Close Call Over The Weekend, How do you remind yourself?

[Keondgo]

I did the same thing this weekend! I did all of my checks as usual but normally I would have the plugs in but since this was the first outing of the year I had not installed them. Launched with wife and son holding the dock lines. Got in the boat started it up and it sounded good. everyone in and we pushed off. Busy Ramp of course. I put it in reverse to back away and was thinking "Man this is really slow" then it hit me. Oh SHIT forgot the plugs. Luckily I was able to get close as we passed the end of the dock where my son jumped out and held the boat while I got them installed. Thank goodness I recognized the sluggish response before I gave her more throttle.

 

[scokill]

What's the 3rd hole?

That is a heckuva set up for a punchline but I won't go there.

 

[Zeus2013]

I go through the check list. Just before we back the boat in, my wife asks me to confirm, drain plug in, clean out plugs in, transom straps off, safety chain and strap off.

Why these? Because I have forgotten all of them once. It's a team effort.

 

[Speedling]

In 2015 at the busy ramp in Shelbyville while racing with @Speedling I forgot to put in the drain plug. I backed her down the ramp but could hear the water gurgling in so we had to pull her back out to install the plug and launch again. It happens.

Excuses Excuses, LOL we had the advantage that Julie and Joe stayed back with the kids so they got the whole days worth of stuff together and all we had to do was pull up, open the doors, and pull away. Funny that we were the ones racing to the finish line and we were both people that launch, not slip!
I passed Niel like 3 times before we found him too!

 

[Speedling]

I have only forgot the plugs once, and I remembered in the same way, except.....
It was going out at Burns ditch in Portage to go out onto Lake Michigan, which is like 2 miles long before you hit the lake all no wake mode. I launch in a fashion that you don' t throttle up at all and we literally did no wake the whole way out. Punched it when we actually hit the lake, and ummmmm, it took me a second, LOL! PLUGS! You gotta realize, our no wake mode is much slower than people that don't have a set speed so they just keep throttling up past us and so we had a good line behind us of people wanting to gun it onto the big lake, and here I am fixing my plugs. Oh, did i mention this is before i rebuilt them and it took a rope and a board to pry them out? Yeah.... I rebuilt them pretty quick after that.

 

[tdonoughue]

My tip for not forgetting the plugs (again): I pull them out and let them sit in the wet storage area with the hatch sitting open. Engine won't start unless I go back there, put them in and close the hatch...

 

[NewBoater]

The boatel drops my boat in the water and when I step onto the boat (on the swim platform), the plugs are the first thing I do every time as soon as my feet hit the boat I'm headed right there. Then next up main battery switch on, and blower and bilge turned on and wait a few minutes before firing up and leaving the dock.

 

[Ronnie]

Been there and done it before and will again.

One thing to think about doing when it all goes south and you are adrift, throwing the anchor.

 

[Bennie]

My tip for not forgetting the plugs (again): I pull them out and let them sit in the wet storage area with the hatch sitting open. Engine won't start unless I go back there, put them in and close the hatch...

I'm the same. When I'm done cleaning the boat I leave them in the tray and the tray cracked. Then I put the cover on.
So the next time I get ready to take it out, I take the cover off and first thing I see is a clean out tray (and plugs) that require my attention.

 

[props2you]

That is a heckuva set up for a punchline but I won't go there.

Lol! 2 clean outs and the drain plug.

I'm sure after that, I won't forget again. I like the idea of either leaving the hatch open or just doing it at the house before leaving. I'll start with the label and see how long I actually leave it there, before I decide I don't need it.

As far as dropping anchor, would not have worked in this situation. Too shallow, too fast, too windy and too many obstacles.

 

[Matt Phillips]

On my 232, I always put the drain plug in the table holder on the lower transom. Seeing it always reminded me to install it. I did however forget to put the plugs in once though...

Since there's no table let holder on the 242, I bought a "remove before flight ribbon I'll try attaching to the reboarding handle to visually reminded me. Here's the basic flash with a carabiner...
https://www.amazon.com/AeroPhoenix-Remove-Before-Flight-Banner/dp/B007GFV6LE/ref=sr_1_10?ie=UTF8&qid=1496207805&sr=8-10&keywords=remove+before+flight+flag

 

[Devildog]

Glad that everything worked out. It was super windy the past few days. Lake Marie and Fox Lake are usually choppy with all of the traffic, but really bad over the weekend because of the wind. Even coming under the small bridge into Lake Catherine got a little squirrelly. I must say though that docking was not an issue. So impressed with how our boats handle when docking at the pier.

Just curious, where were you at when all of this happened?

 

[rrmidden]

My routine starts at home, where I put the clean-out and drain plugs in and get everything in the boat. Makes the launching at the ramp quicker and easier. One time last year, driving to the ramp, I remembered that I forgot the plugs, so I just repeated in my head, don't forget the plugs when you get to the ramp, don't forget the plugs when you get to the ramp, don't forget the plugs when you get to the ramp... Luckily it's only a 10 minute drive and I didn't forget!

At the ramp we always go to, they have a volunteer during the summer, checking for weeds and payment, etc. We see him a lot, and he's very chatty with us, nice friendly guy, but when you are trying to stick to a routine it can be a little annoying, that's one of the reasons I started doing everything back at home. Now we just back it down, I take the straps off, hope in, wife backs it down the rest of the way, and I take off!

 

[Englewoodcowboy]

I have forgotten them and it is usually the first outing of the year that I do. Fortunately my routine is I do not float the boat right away, I have my GF back me down till the stern is in the water and I fire it up to make sure things are pumping etc. and I will drop it in reverse to start pulling before I motion to her to back in further, it is right then that I can tell if there is no force that I left them out... Its happened twice so far. Since this coming weekend is my first outing, lets see if I remember it then. LOL

 

[props2you]

Just curious, where were you at when all of this happened?

Lake Geneva, we're up there 2-3x per week. We avoid the chain like the plague.

 

[ncnmra]

I have attached some fluorescent orange marking "tape" (non adhesive) (really cheap at the local dollar store) to my plugs. When I pull them, I lay them across the cleanout ports and let the marking tape hang out. I would trip over it if I didn't address it.

 

[ncnmra]

I use the tape for a few other things, like the golf tees in the "pee holes". At least that way I can pretend I'm a fighter pilot:

 

[mraz72]

I wet slip and I have a bow and cockpit snap cover. The cockpit snap cover covers the swim platform so I cannot leave the access hatch open on the swim platform. If I take my plugs out, I don't have a lot of room to lay them down and then close the hatch.

What are you guys doing to pull the plugs while slipped and still close the access hatch on the swim platform?

 

[Joe Hellaby]

There should be enough cable to pull the plugs, close the hatch and put on top of the hatch. That's what I do. Then snap the cover back down into place

 

[ncnmra]

It may depend on the model of the boat. I am able to pull the plugs, and lay them literally across the cleanout port and close the hatch. I agree with @Michael Rasmussen that it is not possible to button down the snap cover if the hatch is left completely open.