What boating mistakes have you made?

[Dawg'sLife93]

Re: What boating mistakes have you made?

The wife and I decide to go to AL for a family weekend at the lake. I load up everything, boat, coolers,food,dogs,and everything I can think we might need. I drive 200 miles to dads house, then to the lake, going to launch my boat and take it to the family campground. Well, I packed every dang thing except....


The keys to the boat! LOL Yep. I left the keys on the kitchen table. I just took the switch apart and had a mostly good weekend, except for the police thinking boat was stolen, till I told them what I did and showed them my paper work for the boat. They and the rest of my family had and still have a good laugh. I was talking with Dad about this year's outing, he said throw an extra set of keys for the new boat in the truck now! LOL!

 

[rivermouse]

Re: What boating mistakes have you made?

What were the police doing in your boat? I would have shown them to the door for not minding their own business..lol

 

[Dawg'sLife93]

Re: What boating mistakes have you made?

What were the police doing in your boat? I would have shown them to the door for not minding their own business..lol

It was beached at the campground, They just saw a beached boat with the switch popped out.

 

[rivermouse]

Re: What boating mistakes have you made?

It was beached at the campground, They just saw a beached boat with the switch popped out.

Oh I see..They were doing a good job then.

 

[chriscor]

Re: What boating mistakes have you made?

Over-ambitious photography: Dumping my brand new Iphone 5 while while handling with ropes in the lock :facepalm:

 

[Blacksting]

Re: What boating mistakes have you made?

Yesterday while my g/f and I were launching my 19ftr , she usually grabs both ropes :joyous: from the stern and bow cleats , while I dump it by hitting the brakes . well , I saw it was afloat in my rear view mirror , so I threw it in forward and proceed to pull both the trailer and boat back up the ramp . little did I know the bow rope which she didn't grab got caught around one of the rollers . I threw it in reverse a few feet and ,...now I have a boat tilted on its side and the transom wedged against the dock :facepalm: . so I cut the rope and freed her up . after a dewers and ginger ale everything was glorious :joyous:.... lesson learned , stick to your routine .

 

[Mlmg]

Re: What boating mistakes have you made?

My 8 year old son and I launched our Zodiac...my third time overall, and the 1st time without the Admiral. Well everything went well until I realized i needed to push the boat off.....so i tried to but every time I pushed, the boat came right back at me...plus the trailer was floating. I was perplexed and waist deep in the water.......then I dawned on me, the outboard was strapped to the trailer and I forgot to remove the strap...duh....

 

[chadyboy]

Re: What boating mistakes have you made?

Got my FIRST 'new to me' boat q4 3 months ago. Took her out for her first run, everything went well. Put it back on the trailer and headed home. I noticed the front of the boat kept bouncing really bad driving home. Got home and googled my issue. After about 5 minutes I realized I was suppose to crank the boat all the way up the rollers, not just touching it. OOPS!!

 

[Ripfence]

Re: What boating mistakes have you made?

I have made sooo many mistakes it would probably be easier to list all the mistakes I haven't made. None.

Anyway, probably the worst and most lasting mistake I ever made was that the family and I decided to go out one last time before putting up the boat for the season. We brought a big spread that day and finished less than half the fired chicken we had with us. Well, I put the cover on and had the dry dock folks put the boat up for the season.

The problem was, I left the chicken on board in one of the hatches with predictable results. To make matters worse, a family of raccoons found the chicken and decided to move into the boat for the winter. When I had it splashed 5 months later the stench was staggering. Not only was there the unsavory odor of rotten churches spicy fried chicken but the even more fetid aroma of a raccoon family latrine.

This has been many years and many gallons of bleach, 409, enzyme cleaner and Febreeze later but you can still smell the ghost of the funk that once was.

Learn from my fail, don't forget the chicken.

 

[CharlieB]

Re: What boating mistakes have you made?

I have made sooo many mistakes it would probably be easier to list all the mistakes I haven't made. None.
.....................

I was going to agree with this part, then I read the rest.

You must be the obvious winner, if not then at least a serious contender for the title.

On the lighter side, what else could go wrong?

 

[Okieboatguy]

Re: What boating mistakes have you made?

A few years back I was pulling the boat from the water after duck hunting on a single ramp where several hunters were pulling their boats out as well. I locked my truck keys in the truck, with it idling, on the ramp with the trailer in the water (On a single ramp location), after dark, with it 25 degrees out, freezing rain, and my wife was an hour away with a spare set. Lets say it was a long hour waiting on the keys, knowing you ticked off a lot of guys with guns!
Now, even though the new truck won't lock with the engine idling and no one in the drivers seat, I always roll down the drivers window when launching or retrieving, no matter what the weather is.

 

[Ripfence]

Re: What boating mistakes have you made?

I was going to agree with this part, then I read the rest.

You must be the obvious winner, if not then at least a serious contender for the title.

On the lighter side, what else could go wrong?

The good news is, with all the hours I've logged on the water nobody has been hurt on my boat except for me and even then it was just minor bumps, bruises, scrapes and countless hook and fin jabs. None of which required medical attention. I feel pretty blessed.

 

[jayhanig]

Re: What boating mistakes have you made?

Now, even though the new truck won't lock with the engine idling and no one in the drivers seat, I always roll down the drivers window when launching or retrieving, no matter what the weather is.

I do that anyway. If my 2WD 3.0 liter Ford Ranger decides my boat is too heavy for it to pull out, or the ramp is too slick, I want a place of egress readily available. And I only lock car doors with the key fob, so the keys have to be in my hand first. Finally, I leave the windows down at all times in the garage just in case.

 

[T_Herrod]

Re: What boating mistakes have you made?

My biggest thing is that i keep forgetting to unhook the transom saver. I haven't lost it yet but i need to remember to unhook it.

 

[fixxupp]

Re: What boating mistakes have you made?

Same mistake as my earlier years in the stock market... bought high, sold low.

For the past ten years, I buy low, fix what's busted, do the lipstick and rouge stuff, and sell 'em at a gain.

 

[Ripfence]

Re: What boating mistakes have you made?

Same mistake as my earlier years in the stock market... bought high, sold low.

For the past ten years, I buy low, fix what's busted, do the lipstick and rouge stuff, and sell 'em at a gain.

That sounds like a fun hobby (I don't think I'd want to do it as a profession), I bet you get a lot of enjoyment out of it. I used to do the same thing with guitars and amplifiers but not anymore.

 

[Ripfence]

Re: What boating mistakes have you made?

My biggest thing is that i keep forgetting to unhook the transom saver. I haven't lost it yet but i need to remember to unhook it.

I've lost at least 3 transom savers... So far.

 

[DXN]

Re: What boating mistakes have you made?

Over of course the obvious Plug, trailer straps.

Whats bad about the straps is I hit the water fast and water came over the transom, sunk my 15' Terry Craft (old stick steer). I realized pretty quick but that little boat got heavy, had to use 4x4 to get it out.

Backed off the ramp and hung up bad. I put the ratchet straps back on and floated the trailer out I felt like I revived my intelligence a little with that solution. A smart way out of a stupid mistake.

Left the fuel line hooked up and boat sitting in the sun a few days. When I came back the expansion had pushed a couple of gallons! up through the carb and into the floor. 2 stroke mix gets VERY slick on a fiberglass floor and a PITA to clean.

Left a bunch of shad in the live well sitting in the sun for a week. I work out of town but when I got home I smelled it from the driveway and new exactly where the smell was coming from. No one would go fishing with me for weeks.

learned to start the motor BEFORE you push off, the boat battery was in the bed of the truck. What makes that even worse is there was no enclosed compartment in that boat the lose cables were staring me in the face! luckily I had it tuned good and a 45 is easy enough to pull start.

All of my mistakes have been from getting in a hurry and not thinking

The last one made me feel the dumbest. When my buddy said "whats wrong" my reply was "shut-up, we ant gonna talk about it" he kept grin'n at me all day but never said a word about it for weeks lmao :facepalm:

 

[DXN]

Re: What boating mistakes have you made?

I've lost at least 3 transom savers... So far.

Maybe you should tie a float to this one OR tether it to the trailer lol
Every time I repet a mistake it gets more frustrating

 

[dwco5051]

Re: What boating mistakes have you made?

I do that anyway. If my 2WD 3.0 liter Ford Ranger decides my boat is too heavy for it to pull out, or the ramp is too slick, I want a place of egress readily available. And I only lock car doors with the key fob, so the keys have to be in my hand first. Finally, I leave the windows down at all times in the garage just in case.

When I first got my current truck I noticed my back up lights not being bright enough for my liking so I replace the bulbs with halogen bulbs but still not bright enough for moving trailers around at night. Come Spring and boating season they seemed better for launching and retrieving but not so good other times. I mentioned this to a buddy down at the lake one day who owned the same model pickup. He started to laugh and asked if I thought about the tinted windows. Yep, I always have both windows down on the ramp.

I often have one or more dogs in the truck and have electric door locks. I may leave home and forget my wallet but I always remember to put my spare key in my left front pocket.