Just to make me feel better... what stupid thing did you do last boating season?

[SCSTWG]

Our last trip out for the season and my 6 year old daughter built up the courage to go out on the tube and was very excited. I stop the boat to blow up the tube. After I get the tube unfolded and the pump ready to go, I realize I forgot the plug that holds the air in the tube. She has reminded me of this many times through the winter. I will be keeping a spare on the boat moving forward.

 

[Zeus2013]

1. While island camping at Lake George, I slipped off our dock, fell on the the boulders shoulders first and slid down in to the water head first. Leg hit the dock and left a massive bruise. Had I fallen on the right side I would be dead. The rocks on the right are all huge sharp jagged sides.

2. Left the drain plug out and on my way back from parking the truck and trailer I was wondering why the bilge was pumping. Needless to say I went swimming at the ramp.

 

[RightStuff]

2. Left the drain plug out and on my way back from parking the truck and trailer I was wondering why the bilge was pumping. Needless to say I went swimming at the ramp.

"3 plugs, 3 plugs, 3 plugs" is what I always say to myself when taking off the transom straps before backing into the water, so far that's helped save me from having to take that swim!

 

[Zeus2013]

"3 plugs, 3 plugs, 3 plugs" is what I always say to myself when taking off the transom straps before backing into the water, so far that's helped save me from having to take that swim!

Yup, I agree. I am usually good but that time we were rushing. So now I just repeat, "It is not a race, it is not a race, it is not a race. "

 

[Glassman]

I just noticed that I haven't posted a reply on this thread.....that must mean I didn't do anything stupid last boating season, huh?

Whew, good thing the statute of limitations has run out....and just so I am straight on this...pre-season stupid things don't count, right?

Nothing like a clean record to start the season!

And since it's technically still pre-season for me anything I do this weekend while working on the boat to get it ready for the season won't count. Man, this must be how that Snowden guy feels..

Can't Touch Dis!

 

[Noko]

Good stuff. I've done a couple of these goofs. Thanks for the checklist Txav8r.

 

[beachbum]

How I messed up at the end of last season... Didn't move to Florida...

 

[sysinu]

I spent the last couple of days talking with other owners of the houseboat I'm on and we shared horror stories. It's amazing how common the following issues are:

• drain plug
• drain plug
• drain plug
• drain plug
• drain plug
• drain plug

You would think we would remember it by now. I sure as hell forget 10% of the time. Thank god I have a "check system" where 3 people make sure I didn't screw up before we launch.

 

[txav8r]

On the 230, the drain plug was easy, because it lived in the table post hole on the swim deck, you couldn't get in the boat without seeing it. On the newer boats, it is fixed as part of the transom drain assembly, and not removable completely, much easier to overlook. I used a red "remove before flight" flag on my tongue pin to remind me of the shore power plug, maybe a good idea to flag a few more things!

 

[mark_m]

Coming out of storage on the Ohio river I attempted to launch without releasing transom straps. Smart enough that I did it two days in a row.

 

[txav8r]

Coming out of storage on the Ohio river I attempted to launch without releasing transom straps. Smart enough that I did it two days in a row.

LOL...ok, I am laughing with you, because...I HAVE DONE IT TOO!

 

[treeskier]

I threw my anchor, anchor chain and anchor line into 20 ft of water with out tying the other end to the boat.

 

[mark_m]

LOL...ok, I am laughing with you, because...I HAVE DONE IT TOO!

Even better second day I tried to throttle off the trailer before I realized... Transom straps

 

[txav8r]

this might help with the habit pattern, don't want negative habits!

 

[txav8r]

I threw my anchor, anchor chain and anchor line into 20 ft of water with out tying the other end to the boat.

I have done this too! It was a $149 box anchor! No chain and the rode wasn't hooked...I had the anchor on a carabiner...BAD IDEA!

 

[CFD3Captain]

Well, just to make everyone feel better....I had an OOOPS today. Today was the first day of driving to the lake with no boat in tow. We left it in our slip Sunday. Seeing as it's 80 and sunny, the kids are out of school, my daughter says she wants to go to the lake. I get the yard mowed and the house tidied up a bit and let the wife know we are heading over for a few hours. Well,since we normally take the wife's SUV to the lake and today I was driving my truck, guess where the boat keys were......Yes, my daughter and I were about 5 minutes from the Marina when I realized I forgot the keys in her vehicle. Our quick boat excursion turned into an hour joy ride for a $2 Slushy that I bought her to cheer her up. DOH! But hey, it will NEVER happen again!

 

[Glassman]

Well, just to make everyone feel better....I had an OOOPS today. Today was the first day of driving to the lake with no boat in tow. We left it in our slip Sunday. Seeing as it's 80 and sunny, the kids are out of school, my daughter says she wants to go to the lake. I get the yard mowed and the house tidied up a bit and let the wife know we are heading over for a few hours. Well,since we normally take the wife's SUV to the lake and today I was driving my truck, guess where the boat keys were......Yes, my daughter and I were about 5 minutes from the Marina when I realized I forgot the keys in her vehicle. Our quick boat excursion turned into an hour joy ride for a $2 Slushy that I bought her to cheer her up. DOH! But hey, it will NEVER happen again!

been there
done that...once

the keys now live on the boat, have ever since.

find a good spot


and remember it........almost forgot where I put them the first time I went out after forgetting them.

 

[smthng]

I usually launch alone, rub the boat or for half an hour or so to shake down any issues, then pick up family and friends for the rest of the day out... it's just a whole lot less stress. Third time out on the LX210 I lost my hat. It floated so I aimed for it, left throttles in forward idle, went to the front of the boat to collect the hat before I ran over it and found myself swimming. I guess I used a bit to much wax last time. Once my brain started working again it took me about five minutes to catch the boat. Since then, I've lost three hats... I let them all go peacefully. :S

 

[justason]

When my kids were younger i set rewards (fines). If they caught me not doing/forgetting something

It got them to search around the boat before launch, not only were they learning preflight but they were my second set of eyes.

Drain plug $3
Throw cushion $1
Lifejackets $1
My cooler with beer $250,ooo.oo

This all started when we moved to a state with a seat belt law. If i forgot my seatbelt it was $1

 

[Jimonthebeach]

Previous boat. I bought it about 50 miles up the coast and drove up to get it with a buddy in torrential rain that we could see was clearing. Sun broke at we got to the seller's house and we put our stuff on the boat and no keys (I had borrowed money on the boat and we closed the day before at a bank halfway between us and I took the keys home then).

No looking forward to a 3 hour round trip and then a much longer (50 miles) boat ride home we spend half an hour trying to hotwire it; no dice. Trip to marine parts store, 30 minutes, cross referencing ignition switches, 15 minutes, drive back to boat 30 minutes, installation 15 minutes. Bingo! So far so good since we saved a third of the round trip time.

Fog came in about 20 minutes after we left the dock and the 50 mile trip took two days; one log, one not so long. Day one in fog so thick we couldn't see 50 feet (used my Garmin car GPS to navigate the ICW in west central Florida finding the channels from bridge to bridge) to get half way and overnighted at "The Pub". Next day in the sun home run.

I'm pretty sure if we hadn't had to screw around we would of been ahead of the sea fog that slowed us to idle speed on the very long day one since it came in from the north west.