LOGGING | SouthernPaddler.com

LOGGING

keith

Well-Known Member
Me and seedtick went on a 3 day logging trip on thursday the 26of june and boy did we get some memories. it started out a beautiful day, sun, no wind, flat seas. I was taking the big boat (42" x 40 foot pontoons, ~15 ft.wide)about a mile into the lake (lake Maurepas ) and droped anchor (1500-lps.). meanwhile tick was finding logs and marking them, then picked me up and we marked some more. the weather started to get bad so we went back to the big boat. it started raining hard and harder, oh we had a pull camper( ~20 footer on the boat tied down). the next thing, you couldn,t hear your self think, our 40 footer thuned side ways, trying to turn over, we were about 25 to 35 degrees on the floor holding on, every thing in the camper was flying around and then it let us go. our 18 ft skiff was sunk, but stilled tied on, everthing that was on deck and in the skiff was in the water, ice chest, generators (2), air compressor, a ton of chains, scuba equip. we were alive, wet and cold and then we started the recovery. tick can tell you of the aftermath. later keith
 

bearridge

Well-Known Member
Mar 9, 2005
3,092
4
way down yonder
Friend keith,

Glad we didnt read bout that on the front page of the Bayou Times. Sinker Geezers Sunk! :wink: Ya'll gwine ta pull them generators back up? Mebbe ya'll oughta try shrimpin'? :mrgreen:

regards
bearridge

People who are willing to give up freedom for the sake of short term security, deserve neither freedom nor security. Benjamin Franklin
 

jimsong

Well-Known Member
May 24, 2008
247
1
lakside village, texas
Things can get damned interesting in a hurry on big water. I have a tale to tell, but it can rest for now.
I thank God y'all are still breathing air, and I hope you can recover all your equipment.
Good luck!
 

seedtick

Well-Known Member
Jul 22, 2006
1,161
7
Denham Springs, LA
The day started out real nice...

june2008006.jpg


friend Keith navigated the barge through the narrows

june2008009.jpg


somehow the scenery looks different when you look back at the picrtures

june2008022.jpg


june2008031.jpg


first log coming up, BTW that's the end of a 42" diameter pontoon that's buried in the water

june2008037.jpg


first log up

june2008044.jpg


Like Keith said we marked about 6 logs before the weather hit us. Don't have any pictures of that, but fortunately we saved the side scan sonar and, once we got the skiff upright and the outboard out of the mud and running, we could find the big expensive stuff - like generators. Small stuff like batteries, chains and cables we had to leave to the fishes

I've been on that lake ever since i was a little bitty kid and that was the worst weather i ever saw. They always said the good Lord protects fools and drunks so I guess we fit in one of those categories.

BTW we did try shrimping several years ago but that was work

whiteboots.jpg
 

jimsong

Well-Known Member
May 24, 2008
247
1
lakside village, texas
Seedtick,
Although, I am please you and Keith survived, and y'all have resigned yourselves to what can be saved and what is lost(It took me 40 years to reach that point!).
But that last picture makes me laugh, inappropriatly, I guess.
About 40 years ago, I was having lunch in a semi outdoor cafe some where around Bayou Gauche.
A horseman rides up to the cafe, and ties his horse to a tallowberry tree, and comes in for a meal.
He had the Resitol straw hat , a bull rider shirt,(for those uninformed, that is a loud , silk, or something that looks like silk shirt. Long sleeved, buttoned at the collar, and at the cuffs) 501 Levi's. The inside of the legs, and the crotch of the Levi's were white- this was a working cowboy!
What happened next does not alter my opinion, but it makes me laugh to this very day- he was wearing some fine silver spurs, well made, medium rowled, strapped round some white shrimper boots!
Ya gotta dress for the occasion!
 

keith

Well-Known Member
ye, we went back with the skiff kind of sick ( we changed the oil and pluge we,ll get the filter next time). we got to the lake put the sonar on and found our anchor track and marked it with floats. we dragged the anchor about a mile in a z or maybe a 7 pattern. i think the wind and hail pushed us and then the water spout / tornado fliped us around, remember we'r on the end of that anchor flying around around almost going over ( we're on the floor trying to get to the top side so our weight will push the barge back down, as if). anyway after we maped our trail we started looking for stuff. we found the generators, air compressor, compass, bilge pumps. then the weather started getting dark and we told our wifes" if the weather gets bad we'll come in", so we'll get the rest another day if we can. later keith
 

Wannabe

Well-Known Member
Apr 5, 2007
2,645
2
on the bank of Trinity Bay
Guys,
I' sorry for all your troubles, but I do admire your modern astronautical type instrument panel. Looks like it adhears to the tried and true KISS principal.
Bob
PS. What was the pucker factor?
 

seedtick

Well-Known Member
Jul 22, 2006
1,161
7
Denham Springs, LA
glad you like that high tech instrument panel

hetre's the backside of it, with me driving

june2008027.jpg


wiring diagram ? we don't need no stinking wiring diagram

all those red handled valves are for switching the controls upstairs to the flying bridge

june2008007.jpg


yep, that's a cab off a firetruck. When they made friend Keith, they threw away the mold then went out and beat the tar out of the mold maker
 

rpecot

Well-Known Member
Nov 10, 2006
406
0
Katy, TX
seedtick said:
yep, that's a cab off a firetruck.
One word:

AWESOME! :)



We've been having some crazy wicked bursts of weather lately. A friend from work had his house struck by lightning last Wednesday. Made the paper. There wasn't much left to save. Shame.

Last weekend, we had the top half of a pear tree break off. Same day, a house around the corner had the top half of a pine tree go through their roof. Katrina flashbacks :evil: