, parts run, towing boats larger than it, run aground on oyster beds and everything related to the Coast Guard missions. Fill it up with gas, hose it down and it was ready again the next day. 7 days a week. It was not a 1 day a week go fishing type of boat. Those boats have it to easy.
Back in 1979 at my wife's 5 year HS reunion everyone wanted to go for a ride just before dark. We piled 17 people (guys and girls) in the Montauk and motored about 400 yards upriver on the St Joe River to another dock. Not alot of freeboard but no problems. Was a few life jackets short though.
