How to load a boat....

[Jim Fenton]

...onto a pickup truck:

1. Load up beer.
2. Hook boat trailer (with boat) onto truck.
3. Drink lots of beer.
4. Drive real fast.
5. Hit light pole (needs to be a good, solid one).
6. Boat will then load itself onto truck.

[derf]

this way you can drive the truck into the water then report it stolen,though the pole messed that.hate when those things run out in front of you.

[Jim Fenton]

Funny you mention that scenario. This story isn't the same scenario exactly but close.

I had a good friend through-out High School that not long after he was married and the rug-rats started coming along, he found himself struggling to make ends meet. (sound familiar?).

He had a nearly new Cadillac at the time that was a lemon and was costing him a considerable amount of money everytime he turned around for repairs. He was also upside down in the loan so he owed more than it was worth.

I was working as a manager at a salvage yard in Largo at the time and we were still hanging out together. I had previously mentioned all of the late model and new burn jobs that we were getting from the various insurance companies that were totaled when the "insurance wire" caught fire. That was the term the adjuster used when they knew the owner burned it down intentionally to collect the insurance but they couldn't prove it. These cars were being burned down for usually the very same reason.

Of course these conversations led to this being a possible solution to my friend's dilemma. However, I cautioned him to rethink going that route because I also knew that the insurance companies were vigorously starting to go to great lengths to pursue these individuals in order to be able to bring charges and prosecute them instead of just continuing to roll over and shell out the money.

This led to the discussion of possible 'safer' options to which I informed him that a harder to prove method to total a vehicle without endangering yourself was what we called a "wet" total, which of course is a vehicle that's been totally submerged by flood or whatever.

We discussed the best possible way to submerge a car locally that was believable which we eventually came up with the boat ramp idea. That is, after launching your boat, you "mistakenly" still have the car in reverse when you stab the throttle to pull out of the ramp, hence, you drive backwards into the water, panic, and bail out of the car before it goes completely under while shrieking to all of the bystanders what a dumb-a&& attack you just had.

We even discussed variables and details that might prevent total success such as being sure the trailer was straight with the car so it didn't jackknife and keep the car from going totally into the water, being sure the boat was unstrapped from the trailer so it would float and separate (he actually put his wife in the boat as he always did anyway), and last but not least I told him to make sure all of the windows were down so it wouldn't float longer risking some hero at the ramp possibly hooking to it and pulling it back in before going completely under.

Believe me, this fellow was very passive in nature and I never once thought he would actually do this. All of this so-called "plan" was hatched over several poker games after the races always supported by several ounces of liquid courage.

Low and behold, I get a call a few weeks later from him: "I did it, I did it!"

He had just left the boat ramp in St. Petersburg (next to Bay Pines Hospital) after completing the police report and waiting for the wrecker guy to retrieve the car. It worked perfectly. His only complaint was that the car took longer than he thought to go down. He said if there hadn't of been so many people around he would've swam back out and jumped up and down on it to help it go down.

A little comical footnote to this story; Coincidentally, this vehicle ended up at the same salvage yard I was managing at the time. The owners of the salvage yard had no idea of the background of this "total" until I confessed my involvement when it came in. I had never knowingly been involved in any fraudulent activity and, even though I never for a minute thought this guy would do this, I was very concerned about my involvement with this incident. Their only comment: "Couldn't you have told him to back it into fresh water instead of saltwater!"

DISCLAIMER: This not an endorsement for any fraudulent activity. For anyone reading this and getting any bright ideas, I was young and very ignorant at the time. This was a very stupid thing to do and could've cost injuries not to speak of what this type of activity does to our insurance rates. Believe me, we all end up paying for money lost from the insurance companies as a result of these types of activities.

Sorry for the novel folks. I hate long reads and here I go creating one.

[Old Sunshine Fan]

While We Telling Old Stories

A buddy of mine (from good ole Pinellas Park) had a vehicle that was upside down in value as well.
His big claim to fame was going to the Dog Track in Tpa, while inside with his Dad, Brother and ME, this clever guy had someone steal his truck (non of us were aware of this - trust me on this one).
A couple hours later, he went out to get something and came back yelling and screaming, he reported it to the cops, had his Dad and I paged to go to the security office.
The minute I heard what had "Happened".. I knew it was bull, but just sat there and watched the show. He never batted an eye when he signed the police report (even when the cop explained what could happen if he was involved).
Bottom Line.. at that time, the truck was already up in Brooksville and set on fire...
Here's the good part... insurance WAS going to pay for truck, my buddy got a HUGE bill from the fire department involved... cost for each truck and each man... Insurance started smelling more than smoke and finally denied the claim... BUT, my buddy died of natural causes before he got the bad nuews.
His estate had to pay for everything (truck, fire trucks and firemen)
Guess that's what you get when you lie to the cops (and infront of your own Dad as well)

OSF:

[Jim Fenton]

BUT, my buddy died of natural causes before he got the bad nuews.

Anybody do a autopsy? Maybe ur buddy didn't give the bad-guy his cut?!? LOL