What boating mistakes have you made?

[Smuggler's Blues]

Re: What boating mistakes have you made?

The only "mistake" I have made so far is reading iboats forum and not buying a boat yet. I Although I have to say that if that is a mistake (reading iboats that is) I am going to keep making it.

 

[roncoop75]

Re: What boating mistakes have you made?

Posted it before but I went fishing without my pole. Didn't realize it until I was at the spot I wanted to fish, trolling motor dropped, whole nine yards.
Luckily, no one was at the dock to see me return so soon to pack it up and go home.

 

[AZBoatDreamer]

Re: What boating mistakes have you made?

Posted it before but I went fishing without my pole. Didn't realize it until I was at the spot I wanted to fish, trolling motor dropped, whole nine yards.
Luckily, no one was at the dock to see me return so soon to pack it up and go home.

Really that is all you have. Forgot Fishing Pole.
You had to do something worse then that.

 

[sasto]

Re: What boating mistakes have you made?

I think the worse things I have done is blow out a side window of a 64' sportfish in the Dominican Republic or destroy 2 36" props on a 58' sportfish in the Bahamas. Oh....and maybe get the bossmans private pilot drunk the night before an important flight. I was fine, but I was the one that took the blame.

 

[Jeremy T]

Re: What boating mistakes have you made?

The worse thing ive done so far is forget to put the drain plug in my jon boat and have my little brother hold the rope while i park the car. By the time i walked down to the water the boat was 3/4 full of water. I was like why didn't u jump in and put the plug in. his response was "I thought it was supposed to do that". Some people have no common sense lol.

 

[partskenn]

Re: What boating mistakes have you made?

Smacked the dock several times, altering the bow rail a little bit. Got lost once, and ended up going down the wrong bay (learned to read a chart after that). Dropped glasses and other various hardware into the bay. Entertained a group of boaters the first time I tried to anchor in 60 feet of water with 100 feet of anchor line.

 

[roncoop75]

Re: What boating mistakes have you made?

Really that is all you have. Forgot Fishing Pole.
You had to do something worse then that.

Nah, I've left the plug out, only for a few minutes though, pumped out while finishing launching.
I'm pretty paranoid about all the big stuff. I'm usually alone, if you saw how much time I spend double checking things you'd probably start giving me a piece of your mind.

 

[pikefisherman]

Re: What boating mistakes have you made?

When I started out years ago buying fishing boats cheep with leeks and trying to get them not to leek!
First one was a steel boat yes I said steel.

 

[badkins50]

Re: What boating mistakes have you made?

My mistake was buying our first boat first and THEN finding iboats after I bought a 470 and first outting without investigating and the impellor was burnt up. Lucky we were in a river and close to dock to shut off and row back. Needless to say I spent countless hours doing my research before buying our latest toy.

 

[cribber]

Re: What boating mistakes have you made?

My big one that happened twice (hoping it doesn't happen a third time) dragged my skeg on the ramp when I forgot to trim up the outdrive. Cracked a blade on my prop hitting a stump just as I was nailing it to jump up on plane, burying my new prop in a sandbar in 4 feet of water going on plane, and catching a log with my prop that luckily stalled the motor and no damage to the outdrive or prop. I really lucked out on the last one since we we in a no wake zone and we were cruising at idle speed. Banged a few docks and scraped up the rub rail a few times getting caught out by wind gusts while docking.

 

[AZBoatDreamer]

Re: What boating mistakes have you made?

Keep the replies coming. thanks for sharing.

 

[soggy_feet]

Re: What boating mistakes have you made?

Shortened up the chain on my hazletts mooring last fall when the water was real low. Forgot to let it back out. Im finally in the water again, and have spent a couple hours now trying to find a mooring that is most likely 3-4ft under water, in very tannic (nearly black) flood waters.
On anchor until I find it... fingers crossed that I find it tomorrow

 

[Triton II]

Re: What boating mistakes have you made?

Selling my sailing boat. I didn't realise how much of a stomach flattener sailing is!

TII

 

[soggy_feet]

Re: What boating mistakes have you made?

Add losing an anchor to my list.
Used to just dealing with my main anchor on the bow, but I added a kedger this year, and did not have the end of the line tied to the rail yet, like I was used to.
Took the line off the cleat to let me run forward to screw with the bow anchor, and the rest of the line slipped over the side.

Thats 2 things lost in 6ft of water now... Grrrr....

 

[Home Cookin']

Re: What boating mistakes have you made?

If you find it, mark it with a GPS.

Watermen find lost stuff like that (crab pots, etc) by dragging a home-made grappling hook--something you can abandon if it gets snagged. You would drag it about 10' deep (assuming that's off the bottom). A weighted rope between 2 boats would be even better.

Shortened up the chain on my hazletts mooring last fall when the water was real low. Forgot to let it back out. Im finally in the water again, and have spent a couple hours now trying to find a mooring that is most likely 3-4ft under water, in very tannic (nearly black) flood waters.
On anchor until I find it... fingers crossed that I find it tomorrow

 

[soggy_feet]

Re: What boating mistakes have you made?

I marked it last year with my Lowrance iFinder handheld. That thing is a piece of junk though. If you're not moving, it'll start bouncing your position around a 30ft radius, so theres still a bit of a search area.
Making a grappling hook at work tonight. Gonna tackle the anchor first. Should be easier to find. Play tug with the inflatable to get the boat back in the direction I lost it at, and I figure thats my start point for looking for the rope, with about a 20? arc heading back toward where the anchor should be set.

Once I have that, I was going to drop the anchor off the inflatable near where I think the mooring should be, and drive a big circle, hopefully snagging the mooring in the process.

So basically, what you just said.

 

[Lakemeadan]

Re: What boating mistakes have you made?

Sure feel normal after reading this. Done most of them except the plug (fingers crossed). I'll add something, slamed a dock and knocked a hole the size of a quarter in it by hitting a small spike in the dock. Did a lousy patch job but have a cute Piranna Sticker over it, it's above the rub rail left side rear. I thought I had the trailer light plug in but got a new one now, asphalt is like a file. Hey Mister, you had a couple life jackets flying out your boat a couple miles back on the highway. Most the stuff was my first couple of years.

 

[jfishn]

Re: What boating mistakes have you made?

After 40 years of boats and working the last 12 specifically with them I am embarrassed to list the mistakes I have made, predicted would happen with my crew or in some way been a part of..

1. Missing Plug.... that?s an easy one lol..lol..

2. Forgot strap.... amateur stuff..

3. Fail to put oil in fuel with 2 stroke. They typically don?t survive that one, killed one like that.

4. Passing under a 14' bridge with two brand new (1st day) VHF antennas sticking 15' high..clean off!

5. Hooking hydraulic steering lines up backwards to helm, yes it still moves the rudder just the opposite direction....

6. Extreme high tide, short lines= upside down skiff when you return..

7. Super lube all rollers and skids on trailer, steep ramp, premature unhooking of bow eye. Tap breaks on way down ramp= boat on concrete! That one sucked!!!

8. 20 gals of gas in diesel boat... It will run, just not for long...

9. Fail to secure small outboard (9.8hp) on transom with bolts use thumb screws only= Engine flying off at wide open throttle a rather big surprise but not as troubling as the 6 gallon fuel tank still attached to the engine launching from the bow and passing by your head.

10. Pump 25 gals of gas into rod holder. Told them to pay attention when fueling that it could happen.. Well it did!!!

 

[dingbat]

Re: What boating mistakes have you made?

Forgot plug....once.

Broke VHF antenna going under bridge......twice.

Left drain cocks on motor open after draining the motor the night before. Filled bilge with water and shorted out bilge pump

Left the roof rod out while heading to the barn

Almost dropped the boat in the parking lot when the safety chain came undone while pulling the boat out of the water. Fortunately I saw it go and was able to get the rear end of the trailer back in the water before it went flying off the trailer and back in the water

Ran out of beer ?.once

 

[Triton II]

Re: What boating mistakes have you made?

Ran out of beer ?.once

And, THAT is, without a doubt, the worst boating mistake of all!

TII