stupid boating mistake

[SKYGUNS]

We went to central northern California to go boating, when we put the boat in the water everything seemed fine, we loaded it up and it took us about 10 minutes and when my mother and brothers cast off and drive north to meet me and my father at the dock upstream it starts when they call and say it stuttering and its not giving the throttle wanted so then i state to my dad did you ever out the rear plug in then he gos "oh $h1t" tells them to turn back and turn on the bilge, then he turns around and panics as he gos like 50 in a 35 mph road with the trailer still on, they shut off the engine and he dives in with the plug (he nearly forgets it the first time) with the plug in we check the engine and see the water has about touched the oil pan and may be a bit higher, and that was a lot of water for that boat, about 4-5 cubic feet (may be exaggerating). we take it out for a test drive and it stutters and backfires so we take it out ASAP to get it fixed when we go home. Perhaps the most common thing to check before you put it in and us being idiots, forgot too.


I still refuse to tell him i had intentions to tell him to remember the plug.  

[MiloMorai]

Seen that happen. Boat sank.

You can try some self bailing plugs, called duck bills. You leave them attached.

[storch]

was there ever a smart boating mistake?  if you keep underweigh the water will flow out in a planing hull the problem is when you stop.  been there done that.  duck bills clog easily

[RipChord929]

Ooop's, Can't forget that drain plug....

I have a 19ft Alumaweld jetsled, 350hp IO Mercjet power....

Had just finished service on the jet...
Forgot to reinstall the impeller screen...

Too many buddies, Too many beers, on a hot summer day fixin the boat!!!!!

Next day, out on the river, went blastin upstream... Fun stuff man!!!
Upstream dragraces, with other sleds, listenin to that BigBlock Chevy HOWL!!!
Sucked a football sized rock into the almost new impeller, at full throttle....

BANG, CRUNCH CRUNCH, WIZZZZZZZZZ, GRIND!!!!! Smashed the impeller,
twisted off the imp shaft, broken gears, and a cracked case....

I rebuilt the jet myself, but parts cost me $6200 bucks...
My wife almost had an appoplexy!!!!!

Be glad your mistake was a small one.... But I feel for ya bro!!!!

<S> RC

[lasersailor184]

Seen that happen.  My friend sank the boat. 


We were moving all of our small daysailors away from the lake at the end of the season.  We had two cars with two hitches.  Unfortunately, we had one free trailer, and another trailer underneath a cheapo aluminum bass boat that we used as a safety boat.

So our plan was to put the safety boat in the water, tie it up, and then have 2 trailers to use.  We're moving along at a good clip, on our way back to the lake for the last trip.  We also have to move out the safety boat on this trip.  I say to the person riding in my car, "Did so and so put in the plug?"

The reply was, "Yeah!  Yeah, he had to have!  It's so and so."  Then we chuckled at my silly musing.

It's dark by the time we get there, so we go down to get the safety boat out of the water.  "So and So" goes up to the dock and says, "Wow!  The water level went up?"  What are you talking about?  "The water level went up like a foot and a half!"

As we look closer, we see that the boat is on the bottom of the lake, albeit in a shallow part at the shore.  Just about that time, the temperature drops to 28/30 degrees, being as it is late November.  All of our wet lines start freezing solid.  We make him get in the water to get it out.  Hours later, the boat was still draining water.

[Roundeye]

Install a small hook above your boat's ignition switch.  When you pull the plug, put it in a bag and hang it over your switch.  

[MiloMorai]

was there ever a smart boating mistake?  if you keep underweigh the water will flow out in a planing hull the problem is when you stop.  been there done that.  duck bills clog easily

How does one keep underweigh? Throw some passengers overboard? 

If one keeps moving, ie underway, the water will drain slowly.

Never had a duckbill clog.

[storch]

How does one keep underweigh? Throw some passengers overboard? 

If one keeps moving, ie underway, the water will drain slowly.

Never had a duckbill clog.

one keeps under weigh by moving the vessel forward.  preferably under its own propulsion.  is the song anchors away or achors a weigh?

if you've never had a duckbill clog then you have never used one.

[avionix]

The song is "Anchors A Weigh"

[Rich46yo]

I used to just keep the thing in and had a spare handy in a storage rack near the end of the boat. Theres no real reason to ever take it out and keep it out anyways. Not if you keep the boat covered as I always did anyways.

[AKIron]

Did that once. Was an outboard though so just stuck the plug and bailed a while. Was embarrassing.

[Steve]

See Rules #4, #5

[Hangtime]

My brother had a goofy lil 17' bayliner on a trailer. He'd drag the thing up to Lake Powell behind his RV. One weekend, on the way home late, a lil boozed, sun toasted and a bit smoked, he'd forgotten to snug down the strap and hadn't ever installed a snub saftey cable between the winch and the bow eye. Somewhere east of San Bernardino the goofy little POS hopped off the trailer and wound up being dragged up the freeway at 75mps still attached to the trailer by the winch cable.

Left a white stripe for better than 20 miles. 

[dkff49]

Our first trip out this year was while my daughter was away and my wife and I decided would be a good time for peace and quiet on the lake. We did as we usually do and made a lap around the lake and parked at our favorite fishing spot until we got hungry. At that point we pulled up to shore at nice little sandy beach area as we have done several times before and tie it there like always before. I pull out the grill and make lunch. After a couple of hours have passed we make sure the grill has cooled pick up all our belongings and load them in to the boat and prepare to push the boat back out away from the beach.

Problem is the power company has decided that they needed to drain down the lake some and now our 19 foot Regal has sand up about 1 inch all the way around the hull including up the back. Now our 2000 pound (estimated from the 3500 pound weight rating on trailer) is truely beached. We ended up having to unload everything, start the engine with the lower unit raised up almost all the way, put it in reverse, and both of us push with no one to steer the boat after it got moving.

Of course we could have called for help since we both had cell service, but you know how pride can get the better of you. From that point on we decided that we would make sure that we pushed the boat back away from the shore after we get what we need off of it.

[Hangtime]

Our first trip out this year was while my daughter was away and my wife and I decided would be a good time for peace and quiet on the lake. We did as we usually do and made a lap around the lake and parked at our favorite fishing spot until we got hungry. At that point we pulled up to shore at nice little sandy beach area as we have done several times before and tie it there like always before. I pull out the grill and make lunch. After a couple of hours have passed we make sure the grill has cooled pick up all our belongings and load them in to the boat and prepare to push the boat back out away from the beach.

Problem is the power company has decided that they needed to drain down the lake some and now our 19 foot Regal has sand up about 1 inch all the way around the hull including up the back. Now our 2000 pound (estimated from the 3500 pound weight rating on trailer) is truely beached. We ended up having to unload everything, start the engine with the lower unit raised up almost all the way, put it in reverse, and both of us push with no one to steer the boat after it got moving.

Of course we could have called for help since we both had cell service, but you know how pride can get the better of you. From that point on we decided that we would make sure that we pushed the boat back away from the shore after we get what we need off of it.

Kedge. Swim, with the anchor on a float like a couple of life jackets, out the entire length of your rhode, drop the hook and then haul yourself off. I used to routinely drop a kedge on the way in to a beach anyway. Tides, 'n all...