I have no one to blame except myself and my own hubris.
I tried to prove that Flex Seal was not the only acceptable waterproof-type spray on the market. To prove the point, I cut a hole in the bottom of my trusty john boat, welded a screen door to it and sprayed over the screen material with an off-brand spray sealer I found at a local Flea Market.
I wanted to do a test run before I video'd it, so I went down to a nearby stripper pit, one that's about 200' deep, loaded all of my favorite firearms onto it, grabbed my paddle and backed out.
The good news is that it did last almost a minute before the sealant violently and unexpectedly gave way. The whole boat plummeted to the bottom of the pit, cargo and all.
I barely got away with my life. the suction was so powerful that I almost got pulled in with it.
This is the first time I've spoken of it. I was devastated and embarrassed. Yes, I should have tried without all my guns and ammo. But, I wanted to one-shot it with me standing in the boat, surrounded by what was obviously very valuable items. I've spent the past few months riding out a bout of depression at what I've lost. I feel like I've brought shame and disgrace to my family name for generations to come.
I haven't been to the gun store to replace anything. . .it's . . .it's just too painful.
I spoke to a couple of friends who are divers and they said that if they tried to dive that far, they'd lose their certification for an unsafe dive.
Oh! Woe! If it'd only been ten feet more shallow. . .there would be a chance! Curse the luck. Had I known. . .if only I'd have known!
Small steps. . .small steps.
One day at a time.
All I have left are a Savage 24 combo gun, a single shot .410 and an old, 9-shot J.C. Higgins revolver.
<breathe> - <breathe>
Crap. . .I thought I was over it. . .I'm not.
I'm gonna go sit back in the corner and cry for a while.
The Professor
I. . .I can't get the memory out of my mind as I desperately lunged for my cherished original Galil .308 AR, my fingertips barely brushing the barrel as the powerful, malevolent vortex of water whipped it out of my grasp, pulling it into the inky darkness below.
I can still feel the flash suppressor as it slid through my wet, slippery fingers. . .