Other Sunk Ski in Lake Erie...how do we find it...

motozachl

uPsiDeDoWn
Location
JAX
It must be a pile of chit to loose a ski, buy a expensive fish finder and find nothing.
Its freakin depressing, sold the wheels off my car to get it

I agree, that 2nd star (farther out) is probably it. We need to locate that again and dive there...but not randomly...with the hummingbird running. It is hard to find a location out there. Zach, let us know when your going out again and we'll bring wetsuits and dive down there with ropes. Yes, that shallow star is in 1 foot of water....so doubt that is it, if the location is correct. It would actually be sticking up out of the water.
Actually it was about 5ft deep where it picked up the shallow star. I would need a boat that I can actually hook this sonar unit better too, the images were a bit distorted and unclear. That farther star was a little more west than what I drew

Zach, are the stars ACTUAL locations or are they drawn in where you think they were??
I drew them because my route didn't save when I got back home.
 
Its freakin depressing, sold the wheels off my car to get it


Actually it was about 5ft deep where it picked up the shallow star. I would need a boat that I can actually hook this sonar unit better too, the images were a bit distorted and unclear. That farther star was a little more west than what I drew


I drew them because my route didn't save when I got back home.

Dang it...! I wish I was there I really think I could help.

I used to have this unit a few years back before I sold that boat and bought a new one and installed Lowrance equipment. I know you can save waypoint and tracks, but I think you need to insert a memory card into the slot. You should be able to mark points of interest directly on the screen and then look at the map and it will have the point displayed right where you marked it, including the GPS coordinate. Any small hump or "rock" should be marked. Then using downscan run over them and take a second look. Also, the transducer is sensitive to movement so it needs to be mounted as stationary as possible to get the best image.

I really hope you can find your ski, especially after all this trouble you have been through to find it. If you cant find it, someone will buy the sonar back from you or maybe you can return it so all is not lost there.

Keep positive, I know you have the right tool to find it!
 
Ok ... Mount your transducer an aluminum or steal angle or a 2x4 or what ever to hold it steady. Use a c-clamp to hold it to the transom..... Matt is right you must mark your hits. I would mark them with a good weighted float along with your gps in the unit or a hand held..


Additionally there are predominate currents and winds for your area. Seek out That info so you can adjust your search area after you cover the primary area .
 

motozachl

uPsiDeDoWn
Location
JAX
Ok ... Mount your transducer an aluminum or steal angle or a 2x4 or what ever to hold it steady. Use a c-clamp to hold it to the transom..... Matt is right you must mark your hits. I would mark them with a good weighted float along with your gps in the unit or a hand held...

the transducer is sensitive to movement so it needs to be mounted as stationary as possible to get the best image.

I know for sure the sonar would've worked a million times better if I was allowed to hook it up correctly. Attaching it to the ladder was retarded as hell and picked up tons of washout from the prop
 

jacintoacuna

Ill quit before i sit
Location
so cal
if i lived near there id go dive for you and find it. im a certified diver . im on the local fire station search and rescue team . im sure a ski would be easier to spot then a body.
 

motozachl

uPsiDeDoWn
Location
JAX
In my continued searching for the ski I have also been contacting multiple scuba, rescue, boating clubs/services. Well here's a downer I got this morning

Sorry for the delay in getting back to you Zack. It would cost too much for you to hire us for this effort but I hope you find it. Here are a few things to consider:

Fiberglass is transparent to the frequency of sonar waves you are using. Only the metal parts will reflect the energy and give you a return.

in ten feet of water your effective sidelook distance is about 50 feet.

The jet ski will still have some bouyancy underwater due to displacement so it will not be as heavy as you think.

If you lost it in 7 footers in shallow water it has probably move a considerable distance from where you lost it, up to miles depending on the current and wave action.

Would not be surprised if its in more than one piece.

Sorry to be so dour but we have seen a few things over the years.

Let me know if you find it I will be interested in the story of the search.

Good Luck,


David M. VanZandt, MMA, RPA
Director/Chief Archaeologist
Cleveland Underwater Explorers Inc. (CLUE)
 

motozachl

uPsiDeDoWn
Location
JAX
Yeah I clearly saw lots of rocks and they aren't metal. I am making a rig, that should be done this evening, and taking out a jetski to scan the area on Weds/Thursday.
 
From what I have found on Google:

The speed of sound through fiberglass nearly matches the speed of sound through water, so the sonar can’t really tell the difference between the two substances. Very little signal power is lost as a result.

However, your ski is not completely hollow. There is a motor, fuel tank, etc...so these items as well as the steering will reflect. So the object will probably not "look" exactly like a ski, but it will look like a couple of rocks close together or something similar. That is why all points of interest should be marked and further identified if possible.

Oh and about the reflections - yes, wood, fish, rocks, and many other materials will reflect nicely. He is just saying the metal in your ski, and not the fiberglass, will give the most visible and obvious reflections for what it is made of. This is true.

I also was thinking that the search area needed to be expanded, but several miles? Wow that would suck...A needle in a haystack comes to mind.

I still don't know, it seems many of the guys that have found their ski's were found all close or exactly on the spot they sunk them. Yes it was rough the day you lost it, and I don't know how much of a difference that would make.
 
Last edited:
FYI, I spent 2 hours with the local sheriff department and they have one of the best side scanning sonar systems you can buy on their boats, and we drove over where I found the ski several times and didn't even get fuzz. There system also tracks where you have gone, so we did not cover just one spot. I hope that I am completely wrong, and you find it with your system, but I think a helicopter on a clear calm day will be your best bet. I just don't know how many of those days you get on lake erie.
 
I really wish i was there man I still have all my USMC DIVE gear with fins twin 80s my dive compass and plot chart i can cover 5 k square in a day lake erie isn't Spit compared to some of the search and rescue dives I've had to do. We had an AAV sink 3 miles off coast of Okinawa in 06 They sent 3rd recon to find it and rescue the .50 cal and 240G it took me and another diver in 40 ft of water with a typhoon coming in a week the water was like a washing machine and pitch black I'm used to diving at night. 3 days after we salvaged the guns off the AAV it was crushed by 30 ft waves on a reef. U cover my gas to drive back and 4th to NC and air tanks And I Guarantee I will find it. Or ill give you money back. This is zack wayton call if ur interested 419-320-7529
 
I really wish i was there man I still have all my USMC DIVE gear with fins twin 80s my dive compass and plot chart i can cover 5 k square in a day lake erie isn't Spit compared to some of the search and rescue dives I've had to do. We had an AAV sink 3 miles off coast of Okinawa in 06 They sent 3rd recon to find it and rescue the .50 cal and 240G it took me and another diver in 40 ft of water with a typhoon coming in a week the water was like a washing machine and pitch black I'm used to diving at night. 3 days after we salvaged the guns off the AAV it was crushed by 30 ft waves on a reef. U cover my gas to drive back and 4th to NC and air tanks And I Guarantee I will find it. Or ill give you money back. This is zack wayton call if ur interested 419-320-7529


Sounds like your knight in shining armour showed up, I'd be all over that offer like white on rice!
 

Proformance1

Liquid Insanity
Location
New York Crew
Lake Erie is super clear on this end after it settles down a few days. Trouble is the ski color and the time it has been down and covered with silt, sand etc. I believe you will find it but you need to listen to everyone and not do one method of search, take the diver, use sonar, get a chopper. It will turn up and most likely not miles away from what others have discovered.

BTW you were ripping it on some of the waves, get it back!
 
Last edited:
Top Bottom