One more...the guy that bounced his runabout off the trailer made me think of this. I have had a 12 foot v-bow for years that I throw in the bed of my truck for shallow lakes and ponds I duck hunt. One year we were staying at my mother-in-laws during opening weekend of duck season so I had the old v-bow loaded up for a few days just sitting there strapped down. So when it came time to go, I never thought anything about checking the ratchet strap that was holding it down in the truck. Heading out of town hit some railroad tracks and hear an awful racket behind me. Turn around to see my 12 footer standing straight up in the center of park avenue and then almost in slow motion fall over bottom of the boat up. Decoys, battery box, shotgun shells, trolling motor, and that Interstate battery I talked about buying alllllll over the place! Luckily it was 3 am and no one was around. I quickly gathered what was salvageable and loaded it all up and got the heck out of town. Lost a few decoys, one battery box, possibly a few shotgun shells and that Interstate battery, which by the way looked strangely similar to a pancake. What had happened is that it had rained for three days and the nylon ratchet strap had stretched while sitting out there, so by the time I headed out to hunt it was just hanging there. Now days I check things over and over. And by the way, the second Interstate battery is still going strong....and looks nothing like a pancake.
Chris