What boating mistakes have you made?

[Triton II]

Re: What boating mistakes have you made?

Found myself in a potential world of hurt the other day. After a great day on the water, washed the boat and trailer, flushed the motor and let it all dry. It's winter here so the drying bit took a while. Then pulled on the canvas boat cover, did up the straps and then slid the waterproof tarp over the top.

Just about to do up the tarp straps when a gust of wind picks up the whole thing (24 x 12 ft) and it floats over the foothpath and across the road, straight over the front of a passing car. Car slams on the brakes and stops. I run across and try to pull off the tarp but it's trapped under the front wheels and across the guy's windscreen. He backs up a bit, I manage to pull the tarp away from his car, then he gets out, bright red in the face and looking for blood! I explain what happened and he starts laughing.

Tarp is a bit bu@@ered, but at least there was no other damage. Lesson learned, I'll always be tying the thing down as I go! :facepalm:

TII

 

[markheck1]

Re: What boating mistakes have you made?

Just found a nice SHT tonight that I did when winterizing the boat, Evidently the power steering cooler holds water and can freeze over the winter, Who Knew? :facepalm:

 

[postjim508]

Re: What boating mistakes have you made?

Run to a dead stop on an oyster bar. Jumped out and waded around like I meant to do it. I'm lucky as hell it didn't rip my lower unit off.

 

[Jlawsen]

Re: What boating mistakes have you made?

The preface to my boating mistake is the definition of insanity: To repeatedly do something over and over again the same way and expect different results. I own boats. Now how insane is that!

 

[msaunoras]

Re: What boating mistakes have you made?

oh yeah and speaking of the tarp.......mine has several nice gashes in it right where my trolling motor stows. Try and guess how that one happened, think along the lines of the cord and foot pedal switch aligning perfectly long after I have stopped fishing for the day.

 

[catfishcarl99]

Re: What boating mistakes have you made?

Thanks for all the replies and keeping this thread going.

I have a new one to add.

I lower my out drive while the boat sits in storage.

I forgot to raise it when I took the boat home from storage.

I didn't see any scraps so I will add raise out drive on my check list.


Take care.

few weeks back i drove about 12 miles from the lake to the liquer store to get a 6 pack to enjoy when i got home. i got out walked behind the boat and my 50hp was down. sitting about 4" off the road. skeg still there prop still there no chips nothing. glad the road wasnt bumpy. and this was before i had a beer.:facepalm:

one of them times when ya think "man im dumb, but lucky"

 

[Blacksting]

Re: What boating mistakes have you made?

Went out fishing one Sunday night with my new cell ph/camara . Couldnt resist taking a pic of the beautiful full moon . Veered left and @ wot slammed into a marsh i later found out to be called Goose Island . Tried everything to get out . The marine patrol couldnt get in w/ low tide . So 6 hours later and w/ work in the morning , i'm swimming to their boat in jeans and a floatation device. ,...........

,.........a bad night fishing is still better than a good day at work

 

[bwachob]

Re: What boating mistakes have you made?

Joined the transom strap club yesterday.

 

[choppywaters]

Re: What boating mistakes have you made?

Not making friends with someone who already has a boat! So far about the only thing Ive done is come into the dock too straight on and scraped the side and rub rail a bit, the boat was fine but shaved some material off the rail. AND, AND letting my brother-in-law have beer on board, he proceeded to spill a bit and stained the swim platform in a few spots. I don't know what the hell kind of beer it was but damn!

 

[Davem3]

Re: What boating mistakes have you made?

Joined the transom strap club yesterday.

huh?????

 

[wc351]

Re: What boating mistakes have you made?

Took a buddy out for his second boat ride ever. While out switched tanks (portable tanks). Rode another 10-15 minutes and stopped at a massive tree still sticking out of the water. Started the motor back up accelerated got to about 20mph and the motor started bogging down, turned to look at the motor and all looked fine. I know the carbs are in need of a cleaning so I just pushed the throttle higher. Boat picked up to around 25 and started bogging again. I could see the look of fear on his face thinking we were going to be stranded. Turned around again, but this time I saw the tank I switched to was about half the size it should be. Jumped from my seat to open the vent (throttle still wide open) to stop the bogging. What do you know the bogging suddenly stopped. When I say suddenly means my hand was still on the tank and I'm in the back of the boat. As the the motor stopped bogging it leaped from 25 to 40 quickly and I happened to get thrown against the back of the boat and didn't get thrown out. After getting back to my seat and throttling back I couldn't stop laughing. Not sure he will ever go on the water again though.

 

[Natty Light]

Re: What boating mistakes have you made?

All within the last two months.

1. Ran aground the first day at 30 mph. Luckily it was soft mud but I had to walk the boat back to safety in the "middle" of the Tennessee river. No damage or injury. I'm a stay within the bouys guy now.

2. Left the depthfinder on for a week. Came back to a dead battery

3. Tried to overtake a larger boat putting out 4 foot swells at high speed. Scary. Another lesson learned.

4. Took the boat up river to a dock side resturaunt 2 hours before sundown. They were late with the food and we ended up finding our way back in the dark. Took 10 minutes to get there. Took 90 minutes to get back. Had to go very slow and walked the boat out of shallow water three times. All meal outings by boat are lunch only from here on out.

Needless to say I have really enjoyed the first few months of boat ownership. The boat has been great and very forgiving of my learning curve.

 

[Ilikewater]

Re: What boating mistakes have you made?

Fly casting too aggressively out of dad's boat and went over the side.

I am sure I will have a few more after this Saturday. Taking my first boat out on first outing..........

 

[scorpionic]

Re: What boating mistakes have you made?

Most recent was last week...the dnr launch was crammed, pleasure boaters and fisherman lined up everywhere and per usual, tensions at a crowded launch were high. I was launching my 14' Starcraft alone (I normally have a buddy fishing with me). Unhooked bow from the trailer, backed up enough to tie up to the dock, then got in the car to back the next few feet and the dang thing wouldn't budge from the trailer. It's a shallow ramp that I hadn't used before, so I was thinking it just wasnt in far enough. I slammed it back another ft, nothing...did it again and my muffler was gurgling in the water. Untied and re-hooked the bow, preparing to drive over to the deeper launch I normally use when it hit me...
You guessed it---forgot to take off the straps on the transom! The looks I was getting as I unhooked it all again and did the slow one-man launch were horrible!

 

[Crued]

Re: What boating mistakes have you made?

I have read this entire thread and I am absolutely terrified. As if I wasn't nervous enough, now I come to learn that it's not if, it's when you make one of these mistakes. Anybody want to buy a boat?

 

[TimBobCom]

Re: What boating mistakes have you made?

I did this one last year, got REALLY lucky. Went out boating with friends, perfect day on the water and I decided I'd wait until we got back to my storage lot to put the cover on. Before I left the parking lot I grabbed all of our loose items from the boat, towels, cell phones, coolers, etc and passed them down to everyone. Except for my cell phone and wallet which I laid on the rear sun pad.

10 miles away (at 35-55 MPH) somehow both my wallet and iPhone were laying right where I left them on my sunpad when I climbed up into the boat with the cover.

 

[Maclin]

Re: What boating mistakes have you made?

TimBob's story remined me of one I "caused"...

I fueled at home from gas cans, finished up and went to the lake. It was 35 miles away at 60mph most of the way, some bumps and railroad tracks to negotiate on the way out of town. When I was preparing for launch and got to the transom straps I noticed the open gas fill, looked down and the gas cap was sitting exactly where I had set it down on the swim platform after removing it for the fillup.

 

[Gibbles]

Re: What boating mistakes have you made?

Yeah, I got one of those too ^

Just last weekend, I was leaving the lake for the day

I got everything strapped down, correctly...

I took my brand new fishfinder off of it's quick dethatch mount (Garmin Echo 200) and realized I forgot to close the windshield, so I put it down on the side of the boat, climb in and close the window

Drove off and made it about a mile when I remembered the fishfinder!

I pull over and get out, the fishfinder no longer where I put it...

Luckily it I found it sitting on the floor of the boat. :redface:

 

[SteveMcD]

Re: What boating mistakes have you made?

I wasn't "boating" at the time, but this should crack a few of you up anyway. I am a microbrew fan, and microbrews don't do twistops. I got a nautikewl bottle opener at the Astoria maritime museum and mounted it in the galley. I couldn't open a bottle with it to save my *****. It needed some reshaping, and I had an angle grinder. Four microseconds later, I cut it cleanly in half. Tool Time Tim would have been proud.

 

[Home Cookin']

Re: What boating mistakes have you made?

I wasn't "boating" at the time, but this should crack a few of you up anyway. I am a microbrew fan, and microbrews don't do twistops. I got a nautikewl bottle opener at the Astoria maritime museum and mounted it in the galley. I couldn't open a bottle with it to save my *****. It needed some reshaping, and I had an angle grinder. Four microseconds later, I cut it cleanly in half. Tool Time Tim would have been proud.

If it ain't broke, fix it until it is!