Thank you iboats!

[3gsdad]

You guys gave me some helpfull advice about a stingray that had been backed into the wall a few times. Well I bought it and ya'll were right the prop is fine it runs great! This is my first boat and I am loving it, my wife and 3 kids love it too. I have tons to learn I have all ready made some rookie mistakes.

All this happened the first time I took it out.

After backing it into the water at the ramp I pushed it off the trailer and jumped in only to realized the key was in the truck. My wife and kids were sitting at the dock whatching me float away.:facepalm: A guy who was fishing there was able to through the key to me.

Then when we came back in I forgot to raise the outdrive and drug the skeg across the ramp, I dont think I hurt it too bad.

Then back at the house I forgot to lower the bimini top while I was backing into the garage. I bent it a little but I think I can fix it.

There is so much to learn and remember i will be hitting this site alot.

 

[veritas honus]

Re: Thank you iboats!

Experience only comes with... Experience. You'll get better as you go. A really good, and important start, is a safe boating course. You'll be amazed at the things you never even though of. You'll be really glad you're there shortly after the course begins.

Make yourself a checklist for loading and unloading. Prep your boat in the staging area prior to backing down the ramp and go over you checklist while there.

If you don't already have one, put a float on your boat key. Without that, the key being tossed over the water from boat to boat, dock to boat, or land to boat could take you from annoyance to a day without boating. I keep an extra key on the boat. I also keep extra boat and trailer keys in my truck. I keep several extra plugs in my boat, and one in my truck. Plugs are cheap, so are extra keys...

The checklist would have helped with the skeg. I did that myself once. I heard and felt it instantly and stopped my Father-in-Law who was in my truck. I raised the outdrive, and there was only a small scrape on the bottom of the skeg which can't even be seen. That's something which will most likely never happen again to you or me.

I have a feeling you'll be much more aware and cautious about clearances when towing/backing your boat. no one got hurt, and you learned a few lessons.

You havn't told us about your time on the water, though. Did you enjoy your first outing? Hope you didn't let the key issue ruin your good time. Did you take any pictures? Post a few. show off your new boat.

...And welcome aboard!!!

 

[partskenn]

Re: Thank you iboats!

My skeg has been dragged across the launch once. I also launched once, forgot to put the outdrive down, then wondered why the boat wouldn't back up in the direction I wanted. My rub rail area has some minor scratches from me learning to dock. I figured that as long as I learned something from each adventure, and didn't do any real damage, I was making progress.

 

[jmarty10]

Re: Thank you iboats!

Yep - theres a lot of little things you have to do to have a good day on the boat. GEt that checklist going, make copies, grab a pencil and check off from the time you leave your driveway to the time you launch the boat. Dont feel bad I have been boating for 5 years now and yesterday I forgot to pull the anchor up after we started trolling again. Fortunately the anchor was in soft mud and came up.

 

[AZBoatDreamer]

Re: Thank you iboats!

Yep - theres a lot of little things you have to do to have a good day on the boat. GEt that checklist going, make copies, grab a pencil and check off from the time you leave your driveway to the time you launch the boat. Dont feel bad I have been boating for 5 years now and yesterday I forgot to pull the anchor up after we started trolling again. Fortunately the anchor was in soft mud and came up.

Yes yes Checklist. I use one all the time because I do not trust my memory.

 

[RMasters]

Re: Thank you iboats!

Yep, and never ever state that you have been doing this "for thousands of years". Those are the worse. The is always room for mistakes.

It is nice to have helpful people with the same kind of interest around.

Ahoy!

 

[jjacobs007]

Re: Thank you iboats!

thats some serious mistakes,be carefull and double check everything bro.You dont want to hurt your family on the next run.

 

[Joshua Nichols]

Re: Thank you iboats!

forgot to raise the outdrive and drug the skeg across the ramp

Be there done that... Scratches give it character

 

[dsiekman]

Re: Thank you iboats!

Just be careful and take your time. If you're like me, you get so excited about getting on the water that you forget the easy things. I broke two teeth that way - forgot to unhook the winch cable and then pushed the bow off when it got hung up on the roller; winch handle got me right in the mouth.:facepalm:

It happens to everyone. A captain friend of mine "removed" a piling while leaving the slip in a 48' sportfish. The lines were black (to match the boat) and he missed a line in the dark. Whoops.