Sink that SIB...

Alangaq · 13 November 2009, 21:57

Prairie tuber’s deer hunting adventure made me recall a number of interesting discussions I have had with local Alaska SIBers….

I have found that during discussions with several friends and colleagues’ about different hunting and fishing opportunities afforded to SIB owners, the topic will always eventually turn into some horrific cautionary tale of woe and despair regarding run away inflatable’s torn loose from their anchorage or moorings by high wind and waves, or worse….bears and SIB’s….

Apparently bears love SIB’s like tornados love trailer parks and cannot resist sinking their claws and teeth into the nice bouncy tubes much to the eventual horror of the poor soul relying on said SIB for transportation back to civilization….. I have even had the displeasure of being shown photo evidence of such activity and although I strongly doubt fraud on the story tellers’ part, the pictures of the SIB could just as well be those of a demolished hang glider, blimp or fuel cell for all I could tell….. the destruction was so complete as to make a positive identification difficult at best, and repairs without a doubt, impossible!

Naturally this information has struck a chord of paranoia with me, as I intend to use my SIB extensively for fishing and hunting, and those activities being what they are, will almost always leave some sort of scent behind imbedded in the nicks and crannies of the SIB and seeped into the gaps in the floor boards. A little fish slime, some animal blood… and you got yourself a nice bear attractant! Some of the guys claim, that even a thorough cleaning with citrus based cleaners will never completely remove the lingering scent of fish slime…..

So in regards to safely storing or mooring a SIB while camping/hunting in remote fresh water lakes to prelude destruction from bears, I have received the following recommendations from no less that 4 individuals…. Sink it!

At first I considered this advice preposterous at best, and although none of the 4 individuals that recommended it have ever actually done it, they all claim to know someone, or have personally seen someone do it. Apparently the technique goes something like this: Remove the Motor, gas cans and everything else from the SIB and store them in a concealed place on the bank. Pile several hundred pounds of rocks inside the SIB and evenly placed across all the floor boards. With chest waders on, walk the SIB out to about a depth of 4 feet of water and open the valves starting with the inflatable keel first. Raising or “re-floating” is essentially the opposite….

Those that are supposedly “in the know” claim this is the best method to use when leaving the SIB for several days or in extremely windy and rough conditions that would preclude off shore anchoring. Some claim that it is done more to conceal ones presence from other hunting parties more so than to prevent destruction from bears, but either way, they claim it is very effective.

My question for you guys, is that before I ever seriously consider intentionally sinking my boat…. I would like to hear first hand from someone who has done it, and SUCSESSFULY refloated their SIB. So…. Has anyone actually done this?

chewy · 14 November 2009, 08:01

Sounds like bollocks to me, how long is the hose on your pump?

Cookee · 14 November 2009, 08:37

Sounds like a lot of work to me!

bazza · 14 November 2009, 11:44

Wouldn't it be easier to over inflate it so it floats up and tie a rope to the top of a tree and then to get it down BLAST it with a shotgun?

A quick patch and you're on your way....

willk · 14 November 2009, 13:44

Clicky

It would certainly seem that bears have an affinity for boats...

The process of sinking a SIB seems fraught with problems, two that occur to me are water ingress to the tubes after it sinks and having to put your head under the icy water to re-float the damn thing.

I'd experiment with tightly rolling a deflated SIB on shore, closing the valves and sandwiching it between the floor sections, sinking the whole bundle with secured stones in about 2 feet of water

The Garfish · 14 November 2009, 14:25

Quote:

Originally Posted by Alangaq

Apparently bears cannot resist sinking their claws and teeth into the nice bouncy tubes

inn mi kwest too ridd de werld ov ribbs an ribnobburs i lyke de sownd ov dis.

wher cann i rennt/biy/borow/steel a bare. preferubly a grizzly fkker

Quote:

Originally Posted by willk

in about 2 feet of water

downt bee a twatt yew twatt. bares can swimm

Alangaq · 14 November 2009, 19:29

Quote:

Originally Posted by chewy

Sounds like bollocks to me, how long is the hose on your pump?

just under 6 foot. If you pumped it while hooking it to the valve there wouldnt be any apreciable amount of water ingress into the tube... in theory

Alangaq · 14 November 2009, 19:31

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cookee

Sounds like a lot of work to me!

Indeed it does.... If it would work, I think it would only be a viable option if you planned on leaving it unattended for 4 days or more....

Alangaq · 14 November 2009, 19:35

Quote:

Originally Posted by willk

Clicky

It would certainly seem that bears have an affinity for boats...

The process of sinking a SIB seems fraught with problems, two that occur to me are water ingress to the tubes after it sinks and having to put your head under the icy water to re-float the damn thing.

I'd experiment with tightly rolling a deflated SIB on shore, closing the valves and sandwiching it between the floor sections, sinking the whole bundle with secured stones in about 2 feet of water

That may be an option!? with it sunk in 4 foot of water (valves will still be about 2 and a half feet under) you shouldnt have to dunk your head....) and the valves are suposedly closed off before they are totaly deflated preventing water ingress.... in theory

I have also been reading some pretty encouraging stuff about portable electric fences that have become more and more popular up here. I guess they run off of D cell batteries and can deliver a mighty shock for a week or more.... will be looking into that as it sounds like the best option yet.

Alangaq · 14 November 2009, 19:36

Quote:

Originally Posted by bazza

Wouldn't it be easier to over inflate it so it floats up and tie a rope to the top of a tree and then to get it down BLAST it with a shotgun?

A quick patch and you're on your way....

yes, but only if I had a wind bag like you to fill it with HOT air so that it would float!

Alangaq · 14 November 2009, 19:38

[QUOTE=The Garfish;326034] inn mi kwest too ridd de werld ov ribbs an ribnobburs i lyke de sownd ov dis.

wher cann i rennt/biy/borow/steel a bare. preferubly a grizzly fkker

Ahhhhh.... yea sure, just send me your address and I will see what I can do.......??

willk · 14 November 2009, 19:43

Quote:

Originally Posted by Alangaq

with it sunk in 4 foot of water (valves will still be about 2 and a half feet under) you shouldnt have to dunk your head.... in theory

You might want to practice somewhere cosy that before you go live. Either you have a different morphology to others or you're gonna get very wet and cold.

Waders full of water are not a good plan!

bazza · 14 November 2009, 22:36

Quote:

Originally Posted by Alangaq

yes, but only if I had a wind bag like you to fill it with HOT air so that it would float!

?

Well if you are going to ask F£$%**G stupid questions what do you expect?

Why not sink it with the density of your brain coz obviously you don't use it when you are out and about.

Alangaq · 15 November 2009, 06:02

Quote:

Originally Posted by bazza

?

Well if you are going to ask F£$%**G stupid questions what do you expect?

Why not sink it with the density of your brain coz obviously you don't use it when you are out and about.

Hmmmm, ya know bazza….. where I plan to go, and the things I plan to do with my SIB, my question may seem fairly far out… but I think it’s legitimate. If you disagree, and think it’s a stupid question, then why bother posting a reply? In your previous post, I gave you the benefit of the doubt and figured you were just yanking my chain and decided to play along.

So maybe it’s just that you are a bit sensitive and can’t take playful banter as well as you can dish it out? Not a problem little turtle…. Just pm me with your address and I will send you some turtle wax to toughen up your shell a bit!

prairie tuber · 15 November 2009, 07:02

The bear-slashed inflatable boat scenario is a concern that has been in the back of my mind for some time. Bears absolutely love vinyl & foam rubber and frequently chew up the seats of ATVs, tree stand & so on.

The idea of sinking a SIB (especially a largish one) would be a major hassle. I think that getting the SIB onto dry ground and using a D cel battery operated electric fence would be far simpler and quicker to set up. There are a few outfits that offer them at prices typically ranging from ~$250 - 400. Here is a link to one example of these fences;

http://www.electrobearguard.com/Product.html

willk · 15 November 2009, 11:08

Quote:

Originally Posted by prairie tuber

http://www.electrobearguard.com/Product.html

Look see, my fellow euroweenies, this is what these men have to contend with. You won't find a shelf of Bearguard down yer local Homebase or Woodies will you?

Box of Bearguard sir? Certainly sir, third aisle over, just between the Big Guns and the Wide Open Spaces...

prairie tuber · 15 November 2009, 12:34

Will, you would be most welcome out here anytime! I've always fancied to think of the UK folk as being distinctly different (much more down to earth) than the majority of continental Eurounionistas. The UK should just break away from the EU and declare themselves to be a whole separate continent!

Stoo · 15 November 2009, 14:16

Many years ago, a friend of mine (a Brit no less) used a 14' SIB as a lift bag to salvage a 32' sail boat. They used a tug to approach but eventually stuffed the deflated SIB into the cabin of the yacht and used a SCUBA cylinder to partially inflate the SIB, thereby re-floating the sailboat. Once it was up, they pumped her out, deflated and removed their SIB and all was good.

It's simple enough to rig up an inflator from a dive tank... you just need to be careful not to overinflate the boat.

I suspect that sinking a SIB to hide it from bears would be a good plan, the most difficult part would be getting enough air out of the SIB to be able to actually sink it...

Alangaq · 15 November 2009, 14:59

Quote:

Originally Posted by prairie tuber

The bear-slashed inflatable boat scenario is a concern that has been in the back of my mind for some time. Bears absolutely love vinyl & foam rubber and frequently chew up the seats of ATVs, tree stand & so on.

The idea of sinking a SIB (especially a largish one) would be a major hassle. I think that getting the SIB onto dry ground and using a D cel battery operated electric fence would be far simpler and quicker to set up. There are a few outfits that offer them at prices typically ranging from ~$250 - 400. Here is a link to one example of these fences;

http://www.electrobearguard.com/Product.html

my thoughts exactly! I have been reading some good reviews on a local forum about thier use, and other than the danger of staggering into one whilst out for a drunken waas in the middle of the night, they should be perfect!

Alangaq · 15 November 2009, 15:31

Quote:

Originally Posted by willk

Look see, my fellow euroweenies, this is what these men have to contend with. You won't find a shelf of Bearguard down yer local Homebase or Woodies will you?

Box of Bearguard sir? Certainly sir, third aisle over, just between the Big Guns and the Wide Open Spaces...

Now willk, that there is some funny stuff! I have always found the UK to be an interesting contradiction between extremely civilized culture and an unnecessarily hard life….

Friendly and kind people… very civilized
Beautiful landscape
Colorful history
Amazing architecture
Great food (despite everything I had ever been told)
The best beer on the planet (IPA or Bitter)
Low crime rate (personal crime)

So why does it have to be so hard…..?
Insane infrastructure (you guys should bomb Rome for some well overdue revenge)
Wacky road system (is there a 10k strait North South, or East West road anywhere in your country?)
Doors and door knobs that work backwards…
Weird open gutters on the street…. Great for taking a post pub waas….if it weren’t for all the cop cameras..
The biggest electrical wall sockets on the planet! Geeze… all I wanna do is power a lap top, not tryin to jump start a jumbo jet!

But at least you aint got to worry about dangerous critters there… no big cats, bears, gators etc. but I did run across a rather large pierced and tattooed girl in a Dover pub that looked like she could cause some real trama…….

;-} Cheers!