Monster truck spotted in the Gulf. YouTube star pulls off stunt off Anna Maria Island
It’s not unusual for folks who are in town on other business to take some time to head to Anna Maria Island for some boating, but when that boat is a monster truck, it’s bound to draw attention.
YouTube personality WhistlinDiesel, otherwise known as Cody Detwiler, was in town for an event at DeSoto Speedway, which was purchased by another YouTube star, Cleetus McFarland, in January.
Before the sun came up on Sunday, WhistlinDiesel and his crew unloaded Monstermax, a converted Ford pickup truck, in preparation to enter Sarasota Bay for an eventual journey into the Gulf of Mexico.
By the time daylight surfaced, authorities began showing up on scene to inform the YouTube personality that he couldn’t use the public boat ramp to assemble his monster truck.
“You can’t be doing that in a boat ramp parking lot,” an unidentified man tells Detwiler in an 18-minute video he posted on YouTube.
Detwiler simply responds, “Yeah, we’re going in the water.”
After a brief exchange, and an eventual conversation with the man’s supervisor, Detwiler explains that his monster truck is registered as an aquatic vessel.
The stunt almost went awry because the truck is registered as a boat in Indiana and Florida laws require vessel registrations to be painted on the side of the vessel. Detwiler complied and painted his registration number on the truck and they were ready to roll into Sarasota Bay.
“We always talked about going into the ocean with Monstermax and today is the day. ... This is going to be fun,” Detwiler said into the camera.
Law enforcement was soon on scene and appeared to be looking for something that would say what Detwiler was doing is illegal, but as Detwiler began inching down the boat ramp, he said, “I’m nervous man, we’re going into the ocean right now.”
A good portion of the video shows a slow ride as the eight massive tires spin freely in open water, keeping the truck afloat.
“Of all the things I’ve dreamed in life, I never thought I’d be driving my truck in the Gulf of Mexico,” he said.
At one point, Detwiler hits cruise control and climbs on top of his truck to enjoy the ride and the view.
The truck topped out at about a half knot and struggled against the tide flow. A tow boat on standby was needed here and there, especially as the truck made its way under the Cortez Bridge and into the Gulf. The drawbridge raised as a precaution and there were a couple of tense moments as the massive tires came close to grazing the bridge pilings.
It was the same on the way back in as the truck traversed the tight space between pilings under the bridge spanning Longboat Pass. Even a small bump against the pilings would have caused the need for a bridge inspection and a possible $25,000 fine.
Ultimately, the stunt was successful, but it came to an end when deputies on a sheriff’s office boat informed Detwiler that the registration number on the side of his truck did not come back to the actual truck.
Detwiler was ticketed $70 for improper registration.
In closing out his video, he asked that Florida makes it waterways, “More truck friendly.”
This story was originally published November 17, 2020 at 10:12 AM with the headline "Monster truck spotted in the Gulf. YouTube star pulls off stunt off Anna Maria Island."