Term for a floating log

[Maka]

Right, Dead Heads and Snags.
They are nearly impossible to see in daylight, never show up on Radar or Forward looking Sonar.



They are all over the PNW washed up on coastlines, to return to the open water in the next big storm.
They are technically "Hazards to Navigation" once they are in the water.

Their nomenclature changes once you have hit one with your boat.
But I cant type those words here according to forum rules.

[picklesandjesse]

After living on Ruxton Is in the Gulf Islands for 25 yrs and using our sailboat to commute for shopping etc we had many encounters with them. I was able to build our house from escapees from log booms as we had a portable bandsaw mill. One winter during the very high tides around Christmas we counted more than 500 logs in our bay at the north end of the island.

I really miss the great softwoods now I'm back in Oz. Almost impossible to get here and you need a lot of $$$. Don't miss the PNW weather though.

[KidSheeleen]

Most floating objects in SW Florida are: 1. Alligator 2. Manatee 3. bale of weed
4. dead drunk fisherman.

[Mike Banks]

Lazy politician in a safe seat. aka Dead Head.

[Sir_Crabs_A_Lot]

Years ago my new wife and I are motoring our trawler across the Juan de Fuca Straight approaching Cattle Pass. She was steering and I was below getting coffee.
She says "Honey, you should see this. There's a seagull standing on the water dead ahead!"
Me: "Uh-huh...." waitaminute, seagulls don't.... I'm topside in a flash and he flies away from a deadhead two boat lengths in front of us. I crank the wheel hard and miss it, then patiently explain to her what a deadhead is. Whew!

[valhalla360]

Coming down the Mississippi we mostly just called them logs. No one seemed confused by it.

Of course sometimes, they were whole trees, branches, roots, leaves and all...usually just said something like watch out for the tree.

[Dooglas]

Originally Posted by picklesandjesse

After living on Ruxton Is in the Gulf Islands for 25 yrs and using our sailboat to commute for shopping etc we had many encounters with them.

Wow, you lived on Ruxton Island. I remember summer cabins there but not many year round residences. You must have had a fair amount of it to yourself in the winter.

[picklesandjesse]

Originally Posted by Dooglas

Wow, you lived on Ruxton Island. I remember summer cabins there but not many year round residences. You must have had a fair amount of it to yourself in the winter.

Yes, sometimes us 3 plus 4 more. We were living like they did 150 years ago. No power, H2O, etc. hard in the winter. We had a few American friends drop by in the summer months. And we were homeschooling our kid. He never went to school in his life. Our place was/is in Herring Bay at the north end, still is as my son is a real Canadian and finds the Australian culture a bit raw. My now ex wife owns it !!! She has the $$$$.

[Macblaze]

Originally Posted by Sir_Crabs_A_Lot

Years ago my new wife and I are motoring our trawler across the Juan de Fuca Straight approaching Cattle Pass. She was steering and I was below getting coffee.
She says "Honey, you should see this. There's a seagull standing on the water dead ahead!"
Me: "Uh-huh...." waitaminute, seagulls don't.... I'm topside in a flash and he flies away from a deadhead two boat lengths in front of us. I crank the wheel hard and miss it, then patiently explain to her what a deadhead is. Whew!

Personally I believe that PNW seagulls are specially trained as log flaggers. No matter where we go, we will spot these hard-working birds faithfully pointing out floating obstacles, often to the point that they are competing for the privilege.

[admiralslater]

Originally Posted by Cheechako

To me a dead head is a partially or mostly submerged log. But maybe it's just a log. We have a lot of them up here in the PNW.
When I hear "deadhead" , I always think of one's I've seen that for some reason are submerged in a vertical position and ramming up and down out of the surface a few feet... for some reason all on their own!

[Dooglas]

Originally Posted by Macblaze

Personally I believe that PNW seagulls are specially trained as log flaggers. No matter where we go, we will spot these hard-working birds faithfully pointing out floating obstacles...…….

Exactly right!

[GaryBode]

https://www.boatingmag.com/when-to-u...an-or-securite

[C lectric]

Deadheads may actually lie totally covered just an inch or so under the surface. I have seen them, not many thank heaven. I almost hit one. Just luck I didn't. I just glanced out my window and saw it a foot or so away from the hull. The day was almost glassy water so I could see it as I passed it.
If I hadn't luckily missed it l would had no chance of seeing it.

They do not lose floatation all at once. They more slowly sink than we thinkl.. Less of a problem now than they used to be but still a problem.

[mario f]

I've heard them called 'Widow Makers'

[rmlarson1098]

Originally Posted by Stu Jackson

***king Deadhead


One caught me just last month.

I resemble that remark!
I've yet to see a log floating vertically at sea, but I've heard about them.
Most of our (inland waterways) deadheads were stuck in the mud on one end.
With the other end sticking out of the water a bit at a disastrous angle.