RedactedNarrative: On Sunday the 6th Day of September 2020, I was headed into Cotten''s Marina to park my patrol boat in the slip when I observed the owner. I asked him how he was doing and he stated that his rental boat operator called him stating they had ran aground and he had been looking for them for 2 hours. 
  
  He finally figured out that they were above Hennessee Bridge on the Collins River.  I told him I would go to the area to attempt to locate them.  I drove above Hennessee Bridge and located the vessel.  
  
  Operator1 stated that he was driving up the Collins River at just above idle speed when he felt the vessel hit something.  He determined that the water level was very shallow and the prop struck rocks on the river bottom.  He stated that he had notified Cotten''s Marina that the boat was broken down and had been waiting for over 2 hours for help.  
  
  I  observed the damage to the prop at which time Owner arrived to tow the vessel.  Owner stated that his wife told Operator1 to not navigate the boat above Hennessee Bridge when Operator1 signed the rental agreement because the water level gets very shallow.  
  
  Operator1 stated to me that he did not know the area, and he didnt know that the water level gets shallow in that area.  The water was muddy and there are no warning signs or buoys to notify boaters of the hazards of shallow water.  
  
  In this area, the river is wide but the water depth turns into a shallow river.  Owner towed his rental pontoon to a nearby campground with a boat ramp and tied the vessel to the riverbank.  Passengers were taken back to Cotten''s Marina, and Owner later retrieved his rental pontoon vessel and took it back to his marina.  
  
  He stated that the prop would cost about $175 to repair so I did not get information from the passengers.  The next day, Monday September 7th, 2020, while patrolling Great Falls Reservoir, I asked Owner how the conversation went with the pontoon boat renters and he stated that he gave Operator1 a bill which included a new prop, tow bill, and the next day''s rental fee for a total of $980.  Owner stated that Operator1 refused to pay the bill.  Owner stated that he inspected the vessel again and found that the lower unit was also damaged and will need to be replaced at the expense of $3,500. I told him that a boating accident report would need to be filed.  This did occur on the Collins River located in Warren County.
  