D'oh!

lncoop

Vice Admiral
Joined
Apr 18, 2010
Messages
5,147
Not sure how, but I lost the sundeck pad off the barge. It was held in place by several large screws, and we always tie down the bimini when towing, which snugs down against it. I didn't notice until last Saturday when I raised the bimini for a day on Greers Ferry, which was several days after the last time we had used the boat. The only possibility I can come up with is my buddy didn't tie down the bimini well enough last week before we headed home from Table Rock (three hour drive at night) and it came off somewhere on the road. He told me he didn't tie it all that well, and I remember telling him I was sure it was fine. That one's on me, boys. I just hope no one was hurt.:eek::facepalm: Gonna be three to four bills to have a new one made.:(
 

lncoop

Vice Admiral
Joined
Apr 18, 2010
Messages
5,147
Re: D'oh!

Tryed Craigslist lost and found or boating section?

Thanks for the good idea treker. I thought about it, but I decided on the off chance that someone did find it and responded it would be damaged beyond use any way. I might be able to use the foam, but if the pad ripped itself loose from those screws chances are the plywood would have to be replaced, and I can't imagine the upholstery would be any good after tumbling over the highway or interstate at sixty plus mph. I will at least look on CL though. Be silly not too, huh? Stranger things have happened.
 

mtjbrown

Cadet
Joined
Jul 10, 2011
Messages
29
Re: D'oh!

Unfortunately, the same thing happened to me Sunday!! Same exact scenario, didn't put the top down and will have to pay the price. This was my first time towing with the top up, guess thats a no-no.
 

MinUph

Chief Petty Officer
Joined
Jun 5, 2011
Messages
466
Re: D'oh!

That sucks incoop,
When I built the sundeck and trailered it back to the launch I lost our table. Also the top of one side of the sundeck flew open and broke the chain I had as a stop. Didn't loose the top though. Lucky. The table was smashed all over the road and luckily no-one was behind me at the time.
Nothing loose on a boat in tow. Everything secured. I knew that. What a dumb^%@ I was.
 

lncoop

Vice Admiral
Joined
Apr 18, 2010
Messages
5,147
Re: D'oh!

Thanks for the commiseration fellas. We've all been there one way or another, haven't we? Here's what really sucks. We were planning to recover all the furniture this winter, except for, yep, you guessed it. I immediately had the sundeck redone when we bought the boat. Nothing like getting a swift kick in the arse by irony.:rolleyes: Hopefully I'll have it replaced before the get together so the Rooster family doesn't get stabbed with two inch screws.:eek:
 

dls322

Petty Officer 1st Class
Joined
May 10, 2007
Messages
380
Re: D'oh!

I lost the engine cover to my old Bayliner when towning it home for the first time. Was on the highway doing about 55, a lady pulled next to me and told me something flew off my boat. I pulled over and saw the engine cover was gone....a pretty decent size item!
I walked about 3/4 mile back and it was safely on the side of the road with just a few scratches. LUCKILY no one was hurt.

I try to make sure everything is strapped down just in case whenever i tow...rather be safe than sorry.
 

OK Toon

Petty Officer 3rd Class
Joined
Jun 28, 2012
Messages
95
Re: D'oh!

Just bought our "new to us" pontoon about 4 weeks ago. First time towing it on the highway we left the table set up. I saw that it had a little "lock" mechanism so I figured it would be fine -- WRONG. I was lucky and just happened to glance out my side mirror about the time the table top was doing flips down the turnpike. First thought was to just leave it -- but then I thought about how much it will cost to replace. So by the time I got pulled over, it was a good 3/4 mile up the road. The table top came to rest not quite in the center median -- it was a little bit in the inside lane. I was jogging up the shoulder and everyone would pull over to the inside lane -- to stay away from me. But what I was worried about was someone looking at me and not seeing the table on the road till it was too late. All worked fine and I was able to get the table top back -- only had a couple of scratches on the side. I was really expecting to see that thing shattered into pieces.

Just another lesson learned -- there have been many of those in these few short weeks.
 

BobGinCO

Chief Petty Officer
Joined
May 22, 2012
Messages
539
Re: D'oh!

A few weeks ago, I sold my "trail rig". That's a 1995 2-door Suzuki Sidekick soft-top, with 6" of lift and complete re-gearing for serious rock crawling. I sold it with the trailer, to a guy from Zanesville, OH. We met half-way, in Oak Grove, Missouri.

On the way back to Denver, I looked in my rear-view mirror and saw something on the interstate, then it went into the median, and then it came back up into the left lane of the interstate, and stopped.

Turns out it was the adjustable half of my adjustable trailer hitch!!! :eek: somebody had pulled the keeper off the pin that held it in place, and after about 8 hours at 75 MPH, it finally fell out! :eek:

Thank all the powers that be, that it didn't hit anybody!!!
 

Nightfisher-

Petty Officer 2nd Class
Joined
Apr 13, 2010
Messages
129
Re: D'oh!

Talking about trailer hitches, some *** removed the pin from my hitch in the parking lot at the marina. Luckily i felt/sensed something amiss at the first stop I made after pulling the boat out and discovered the hitch 90% of the way out. I heard a strange squeak pulling the toon from the water, but did not realize what it was until leaving the lot. It was a miracle I pulled it out at the ramp at all. I guess the angle of the ramp put enough tension on it to hold until I was on level ground. Had I pulled away from the exit at the marina without heeding my instinct to check out the strange towing sensation I would have found out whether or not my safety chains worked. I put a screwdriver secured with some duct tape through the pin hole and carefully towed it home. Thankfully I live only 2 miles from the ramp. No way the pin fell out on it's own. I check it every time I hook up as part of my pre-launch routine. Someone removed it while my trailer was sitting at the marina. Probably one of the kids that hang out after dark at the marina "fishing" (screaming and hollering and acting like idiots) or someone who lost theirs and decided I could do without mine.
 
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