you think it cant happen to you? it can and it will

[evinice66]

Re: you think it cant happen to you? it can and it will

first year boating, forgot the plug 3 times out of 10 trips so far...hahahaha but to my defence my regular fishing buddy is a pain in the as. he screws around and takes his sweet time getting ready delaying the trip for an hour or more and then when we get there he watches me do everything and rushing me, one time almost backing the car over me as i was taking of the back straps. hes annyoying but always knows where the fish are biting....

 

[Don Dickinson]

Re: you think it cant happen to you? it can and it will

because i'm aging and am too lazy to write things down, i keep my list small ...

1. when i pull out of the driveway, i keep my lists small:

before i leave my house i do only 3 things:
1) the transom saver goes on
2) drain plug goes in
3) trailer attached w/ lights

when i get to the ramp, i do three things:
1) transom saver off
2) lights unplugged
3) tie-downs off

i am able to remember that i need to do three things in each step, and knowing that serves as a checklist. I just think to myself "I need to do three things here" and try to remember what they are

when i pull out i do the same steps in reverse and stop for gas on the way home so i don't forget that next time

remembering anything else is beyond my ability so it gets left to wife/kids ... for instance, food & entertainment are their responsibilities. they have no expectation of me remembering anything except the boat basics

 

[BSDenning]

Re: you think it cant happen to you? it can and it will

A little different plug problem.
When I got my first boat, (1977) I did forget to put the plug in, not once, mind you but twice! Slow on the uptake,:redface:
I now always keep the plug in the splashwell.

Never had another plug problem, until 1997.
Different Wife, different boat! 2nd. time out!


Wife, Daughter, and myself head about 2hrs north, to a REMOTE, BACK country lake to do some Walleye fishing.I had to work late on the Fri. we were to leave, I had packed tent and such into truck canopy Thurs. night, W&D were going to have boat packed, Coolers, rods and such, all I had to do when i got home was to hook up, secure and away we go. We arrive while the sun is going down, unload canopy, set up tent, table,chairs,cots,build fire---- You know the usual weekend outing.
Next morning get up, camp breakfast, coffee, watch sun rise----BEAUTIFUL!!

Pull boat down to launch, back-up, disconnect lights, I always start closest to the truck, move to winch, attach rope to Bow -eye, go to stern, disconnect tie-downs, reach into splash-well for plug NO plug!

Plug is always there, was there 2 weeks before when we did maiden launch, was there when I hosed boat out, was there Thurs. night!

HONEY, did you see a funny looking Brass and rubber thingy in the back of the boat?
"Yes dear, I saw it there when we were packing the boat, it was just rolling around, so I put it in the Kitchen Junk Drawer."

WOW! Thanks, I had a really good laugh at that story. HAHAHA

It reminds me of a time I was out on the Cape Fear River with my friend and his girlfriend on my 14 foot jon boat. We anchored and my friend and I jumped in to do some swimming. My friend's girlfriend refused to jump in, so she stayed in the boat. I swam up to the side of the boat and figured I'd give her a hard time. I said "hey, do you see that plug in the back of the boat, pull it out." She looks around and says "I don't see it" The next thing I know, she pulls the plug out and water starts gushing into my aluminum jon boat. Shocked that she actually pulled it out, I yelled "YOU F****** RETARD! PUT THE PLUG BACK IN!!!" I guess she was nervous or something because she just barely stuck it in the hole, so water was still coming in the boat around the plug. lol I had to swim to the back of the boat, pull myself up and push it in! Afterwards, I felt bad and had to apologize for calling her a f****** retard. I was just really shocked that she actually pulled it out. I guess I had it coming though. Don't put anything past a blonde!

 

[bass boat rookie]

Re: you think it cant happen to you? it can and it will

Dont feel bad.I left the anchor attached to the front of the boat,after taking off with the kids in the lake to tube. :{
Instead of sliding my boat onto the beach,I have a short rope with an anchor attached to a empty gallon jug to act as a marker in the water.All this to protect my hull.Then I forget to unhook it to pull the kids on the tube.

 

[BSDenning]

Re: you think it cant happen to you? it can and it will

LOL I've done that before!

I was on the cape fear river and I had been anchored for a while. Then we got ready to go and I cranked up the motor and we headed off. We road about a mile with the anchor down until finally it caught something on the bottom and the boat made a quick stop and tried to turn around. I thought the motor was caught on something, but it wasn't. It took me a few minutes to realize what was going on! LOL And I felt pretty dumb when I realized what I did. It's a good thing that at that time I was using a 7.5 hp and it was only running on one cylinder. So, needless to say, I was not going very fast when the anchor finally caught something. Now I've got a 10 hp that runs good. I'd hate to see what would happen at that speed. :-/

 

[cdnfthree2]

Re: you think it cant happen to you? it can and it will

I can give you an idead of what might happen. About 2 months ago I took my wife, our 2 kids, and a few others from the neiborhood out tubing. It was a fun day for the most part. We anchored out for lunch and to have a swim. We finished up and all of us got back in except the next person due for a ride. The boat was hesitating a bit at first, then it took off quickly, and then we heard a very loud clunk about 15 seconds later. We have a19ft boat with 150hp outboard. Apparently, we must have been in about 19ft of water also. My prop was now missing about an inch off two of the three baldes and my navy anchor was split in two, held together only by what remained of the rubber coating. Luckily, we got back ok. $80 worth of damage for prop and $30 on the anchor. It coud have been alot worse, I guess. Oh, yeah! This was a plug thread!

 

[mthieme]

Re: you think it cant happen to you? it can and it will

Congratulations. You are now among the seasoned veterans.

Having grown on the water, this is innate to me although I have forgot he plug on more than one occasion.
At one point in my career, I worked for the Navy where a storekeeper who had served 34 years took me under his wing to learn the ropes.
One day he asked me "What's the first thing you do upon entering a life boat?".
"Put the plug in", I responded. (duh)
Evidently, he is the only person in the Navy to know this although they don't require plugs any more. I've asked every Navy person I've ever met in life this question - noone has know the answer. Go figure.
He did not expect me to know the answer.
Sorry to digress, just an interesting observation I thought I'd share.
I should sit at the ramp one day and ask all the boaters.

 

[This_lil_fishy]

Re: you think it cant happen to you? it can and it will

*knocking on wood*

My motor doesn't have a hydraulic trim, so I set it when I pull the transom straps off. I keep the pin and plug together, so I never forget to grab both when I take the straps off. I know for a fact that if I didn't have to set the trim before putting it in the water I would forget the plug..probably alot!


Ian

 

[sunburnt]

Re: you think it cant happen to you? it can and it will

word association ? plug and unplug ! plug the boat and unplug the trailer lites. bulbs seem to burn out faster if your brake lites are on ,as you're backing down

 

[Fishinmagician]

Re: you think it cant happen to you? it can and it will

bulbs seem to burn out faster if your brake lites are on ,as you're backing down

Thats why i converted to LED much brighter too........

 

[onemorecast2]

Re: you think it cant happen to you? it can and it will

It's a good thing your finger didn't get stuck-No rescue trucks needed

 

[hazwild]

Re: you think it cant happen to you? it can and it will

Thats a great story. I do have my plug attached to my rubber oil drain line so it is always there.

 

[puddle jumper]

Re: you think it cant happen to you? it can and it will

I know what your getting for christmas

 

[texanaustinite]

Re: you think it cant happen to you? it can and it will

I usually remove the plug and let it drain when I get back home. I get the boat all squared away then I put the plug back in. For some reason, I didn't put it back in this last time out. I'll be damn sure to do it as soon as I get home today.

 

[justarobb]

Re: you think it cant happen to you? it can and it will

well here is another twist on that story. I (brand new boat owner) enjoy half a season of boating fun and take the boat out for the winter, do all the right things in getting motor for storage, but, forget to take the plug out. well one month later I go to the cottage and the entire motor and seat, awe crap lets just say, it was a small waiting pool!!!!
yep wife asked "why I did that"!!!

enjoy and be safe.
Rob.

 

[puddle jumper]

Re: you think it cant happen to you? it can and it will

well here is another twist on that story. I (brand new boat owner) enjoy half a season of boating fun and take the boat out for the winter, do all the right things in getting motor for storage, but, forget to take the plug out. well one month later I go to the cottage and the entire motor and seat, awe crap lets just say, it was a small waiting pool!!!!
yep wife asked "why I did that"!!!

enjoy and be safe.
Rob.

This aslo happends more than you think

 

[redfury]

Re: you think it cant happen to you? it can and it will

Plug comes out when the boat comes out of the water, and it goes back in when I leave for the lake. Certain things just require routine, simplicity and helpful reminders to keep us from looking like the simple minded cretins we really are

Of course, I left my depth finder on for 2 days before I noticed it and barely got enough of a charge on the battery to turn the motor over at the lake.

 

[j_martin]

Re: you think it cant happen to you? it can and it will

Plug comes out when the boat comes out of the water, and it goes back in when I leave for the lake. Certain things just require routine, simplicity and helpful reminders to keep us from looking like the simple minded cretins we really are

Ever heard, "Pride comes before the fall."

Don't forget to post the story.

 

[matt9923]

Re: you think it cant happen to you? it can and it will

I did it on my jet ski but it was backwards on the trailer cause i took it off a 2 spot trailer so i saw it. But i have my own launch so i would make it look like i was just testing something. But knowing my river 1/2 the boaters are funny guys so they would come over and say something. lol
Its part of boating. Funny afterwords.

 

[redfury]

Re: you think it cant happen to you? it can and it will

Ever heard, "Pride comes before the fall."

Don't forget to post the story.

I didn't post that comment because it's never happened to me before

I posted it because it has, and that's what I've done to reduce my chances of doing the same. I think leaving the drainplug out when launching is required by all new boaters at least once, if not to just keep us humbled.