25 Things I've learned in my first two weeks of boating...

[striker1211]

I hope this list helps at least one person...

1. ALWAYS put the drain plug in before you leave the house. The launch is busy and everybody is rushing you.

2. ALWAYS put the drain plug in, period

3. My outboard motor (some might not) has a "kick stand" to hold the motor up while going down the road without stressing the tilt motor.

4. There is a button in the center of the throttle axis to keep it in neutral so you can give it gas.

5. Just because the tell-tale stops doesn't mean your impeller broke. It just took a tiny piece of mechanics wire and pushed (gently) into the hole and the mud flew out.

6. Motor "ear muffs" are awesome, let the water run for a bit before starting the motor.

7. On my 96 sea ray, you must choke the motor by pushing in the key, or everyone laughs at you at the dock when you think your engine won't turn over (thanks jet ski dude).

8. The existing 10A wiring is not enough to power a modern stereo. Check the wire before buying a battery...

9. Always take the back-straps off BEFORE driving down the launch.

10. There is a chain and clasp on my trailer winch, turns out it's a fail safe for the winch strap (I did not know this until 4th trip).

11. Buy spare fuses.

12. Loose wing-nuts kill alternators.

13. SLOW DOWN for bridges. Don't trust your eyes...

14. Always bring more beer than you need.

15. A danforth anchor needs a CHAIN to dig into the dirt.

16. Putting on a new prop is reaaaallly easy, after you figure out which one to pick...

17. Trim down (a.k.a. "in") to start, trim up (out) once on plane.... don't go too high or you'll bounce.

18. Boat insurance is cheaper than I thought, at least look at the prices before heading out.

19. Depth finders can be wrong...

20. Waterproof cameras are a good investment... and kids love them (I got a Sony DSC-TX20 for $175 after breaking my $250 DSC-HX5V)

21. A floating wrist strap for above camera is a great investment. (I bought a Chums).

22. Buy 6-7 cheap life jackets from garage sales throughout the year. Even if you only have 2-3 people. Don't end up like me at walmart having to bite the bullet before an impulse outing.

23. The throwable PFD is NOT a pool toy. Leave it in the boat for when your friend gets tangled in the anchor rope (happened, I was p*ssed it wasn't ready to throw)

24. Even if you don't have a slip, buy fenders... docks scratch... my poor boat...

25. To relax, you're on a boat.

 

[oldjeep]

Re: 25 Things I've learned in my first two weeks of boating...

A note on #1 - in MN that would not be legal. You have to arrive at the ramp with the plug out and leave it with the plug out.

Is there a story behind #13?

 

[Campylobacter]

Re: 25 Things I've learned in my first two weeks of boating...

Looks like your learning, just think how long your list will be by September!

 

[RyanSS]

Re: 25 Things I've learned in my first two weeks of boating...

Great post! I'm also a new boater and can relate to a lot of these!

 

[ONJames]

Re: 25 Things I've learned in my first two weeks of boating...

oldjeep, Just wondering why it is law in MN to remove the plug?

 

[H20Rat]

Re: 25 Things I've learned in my first two weeks of boating...

oldjeep, Just wondering why it is law in MN to remove the plug?

Other states are doing the same. Get caught with a plug in the boat going down the road, and its instant fine! Its to prevent nuisance species from spreading via water inside a boat.

 

[striker1211]

Re: 25 Things I've learned in my first two weeks of boating...

A note on #1 - in MN that would not be legal. You have to arrive at the ramp with the plug out and leave it with the plug out.

Is there a story behind #13?

Yeah, had a low bridge that i KNEW was low so I slowed down for that one. But, on the next bridge, I came in fast thinking it was fine and almost took out the windshield. Thankfully everyone else saw it too and started shoving the boat over and pushing off the tube to save it.

It looks like in MN I would have gotten a hefty fine due to their "invasive species" laws...

 

[Jonnybbad]

Re: 25 Things I've learned in my first two weeks of boating...

A note on #1 - in MN that would not be legal. You have to arrive at the ramp with the plug out and leave it with the plug out

I believe you can also add: To increase the odds of collecting revenue from old boat owners for potential "shiny water" exiting the bilge. Anything for the local water authorities to justify their hobby... er I mean job.

 

[saumon]

Re: 25 Things I've learned in my first two weeks of boating...

26. Make sure the killswitch lanyard is on (I almost kill a battery one time trying to figure out why it didn't start...)

 

[LandOf10KLAKES]

Re: 25 Things I've learned in my first two weeks of boating...

not a newbie to boating (lurker here for evah!) but kudos to you for a nice, self-deprecating snapshot of reality for most newer boat enthusiasts. I used to live across from a Lake Minnetonka (Minny peeps know what I mean) boat landing (spring Park, mn) for 10 years and the things i would see and hear from my deck would crack u up (and remind you constantly).

knowing to put your hand @ 6 O'clock on the steering wheel while backing up a boat trailer is a good reminder. Funny to watch people take multiple stabs @ backing a boat down a ramp!:facepalm:

 

[oldjeep]

Re: 25 Things I've learned in my first two weeks of boating...

I believe you can also add: To increase the odds of collecting revenue from old boat owners for potential "shiny water" exiting the bilge. Anything for the local water authorities to justify their hobby... er I mean job.

Nope, just trying to stop the spread of the zebra mussels. They are doing inspections at as many ramps as they can, it is definitely not a ploy to increase revenue by tickets on the highway. The folks doing the inspections are DNR contract folks - mostly college kids and couldn't write a ticket if they wanted to.

 

[oldjeep]

Re: 25 Things I've learned in my first two weeks of boating...

26. Make sure the killswitch lanyard is on (I almost kill a battery one time trying to figure out why it didn't start...)

I did that once too. One of the kids had hit the switch that the lanyard would be attached to if we used it. Took forever to figure out that was causing the problem.

 

[Jonnybbad]

Re: 25 Things I've learned in my first two weeks of boating...

Nope, just trying to stop the spread of the zebra mussels. They are doing inspections at as many ramps as they can, it is definitely not a ploy to increase revenue by tickets on the highway. The folks doing the inspections are DNR contract folks - mostly college kids and couldn't write a ticket if they wanted to.

I did happen to noticed that the last one I saw was pretty young. I guess I didn't really eye up what he was wearing. It looked to be an official appearing law enforcement uniform... but maybe it wasn't. Hmm... I'll look closer next time.

 

[Biggredd]

Re: 25 Things I've learned in my first two weeks of boating...

Just happened to me a few weeks ago, tried to plan ahead with plug in and they made me take it out to confirm no standing water in there. I agree depth finders don't always tell the truth. Although it did come up really fast I beached my boat on my second trip out in 2 feet of water about 50 yards from shore. That sucked. I agree any extra life jackets are worth buying for different size people that may come aboard. I'll also add make sure you know you have a good battery and keep it on a charger/tender. I waited in a 45 minute line on the 4th of july and my battery was not juiced enough to start me when I put the trailer in the water. Another sucky day. rookie mistake. Make sure you have long enough lines to tie the boat off too. I had one long one and one short one that kept wanting to come undone.

 

[bruceb58]

Re: 25 Things I've learned in my first two weeks of boating...

Same in CA. If you arrive with the plug in and there is ANY water in the bilge, extra $20 to steam clean your boat/bilge before you launch.

 

[lkbum]

Re: 25 Things I've learned in my first two weeks of boating...

I like this post... Here's a couple I'd add that came from 36 years of boating experience...

26) Your best days will come when you don't have any specific plans
27) The weather man is less than 50% accurate
28) The slowest boats on the lake migrate toward the middle of the channel
29) Look for and avoid boats that do not have their registration numbers (New boat and/or owner, subject to erratic moves)
30) Most boaters don't know anything about navigational rules, but most know to smile and wave which greatly offsets this deficit

 

[agallant80]

Re: 25 Things I've learned in my first two weeks of boating...

how about #31. KISS (Keep It Simple Stupid). When something is not working start with the simple thing. Two weeks ago my AC was not working. I was pulling lines, checking the strainer, taking apart covers, looking for power issues all to discover that it somehow got set to "heat" instead of "cool'. If I just checked out the simple thing before I moved on to the more complicated things than I would have not spent 3 hours looking for a non issue.

 

[Natesms]

Re: 25 Things I've learned in my first two weeks of boating...

I like this post... Here's a couple I'd add that came from 36 years of boating experience...

26) Your best days will come when you don't have any specific plans

I couldn't agree more. I set the expectations that all decisions are made by the driver whenever the driver feels like it.

 

[ssobol]

Re: 25 Things I've learned in my first two weeks of boating...

Other states are doing the same. Get caught with a plug in the boat going down the road, and its instant fine! Its to prevent nuisance species from spreading via water inside a boat.

At Lake Mead in NV you are not allowed to tow your boat away from the ramp if it is even wet. If they see you driving down the road with water dripping off the boat they can immediately impound it. There is space on the ramps where you see people toweling off their boats.

 

[oldjeep]

Re: 25 Things I've learned in my first two weeks of boating...

At Lake Mead in NV you are not allowed to tow your boat away from the ramp if it is even wet. If they see you driving down the road with water dripping off the boat they can immediately impound it. There is space on the ramps where you see people toweling off their boats.

Wow, that is harsh even by MN standards But it make sense. Few weeks ago at our annual ski/board/drink until you drop week I was surprised to see that the bunks were still dripping after our day on the Chippewa flowage when we put our boat back into baker lake (upstream on the river) about 40 minutes after we had pulled out of the previous launch

Here I think it is $100 for a plant on the road, $200 for a plant when attempting to launch and $500 for a zebra mussel regardless.

Now they are asking you to drop the drive after pulling out, which I thought was silly until last season when I found that was what had fouled my thermostat.