RedactedNarrative: Operator No. 1 stated: 
  "On Monday, Jan 13, 2020, myself and two friends were leaving the marina for a duck hunt. We had scouted the previous day and had no issues with the boat. We had just traveled from South Carolina the night before, driving through some intense rainstorms. 
  
  The morning of the hunt, my 20ft Mako was loaded down with hunting gear. We were aware that the tide was low as it was low tide the previous afternoon during the scouting trip. The boat, as it typically does at launch, took just a small dip of water through the scuppers in the transom. 
  
  All members of the hunting party boarded the boat and we made our way out of the marina. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary operationally and being dark, we didn't notice the boat sitting any differently in the water. As we were exiting the marina through the channel, the boat was hitting bottom and the motor was stirring up mud. 
  
  I trimmed up the motor and water began to fill in the back of the boat through the scuppers. At that point we knew the boat was in trouble. Knowing the water depth to be knee deep, we began unloading gear from the boat and walking it over to the beach just 30 yards away. I was unable to plug the scuppers because the plugs had washed out from the transom tray. Historically this boat has never had water accumulate inside the hull so functionality of the bilge pump has never been an issue. This boat collects surface water on the deck and it is washed through holes in the transom (scuppers). It is my best guess that during our travels, we accumulated a large amount of rain water, through drain holes, into the hull. 
  
  With the boat loaded down with gear and hunters, we took on just enough water during launch to upset the balance of the hull. Once the boat was emptied, we then focused on salvaging the rig. We contacted the marine police and Sea Tow. These calls were made around 5am. The Marine Police showed up and determined we were all safe. Sea Tow said it would cost us $3400 to have the boat moved but also that we would need to call them back at 8am. We devised and implemented our own plan to recover the boat. We worked to get the boat pushed out of the channel to the nearest beach. Then waited for the tide to rise and fall. We purchased new plugs for the scupper holes and at low tide were able to pump out enough water to float the vessel. We then paddled it back to the nearby marina and trailered the boat. We returned to South Carolina Friday night." 
  
  Investigation revealed: 
  Upon our arrival, Vessel No. 1 was partially submerged and aground at Graveling Point. The engine cowling, center console and sections of the gunnel were visible. Vessel No. 1 was launched from Great Bay Marina and traveled south to the stick channel that leads to the Graveling Point area of Great Bay in Little Egg Harbor Twp, Ocean County. 
  
  Vessel No. 1 began flooding due to the following factors: the hull being weighed down by the captured rainfall with no drain plug removal to allow the evacuation of rain water, the scooping of more water into the rear portion during launch, the weight of the persons and equipment on board, the absence of a working bilge pump, and a lack of speed and/or angle to allow the scuppers to perform properly. 
  
  When Vessel No. 1 became swamped at Graveling Point, Operator No. 1 and the two occupants then removed the equipment from the vessel in knee deep water and brought it ashore, secured Vessel No. 1 and then walked to shore and back to their vehicle to report the incident and request assistance. 
  SSgt. and I arrived on scene in State Police Vessel 2903. We surveyed the grounded vessel at Graveling Point then made our way to Great Bay Marina were we met with the parties involved. I obtained a brief statement and their biographical information as well as their plan for safely removing the vessel at high tide, 15:30 hrs. We then departed the scene and returned to Atlantic City Station. 
  
  We returned to the scene at 14:30 hrs to make sure the vessel was secured and would not drift into a navigable channel. The vessel was still in the same place where we left it and we departed the scene. I later checked with the owner to ascertain whether the salvage operation was successful, to which he replied it was and he had the vessel trailered and being checked by a local marine mechanic for damage. He later found out from the mechanic the engine was damaged and the vessel was unusable for the trip. He and his party later returned to South Carolina without further incident.
  