We all do dumb things, don't we?

[Saltydawg2]

:facepalmid I just do a boneheaded thing? Took my pontoon to the lake to leave it at a friend's dock to work trailer bunks, and fix tongue weight. As I backed off the trailer, I came suspiciously close to the dock, and steered away. So I thought. Turns out left is right, and right is left. Not just backing up, either. Forward was no better. So that's the question. Did I just stick the cable in the wrong side of the steering mechanism? I pushed cable through hole directly above the cable entrance, without really giving it a whole lot of thought, or, any thought, and tightened it right up. Even took off the streering wheel so the Sweetwater emblem was straight up. Practicly had to face backwards to bring in to his dock, to him laughing his A** off! I am now sure I need to use my camera alot more than I do, to remember how things go back together. Anybody else have any confessions?

 

[Captain Caveman]

Re: We all do dumb things, don't we?

I melted the lower unit on my brand new motor years ago when I ran out of LU oil at the very end. I figured it was filled enough. Not so and it required a 3-hour tow and a $1500 repair bill.

 

[MH Hawker]

Re: We all do dumb things, don't we?

Snicker,, not yet but my season is just about to start

 

[greenbush future]

Re: We all do dumb things, don't we?

:facepalmid I just do a boneheaded thing? Took my pontoon to the lake to leave it at a friend's dock to work trailer bunks, and fix tongue weight. As I backed off the trailer, I came suspiciously close to the dock, and steered away. So I thought. Turns out left is right, and right is left. Not just backing up, either. Forward was no better. So that's the question. Did I just stick the cable in the wrong side of the steering mechanism? I pushed cable through hole directly above the cable entrance, without really giving it a whole lot of thought, or, any thought, and tightened it right up. Even took off the streering wheel so the Sweetwater emblem was straight up. Practicly had to face backwards to bring in to his dock, to him laughing his A** off! I am now sure I need to use my camera alot more than I do, to remember how things go back together. Anybody else have any confessions?

I did this on my first boat, it was from Sears, a small run about, with a decent sized Johnson. We took the Johnson off and opted for the 100 HP Merc tower of power. A six cylinder on this little shell of a boat was a terrible idea, but to top it off, yep, cables were hooked up backwards. Just about sunk my Chevelle on the slippery boat ramp at Town Lake in Austin Tx. Got pulled up the ramp by a Duster!! It was a bit embarrassing but we lived. We would head down to the boat ramp (pre-Boat) with a life jacket, tow rope, and ski, bumming rides around the lake so we could water ski. Heck you have to start boating and being on the water some how, we were just young and willing to do anything. That Sears boat did eventually find the bottom of the lake after I moved back to Michigan, over loaded with people, coolers, and tools. Sat there (8 feet of water) for a week, but it was brought back up to live another day.

 

[dozerII]

Re: We all do dumb things, don't we?

Yup same thing happens with a rack and pinion steering if rotate the helm 180 degrees. :facepalm:

 

[Georgesalmon]

Re: We all do dumb things, don't we?

Done that. Tell ya, no matter how hard I tried, even knowing the steering was backwards my darn stupid brain just wouldn't let me turn it backwards. Was in a river with lots of current and I barely made it back. It was a sea trial for a first article test for a US Navy 7 meter RIB, with hydraulic steering and the hoses were hooked up on the wrong side of the cylinder. Boy did we look stupid in front of all the Navy brass.

 

[pckeen]

Re: We all do dumb things, don't we?

Absolutely not. Canadians don't make mistakes. :laugh:

Well.....except for the time I pronged my boat on a rock....

and the time I backed over my anchor cable....

 

[izoomie]

Re: We all do dumb things, don't we?

I was bringing my 20' bowrider into dock alone one evening. The dock was about 2 feet higher than the boat. After tieing up and backing the trailer in the water i got on the dock to coax the boat on the trailer. bow line and stern line in hand walking the boat up to the trailer. The boat was a little too close to the dock so I reached down with my foot to try to push it away and I fell right between the boat and the dock. On my back, left arm and leg on the dock, right arm and leg on the boat and the boat is now pulling away from the dock. It took all my strength to pull the boat closer to the dock, then I flopped into the boat.

Of course my immediate concern was to see if anyone saw this show and luckily no one was around. It all ended well and I stayed dry. You can be sure I remember this every time I pull the boat from the water now,.

 

[ssoper]

Re: We all do dumb things, don't we?

How about running on a river thinking you know where all of the stumps are...hitting one, breaking your motor off the transom and watching it sink.:facepalm:

 

[rallyart]

Re: We all do dumb things, don't we?

Absolutely not. Canadians don't make mistakes. :laugh:

That's correct, we never do.

Except having just picked up a new boat from the dealer I was happy to find out that I could not get more than $1.50 worth of gas in it when I filled it on the trailer. I got to the boat ramp and the darn thing wouldn't come off the trailer. I checked the back straps while it was in the water and I'd forgotten to remove them. Well, soaking wet now, I figured I'd just warm up the boat before I took it out of the water to remove the straps. It wouldn't start. I check the fuel gauge and it's empty. I pull the boat out, thinking It was a good thing the straps were still on and figure out that the fuel hose runs really flat from the filler to the tank for a bit. My trailer was low at the tongue and it would not fill anything except that bit of hose. (great first day on the boat with the kids)

...or that time with the plug out when my wife asks how come the bilge pump is putting so much water out before we are even away from the trailer... or that time I knew we had enough fuel to make it to the marina just down the lake... or

 

[Home Cookin']

Re: We all do dumb things, don't we?

I made a mistake once--I bought a pencil with an eraser.


Actually, last eyar I was re-reigging a whaler with cable/pulley steering and rigged it backwards, and my brain wouldn't let me steer "the other way" to get back to the pier. I had wrapped the cable the worng way under the wheel. Very confusing set up: cable this way, wheel that way, motor this way, boat goes that way. So word to anyone doing this project; label and diagram everything before you take it apart!

saltydawg yo may enjoy the forum "Stupid Human Tricks..."

 

[pikefisherman]

Re: We all do dumb things, don't we?

I actually had a steel boat for my first boat, and used it for awhile. Caught a lot of suppers in it tho.

 

[Saltydawg2]

Re: We all do dumb things, don't we?

Home Cookin, you might look at Darwinawards.com. Along that same line... My wife is now turning the imaginary steering wheel, and running into a wall. I will be paying for this, for awhile.

 

[Augoose]

Re: We all do dumb things, don't we?

Lets see, need a list....

1) On the day I sold my old boat I left the block drain plugs out and launched the boat with the potential buyer onboard for a test drive
2) Left the anchor out and took off towards the dock
3) Rebuilt a hydraulic steering box and accidentally miss-matched the hydraulic lines during re-install...right became left, left was right....
4) Brought friends out for a day of tubing and forgot the tow rope
5) Drove an hour to the ramp, waiting in line for 45 minutes, only to learn I forgot the drain plug at the house. Did it again the following weekend....now I keep extra drain plugs in the truck, in the boat, in the tool bag, pockets....

And that was just last year....

 

[oldjeep]

Re: We all do dumb things, don't we?

Hmm, that isn't possible on dads pontoon, but maybe if you had enough steering cable.

 

[thumpar]

Re: We all do dumb things, don't we?

A few years ago I forgot to remove the straps on the transom from the trailer on the first day out that year. Last year I backed the boat into the garage door because I was wearing sunglasses that were too dark and driving the wifes truck. She was a tad bit angry. She got a new garage door out of the deal though.

 

[Natesms]

Re: We all do dumb things, don't we?

I did the backwards steering thing. Same trip, I had a missing piece on the linkage in the out-drive and at the end of the day it would only go in reverse. That was a great trip.

 

[Grub54891]

Re: We all do dumb things, don't we?

5) Drove an hour to the ramp, waiting in line for 45 minutes, only to learn I forgot the drain plug at the house. Did it again the following weekend....now I keep extra drain plugs in the truck, in the boat, in the tool bag, pockets....

Been there done that! But me in my infinite wisdom.... Found a dry stick and wittled it down and stuck it in the garboard hole. Actually worked pretty good,the dry stick swells up when wet.

 

[YoungMind]

Re: We all do dumb things, don't we?

Go to Lake of the Ozarks once or twice a year(4 hour drive or I would go more), every year someone loses their vehicle to the lake. The ramp where we load has a 45 degree incline and many time people cant remember to put a vehicle in park when it is on an incline. :facepalm:

 

[pullin]

Re: We all do dumb things, don't we?

I tried some bunk lube one time. My friends told me it would make the boat slide off the trailer easier. I normally back down with the winch and safety unhooked and power the boat off the trailer. After I backed to the normal depth, I looked in the truck mirror and commented to my friend that "There's a boat the same color as mine out there." :facepalm:

Then I grabbed the keys and went for a swim.