How about a stupid boater thread?

Carpediem44DB said:
I once put my Rinker 270 in the lake and had a buddy take the boat to our slip as I parked the truck and trailer. It was about a 1/4 mile hike to the dock from the parking lot and I could see my buddy loping along taking his time so I could meet him at the dock. I noticed the boat seemed to be listing more than normal and then I noticed water shooting out of a thru hole! I forgot the damn plug. I took off running and yelling to my bud to get to the fuel dock which was 1/2 way to my slip. I was stripped down to my skivys by the time I hit the dock and yelled shut it down as I dove in. Luckily my plug was hanging on a cable so I was able to get it reinstalled.
This was early April and that water was cold!! Only did that once.
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The dreaded plug, happened to me once in San Diego Mission Bay on the Regatta. That boat has a waterline of about 4” so not a lot of room for error and once in the 220 in MD, lots of family around noise confusion, me trying to get the boat in the water. Only thing that saved me was I was religious about rolling the engine cover open before starting the engine, looked in and water was flowing in pretty as you please, calmly had the Queen pull back up the ramp and all was well.
 
OllieC said:
Ditto. One of the reasons I yelled 'NO'. A year prior while fishing up in Canada, my buddy and I were coming in for shore lunch on his Ranger. I thought I'd help by grabbing the wooden dock while we're still in motion. Ended up with a 5" splinter shoved into the palm of my hand. Screwed up my fishing for the rest of the day.

After getting hurt and then reading somewhere on here about not getting on the bow while docking and keeping all extremities inside the boat until stopped, that's been standard practice. It never fails with guests though. I think they just try to be helpful when it isn't.
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Agreed, I tell all my souls on board that the best help is to sit comfortably and enjoy the show. Finally have the Queen understanding to wait until I’ve got the fat bottom girl a 1/4 way backed into the slip so she can calmly step off and handle lines. Ah practice and slow is fast, slower is even better.
 
Geez, now I am anxious to boat this weekend!

  • Trailered boat, boat ramp anxiety, left the plug out - check
  • Cut the entrance to the cove where everyone anchors out too close, grounded in mud - check
  • Forgot to lower the VHF antenna, snap/break - check
  • Hit a floating underwater log, bent props/shaft - check
  • Accidentally hit the anchor windlass switch while under power, anchor drops, damages gelcoat - check
  • "Ran out of gas" because the tank fuel valve/switches were not correctly set from previous owner on new to me boat, floated down the creek screaming for help, docked with help/no engines - added fuel, tried everything to restart, finally noticed the fuel valves were wrong - check
  • I am sure there are more...
 
Heading to the boat now for systems check and install of a rack for the Queens Kayak, I’ll keep my phone handy Blueone, I’m sure something stupid will happen, probably drop my phone in the water.
 
GirlyGirl1999 said:
Heading to the boat now for systems check and install of a rack for the Queens Kayak, I’ll keep my phone handy Blueone, I’m sure something stupid will happen, probably drop my phone in the water.
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Now if you can manage to get a picture while dropping your phone in the water, you will be golden. That would be right up there with Blueone hitting his own car....
 
mrsrobinson said:
Ha, I forgot about all of the things I have dropped in the water.
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I always started the year off by paying homage to Neptune by dropping an old pair of pliers or some other old tool off the transom and saying a little prayer for a safe boating season.

Fair winds and calm seas.
 
My cell is a company phone, set up with different apps, security, email, scada, a ton of different stuff, well 4 years ago befor I got the sea ray, I was out on the pontoon by myself Trolling for bass, I was eating sunflower seeds and throwing them
Over board with my right hand because every time I would try to spit them they would blow back in the boat. So it was, throw the seed over the side, throw the seed over the side, throw the seed over the side, throw the seed over the side. Well after about a half hour of that I got a email, so I grabbed my phone and was reading the email when a fish hit one of my rods. So you guessed it I threw a seed, err phone, over the side.
Spent the rest of the weekend going and getting a ne phone, and on the phone wit IT getting everything installed.
 
JayhawkCurtis said:
My cell is a company phone, set up with different apps, security, email, scada, a ton of different stuff, well 4 years ago befor I got the sea ray, I was out on the pontoon by myself Trolling for bass, I was eating sunflower seeds and throwing them
Over board with my right hand because every time I would try to spit them they would blow back in the boat. So it was, throw the seed over the side, throw the seed over the side, throw the seed over the side, throw the seed over the side. Well after about a half hour of that I got a email, so I grabbed my phone and was reading the email when a fish hit one of my rods. So you guessed it I threw a seed, err phone, over the side.
Spent the rest of the weekend going and getting a ne phone, and on the phone wit IT getting everything installed.
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Did you land the fish?
 
My biggest so far? A large group of boats were going up river to a place call Clay Bank and I got a notion to ride up. Incoming tide and smooth as glass. I saw my friends and made my turn to go to them. I have never been there so I was following the plotter. Them never told me about a abandoned pier. Sure enough I ran my old girl right up on to of them. Had one between the prop and rudder another in front of the other prop, and one hitting the bottom of the boat. I got out and into the river to try to get her off the mess with no joy. It took two more hours before the tide came in enough to get her off.

I’ve never tried to go back to that beach nor do I want to
 
mrsrobinson said:
Geez, now I am anxious to boat this weekend!

  • Trailered boat, boat ramp anxiety, left the plug out - check
  • Cut the entrance to the cove where everyone anchors out too close, grounded in mud - check
  • Forgot to lower the VHF antenna, snap/break - check
  • Hit a floating underwater log, bent props/shaft - check
  • Accidentally hit the anchor windlass switch while under power, anchor drops, damages gelcoat - check
  • "Ran out of gas" because the tank fuel valve/switches were not correctly set from previous owner on new to me boat, floated down the creek screaming for help, docked with help/no engines - added fuel, tried everything to restart, finally noticed the fuel valves were wrong - check
  • I am sure there are more...
Click to expand...
Holy crap.
 
GirlyGirl1999 said:
Heading to the boat now for systems check and install of a rack for the Queens Kayak, I’ll keep my phone handy Blueone, I’m sure something stupid will happen, probably drop my phone in the water.
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New post on our 290 thread, only dropped one nylon nut, of which I have plenty.

5230100E-7C6F-4204-8A43-E1F307A3101E.jpeg
 
GirlyGirl1999 said:
New post on our 290 thread, only dropped one nylon nut, of which I have plenty.
Click to expand...
Only one? You're doing good!

On the phone scene, my son-in-law thought he might have wrapped some fishing line around his prop. I had him push his boat around so the transom was close to the dock I was on. I got down on my hands and knees to take a look just to see my phone launch out of my shirt pocket, make one skip, then head for Davy Jones locker. Even with snorkel masks, we never could find it.
 
When the admiral and I first started dating 13 years ago my brother and I were halves on a 23’ Chaparral.
There’s a low bridge on the way to the restaurant I was taking her to and while I was watching the bow and the windshield I forgot the nav light. Broke the bracket so I raised the engine cover and used her little hair bow scrunchy thing to tie it back up enough to proceed.
A couple hours later after dinner….. same bridge, same stupid mistake.

Here’s one that’s not on me though.
This spring during my trip home on the 680 I have a hired captain (who is locally known and respected to most people around town as the go to captain for training owners and moving yachts) to meet me in Chicago for the river part of my journey home.
We’re getting ready to shove off and he asks me to pull the boat away from the dock since I’m already familiar with the controls and he’ll grab the lines. He goes up and takes the brand new 1” x 50’ bow line loose from the dock cleat, goes around 2 stands of the safety rail and tosses it onto the deck next to the edge, then steps over a 34” ball fender at the stern and onto the boat.
He comes to the helm and starts micro managing my every move.
About 5 minutes in he’s standing over me all jittery and nervous acting and says “you’d better just let me drive”. Where idling a couple hundred years off the shoreline of wide open calm Lake Michigan mind you.

This fellow is who my insurance agent insisted I needed to hire to bring the boat home and is listed on my insurance to drive my boat while I myself am not allowed to drive unless supervised by this guy.

I sit there for the next 2 hours watching that dock line in case it moves. I want to see how long he’s going to leave it there but I admit I’m pretty nervous about it being there. It might be long enough to reach the props if it fell off.

I finally go up and retrieve and stow the line. When he saw me he realized what he did and he turned white as a ghost but his annoying micro management never slowed for the rest of the trip home. What a nightmare trip it was.

I have since purchased high risk insurance that lets me drive until I have a few years experience and can get less expensive insurance.
 
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