What's the biggest bonehead mistake you've made?

[johnniethek]

OK. Time to fess up! Confession is good for the soul. And I'm hoping this thread might also be good for others, preventing them from making the same bonehead mistake you made with your boat.

Fortunately, I haven't had the Red Ranger for even a year. So I haven’t had that much time to really screw things up. But, in that short span of time, I have produced my share of bonehead mistakes. Perhaps the dumbest occurred shortly after I bought it.

I keep my boat in a covered carport with an asphalt apron/driveway in front. One of the first things I did after I got my boat was to pull it out of the carport into the open driveway where I could admire it more, spit-polish it, jump in and out of it several times, etc, etc.

Then I realized that I needed to go downtown and get something. So I undid the trailer hitch, hopped in my truck and drove off. About 50 yards down the road, I glanced in the rearview mirror and saw The Red Ranger merrily rolling down my driveway straight toward a tree-lined ditch!!! I slammed on the brakes, popped it into reverse and powered backwards as fast as I could. But I could see that I wasn’t going to get there in time to stop it. I started shaking my head, cursing at how stupid I was not to put a big rock in front of a trailer tire before I left.

But in the flash of an instant, two neighbors across the street saw the impending disaster, and dashed up my driveway. They wrestled with the boat, and tossed big rocks and chunks of wood and all sorts of debris under the wheels to slow it down. The boat finally came to a stop three feet from a big spruce tree after it had crossed the main road in front of my house.

I got lucky. It could have been a complete disaster the first week I owned my boat. What about the rest of you? What is the biggest bonehead mistake you’ve ever made with your boat? Please tell us what happened and how it could have been prevented. None of us want to repeat the mistakes of others, and this is a good way to save somebody the pain and embarrassment that you may have gone through.

JtheK

 

[captd]

How many stories I could tell, which one was the dumbest?.. Was it the one where I thought by running up maximum rpm on a ailing 8V71 detroit would clear and fix it some how? Threw a rod right through the block just before the buyer got there.

Or was it spending the night is a well known day anchorage. Just about cost me the boat and a wife. Poor holding and surrounded by huge rocks. Caught in a terrible blow with stern tied down to one 45 pound danforth, Luckly the main hooked in a crack, but bent one fluke 90 degrees. Another dummy went on the rocks that night.

or was it?.......on and on.
captd

 

[Texas Steve]

I'm not proud of this, but for the sake of others who might do the same thing, I guess this is a good exercise...

I'd had my new R21 EC for about a month and was having a tough time getting her to load properly onto the trailer. I have subsquently fixed this by adding guide ons, but in any kind of wind, it was just nearly impossible to get her lined up straight on the trailer.

So my wife is on the ramp with the tow vehicle and trailer waiting for me to pull Slow 'n Easy onto the trailer, hook up the eye, and then pull forward. Big crowd, lots of folks waiting their turn... you get the picture. Anyway, I decided to go over the side and try to line the boat up via the armstrong method. I thought the gear shift was in neutral, but it was actually in reverse. Next thing I know, I have a hold on the bow eye and am headed back out to open water. A great guy on a SeaDoo was able to pull up, get aboard and get the boat out of gear shortly before we would have collided with a really nice 40 foot cruiser.

I seriously doubt anyone could top this one for complete bone headedness!

Texas Steve

 

[rt11002003]

Buying the R21EC instead of the R25.

Gene

 

[walldog]

Buying the R21EC instead of the R25.

BOO....grins

 

[Sterellie]

After camping for several days on an offshore island in Maine, my son and I left the lee of the island in a gaff rigged 18' sloop without checking for a weather report. We were greated by a strong northeaster with 5 foot waves on the beam. There was no turning back for fear of broaching and no other boats stupid enough to be out in these conditions. It was 5 hours of white knukle sailing, finally arriving in Blue Hill Bay soaked and cold. Never again. :shock:

 

[bbrh842]

Don't forget to put in the drain plug.

 

[commander bill]

I stay awake at night worried about forgetting to install the drain plug. I did this on a small bass boat a few years back but with my anal checklist that is verified by captain & 1st mate we will not likely do it. Looks real bad to all the interested observers.

I do want to comment on buying the R21 instead of a R25 as I have been swinging back & forth since I bought the R25. Every month when I write the payment check and think of the mostly day cruising on the Tennessee river I think I should have bought the R21. However when My wife & I made our 3 separate 7 day trips and our single 14 day trip I was glad I bought the R25. I noted on a separate post that at lease one member tows his R21 with his motorhome. My MH and many others are not rated to handle the hitch weight of a R25 where the R21 would easily work. I had not considered the combination of the R21 & a MH. In that case the R21 could be the clear choice for some people.

 

[tuggertoy]

Because we only had 8 outings with Tugger Toy in the 2009 boating season (we purchased her in August of last summer) we didn't have that many opportunities for bonehead mistakes.

However, on our last outing in November, as we were launching the boat at Rogues Harbor in North East, MD my wife, Moria and I went through our usual routine of preparing for launch. Drain plug in - check. Tie down straps off - check. Antenna up - check. Dock lines secured to cleats - check. Fuel tank vent open - check.

As my wife isn't yet comfortable with handling the lines and the weight of the boat as it leaves the trailer, she backs the combination down the ramp and I handle guiding the boat off the trailer and tying off the lines once afloat. As usual she did an awesome job of backing the combination down the ramp (she used to tow a 20' horse trailer with an F-250 extended cab pick-up so she knows what she is doing) and I am prepared to take Tugger Toy as she comes off the trailer. As the stern starts to float free and our tow vehicle reaches the point on the ramp where a slight tap of the brakes will set the boat free from the trailer I yell to Moria to tap the brakes. The boat doesn't come free. I tell her to come back farther and really punch the brakes and she does. Still not free. Now I am getting pissed because I think she isn't hitting the brakes hard enough and I tell her to come back farther and try again. She is now yelling at me that the exhaust pipe of our van is about to enter the water and there must be some other reason why we aren't free yet. You know what, she was right. I had forgotten to remove the trailer winch cable form the bow eye of the boat - DUH! Fortunately it was the weekend after Thanksgiving and there was absolutely no one else at the ramp, so other than having to admit that my wife was right, yet once again, my pride escaped relatively unscathed.

We still have a good laugh over this and figure if this is our biggest bonehead mistake in boating to date we are doing pretty well.

Eric

 

[bbrh842]

Not many people are "Fessing up" here. There are only two kinds of sailors. Those that HAVE made bonehead mistakes, and those that WILL make bonehead mistakes.

 

[Rebel]

My R-25 is the first boat I have ever owned and I only had time to put 45 hours on the clock last fall after I purchased it. Hopefully my first bonehead mistake isn't too big of one. John Turner

 

[j&lgray]

Sometimes, time is needed to forgive yourself for those costly mistakes. Here is mine:

A beautiful cruise in the Laurie Ann to Bainbridge Island's Eagle Harbor that is due west of Seattle. I had been watching the temperature gauge because when the Yanmar was running at 3,100 RPM, the coolant temperature would ever so slightly and slowly creep past 175 degrees. After a night at the city dock, I do what always do in my morning routine and check the oil level, visual check of the Racor fuel filter bowl for water and look at the sea strainer at the raw water inlet for junk that would clog the strainer.

In the strainer was some eel grass. So, I closed the raw water inlet valve, opened the strainer lid, removed and cleaned the strainer and put everything back together again. The Chief Navigator asked me a question (not her fault for the interruption) and I closed the engine lid to address her with my full attention.

Started up the engine, did the usual look over the side at the exhaust to make sure water was coming out, dropped the lines and idled past the Washington State Ferry Terminal, increased speed in the channel and just made it out into Puget Sound when the over-heat alarm went off! Knowing instantly and exactly what the problem was, I opened the engine lid to find some steam and opened the raw water inlet valve. Within 30 seconds, the idling engine had sucked enough cold water in to turn off the alarm. There was a water leak from the water exhaust muffler that vanished with a tightening of the hose clamp.

Water temperature dropped quickly and the raw water impeller seemed like it was fine so we continued on our cruise. Back at home, I changed out the raw water impeller (I am a pro now) just for good measure. The tug went to the factory on another matter and Andrew found (bless his heart!) that the water muffler was partially melted and needed a full replacement. Ouch!

Now, every time the engine lid is opened, the Chief Navigator asks the very appropriate question, "Is the inlet valve open?"

 

[Aurelia]

First time tying up at a new marina leased slip with a new (used) boat, In a flurry of activity, checking this and that before jumping in the car for our next engagement...... I tied one of the fenders (other 3 were lucky) to a dock piling at high tide and had to explain why my fender was later ten feet in the air to the marina manager and convince her that I was not a complete idiot every day.

 

[commander bill]

Not many people are "Fessing up" here. There are only two kinds of sailors. Those that HAVE made bonehead mistakes, and those that WILL make bonehead mistakes.

There is a 3rd kind. Those that will not admit mistakes

 

[wynn 'n anniedear]

Trying to be cool while showing off our new r25 to our friends, I backed the trailer into the water. The last thing I do before launch is unhook the bow hook before backing the rest of the way in. At that point my friend asked do you want to remove the tie-downs too? I said well maybe this time.