Click on this thread ONLY if you’ve done something stupid…

[Cleveland Steamer]

Today’s project was to change the oil in the engines. Normally I would do this myself but I’m 46 now. I just didn’t feel like climbing in and out of the boat to fetch tools and drain oil all myself. So I asked my brother to come over and be the person on the outside of the boat. We were talking about everything under the sun while accomplishing the mission.

I drained the oil in the first engine. Changed the filter and filled it up with fresh oil.

I changed the filter on the second engine and filled it up with fresh oil.

We were cleaning up and my brother looks at me and says “Did we drain the other engines oil?”….

Yup, I poured 4 quarts of Yamalube into my 2nd engine without sucking out the old oil. Luckily we caught it and didn’t run the engine. I don’t think I did any damage. Hopefully I only got oil in places that wouldn’t normally have oil and the engine smokes a little next year when I fire it up.

I feel SOOOO stupid!

 

[buckbuck]

Oh, thats not too bad. I think I can top that.

Years ago we were surfing on a river in IL. (River depth approximately 5'.) We stopped to eat lunch so I threw the anchor out. After lunch, my son in law wanted to surf so we start and I notice the boat is not "running" right. It seems to run well then suddenly bog down. At the same time my son in law calls out that there is something dark popping to the surface of the water between him and the boat. I shut down the session and then realize that I left the anchor out. It was bouncing off the muddy river bottom and coming close to inflicting alot of pain. I now keep the hatch open until I put the anchor away as a reminder.

OK, next guy step forward with a story.

 

[FSH 210 Sport]

All I have in regards to boating is forgetting to put the drain plug in. Kind of uneventful since the bilge pump was keeping ahead of it.

 

[YoDaddy292]

There have been many but one of the funnier ones was me trying to figure out why my boat kept stalling out after I got on plane. I pulled plugs, checked air filters, checked clean out ports, etc., etc for at least a half hour after multiple restarts and trying again. About the fourth time I noticed that my Ridesteady was set for 19mph for wakeboarding and hadn't shut it off. Now if I forget I know immediately.

 

[AZMark]

I havent done anything too bad on the water…transom straps still hooked up when launching, cleanout plugs not in place when launching, drain plug out after launching, leaving the ladder out.

Worst was backing into my RV garage with the door partially closed and initially thinking the sound was just my tandem axles creaking and not my tower bending the garage door. That one still hurts every time I see the damaged door. Luckily the boat didn’t take any damage.

 

[YoDaddy292]

I havent done anything too bad on the water…transom straps still hooked up when launching, cleanout plugs not in place when launching, drain plug out after launching, leaving the ladder out.

Worst was backing into my RV garage with the door partially closed and initially thinking the sound was just my tandem axles creaking and not my tower bending the garage door. That one still hurts every time I see the damaged door. Luckily the boat didn’t take any damage.

I have 10' doors on my shop so my tower light will hit the door frame if I don't lower it......... well....... I've done it twice now and have a nice little dent above the door. The biggest lesson? Always get 14' doors when you build a shop.

 

[WiskyDan]

Does buying a boat in a state where you get maybe 4 warm'ish months a year count??

 

[Adrian @ JB Solutions]

How did it not overflow? On my TR-1 I poured too much one time and it overflowed the fill port.

 

[AZMark]

I have 10' doors on my shop so my tower light will hit the door frame if I don't lower it......... well....... I've done it twice now and have a nice little dent above the door. The biggest lesson? Always get 14' doors when you build a shop.

And use the 14’ door if you have it!

 

[Babin Farms]

I’ve done so much stupid stuff in my life I don’t even know where to start. Some things I look back and wonder how I survived and now I like to think that with my age has come wisdom…..to a point. Learn from your mistakes and move on because like my dad said “it is what it is”.

 

[drewkaree]

Does buying a boat in a state where you get maybe 4 warm'ish months a year count??

Put a coat on, you pansy!

 

[2kwik4u]

We talking stupid in general or stupid around boats.

I have soooo many it's hard to choose.

 

[WiskyDan]

Put a coat on, you pansy!

I refuse to boat with anything more than a wife-beater (with an inappropriate saying on the front) and a pair of swim trunks. "Pansy" is the nicest thing that I've been called today so things are looking up!!

 

[Joatmon]

Not knowing the safety lanyard was pulled and not being able to start the engines. After connecting CanDoo, updating my subscription and calling them I finally found the lanyard on the floor of the boat.

Or when I forgot to attach the rope from boat to dock catwalk when launching alone. Boat went right out into the river and I'm still in my car. I did some powerful swimming to keep up with the current. Lost the boat key out of my pocket but the floaty saved it so after a quick key retrieval detour I was in the boat. First thing I did was to see if anyone saw me. Coast was clear. All good so no one knows, except you guys.

 

[biffdotorg]

Not necessarily the fact that I have a swing-in/out surfboard rack and forget to swing them in before going on the lift, but the fact that we don't surf often enough, and I do it every damn time!

Needless to say we have two beautiful surfboards with slightly cracked tips from wacking the boat lift multiple times.

 

[steelhorse454]

Not knowing the safety lanyard was pulled and not being able to start the engines. After connecting CanDoo, updating my subscription and calling them I finally found the lanyard on the floor of the boat.

Or when I forgot to attach the rope from boat to dock catwalk when launching alone. Boat went right out into the river and I'm still in my car. I did some powerful swimming to keep up with the current. Lost the boat key out of my pocket but the floaty saved it so after a quick key retrieval detour I was in the boat. First thing I did was to see if anyone saw me. Coast was clear. All good so no one knows, except you guys.

Funny stuff !