LAKE OF THE OZARKS, Mo. — A boat sank at the 22.5 Mile Marker on Thursday, after the boat lift’s hoist arm reportedly broke.

A crew from Lake Tow was called to the dock on the main channel, and found a early-1990s 270 Baja nose-up, almost completely submerged in the Lake.

Sunken Baja

Dave Anderson, of Lake Tow, said when the lift broke, the boat slid off the back, into the water. Because of the angle, the rear vents became submerged, Anderson explained, and water filled the hull. He pointed out the dock’s location on the main channel meant the lift was subjected to especially rough water.

Anderson said the crew ran into a challenge when they were pumping out water and floating the boat with airbags: it “turtled” — meaning it flipped upside-down as it came to the surface.

Sunken Baja

Eventually, the crew was able to flip the boat right side up and tow it to a service center.

Towing The Sunken Baja

Anderson said these kinds of incidents are surprisingly common. “It happens on a pretty regular basis,” he said, noting his crew has already raised four or five boats this year that sank for the same reason. He said the incident should be instructive for all dock owners to regularly ensure their lifts are solid and functioning correctly.


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