Thread: Rookie mistakes

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  1. Member
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    #281
    Quote Originally Posted by krindgen View Post
    Trying, trying and trying to push the boat off the trailer while still strapped down. I'm talking feet on the truck tailgate and pushing.
    Great visual!!

  2. Member
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    #282
    Quote Originally Posted by kylelp View Post
    I had a 1st for me the other day.

    Coming in to the dock to go home. I step off the boat onto the dock and "tie on" to one of the dock cleats. I forgot my keys in the boat, so I step back on the boat to get them out of storage. There was a cross wind so had to pull on the rope to get my boat back closer to the dock. As i pull on the rope, the rope just continues to pull around the dock cleat. I pull on the rope hoping it will catch (by some miracle). It does not. With the wind (~15mph) i was drifting near some some rocks near the ramp, so i jumped in about chest height water to stop the drift and pushed the boat to the dock. When tying on to a boat cleat make sure you actually wrap the rope under.

    Hindsight 20/20, i could've dropped the TM real quick and got back to the dock, but I was drifting pretty fast and did the 1st thing that came to mind.
    Wrap the rope in a figure 8 around the cleats next time :)

  3. Member
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    #283
    3rd trip out with boat, forgot to pull up trolling motor. Buddy laughed his @ss off when I pulled up laying on the bow trying to keep motor in the water to get close to him. Costly lesson learned!

  4. Member
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    #284
    OK long but true and funny...
    Took entire family out in new boat ( 5 of us ) 1997 Tracker Pro17(40hp)lol dumb enough already right. Wife wanted to put our 2 yr old in the water (he's 20now) so I say let me get in and hand him to me. So I slide off the boat to get in the water and I hang my cargo shorts on the tie down cleat. So I'm just hanging there like a moron and cannot get free. So I decide the only way out of this spot is take off my pants? So I go head first down and try my hardest to swim outta my shorts all the while my wife thinks I'm drowning because I'm face down and legs up and kicking like crazy. I finally come up bare naked and the whole family Dad, Mom, Wife and 2 yr old are all balling there eyes out when I went down they thought I had drowned. It was a sight for sure, and even a worse sight belly floppin on the boat bare a$$ naked.


    Anyone done that???
    Phil 4:19 2018 Nitro Z19, 200Pro Xs, Lowrance, Minnkota

  5. Member
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    #285
    Quote Originally Posted by Teadow1972 View Post
    OK long but true and funny...
    Took entire family out in new boat ( 5 of us ) 1997 Tracker Pro17(40hp)lol dumb enough already right. Wife wanted to put our 2 yr old in the water (he's 20now) so I say let me get in and hand him to me. So I slide off the boat to get in the water and I hang my cargo shorts on the tie down cleat. So I'm just hanging there like a moron and cannot get free. So I decide the only way out of this spot is take off my pants? So I go head first down and try my hardest to swim outta my shorts all the while my wife thinks I'm drowning because I'm face down and legs up and kicking like crazy. I finally come up bare naked and the whole family Dad, Mom, Wife and 2 yr old are all balling there eyes out when I went down they thought I had drowned. It was a sight for sure, and even a worse sight belly floppin on the boat bare a$$ naked.


    Anyone done that???
    Lol no, but that is effin hilarious.

  6. Member samwise2u's Avatar
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    #286
    Quote Originally Posted by Teadow1972 View Post
    OK long but true and funny...
    Took entire family out in new boat ( 5 of us ) 1997 Tracker Pro17(40hp)lol dumb enough already right. Wife wanted to put our 2 yr old in the water (he's 20now) so I say let me get in and hand him to me. So I slide off the boat to get in the water and I hang my cargo shorts on the tie down cleat. So I'm just hanging there like a moron and cannot get free. So I decide the only way out of this spot is take off my pants? So I go head first down and try my hardest to swim outta my shorts all the while my wife thinks I'm drowning because I'm face down and legs up and kicking like crazy. I finally come up bare naked and the whole family Dad, Mom, Wife and 2 yr old are all balling there eyes out when I went down they thought I had drowned. It was a sight for sure, and even a worse sight belly floppin on the boat bare a$$ naked.


    Anyone done that???
    Please, PLEASE tell me someone has a video! roflmao
    Wettin hooks and huntin fish.

  7. Member
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    #287
    Left the tie down straps on the boat & trailer putting boat in the water.

  8. Member
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    #288
    sound advice from an old goat with a beat up boat have had close calls learned from me errors

  9. Member tav's Avatar
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    #289
    to funny....im just reading some if these.....pretty funny

  10. Member Hollada's Avatar
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    #290
    Quote Originally Posted by tav View Post
    to funny....im just reading some if these.....pretty funny
    But hopefully will also help avoid a few mistakes of others....


    2019 Basscat Caracal
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  11. Member
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    #291
    At one of our tournaments, one guy let his buddy put the boat on the trailer. Most of us had already pulled out and were weighing in. We see them coming from the ramp and the boat motor was still running. The buddy that loaded the boat didn't know that you had to shut the motor down once its out of the water. Motor wasn't damaged and we all had a good laugh. And, if your boat keys are chained to to one of those little floatation devises, don't pull boat down the road or the wind will pull the keys out of the ignition and blow out on your boat. We got a good laugh out of this one too.

  12. Member
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    #292
    Let my boat float off the trailer on a secluded lake full of alligators and had to go borrow a boat to retrieve mine.

  13. Member
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    May 2018
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    KY
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    #293
    Had my boat since March 2018, coming from Kayak fishing to a bass boat has been a comedy of errors.

    --First time out I realized I had no idea how to work a standard screw in drain plug. I'm at the ramp for 40 minutes trying to get it to stay in the boat before I figured it out. (Still embarrassed on that one)
    --Took off with trolling motor down, ripped transducer completely off.
    --Left the plug out, tied her to the ramp, parked the truck, talked to a guy, had breakfast, then discovered boat is sinking at ramp lmao.
    --Left truck lights on when I parked, battery dead, only guy there was an @$$ and refused to jump me, had to take cranking battery out of boat and carry it 500 yards uphill to truck.
    --Clipped storage building pulling boat out. Destroyed the front trim of my unit. On the plus side its easier to tell which one I'm backing up to now.
    --Spun boat around on on-ramp in the rain (going to fast). Totaled trailer and had to get a new one.

  14. Member
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    #294
    These are great yall
    Ron Fears
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  15. HYDRA SPORT LS205 225HO JER-1 BIG BASS's Avatar
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    #295
    Quote Originally Posted by crankbaiter69 View Post
    Had my boat since March 2018, coming from Kayak fishing to a bass boat has been a comedy of errors.

    --First time out I realized I had no idea how to work a standard screw in drain plug. I'm at the ramp for 40 minutes trying to get it to stay in the boat before I figured it out. (Still embarrassed on that one)
    --Took off with trolling motor down, ripped transducer completely off.
    --Left the plug out, tied her to the ramp, parked the truck, talked to a guy, had breakfast, then discovered boat is sinking at ramp lmao.
    --Left truck lights on when I parked, battery dead, only guy there was an @$$ and refused to jump me, had to take cranking battery out of boat and carry it 500 yards uphill to truck.
    --Clipped storage building pulling boat out. Destroyed the front trim of my unit. On the plus side its easier to tell which one I'm backing up to now.
    --Spun boat around on on-ramp in the rain (going to fast). Totaled trailer and had to get a new one.
    Poor guy, man you’ve had it rough

  16. Member
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    #296
    There have been many faux pas over the years of boat ownership but one that stands out in memory...…
    My brother and a college friend of ours were fishing a lake unfamiliar to me in our friend's 14' aluminum boat that was overpowered. Hint of things to come...this friend has a history of overpowering. It was late January or February, a nice clear comfortable day for winter and we were scooting across the lake. I pointed to some small brush sticking out of the water and our friend over-reacted and yanked the tiller steer motor hard one way then hard the other way and well, we rolled the boat. Now mind you this is in Texas but it was winter. Everyone was okay even though the outboard continued to run in gear as it wizzed by my brothers face. One or two tackle boxes were floating but most rods were lost. Even though duck hunting was allowed on this lake it was the split season as I recall and thus the season was closed. As we were trying to get our act together there was a boat that came nearby but not close enough to help. Seemed odd that they would head our direction but no offers to help. Then we observed a small plane fly over several times at low altitude. We thought okay they will send help as we were unable to get the motor started and far from shore. Eventually the game warden showed up after circling us at distance for what seemed like quite awhile. We explained what happened and provided ID and he proceeded to tow us back to the ramp while asking a host of questions about what we had been doing at the lake. As it turns out someone had been duck hunting out of season that day and they thought it was us. Not doing anything illegal, just three idiots out fishing in an overpowered boat. They had already run the license plates of the few vehicles at the boat ramp and knew all the details of our friend's driving record, etc. You would have thought we were importing drugs from the show of manpower and assets that day. We laughed about it when it was all over. Moral of the story...……kill switch, don't put a 40 HP motor on a boat rated for a 25 and hope you don't get mistaken for a real lawbreaker.

  17. Member Bassguy2's Avatar
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    #297
    I purchased only the 2nd boat I've owned last Friday. It has been a very long time since I launched a boat off a trailer or have stowed a boat on the trailer. I've read through most of these posts and have taken some notes on what not to do. LOL. Unfortunately the rain we've had out here, I haven't had a chance to even run it. Since it has been so long I'm hoping for some
    rather fair weather for her maiden voyage. Wish me luck!
    "Show me the water, I will fish."

  18. Member depdog60's Avatar
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    #298
    Quote Originally Posted by Bassguy2 View Post
    I purchased only the 2nd boat I've owned last Friday. It has been a very long time since I launched a boat off a trailer or have stowed a boat on the trailer. I've read through most of these posts and have taken some notes on what not to do. LOL. Unfortunately the rain we've had out here, I haven't had a chance to even run it. Since it has been so long I'm hoping for some
    rather fair weather for her maiden voyage. Wish me luck!
    I'd recommend going to a lake that is not too busy for your first time out if possible. You'll want to get your launch & loading process down while you're not being pressed to get off the ramp so the next guy can get in. Take your time and set up a routine that checks off all the major do's and don't s. Ready the boat before going to the ramp starting in the front with the safety chain off and trailer lights unplugged. Moving down the sides putting dock lines and bumpers out. Then to the back with things like raising the motor up/taking the motor brace off, taking off the transom tie downs, checking the plug is in, etc.
    If you're launching by yourself, you'll need to develop a process for getting the boat off the trailer and tied up to park your trailer. I'd say most people drive off and on so if you're doing that you'll have to find out how far to back the boat in so it can be backed or floated off depending on how you do it. I use the top of my trailer fenders as an indication of where the boat loads and unloads easily.
    Ultimately, it's all about going through your process the same each time. Practice makes perfect!

    Good luck and enjoy your new boat!

  19. Member Bassguy2's Avatar
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    #299
    Quote Originally Posted by depdog60 View Post
    I'd recommend going to a lake that is not too busy for your first time out if possible. You'll want to get your launch & loading process down while you're not being pressed to get off the ramp so the next guy can get in. Take your time and set up a routine that checks off all the major do's and don't s. Ready the boat before going to the ramp starting in the front with the safety chain off and trailer lights unplugged. Moving down the sides putting dock lines and bumpers out. Then to the back with things like raising the motor up/taking the motor brace off, taking off the transom tie downs, checking the plug is in, etc.
    If you're launching by yourself, you'll need to develop a process for getting the boat off the trailer and tied up to park your trailer. I'd say most people drive off and on so if you're doing that you'll have to find out how far to back the boat in so it can be backed or floated off depending on how you do it. I use the top of my trailer fenders as an indication of where the boat loads and unloads easily.
    Ultimately, it's all about going through your process the same each time. Practice makes perfect!

    Good luck and enjoy your new boat!
    Thanks a lot! Sound advice. Oh, and I will enjoy it, you can bet on that!
    "Show me the water, I will fish."

  20. Member depdog60's Avatar
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    #300
    Quote Originally Posted by Bassguy2 View Post
    Thanks a lot! Sound advice. Oh, and I will enjoy it, you can bet on that!
    You're welcome!

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