Just to make me feel better... what stupid thing did you do last boating season?

[MOA_Chaser]

I lost not one, but two small box anchors last year, within three weeks of each other.

The first, we were going just a short ways and it was on the upper swim deck. We decided to go a lot further, forgot it was back there and went on full plane. Somehow it got washed off or something.

Second one was a few weeks later, the replacement was just delivered. We anchored at a spot that we normally only ever use one anchor.. But we used both this time. A storm blew in and we hurriedly pulled in the bow anchor and took off, forgetting about and towing the brand new box anchor that, somehow, came loose from the cleat. I have NO idea how.

I bought some little yellow floats that I've tied to the bitter ends of all my anchor ropes, just in case we do anything so careless again, so I might have at least some chance of retrieving it.

 

[Wayloncle]

I had a great day yesterday at Canyon Lake, TX.

We were in a cove about to start pulling the kids on the tube but the ladies wanted to swim first so I threw out my box anchor and we swam for a bit.
Then came time to tube, got it all connected and kids on the tube, took off and thought something felt strange, gave a little more throttle then remembered the anchor:-/

I drug/pulled it at least 100 feet, I started pulling it in and thought I was going to have to cut the line but it finally broke loose. Had big limb stuck through it that Broke off.

 

[Bruce]

During the Shelbyville scavenger hunt we had to launch the boat to get to the last station. We were in a hurry. I loaded the family in the boat but forgot to put the drain and clean out port plugs in. When I went to loosen the winch I heard bubbling and remembered that I needed to put the plugs in. So I pulled her back out, installed the plugs then launched again.

 

[njmr2fan]

So after trying to pull away from our swimming spot yesterday with our ladder and anchor down, we made a yellow safety ribbon (think remove before flight tag) that I velcro to the steering wheel. Hope I don't do that again now.

 

[Wayloncle]

So after trying to pull away from our swimming spot yesterday with our ladder and anchor down, we made a yellow safety ribbon (think remove before flight tag) that I velcro to the steering wheel. Hope I don't do that again now.

Were you on my boat??
My ladder was down when I towed the anchor as well

 

[njmr2fan]

Great minds make the same great mistakes?

 

[jfkraus]

We drove 15 miles with the trailer jack down. Fortunately only required getting a new jack.

 

[sysinu]

Wife: "It's such a nice day today"
Me: "Why is the boat running sluggish?"
... almost all the way to the other side of the lake, stop and turn it off ...
... everyone but me jumps in the water ...
... I stand on the swim platform and the bilge starts to run ...

... .. . I have never screwed something in so fast as I screwed that plug.



The good news is that because of the fwd velocity most the ride water never collected to much. The bottom of the engine compartment had about 1" of water in it (I was VERY surprised - I thought they would have been half submerged in water). Bilge ran for about 45 seconds is all.

 

[Big Shasta]

I drove about 4 miles before I realized I hadn't latched the hitch on the ball. I had the chains on it but it could have been ugly.

 

[mark_m]

I drove 3miles from storage back to my house without inserting the safety pin on the hitch latch.

 

[Wayloncle]

I drove 3miles from storage back to my house without inserting the safety pin on the hitch latch.

I see people all the time that don't insert anything into the latch, drives crazy to see that since it has always been ingrained in my mind since I was a kid, my dad always pinned it and when I joined the Air Force a big part of my job was towing equipment on the flight line. If you didn't have the safety pin in the pintle hook latch....lord help you, inspectors acted like it was the end of the world!

 

[dan144k]

Built an automatic ballast system using 1" fittings a used 1-1/8" hose, everything leaks.

Ordering all 1-1/8" fittings to replace and fix leaks.

 

[mark_m]

Not quite last season... But first trip this season, noticed starboard engine wouldn't get past 8k at wide open throttle.... Sounded little off at higher revs. Thought about it and then took apart and saw I didn't hook up the #4 spark plug after changing the day before.

 

[chesbay007]

I was running my power cable for my amp down the inside of the hull and drilled through the hull. I walk around the boat and had 2 screws poking out the side. Probably the biggest bonehead mistake I ever made in my boating years.

 

[itsdgm]

I was running my power cable for my amp down the inside of the hull and drilled through the hull. I walk around the boat and had 2 screws poking out the side. Probably the biggest bonehead mistake I ever made in my boating years.

any pics? Come on, we're all friends here

 

[Rob9550]

I see people all the time that don't insert anything into the latch, drives crazy to see that since it has always been ingrained in my mind since I was a kid, my dad always pinned it and when I joined the Air Force a big part of my job was towing equipment on the flight line. If you didn't have the safety pin in the pintle hook latch....lord help you, inspectors acted like it was the end of the world!

Automatic LOR from CC for that here at Shawshank. Been around a few AGE and Ammo troops getting paperwork for the UCR...!

 

[itsdgm]

I was running my power cable for my amp down the inside of the hull and drilled through the hull. I walk around the boat and had 2 screws poking out the side. Probably the biggest bonehead mistake I ever made in my boating years.

We've all had bad days. Trust me, I've done a similar thing with a brand new trailer. Your story reminded me of this old pic that I saw years ago on "another site". This should make us all feel better.

 

[Noko]

Thats painful to look at.

Last year was the first year I had my boat. On getting it ready for the second season I was hooking the batteries back up that I had pulled out for the winter. Actually my brother took them out so I'm blaming him. I wasn't sure how to put the batteries back in. I ended up hooking the battery's positive to the negative. The terminal got really hot and turned cherry red! Fortunately I unhooked the cable and nothing happened to the battery. I also forgot to hook up the boats negative cable and the boat wouldn't start. I have two batteries and wasn't sure how they hooked in. I didn't take pics when I took them out. I've now got the wiring down and I also don't take the batteries out anymore since its stored inside. I also forgot to unstrap the back of the boat when we were launching it. I was wondering why the boat wouldn't come off the trailer. My girlfriend asked if the straps were off. How did she know better than me?

 

[Glen]

Took the brand new boat out for the first time in December (in VA) to local lake.
Remembered I hadn't put the plug in an hour or so into the trip.
Put the boat on plane for 15 minutes to drain her. Then gently beached her and went over the stern (60 degree water) and under the boat to put the plug in.
Sometimes pain is just the reward for being stupid.
(I've also tried to back off the trailer at least once a season, with the stern trailer straps, still on. Good news, is that I ID the source of that problem a lot faster, as the years go by ;-).

 

[Zarrella]

@Glen
You put the plug in how???