Where are the keys ????

[kenmyfam]

Yesterday we had a family trip to the lake with the boat in tow. Son in law passed me the keys to the stowage locker so I could take that key off from the ignition key to keep it handy in the boat. Took key off and I thought put the ignition key back in the boat. I thought wrong !!!
Get to the marina, unhook the tie downs and disconnect the electrics. noticed the key was missing out of the ignition switch !!!
Searched the boat and nothing. Thought I must have left it in the garage at home. Looked in the cubby for one of the spares.....and missing !! Always keep another one in the glove box of the tow vehicle so went to look for that and ...... nothing. (We have recently changed tow vehicles and the other spare may well be still in the old vehicle wherever it is now !!) Mrs Ken has yet another spare "somewhere" in her closet. Home we go and look. Nothing !! Mrs Ken can not remember where in her "stash" of seldom needed stuff it is. Turns out our son (who was not with us yesterday) used the spare from the cubby recently when I had the usual key with me. Re-traced our route to the marina and about 2 miles from home we saw it in the side of the road on it's "floaty" a couple of vehicles had run over it by this time as we could tell from the tire marks, destroyed key ring and the bent key !! Straightened it out with pliers and a hammer and it did the trick for yesterdays boat trip.
My fault entirely as I had put the key on the bow by mistake. Family forgave me but I am sure I will hear about it for years to come :redface:
The "bent" key has since been thrown away and a couple of spares will be with us before the end of the week !!!
I suppose this is more of a "Stupid Human Trick" while attempting to go boating !!

 

[seaboo]

Re: Where are the keys ????

I thought put the ignition key back in the boat. I thought wrong !!!

Looked in the cubby for one of the spares.....and missing !! Always keep another one in the glove box of the tow vehicle so went to look for that and ...... nothing.

The best laid plans sometimes go terribly a stray!!!!!!

 

[Thad]

Re: Where are the keys ????

Well, you're not alone. Much to my shagrin, I did something similar with my last boat. We bought it, got it home, got everything ready and headed two hours away to the Illinois river with friends. After tearing averything out of the boat looking for that darn key. I realized it was still at the dealers sitting on his desk. Four hours away from where we were.

A screw driver and a wire nut and we had a great day on the water

Glad you found your key. I had the dealer mail mine to me. The envelope came, with a big hole in it. Had to replace the ignition all together.

 

[nuboat2me]

Re: Where are the keys ????

Same goes for ATVs... My SIL left the keys in the Polaris'. Got to the trail head and geuss what???? BOTH were gone. He KNEW they were there.. HE loaded the trailer!!! It was a day of lunch with Mother nature... and takin the ATVS for a little wheel up time...

Moral of the story.... Pull the keys and put them in your pocket AFTER you load and prepare to go!!!

Every time I pull the boat out of the driveway, I pat my front pocket. That big "Floaty Thing" is there...

Glad it turned out okay!!!

Happy Boating!!!!

 

[tswiczko]

Re: Where are the keys ????

Family forgave me but I am sure I will hear about it for years to come :redface:

As much as we dislike it they are our most consistant critics. They consistantly remind us we are human

Better luck on your next outing

 

[robert graham]

Re: Where are the keys ????

I leave the keys with float thing attached, in the ignition, tie-wrapped to a cable so they don't blow out, never lost them! Keys are for honest folks anyway, the crooks will steal your boat/anything else regardless of keys!

 

[seaboo]

Re: Where are the keys ????

Moral of the story.... Pull the keys and put them in your pocket AFTER you load and prepare to go!!!

I think the moral is (although in the op's case Murphy's law worked overtime)
Keep a spare set somewhere just in case something happens.

I keep a spare set of keys to the tow vehicle in the boat and spare boat keys in the truck (not to mention 1 spare set of boat keys hidden on the boat ---just in case)...

I've been out on friends boats and had to wait on a spare set of vehicle keys to be run to them (he dropped them off the dock walking to the truck) and also gone out with them (trailering the boat) only to have to turn around and go back to his house to get the boat keys from the kitchen table.

 

[RWilson2526]

Re: Where are the keys ????

Last year after a trip I unlocked the trailer hitch when parking the boat in the driveway. (ignition keys, trailer lock key, glove box key all together). The next day my wife is leaving work and looks down and there are the keys sitting on the back bumper of the SUV. She drove 20 miles to work that morning, 10 miles on an interstate and 10 miles of back roads and there they sat pretty as a picture. If they had fallen off I would have never figured out what happened to them and probably would have torn the house apart for days.

 

[45Auto]

Re: Where are the keys ????

I leave the keys with float thing attached, in the ignition, tie-wrapped to a cable so they don't blow out, never lost them! Keys are for honest folks anyway, the crooks will steal your boat/anything else regardless of keys!

Actually, the keys in the ignition are for the kids who don't know any better to climb in your boat to play with while you're gone. They crank it up on the trailer and it sounds neat for a few minutes till it burns up and they run away!

 

[Doernuth]

Re: Where are the keys ????

I replaced two ignition switches once cause I left the Keys at home. Pulled the dash and swapped them on the dock. Now i have spare switches!!!

I do however need to have several spare keys made to keep everywhere Just in case!!!

 

[vhuevos7]

Re: Where are the keys ????

I have to keep a ritual to make sure i get it right. The first thing i do At the house right before we leave is put the key in the glove box, then i go through all my other steps. I guess you can say im compulsive about it. I know that theres going to be a day where i dont do my ritual and i will leave the darn key at home and then it going to be a two hour drive back home to go get it.

 

[DDG53]

Re: Where are the keys ????

Hahaha...... I guess i can say the same for my self multiple times The Car, Van, Boat, House Key.....Where are the Keys ??????

 

[kenmyfam]

Re: Where are the keys ????

Guess how many keys we have now ????
Glad to see I am not the only one to do this. Makes me feel a little better. I am just glad we launch 10 minutes from home !!! I can only imagine if we had driven for a few hours !!

 

[HopeSheFloats]

Re: Where are the keys ????

Guess how many keys we have now ????:

I'm gonna say...'enough to keep this sht from ever happening again'

Been there, done that

 

[Beefer]

Re: Where are the keys ????

After reading this post earlier today, on my way home, I stopped and got two more boat keys made. Probably should have got more....

 

[kenmyfam]

Re: Where are the keys ????

I'm gonna say...'enough to keep this sht from ever happening again'

Been there, done that

You got it exactly right !!!!

 

[kenmyfam]

Re: Where are the keys ????

After reading this post earlier today, on my way home, I stopped and got two more boat keys made. Probably should have got more....

You will be very glad you did...........one day