Air boats, anglers must learn to coexist

[rick]

October 26, 2006

Combine recent advancements in seismic technology with higher fuel prices and more efficient methods of extracting oil and gas from greater depths, and the result could be a periodically noisier Coastal Bend.

Add to this autumn's roar of additional airboats ferrying folks to duck blinds and you might have the makings of some rattled shallow-water anglers. I don't expect airboats to be outlawed during my lifetime. And I don't necessarily feel they should be.



That's not what this column is about.

Airboats and...

This article from Corpus Cristi, TX. Here's the rest: http://www.caller.com/ccct/recreation_columnists/article/0,1641,CCCT_868_5095088,00.html

 

[Olf Art]

Rick, I'm going to send Mr. Sikes an email letter regarding this article.
I'll copy you, Bob Hoover, Bonnie, and Bishop.

The quote " I don't feel that airboats will be outlawed in my lifetime. And I don't necessarily feel they should be." caught my attention.

Again, it was assumed that the airboater, who was afterall at work, just doing his job, was the culprit here. Not the 'angler', who I'll bet my hat was in a bass boat.

We shall see.

olf

 

[Hogheaven]

I saw that this morning... Wasnt exactly the write up I was expecting.
We dont have the regulations here in Texas that say Florida or other states have, and this scene could probubly have been better handled by both the airboat operator, and the fisherman.
I know my boat is loud, and is looked at as a nusciance where ever I go, but it is one of the best tools I have to help me do my job. I am very careful to avoid others, and try to set an example but....

Bad press is bad press and this is probubly not a good write up.

 

[Waterthunder]

Utterly brilliant manipulation of the media Tie dynamite and explosions to airboats and get a line in there about duck hunting too. Neat story This happened to me two weeks ago. I was in the Smokey mountains on vacation and a show was on the TV my five year old girl was watching it. It was a Disney type cartoon show. The story was the kids were counting ducks on a lake. They were crying because they couldn't find any ducks. Well the town hired an environmentalist to find out where the ducks went. Well the environmentalist told all the kids that the boats scared all the ducks away and the only way they would come back is if they quit boating on the lake. Right about then my wife got that concerned look knowing I was going to blow a gasket. I just turned off the TV put my girl on my lap and asked her what do the ducks do when we drive bye and they fly off. She looked at me and said they fly back later I know they do because we see them on they way home. I was proud of her, then I proceeded to tell her most environmentalist don't have the experience that you do in the wild. And this show lied to you to change your mind about boating and don't believe anything you hear on TV without asking your parents not even in a cartoon. Here is the funny part she is five now! She looked at me and said "I know I'm not stupid you can't believe anything on TV" my whole family laughed for the next five minutes.

 

[Whitebear]

My first comment about this article is they are right, they need to take their gripes to Global Geo. They will be harder on the airboater than either the game warden or anyone else will. They don't like negative press, period.

Folks should keep in mind that the hired airboat drivers for these companies don't own the boats. The fleet belongs to the operators and they don't add anything for sound reduction as it takes away weight that could be hauled in cables or explosives. These boats are stripped down completely. Ours didn't even have lights on them.

Drivers are always under a time line which means they drive fast all the time not just sometimes. Get that next hole. Drillers are paid by the foot, and that next hole is 120 feet so its dollars plain and simple.

I have worked that exact area but we didn't use individual airboats in the bay we used the 3 engine 26+ foot boats that drill and haul their own powder (pentolite) [ Nobody has used dynomite in 30 years]. We used barges for the recording cables. We only very ocassionally had run ins with the local folks. Most of the time everyone was aware where we were operating and told ahead of time to be careful we run hard and fast. When a driver did have a runin he was harshly sanctioned and threatened with firing the first time, never saw a repeat with the same driver.

EDIT: Very few of the seismic airboat drivers are CG licensed Captains. They are just folks who know how to run an airboat and want to get paid for it. The only way to keep them out of trouble out there is to make sure they have more work than they can do all day long, so they don't have time to cause trouble. This is the Support airboats and the Recorders boats. The Powder boats and the drillers airboats do have some CG captains licenses among them. There is also a HUGE difference in the manner in which they operate a boat. Most drillers and powder-men are professionals and the airboating is a side feature of their employment, they are drillers and explosives experts first, airboaters second. They dont have time to deal with troubles with the locals so they don't cause trouble, they want the dollars not the headaches.

This article is just looking for words to fill the space its a non event, most likely a result of a bar room chat somewhere with the writer. What is sad is that folks read this and think it is the way the seismic industry works. it isn't.

Scotty

 

[Olf Art]

Hog, that is one pretty mess o' fish ..... nice looking rig behind you too.

olf

 

[lil_armond]

Just a bunch of liberal panty waste propaganda. It's typical of the media to twist things for an underlying agenda. All I can say is there are a$$h**@s that drive all types of boats. I my self drive safely and courtiously and treat every one fairly but the first time a boater takes my goodwill and treads on it he's taking a bath.

 

[cowboy]

Waterthunder,
Of all the things you have said you have done on here.
Of all the things you have shared that you know.....

That exchange with you daughter above is the most impressive thing I have ever heard you say youv'e done.

Nice job!

Airboaters are by and large just plain a better class of people.
No doubt in my mind.

 

[Olf Art]

I agree 100% with you on that, Cowboy.
That was an impressive piece of Daddy-work, Thunder. Good for you.

olf

 

[Waterthunder]

Thanks guy's I mean it, I know being a good father is the most important thing I will ever do with my life. I try to expose her to as much info and life I can and hopefully give her enough information that she can make the right decisions on her own. I tell you what she caught a Red fish, Trout, and a Snook with in three hours when we were fishing. I have a bunch of fishing friends that ain't done that. It was awesome I think I enjoyed it as much as her.

 

[cntry141iq]

GOOD JOB DAVE and yes they do notice and remember I posted on here before about my kid, how she really did appreciate all I taught her even if I thought at the time she wsn't noticing it.

I aint gonna go into the mushy stuff now, but KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK, now about them dyno's ... LOL

 

[cowboy]

That Flat's Slam don't suprise me.
That's what always happens when you take a girl fishing!