18' Ranger Bass Boat Extracted from the Everglades
The owner of an 18' Ranger missed his turn while navigating the narrow canals near Alligator Alley in South Central Florida in October. TowBoatU.S. Ft Lauderdale was contacted by the owner to discuss recovering his boat from the densely wooded area where the boat came to rest. The elderly owner reported that he missed his turn while he was going rather fast and found himself nearly 50 yards into the overgrown marsh when he finally came to rest. A friend of the owner was waiting for him at the boat ramp; when the boat and owner failed to return to the ramp an all out search ensued involving airboats and eventually, a helicopter. The boat was spotted from the air after dark and the boat owner was airlifted to a Miami Hospital where he was treated for minor injuries.
TowBoatU.S. Ft. Lauderdale was hired to locate and salvage the vessel. After getting clearance from local, state and federal environmental agencies and reviewing aerial photos of the site taken from a helicopter earlier that day; the crew located the boat and used machete's and chain saws to clear a path that would enable the boat to be spun around and removed. Using one of the company's 26' rigid hulled inflatable towboats the casualty was safely towed to open water with very little damage. Director of operations, Kevin Collins reported "We knew that snakes and alligators are indigenous to these waters so we entered the area slowly and methodically with a keen eye toward the safety of our crew, fortunately the operation went perfectly with no threats from the local wildlife!"
The boat was ultimately loaded on the owner's trailer and transported back to Ft. Lauderdale for repairs. This operation was a good example of the competence and diverse skills displayed regularly by the staff of TowBoatU.S. Ft. Lauderdale. Got a tough job? Give them a call!
