Confession Time?
06-02-2016, 11:08 AM
#21
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Hmm. Launched dads 230 sea Ray with no plug. Played with the carb to get it to shift when it was actually a shift linkage issue, ended up burning a piston. Once couldn't get it to plane off after a heavy rain. Turns out the auto bilge switch was bad and I should have flipped the switch to pump out gallons of water.
Gashed the bow of the mark twain we had putting it on a trailer backed in to far. All to save a few bucks on fuel.
Many failures to start due to kill switches and shifters.
I keep trying to plane off with my dive ladder down. Messed up my brand new one on its first use this year.
Gashed the bow of the mark twain we had putting it on a trailer backed in to far. All to save a few bucks on fuel.
Many failures to start due to kill switches and shifters.
I keep trying to plane off with my dive ladder down. Messed up my brand new one on its first use this year.
06-02-2016, 11:09 AM
#22
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I once spent 95% of my boats current value to 'restore' it, only to recognize a 5% overall increase in my boats resale value. 
Last edited by RebarBox; 06-02-2016 at 11:50 AM.
06-02-2016, 11:20 AM
#23
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I installed trim tabs on my boat. Had a total brain fart and mounted them ~4" further inboard then they're supposed to be mounted!! Luckily they don't interfere with the drive and they still work fine!
With another boat, put the boat on the trailer and proceeded to drive up the ramp until the guy next to me is screaming at me. I hadn't properly secured the winch strap and safety chain, strap came off, boat slid 1/2 way off the trailer but thankfully didn't hit the concrete
With another boat, put the boat on the trailer and proceeded to drive up the ramp until the guy next to me is screaming at me. I hadn't properly secured the winch strap and safety chain, strap came off, boat slid 1/2 way off the trailer but thankfully didn't hit the concrete
Last edited by MonkeySea2; 06-02-2016 at 11:23 AM.
06-02-2016, 11:33 AM
#24
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Join Date: Jul 2011
Location: Long Lake, MN
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Ramp story - my rollers had become a bit rusty and did not spin properly leaving black streaks on my white hull when launching and driving up on to the trailer. I threw some WD40 on the rollers so they would spin properly and not leave those black marks. First time after doing this, when backing down a ramp and releasing the tow strap, the boat immediately slid off the trailer and bounced the back end on concrete. Thankfully the drive was fine and the hull just needed a bit of glass work on the left corner. It's bad enough to feel guilty/bad about doing something stupid, but when you do it in front of a crowd the embarrasment is the worst :-(
06-02-2016, 11:56 AM
#25
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Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: Connecticut
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Being new to boating years ago I did not realize the importance of changing oil more often than you would in a car. I ran the boat (89 Eclipse Merc 305) in fresh water for two seasons without doing an oil change. Well about a half dozen runs in during the third season the boat seemed sluggish and was lacking power so I backed off after about 10 seconds and looked down at my guages and noticed I had ZERO oil pressure. I opened the sunpad and some smoke was coming out of the compartment. The risers were hot as hell so I figured the water pump that I had just replaced had failed (at this point "warranty" was running through my head) as I climbed in and out of the engine compartment I dropped a socket into the bilge in front of the engine. I reached into the water that had collected in there (my bilge is filthy so the water appeared blackish) and when I did I found 2-3" of oil!! Turns out a hole had rotted through my oil filter so I pissed out all the oil in the engine! Spun the main bearings and engine was shot, ooops!
06-02-2016, 12:06 PM
#26
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When I first bought my own boat no longer needed dad's I Had a 17' Silverline Outboard boat no automatic bildge pump thought what do I need that for I am always around,..................... guess what went away for a few days and a few days of rain it just rolled over out on the moorning.
06-02-2016, 12:09 PM
#27
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Boy do I have a bunch.. lol. 
Forgot the plug? of course we all did it at least once. Never again. But the stupidest, silliest a few years ago. Out on the boat, near Clearwater. Usually always checking chit after a stop, make sure water coming out of the tails etc. SO we stop for something, just to get some drinks, whatever. Start engines. One, no problem. the other, turns over fine, no ignition, no start. OK, sip on a beer, start checking for trouble. A few hours later with no luck, everything looks ok, no clue about the vessel view codes, there was a note on the damn thing. I figure I just put put back home. 1/2 hour of put putting, I see my lanyard switch. I did not put on while put putting, and it is off the switch. I puled off the lanyard at some time, put the switch on safe mode, no starting with that thing like this. Put lanyard on, switch to the ignition, motor stars right up. I pretty much felt like a boat newbie.
Forgot the plug? of course we all did it at least once. Never again. But the stupidest, silliest a few years ago. Out on the boat, near Clearwater. Usually always checking chit after a stop, make sure water coming out of the tails etc. SO we stop for something, just to get some drinks, whatever. Start engines. One, no problem. the other, turns over fine, no ignition, no start. OK, sip on a beer, start checking for trouble. A few hours later with no luck, everything looks ok, no clue about the vessel view codes, there was a note on the damn thing. I figure I just put put back home. 1/2 hour of put putting, I see my lanyard switch. I did not put on while put putting, and it is off the switch. I puled off the lanyard at some time, put the switch on safe mode, no starting with that thing like this. Put lanyard on, switch to the ignition, motor stars right up. I pretty much felt like a boat newbie.
06-02-2016, 12:19 PM
#28
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I think my worst ever was unhooking the bow from trailer winch and asking girlfriend to back into water at ramp.
Knowing it was a roller trailer, told her "no brakes until boat is deep in the water".
Yell to her that all looks ok and ...
She stops short.
Transom could not have been in a foot of water as it rolled off the trailer onto the ramp.
I scream and yell.
Somehow, not a scratch, but sure taught me a lesson.
SCARED me to death.
Knowing it was a roller trailer, told her "no brakes until boat is deep in the water".
Yell to her that all looks ok and ...
She stops short.
Transom could not have been in a foot of water as it rolled off the trailer onto the ramp.
I scream and yell.
Somehow, not a scratch, but sure taught me a lesson.
SCARED me to death.
06-02-2016, 01:48 PM
#29
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Ok, I'll play. Several weeks ago I noticed that the friction on my throttles had gotten a little loose and the they would ease back if I didn't hold them up. No problem, I had adjusted them before and it is just a screw under the rubber gaskets. I was tied up in a cove with several others and thought, hey this would be a great time to just adjust them (I didn't have to though). NOT! I ended up tightening them up too much and when I pushed them forward (one at a time of course), the wire that should slide doesn't, it BENDS!! ON BOTH! Oh great, now I'm miles from the launch, with no throttles! I end up (very carefully) disassembling both and remove the wire. Moral of story, don't work on ANYTHING if you A don't have to, B don't have the proper tools, C don't have a backup plan.....
06-02-2016, 05:08 PM
#30
10 meter; First run after an off season repower, added about 200hp per side. Cant believe how well the boat runs now , so much faster , big midrange improvement , Hill even got the props right first try. Psyched! Put about 10 miles on and headed out to race rock light to have a cold one with my bud that helped with all the work. finished our beer , time to fire her back up. Always start the starboard engine first , some kind of superstitious thing for me I guess. Turning it over and hearing this clunking / scraping noise . Stop cranking before it fires and really f's something up. Short version , never torqued the starboard flywheel bolts and they were backing out, thank God it didn't light off. If I fired up the port side first I never would have heard it. Long, slow ride back to the truck.
35 Lightning; This one is hard to admit. 25 plus years with twin engine sport boats. Head to the ramp to drop her in for the season and bring it to the lift. Fire it up , let it warm up , shove away from the dock , slap both sides in reverse and proceed to drive straight up the concrete ramp. Put props on the wrong direction , reverse = forward now , not a good feeling. no damage tho , not sure how.
35 Lightning; This one is hard to admit. 25 plus years with twin engine sport boats. Head to the ramp to drop her in for the season and bring it to the lift. Fire it up , let it warm up , shove away from the dock , slap both sides in reverse and proceed to drive straight up the concrete ramp. Put props on the wrong direction , reverse = forward now , not a good feeling. no damage tho , not sure how.
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https://youtu.be/pg8lFzeKgEM
