Plug it up!!!!!

[jstaz]

My wife and I decided to take the boat we recently bought out for the first time. It has been a while since I been boating and had to trailer, put in and take out, and all that jazz. I figured it was like riding a bike. You never forget. Well let me tell you... It's not and we all need refreshers now and then. I been telling my wife, "I know how to boat. I did it a lot with my dad when I was younger. Nothing will go wrong. I got this." We made it to the pump fine. Made it to the landing great. got the motor tilted up, straps taken off, and we were ready to back in. boat came off the trailer perfect. She had it tied up. I fired the motor up and we headed out. Or so I thought. I looked to the stern of the boat and noticed some water in the boat. I thought it was weird that there was water in the boat but sometimes it happens when backing in. After all it was a little windy and the waves were about 2 foot. So a little water in the boat was expected by me. Then we got more and more in. I thought to myself... "this doesn't seem right." Then remembered that i had forgot to put in the plug!!!!! Luckily we were still at the launch when I realized that. I was able to put the bilge pump on and get the boat back on the trailer and pull it out to put the plug in before it all went under. Needless to say I will always remember the plug from here on out.

Not only did I look like a dork in front of my wife but there were enough other boaters there to make the story all that more embarrassing.

Luckily a few of them stated they did the same thing before. Whether they did or not it made me feel a little better. HAHAHA I laughed about it then and still do.

Life is full of funny stories.

 

[docrodg]

Re: Plug it up!!!!!

I have a simple solution, not foolproof, but then again they always said if it is foolproof a bigger fool will come along and screw it up. Take your plug and drill a small hole across the flats (like you would to safety-wire it in) and insert a key-ring thru the hole. Now when you take out the plug you put it on your boat keys so that you will not forget the plug is out (hopefully). A friend who taught me boating always did this. He had the plug and the lock for the propeller tied to the keys so he would not forget either. He always removed his prop before driving down the road, and to this day it bugs me to see other people just trailer away with the prop hanging out there catching road rocks.

 

[jim372]

Re: Plug it up!!!!!

i did that one time , i put my 18' ski boat in and my friend motored around
till i got parked , he picked me up from shore not the dock.
when i got in ,water was on top of floor.
buddy had to reach under i/o to put in plug .
ever since i never forgot plug again.
jim

 

[roncoop75]

Re: Plug it up!!!!!

I did it again this last Sunday. And I was only there to take a few pictures for a buddy in another state who hasn't seen it.

Would have been really embarrassing sinking a boat just trying to take a few pictures. I was only going to be there about 30 minutes.

 

[eclark53520]

Re: Plug it up!!!!!

Needless to say I will always remember the plug from here on out.

Don't count on it.

Even seasoned boaters will forget every once in a while. All it takes is something to mess up your boat prepping order.

The very first thing i do during prep is get the plug, put the plug in. Then i do anything else that needs to be done. I still open the hatch and watch the bilge as the boat is being put in the water to make sure it doesn't fill before i let it off the trailer. Even though i have checked it 3-4 times before putting in and i know its there.

I have forgotten the plug before. I will do it again eventually.

Luckily i never get the boat off the trailer before realizing it.

 

[Home Cookin']

Re: Plug it up!!!!!

2 types of boaters: those who have forgotten the plug, and those who will.

 

[LippCJ7]

Re: Plug it up!!!!!

Everyone here is dead on bud, I am a routine guy, so my routine is get wife into Boat, plug, transom straps, bow cover and cooler. Now sometimes my wife is in a hurry and when she wants the cooler out of sequence is when I forget things. she wanted the cooler when I was on the transom straps twice this year so I forgot them twice, my wife picked up on what happened and now she waits and asks me if I am ready for the cooler and if I have taken off the transom straps? Its humbling bud Like the others have told you even the seasoned boaters forget things don't feel bad just take the ribbing and smile, it will be your chance to deliver the ribbing soon enough.

 

[xeddog]

Re: Plug it up!!!!!

I have forgotten the plug twice now. After the second time I made checklists and I print a new one every time we take the boat out. When I get screwed up on my checklist like that, it is always back to the top and start over. Period. The water in the river when I forgot the plug was less than 55 deg and it was a tad COLD!!!! That is what I remember now.

Wayne

 

[dude11]

Re: Plug it up!!!!!

Don't know if you forget the plug this would work but if your taking on water,-you can throw it gear,nail it and low & behold--water is sucked out the drain hole!! Not real sure how that works--but it does.Ever tried it?? Get up to plane then to high speed and have someone to pull the plug and see for yourself.Only works with plug on the inside of transom

 

[Ike-110722]

Re: Plug it up!!!!!

Xeddog has got it. Make yourself a check list and use it religiously. Check and double check. I learned this in the Coast Guard. If it's on the list and you use the list, then you don't forget. (just don't forget the check list)

 

[twistedshadows]

Re: Plug it up!!!!!

the reason speeding up pulls the water out is because the water moving fast past the edge of the transom creates a low pressure area (suction).
joe

 

[DaNinja]

Re: Plug it up!!!!!

I have forgotten the plug twice now. After the second time I made checklists and I print a new one every time we take the boat out. When I get screwed up on my checklist like that, it is always back to the top and start over. Period. The water in the river when I forgot the plug was less than 55 deg and it was a tad COLD!!!! That is what I remember now.

Wayne

I've had friends that, if they were interrupted during pre-flight checks, would pause and start again from the top of the list.

I forgot the plug once, in a friend's boat. It was a trifecta of errors during that launch.

 

[monk-monk]

Re: Plug it up!!!!!

Yeah...bout that plug...I've told this story here on iboats previously but i'll share it again...new to boating, i had just washed and waxed my 16' bowrider before heading to the lake for probably my 3rd time...being all excited, boat looks great, i launch the boat and like everyone else you go park you truck...an get back to a boat full of water...Well i new what was up immediately so i grab the plug off the floor and ran to the back..I thought i could just land belly first on the deck reach over and put the plug in...when my belly hit that freshly waxed deck, i looked like a torpedo...head first in the water, hit my head on the prop, lost my glasses, big cut on forehead...there was only 2 things i was glad about...the motor wasn't running and there was only one other boater at the ramp that day...i went in the water so fast i know he didn't even see me...Talk about getting something "knocked" into your head...!

 

[veritas honus]

Re: Plug it up!!!!!

jstaz,

I havn't been doing the boat ramp thing very long. I grew up in and around boats in New york. I grew up around boats at marinas kept at a slip. Now I live in Southwest Georgia and have become familiarized with boatramps. I do my prepping in the parking area prior to pulling down the ramp. The first thing I do, is put in the plug. After all prepping is done, I check everything... The first thing I check is the plug. As I'm backing the truck and boat to the ramp, my wife will ask me if the plug is in. She's been boating with her parents all her life, and ever since she was old enough do it, the plug was always her job. Someone in another post said that he has an old plug which he drilled and wired onto the winch handle as a reminder. I like that idea. I also like the idea I just read about drilling it and putting a keyring on it to attach to the boat key. There are a lot of good ideas floating around out there. Let's keep on sharing them. Safe and happy boating!!!

 

['96 Charger]

Re: Plug it up!!!!!

I've forgotten my plug a few times. Most recent was last week. Backed the boat off the trailer and it dawned on me that I had forgotten. Put boat back on trailer and let it drain for a bit. Year I had an audience since it was at a big park in the middle of the city. I bet they didn't have a clue why my boat was only off the trailer for about 15 seconds

 

[dude11]

Re: Plug it up!!!!!

One more thing that might be overkill--but when it's your butt--I have a spare plug,kind you push-in and flip handle,laying in the bilge.Hey you carry a spare fishing rod,don't ya??

 

[LongLine]

Re: Plug it up!!!!!

water is sucked out the drain hole!! Not real sure how that works--but it does. Ever tried it??

Years ago, I had an aunt & uncle that did that all the time. They'd make the 10 mi trip from his place to my Dad's place, along Lake Ontario, a couple times every summer. He'd tie up to the dock & they'd spend the afternoon playing cards. This one time as they had just dealt the 1st hand, I tried to say something but was uncle Walt quickly hushed me up. (He strongly believed kids should be seen and not heard.) A few hands later, my Dad looked at me and I pointed towards the waterfront.

Yep - he'd forgot to put the plug back in and his boat was still tied up, but perpendicular to the dock. Dad reminded him how well his boat cushions floated every Christmas for the next 10 years.

Tom B.
(LongLine)

 

[Biged007]

Re: Plug it up!!!!!

2 types of boaters: those who have forgotten the plug, and those who will.

well said

 

[biddle1950]

Re: Plug it up!!!!!

I put the plug in at home.
check it again after fueling.
check it again at the ramp.

I did do the keychain deal. The key to the hitch lock is on the boat key. you cant hook up without seeing the plug.

 

[xeddog]

Re: Plug it up!!!!!

I put the plug in at home.
check it again after fueling.

Not a legal option here in California where it is illegal to tow your boat with the plug installed.

Wayne