RedactedNarrative: On 10/10/14 I, Officers were dispatched to a vessel crash that had occurred in Lofton Creek in Nassau Co. A vessel, FL8791P a 45' steel hull houseboat, was being operated by Operator in Lofton Creek.  The vessel was going with a strong outgoing tide.  Operator was operating on one side of the creek that has numerous private docks.  The creek is not very wide and Operator had been told to operate on the same side of the creek as the docks due to the lack of water depth on the opposite side of the creek.  Operator noticed he was getting close to a dock and needed to turn.  The stern of his vessel went under a floating dock. The vessel tore the floating dock from the rest of the dock.  The crash caused the dock pilings to be weakened and completely removed one piling. A mooring ring was torn off along with damage to cleats and the brow to the floating dock was found floating in the creek.  Owner’s father thought repairs would be in the range of $5000.00.  Once the crash occurred Operator left the helm to try and push the vessel off the dock.  He ended up in the water and his wife took the helm.  He was able to get back to the vessel and moor to a friends dock.  The floating dock that had been broken away hit another dock.   The floats under the deck of this dock were damaged and the dock was bowed inward.  This owner thought the dock repairs would be in the range of $2600..  The adrift floating dock then continued down the creek before coming to rest on another dock.  That owner said that he did not notice any damage to his dock.   Operator vessel had minor damage to the edge of the roof.  The damage was less than $10.00. 
  
  The crash had several contributing factors.  The vessel was moving with a strong outgoing current.  The vessel is a 45 foot steel hull and  has a top speed of less than 10 mph and was operating close to the docks. The weight of the vessel, horsepower of the vessel along with going with the current hampered the handling characteristics of the vessel