I Caught a Giant, Then My Boat Started Sinking...

[@gregpreston3676]

Great job on handling it well! If you are ever in the situation again and you find out that you do have your plug in the boat then the best option is to run your boat with the bow up high with the plug out of the boat to release the water. Glad you didn’t sink!

[@codymarsing1997]

This needs to be at the top, knowing this saved me and my father last year!

[@steiny3353]

Greg Preston Have had the same thing happen to my mate and I years ago in Gladstone, Queensland. We were heading out to the reef and realized that neither of us had put the bung in. By the time we got out of the channels and could come up on the plane, we were wondering why it felt so heavy. We soon found out. My mate finally got it up on the plane and all the water eventually drained out, then I leaned over the back while it was up and screwed the bung in.

[@t-bonejones3576]

I thought this was common knowledge. Is 'round here. I guess not everywhere

[@logans6263]

I’m aware of this too (and have done it once), but I wonder if that little outboard on Lawson’s boat could plane out the rig with thousands of extra pounds of water in it. Easy to do with a 250, maybe not a 60 or whatever it is

[@alancontreras5573]

I'm glad the Captain didn't go down with the ship, good luck on getting her fixed up quick. Maybe some jetty and surf fishing time

[@yfarmeaahka]

Surf fishing vids I really enjoy!

[@Kevinw4040]

I don’t have a boat so I enjoy watching land fishing myself.

[@Jeremywalsh7]

Put all your plugs in the boat and fill it up on the trailer and seen if you can see it leaking out. Ive done it before that way

[@yota4004]

this is good advice as he needs to rinse the salt out anyway.

[@amymercurio4284]

To find the leak on the trailer, put the plugs in and fill the bilge with fresh water from the hose. Then get under the boat and look for the leak. It’s safer than launching again and it will help rinse the salt out. I found a hair line crank in the weld on a Crestliner that way.

[@noyopacific]

Exciting video the watch, Thanks Lawson! I've had similar things happen twice. Once I forgot to put the plug in, another time the fiberglass developed a big crack. A couple things to think about. #1, Unless the foam floatation is waterlogged AF, boats are built with enough buoyancy to prevent sinking. #2, Your bilge pump was probably clogged with something, maybe a plastic bag. Once you clear the clog you'll know to keep an eye on stuff that might block it in the future. #3, Batteries will keep working even when flooded. It will almost certainly reduce their capacity any you will need to replace them if submerged. #4 There is little if any risk of getting shocked by a submerged 12 volt battery (even if you have 2 batteries wired for 24 volts.) Good luck sorting the problem out!

[@tylerwest1525]

When you show your son, I feel like your gonna be the Roland Martin of salt water some day. Love that your content is back to “normal” feels more like the old Lawson videos. Keep ‘em comin.

[@Nathancl22]

Oh u mean the guy that hooks a fish someone else caught and pretends he caught it for TV?

[@andrewhepler7766]

Check for cracks in the hull. Usually around where it rides on the bunks.

[@h1n1virus85]

I really enjoy how you show all aspects of fishing good and bad. A bad day fishing is better than a good day working.

[@fishingwithohdad]

Sorry about your boat. Hope you figure it out. Oh the joys of owning a boat. A suggestion : ditch the flip style plugs and go to the screw in type. Glad you stayed calm and safe.

[@SuperQdaddy]

the adventures of boating...man that was close...sink or swim..glad u made it !!

[@brandtbays1027]

Absolutely!!!! You handled the situation very well!!

[@JonnyO7795]

Man this brings back some memories. The first time I took my nitro out I was fishing for hours noticed water seeping up like yours and freaked! I did the same thing just hustled back to the ramp. Ended up making it. My love well Hose cracked at the pump and blew out so water was just pumping in. Glad you made it back be safe!

[@JupiterGeorgeFishing]

Dude don't put it in the water. Put the plug in it, get a hose, fill it with some water and look underneath to see if any is coming out anywhere. Unless you want to sink again...

[@yota4004]

this is good if its the hull but if the leak is in the livewell pump system this method won't show it.

[@talleyoussie]

@@yota4004 process of elimination

[@bradlarson9407]

Pull your plug while your running and the water will rush out the drain hole.

[@adamw5360]

That’s exactly how we drain rain water out of our boat up north after a big rain storm fills her up at the dock.

[@qlq6826]

Dude I don’t know what other fishing KZbinrs have gone through but what life has thrown at YOU and the fact that you’re still kicking is amazing bro! Keep on rockin God is with you! You’re the goat dude 😂😂😂

[@bassblaster162]

He's awesome! Lake Fork has been thru some trying times as well.

[@scarpadog155]

Same here. Live well pump popped out of housing, which didn't have a stopcock/valve between it and Davy Jones's locker. I felt this video in my bones.

[@jefflemaster2850]

Good luck man! I had a tracker for a long time, they are good little boats. I hope you figure it out soon!

[@eugeneweeks3325]

Jack Crevale throw down!!!!! Especially the big ones.

[@goodman4773]

As a boat owner it is all good info for later problems. Thanks

[@Doodsaplenty]

So crazy! glad you made it back with your boat. Hope you can get it repaired at little expense Lawson.

[@JoseJimenez-to1kg]

Glad you made it back home and everything is fine the boat can always be fixed glad you "d on time are also what have been a different scenario can't wait to see what the problem is

[@darrylh4573]

This same thing happened to me and my buddy on his dad's boat while we were offshore. He noticed the bilge pump was constantly pumping out water and opened up the inside and there was a bunch of water. The livewell PVC connector had cracked and so the pump was just pumping water right into the hull... scary stuff

[@floridalawdog]

Same thing happened to me. The livewell pump motor cracked off the housing it sits on. I was running and gunning and it filled my boat up fast. Luckily I was able to beach the boat.

[@ihasdragons8734]

You handled that better than I would have. Hopefully it is a quick fix.

[@matthewcamacho2539]

Glad u made it back to dry land!! Best of luck, and keep up the BEST content!!

[@besideyourself4527]

It’s very nice to see everyone supporting. I also want to say next time don’t worry about sticking your hand in the battery department 12 volts won’t hurt that much lol or if anything just switch them off.

[@tmcwilliam01]

Voltage doesn't kill but amperage does. You can weld with 12 volt batteries. But you are correct that it won't hurt much as everything will cease to hurt. The likelihood of getting shocked is low there though I believe as you would need to become part of the circuit and the salt water is likely to dead short across the poles first.

[@DRA513]

Quite the adventure. Good luck on the fix!

[@johnharbison93]

Check your hoses for your pumps and drains. They'll crack overtime and fill your boat full of water. Make sure you use the proper hose for below water applications if that is the case, even if it's not, may be worth changing then anyway for peace of mind, because it will happen at some point.

[@TribalShark142]

I was stressing a little bit watching that. Whew! Good job on handling the situation. **While your boat is on the trailer, hook a garden hose to your neighbors hose bib and fill your boat back up with nice clean fresh water and then look for the leak. BOOM! You're welcome! ;-)

[@ranierrentas4818]

You got lucky! Well Played! I think is livewell related. Whatever it is, its big. That was a lot of water.

[@budgregory8493]

Intense, thankful the boat didn't sink. Yep issue somewhere. Glad you and boat are ok.

[@daveb920]

Make sure you check all of your hoses and the connections to them. A good friend of mine had one of his hoses disconnect and his boat filled with water. You can also wait for the boat to be fully dry and fill the boat from the drain in the floorboard and see if any water runs or leaks. My strong suggestion would be the first check your keel which is running down the center of your boat and it stops about 2/3 of the way down. I had crack in my keel which I had repaired professionally and then put a keel shield over my boat. I have a 2008 175TXW tracker coastal series

[@NealVan]

Good thing you’ve been fishing from boats most of your life. Good thing you were close to where you put in. Good thing you were able to beach the boat to gather your perspective and make a wise decision. Good thing that life preserver worked so well to bring your attention to what could have been a MUCH different situation. Lawson, have you thought about giving the makers of that preserver some acknowledgment about how it worked so well when exposed to water it helped you save yourself, all your gear, and your boat? Just a thought from one of your subscribers. Glad you’re okay and safe at home. I appreciate the reality. PS - very smart not to put your hand in water where any form of electricity is operating.

[@BigRich531]

Looks like a fun day on the water! The Tracker will never actually sink (or it shouldn't) it's completely full of foam. I would put the plug back in on land, throw the hose in it and start filling it up. It was already mentioned, but I'll second it: If you get no leaks there, then you know its something with a cracking/broken intake hose which would be bringing water in from the outside. I'm a Pro Team 185 owner myself and think the Trackers are a great value.

[@markrosenquist8259]

Wow! You got so lucky you were close to the dock. Nice to see you kept a level head and were able to save your boat. Good job buddy!🍻🤙

[@phantomgamingandstreaming9834]

The best part about this is when he said “ooooo paddle tail” 😂

[@snooketcher]

I always keep a popping bobber to use as a spare plug. It has saved the day multiple times!

[@martingibbins6621]

You did the right thing. I've sunk and then salvaged my boat once before. Not advisable in far northern Australia 😬

[@JeffBattleFish]

Yeah look at your thru hull fittings. My running livewell pickup was leaking. I plugged it from underneath. My standing still pickup still works fine.

[@cbfishing123]

Put all your plugs in the boat and throw a hose into the bottom and let it fill and it’ll show where the water came in from pretty quick. Good luck

[@stansmith7118]

I’m so glad you and the boat made it home safe. I hope it’s an easy fix!

[@twinbee13monsterhunter]

I have the same Dakota lithiums good to see they did not blow up or catch fire when they got wet 😎

[@fabiansolis9060]

Glad you made it back safe sorry to see that man

[@herberthines8922]

check the hose running to your live well pumps they bring water from outside the boat one could have rotted or broke off from the pump attachment

[@joeyjoe8892]

Do you have a maserator pump on it could be hose or cracked pump

[@louv2425]

you did good buddy 👍👍👍...check for any cracks on the bottom of boat.

[@LillyLegacyWWOD]

We used to have an aluminum boat that had a sweet crack in the bow lol. We would fish for a while and when our feet started getting wet someone would drive full speed while the other pulled the plug and let it drain out the back. Once it was dry again we would get back to fishing

[@BigCityCountryBoi]

I know the feeling me and my brother n law was so excited to get on Lake Palestine Tx 2 weeks ago after only a few minutes of being on the water maybe 100 yards from the docks I hooked something trolling. While reeling in I happened to look down and saw water coming through the vent it was my first time on a boat since 20yrs ago. So I ask is this supposed to be happening 🙄...He said "Oh Sh!t" in my mind I was like oh sh!t what...To make a long story short we forgot to put the plug in 🤷🏿‍♂️ Funny thing is while driving there he said the most important thing is to put the plug in...good thing he kept a spare...sheesh

[@Nah_its_reece]

You handle that way better then i would have an glad to know the she didn’t go down good luck with fixing her

[@jonathane984]

I might fix the issue with the current bilge pump and maybe add a back up bilge before testing. Glad you made it back safe.

[@scottwilliams778]

Scary stuff. You can put the plugs in and fill with fresh water on the trailer and see if any leaks out before putting it back in the water. Also i change my bilge pump annually and keep the spare with alligator clamps and hose to create a pump i can drop in if the one on the boat isn't working. Keep up the great work. Take care of that assistant.

[@Mal-u-Envy]

Need to get some sponsors back and get a good boat lol

[@MontaukFilms7]

You're the fuckin' MAN. This channel is a MILLION times better than it was... you are KILLING THIS, Lawson!!!

[@scottf.5472]

Ironically my wife was watching Titanic as I watched this 🤣 You kept your cool. Had to be a bit scary knowing you could lose the boat.

[@SledorFish]

Check the welds in the hull and clean that bildge pump.

[@eugenebehanna9309]

Glad you made it back safe

[@rippinglipfishing]

Idk if it’s different with your boat but the bilge pump on ours won’t flush water out unless the water covers a certain point in the back of the boat

[@charlessanders1342]

Regardless of the leak location I would use a different type of plug as the kind u push in and tighten not the flip up type. We had a old metal boat back years ago it leaked a bit and we would get on plane (30 mph) and take out the plug to drain the water as that boat had a flip up plug that went in on inside was a pain to reach under and grab it or put it back in.

[@Mal-u-Envy]

A fire is the worst nightmare for a fisherman, then taking on water

[@TrainsRcAndMore]

Any tips on a fishing charter next week in Florida, two old dudes so not sure if they'd be able to the big ones!

[@anibalamaral1126]

happened to me the exact same thing crack livewell pump an a broken bilge pump on my pathfinder and we where about 6 miles offshore. we literally use plastic drinking cups to bail water out

[@TheFishingMommy]

Scary stuff! I think you handled it as smoothly as possible. Glad you’re ok!

[@ahellicopter1396]

Whats the rod and reel for the spinning rod combo for the mullet?

[@thebackpackingangler7954]

"don't worry we're still flying half a ship" obi wan Kenobi

[@ReelinTension]

Check to make sure you don’t have crack somewhere in the hull. The trackers are kind of known for it in some years. Also it could be a leak in the livewell hose. I would start by putting the livewell plug in the back of the boat and fill it with water and see if water starts coming out of the hoses. I would also put plug in the boat itself and fill it up some with water and check for leaks in the hull. It could be leaking around the thru hull fitting itself. Good luck man and hopefully you get it sorted out.

[@renaudtheis1197]

You don’t need to go to the ramp. Just fill the bilge with a garden hose and see where the water leaks. It will rinse of some of the salt. If that fails just fit the hose to the livewell intake and fill the well. See if it leaks in the bilge. Also, sticking your hand in the water with the battery is safe. No danger there. Replace bilge pump anyway. Submerged battery is not a big deal. Better to avoid it but it will work still. Leaks are usually either a broken weld or a hose connected to the livewell. Usually the later. Take it from a tracker boat dealer.

[@forrestbuchan9379]

It's definitely something to do with your live well because when you pulled it out water wasn't coming from anywhere noticable plus you would have noticed it sooner if it was anything but because I'm betting it started filling up once you put bait in your well. Should be a quick easy fix. My guess is the recirculation line.

[@scottmichael3745]

My man! You're a champ for filming it! I once forgot to put in my plug when launching..... ONCE!! Pulled it out, drained it, installed the plug, and relaunched. The "drive of shame" they call it. $hit happens bro, way to hold your head up! Love your channel btw. Been a sub for Years!

[@VEEZY_FISHING]

I had this happen to a lesser degree in a old Nitro I had. The livewell inlet was cracked and was letting a bunch of a water in

[@albertvalero6980]

Try putting a garden hose in your bilge and see where the water exits the boat 👍🏽👍🏽👍🏽 before trying to go out again. Hopefully this helps

[@_Hmanz_]

Could be a crack on the live well hose somewhere. Good luck I’m sure you’ll figure it out!

[@Danburkett1]

Lol you said good way to start our day literally right before the boat started sinking

[@andrewwayman1925]

Glad you made it back to the ramp still afloat man.

[@Reeldrivenoutdoors]

This exact problem happened to us in our bass tracker in ft pierce and a mullet was stuck in the live well pump pluming and water just kept flooding in from the live well pump…. Stay safe out there captains

[@TheDrumdog98]

Good save Lawson !

[@JenkinsB]

Those trailer tires, lol

[@stephenkleiber3713]

I too have an aluminum boat. And it wound up leaking on me as bad as yours did. Turned out that the bottom of the boat was scuffed on bottom from hitting rocks and other debris. That caused the paint to wear off the bottom and exposed the metal. Found out that the chemicals they use to treat the bunk boards has a chemical reaction when mixed with salt water and it started to pit the aluminum. They were the tiniest of holes that let a lot of water in. Way I found out that that's where it was leaking from was I filled the inside of the boat and watched where the water would leak out from. Maybe something youight want to look into. Best of luck to you.

[@petereynolds5189]

Handled like a pro, had a similar experience myself, pretty hair raising, Made a great vid!!!

[@yfarmeaahka]

Great jack! Such fun fish to catch. I think you played that as well as anyone could have. My only suggestion is to put the truck in 4 wheel drive when pulling out your boat lol. That f150 has the transfer case that can be but in 4x4 under load with no issues. Glad you made it out safe man! Miss you on twitch!

[@d.faulkner8210]

something similar happened to my dad in his whaler , turned out to be a hose connected to the live well, possibly a inlet supply to your live well? Hard to see but his line came off between the hull and deck and flooded the boat, good luck and be safe..

[@LawsonLindseyFishing]

That’s what I think the culprit was

[@d.faulkner8210]

@@LawsonLindseyFishing You have three opening on the transom. the middle one is not capped or plugged, could that possibly be the supply to the live well? cap it off and see if your live well holds water or if it fills the hull.

[@cslider]

Happened to my Mako too with the second livewell. The hose disconnected and fell back in the bilge area. Was just pumping water inside

[@AndreasChristouSaltwater]

I’m so sorry this happened bro. Really glad your okay! This happened on a smaller scale to my flats boat also. The live well pump connected to the back of the boat had a crack in it and throughout the day it would let in tons of water. Noticed one day after I took the plugs out to leave and it was draining for ever. Easy fix though hopefully that’s what it is

[@sundazedkp]

Nice save Lawson.. lol. been there. I have a thought on where the water may be coming from. Check your rivets/seams on that boat. Could be leaking in somewhere from a seam. If you need help fixing lmk, i have a aircraft rivet gun that I restored my aluminum boat with. 🤙🏼

[@MikeGorga]

Sorry man but that was GREAT TELEVISION. Kudos to you for instinctively making it an amazing story.

[@JesseG085]

I thought I was paranoid for keeping a spare drain plug with me! Definitely don't feel paranoid now! EDIT: You handled it well! You kept calm and stayed rational. Props! 🍻

[@fondlemeez]

I always keep a spare plug in the boat maybe a couple of them

[@aljohnson1191]

Anyone else glad to see it go😅

[@wjstewdog]

Man of action !!

[@aidanm8158]

I have a tracker too and mine has been 3/4 of the way under water at the dock with the back submerged past the walls. I would check your rivets on the boat. My rivets seem to leak some. My boat was in the water for two weeks and had heavy rains pour on it filling it up but I hope this helps.

[@ChrissyEis]

I had the same problem I was able to come in with my kicker motor thank goodness I was only in the river

[@madkow2001]

Good on you for staying so much calmer than 99% of us would have been!

[@jamesaustin1817]

Glad you made it back safely. Lots of people are not so blessed. Update us when you find the issue and solution

[@bipedalhominid6815]

Get some float pods on the back of that thing lol

[@50shadesofblue24]

Fill the boat with fresh water and see where it leaks out. Jon boat life

[@benjaminpearson9272]

I always carry a 2nd plug. They r so cheap so easy to have extra.

[@bigginsg8711]

Glad you ok

[@hookdontail4623]

Live well discharge hoses under deck. Probably a plastic tee fitting.

[@thisandthatliving6529]

Same thing happened to me. It was the live well hose.

[@johndrx165]

Yikes! Glad you made it out ok.

[@jakesullivan9282]

Had a similar incident in my alumacraft a small mullet got stuck in the live well overflow and the water had nowhere to go

[@Xfishf00D]

No need to worry about getting zapped by 24 volts..glad you got it back home..me and my friend got air lifted after his whaler decided to rip in half. Boating is dangerous when in doubt beach it 👍

[@waltertx.6020]

Oh my goodness Lindsay! Man I'm glad you got lucky today

[@mikebennett3432]

Been there Laweson… scary shit! Took my boat to 4 different shops and they didn’t solve the problem. 🤬 …sold the boat. Glad you’re ok. Hope you solve the problem!