Tell me about the time you forgot the plug.

[Ike-110722]

Re: Tell me about the time you forgot the plug.

I haven't done it yet but probably will. I've only had this boat for about a year and a half. Boats I had before were all much smaller and didn't have drain plugs.

Anyway I have a three prong system. One. My boat uses the screw in type of plug. I keep it in the little float attached to the keys. It is obvious when it is in the float or not because it slides back and forth and is heavy. So you can feel immediately whether it is in the float. Of course the float is in case I drop the keys in the water.

Two. I also have a check list I use and the last Item on the list in letters three times as big as everything else is Put The Drain Plug In. Plus you need a wrench to put it in which I keep in the boat.

Third. My wife has the same list and double checks everything (thank God) she has caught me a few times on things, like not taking the transom trailer straps off.

 

[26aftcab454]

Re: Tell me about the time you forgot the plug.

I have done it too many times. in my old LoneStar it would take 45 min before water appeared flowing up thru the rear floor drains. it was a install from the inside bung plug. no big deal.:cold:
The Glastron is a differnt story. I have done it twice. Had to replace a new stater and alt. Self launch takes about 4 or 5 min . then 1/4 mile no wake zone. At the end of no wake zone gave her the throttle to plane out and BLLLAAAA! knew the bilge was full of water.Plug is in the passenger seat. Hit the bilge pump and give it full throttle. would not climb on plane. Being a open bow I step up to the bow while reaching back to steering wheel. The boat slowly planes and I sit back at the helm driving around the small island until bilge pump stops shooting water out and head to the muddy beach. Jump out in waist deep water and install the plug quickly. Lucky it was Summer.
I now keep the plug in the driver's seat. I would know quickly if I were to sit on it.:embarassed:

 

[dan t.]

Re: Tell me about the time you forgot the plug.

Only did it once, 16 ft runabout, backed partway in the water, got out to undo the winch strap and noticed the back end filling up,just pulled forward, let it drain and put the plug in and launched. . That same boat didnt have a bilge pump, if we got water onboard just got it up on plane and pulled the plug, worked great.

 

[agallant80]

Re: Tell me about the time you forgot the plug.

Forgot it twice. The first time was on my 1978 glastron. Got out to the middle of the lake, went swimming then my friend got back in the boat and made a comment about the amount of water he got in to the boat. Knew it right then, jumped back in put the plug in and got the cold shoulder from the wife the rest of the afternoon

2nd time I was just in a rush put the boat in did not unload from the trailer, i remembered right as I was about to take it off.

 

[Brian 26]

Re: Tell me about the time you forgot the plug.

Now I put the plug in before leaving home!

Ah the good old days. Minnesota recently passed a law making it illegal to have the plug in when you are on the road.

 

[phiny1134]

Re: Tell me about the time you forgot the plug.

Ah the good old days. Minnesota recently passed a law making it illegal to have the plug in when you are on the road.

Interesting, I did not know that! Any idea what issue they were hoping to solve by passing that law?

 

[limitout]

Re: Tell me about the time you forgot the plug.

Interesting, I did not know that! Any idea what issue they were hoping to solve by passing that law?

they were trying to prevent overloading the trailer weight im sure, not to mention the safety hazard of it being out of control trying to stop if it were full of a lot of water

 

[pikefisherman]

Re: Tell me about the time you forgot the plug.

I think maybe they are trying to stop water contamination from one lake to another, I always try to put my plug on the lock if I take it out. But we don't have a law you can't transport a boat with it in that I know of, Michigan law say you must drain the boat of water when you pull out.

 

[81 Checkmate]

Re: Tell me about the time you forgot the plug.

Yep done it twice.......Once on the Checkmate when we first got it.... my son backed it in the water.....i was in the boat, we lanched and i got about a 1/4 mile and look in the back and water coming in under the back seat...Oh No! headed back to the dock and the boy jumped in and put the plug in.

2nd time......was in my boat...early spring and the weekend before i pulled the block/manifold drains becouse i didnt know when i would be back at the boat becouse it gets warm and then freezing all in the same week.......well a few weeks roll by and we decide to go to the lake and do some boating.....so we launch the boat and i motor over to the dock to pick up the wife after she parked the trailer and i notice the temp gauge gettig hot... wt heck...pull the engine hatch and there is water running out of the block/manifold drains filling the bilge.......I say - you dumb a"""""" and put the plugs back in. Needless to say i always do a under the hatch inspection before every launch.

 

[bruceb58]

Re: Tell me about the time you forgot the plug.

I actually did it last year. Because of the quagga mussel inspection that you now have to go through, you have to come up to the ramp with your plug out. I used to always put the plug in at home before I leave. Fortunately I remembered just as I slid the boat off the trailer so not much got in.

 

[minuteman62-64]

Re: Tell me about the time you forgot the plug.

I forgot, I have one additional safeguard. The guy I do most of my boating with is a former fighter jet pilot - totally in to check-lists, standardized procedures, etc. We may end up checking something twice, but, if I forget something he'll pick it up.

 

[bspeth]

Re: Tell me about the time you forgot the plug.

2000 sea doo rxdi.Hadnt even made payment 1.Engine filled up through the exaust. Lucky I was tied up to the dock as I would have drowned trying to keep it afloat I was 21.

 

[kfa4303]

Re: Tell me about the time you forgot the plug.

Only twice so far (once each on two different boats). Of course, the first time I was taking friends and tons of gear out, but when I backed the trailer up she started sinking rather than floating away. Thankfully, we caught it in time, but it's hard to look cool, or inspire confidence as a Captain when you make suck a rookie mistake. The second time was with the current tinnie when I took it out for the first time. I guess I was too excited and overlooked it. Now it's the #1 thing I check for, and I have my plugs (main and a spare) zip tied to the drain so they can't go rolling away. I also have a scupper valve, but I've never used it.

 

[jdlough]

Re: Tell me about the time you forgot the plug.

Mine's the exact reverse opposite. I left the plug in, with the boat on a boat lift.

The deck storage lid wasn't fully closed, letting storm water into the bilge, and the bilge pump switch was stuck.

The bilge filled up with water to the top of the batteries, and spare life jackets in the underdeck storage floated up, opening the hatches fully. There must have been over a ton of water in there. I felt lucky the boat lift didn't fail.

I removed the plug. It took over an hour to drain.

 

[AChotrod]

Re: Tell me about the time you forgot the plug.

First time I took the SN up north I forgot to put in the plug. It was a busy ramp and I was with my GF. She knows nothing about boats or how to drive a truck with a trailer. So I unload the boat jump in the truck to park it and when I get back she says the boat is filling with water. I knew right at that moment I had forgot to put it in. I jumped in the boat and start searching frantically for the plug that was in the bilge area somewhere under water. Finally found it and got it in just when the water was about to hit the top of the batteries. At least a few boaters saw what happened and I felt like a fool. Now I always triple check and make sure its in tight before I undo the transom straps.

 

[magster65]

Re: Tell me about the time you forgot the plug.

Me too.
I was alone and in a hurry to meet some friends on the water. I launched and did a quick tie up. I went and parked and luckily I noticed it was sitting low when I was walking back. I clued in right away so I ran up and backed the trailer down in time. I cranked it back on with great difficulty and let it drain. I put the plug in and relaunched. I went and parked again and noticed that the old trailer it was on bent from the weight. oops

I wish I had some pictures of that... it was a 70's 12' Vanguard Ski-bee with a 65hp inline Merc towed by a '67 Valiant

 

[Captain Caveman]

Re: Tell me about the time you forgot the plug.

Interesting, I did not know that! Any idea what issue they were hoping to solve by passing that law?

Invasive species being transported from lake to lake, or as they're better known: aquatic hitchhikers. There are a bunch of microscopic buggers like zebra mussels, spiny water fleas, etc. Below is a DNR link that spells it out a little better if you're interested.

Stop aquatic hitchhikers!: Minnesota DNR

In general I support the law because I think it will slow down the spread, but many boat hulls will keep water in them no matter if the plug is in or out. Birds transport invasive species, people ignore or are ignorant, etc. This stuff will spread but at least we are making a stand, one step at a time.

 

[bruceb58]

Re: Tell me about the time you forgot the plug.

they were trying to prevent overloading the trailer weight im sure, not to mention the safety hazard of it being out of control trying to stop if it were full of a lot of water

Nope...like the poster before me said...invasive species.

 

[DonHof]

Re: Tell me about the time you forgot the plug.

Left it out once, now I have three. I leave one in all the time, and change it out when I get the boat ready to take out.

Don