Thread: Rookie mistakes

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  1. Scraps
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    #321
    Pushing the boat off the trailer with the tiedowns ON.
    2017 Phoenix 819
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  2. Member
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    Apr 2019
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    Clarksville, TN
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    52
    #322
    you are right. Absolutely nothing. Never took the 15.5 boat out that much on Kentucky lake. When I did the one time it was with my dad who gave me the boat. I have been out more times with this boat that I bought in October 2018 than I ever took the other boat out. And All of the things I listed was done in 3 days on the Big "G". Trying to load boat with TM down happened on first day at end of a long cold day.

  3. Member
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    May 2018
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    KY
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    #323
    New one happened to me I haven't seen on here yet... Buddy of mine has a brand new Ranger. We go to fish a tournament, put the boat in, fish all day, everything is fine. I go to get the truck at the end of the day and it will not back out of the parking space. Doing a burnout trying to get it to go backwards. Me and him walk around it 20-30 times, can't figure out the issue. Turns out the light plug wasn't pushed in all the way causing the trailer brakes to lock up when backing uphill because it didn't know the truck was in reverse.

    might take us awhile to live that one down.

  4. Member
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    Apex NC
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    #324
    I have been in or around the water for a good portion of my life. I have had boats that ranged from the 12' aluminum jobs that would sink in a second due to all the crap we had in them, and all the way to those fancy pants ski boats. I have owned one bass boat in my life. It was a Triton 20 footer. I made a ton of mistakes that have already been mentioned here so I will not bore you guys with rehashed misery. The mistake I will share involves a dog, my boat, another boat, and a fisherman that was throwing what had to be a dead chicken. Nothing else that could of been tied to a line and cast out could of produced a splash that large. Anyways, My dog, Jack, was one of those dogs that dog people call the dog of a lifetime. Yellow lab, 96lbs of muscle, and would do anything for me...climb ladders, fetch a cat...anything. Just a good dog. Jack had been on boats since he was a pup. He knew the drill. Get in, lay down, whine when you have to go ect. So I get the bass boat, figure out how to drive it through the chime walk, and basically make all the rookie mistakes a rookie makes. At this point in my fledgling bass fisherman experience I decide to take Jack fishing. I get the boat in the water and tied up to the dock. Park the truck, Get Jack out. Get in the boat and off we go. Jack lays down to the left of me out of the wind and hangs out. I am thinking to myself "boy this is a good dog. We are running 65 and he is as cool as a cucumber". All goes well until we meet up with the chicken chucker. We are fishing a cove that has enough room for 3-4 boats. Jack had been watching me through baits all day and only once made a move to retrieve them for me. A quick "Knock it off" settled him down and he never paid attention to them after that. Well the chicken chucker shows up and starts slinging his bait and making big splashes. Jack was instantly up and paying attention. Tail wagging, ears perked up, and hunches ready to leap. I scolded him again and he relaxed a little. Every time that bait hit the water he wanted it. After about 10 minutes I was done and was ready to roll to the next spot. Ole chicken chucker was still at it but had worked his way up the cove toward the mouth end. I fired up and rolled on out. Just about the time we pass the chicken chucker, he lets loose with a cast and that large splash. Well that was all Jack could stand. He leapt out of that frigging boat that was going upwards of 55 and hit the water in the standard doggie superman pose. That poor SOB must of skipped a country mile, taken water onboard at both ends and lost some hair from his intact parts. I stopped pretty quick and that big dumbass is swimming towards the other boat/fisherman looking for that frigging bait he is throwing or the impact has rattled his noggin enough that he doesn't know where the hell to go.. Well Mr. chicken chucker must of been a cat lover. He is screaming at me wanting to know if Jack is going to bite him! I call Jack, he reverses course and swims to my boat, I lift his big a** in and he looks at me with a "Boss, as long as I live I will never jump out of another boat. I promise". Best damn dog I ever had.
    Last edited by TWCFI; 05-01-2019 at 08:51 PM.

  5. Member CigarBasser's Avatar
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    Jan 2010
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    Fayetteville
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    #325
    Labs, just plain and simple; the best!
    2001 Ranger 518DVX Comanche / Mercury 200 Opti (OT306368)

  6. #326
    Thought my surge brakes were stuck engaged, heard lots of squealing from the trailer area. Took drums off, bled brake lines. Couldn't figure it out for the life of me.

    My knee had hit the drive selector in the truck and I was in 4hi. Whoops.

  7. Member
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    Dec 2018
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    Dickinson Texas
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    70
    #327
    Quote Originally Posted by crankbaiter69 View Post
    New one happened to me I haven't seen on here yet... Buddy of mine has a brand new Ranger. We go to fish a tournament, put the boat in, fish all day, everything is fine. I go to get the truck at the end of the day and it will not back out of the parking space. Doing a burnout trying to get it to go backwards. Me and him walk around it 20-30 times, can't figure out the issue. Turns out the light plug wasn't pushed in all the way causing the trailer brakes to lock up when backing uphill because it didn't know the truck was in reverse.

    might take us awhile to live that one down.
    Happened to me three weeks ago moving the boat in and out of the garage for maintenance. came out just fine, but would not go back, lol. I felt foolish the son-in-law had to point it out to me.

  8. Member Hollada's Avatar
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    Nov 2012
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    Lake St Clair, Michigan
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    #328
    Quote Originally Posted by TWCFI View Post
    I have been in or around the water for a good portion of my life. I have had boats that ranged from the 12' aluminum jobs that would sink in a second due to all the crap we had in them, and all the way to those fancy pants ski boats. I have owned one bass boat in my life. It was a Triton 20 footer. I made a ton of mistakes that have already been mentioned here so I will not bore you guys with rehashed misery. The mistake I will share involves a dog, my boat, another boat, and a fisherman that was throwing what had to be a dead chicken. Nothing else that could of been tied to a line and cast out could of produced a splash that large. Anyways, My dog, Jack, was one of those dogs that dog people call the dog of a lifetime. Yellow lab, 96lbs of muscle, and would do anything for me...climb ladders, fetch a cat...anything. Just a good dog. Jack had been on boats since he was a pup. He knew the drill. Get in, lay down, whine when you have to go ect. So I get the bass boat, figure out how to drive it through the chime walk, and basically make all the rookie mistakes a rookie makes. At this point in my fledgling bass fisherman experience I decide to take Jack fishing. I get the boat in the water and tied up to the dock. Park the truck, Get Jack out. Get in the boat and off we go. Jack lays down to the left of me out of the wind and hangs out. I am thinking to myself "boy this is a good dog. We are running 65 and he is as cool as a cucumber". All goes well until we meet up with the chicken chucker. We are fishing a cove that has enough room for 3-4 boats. Jack had been watching me through baits all day and only once made a move to retrieve them for me. A quick "Knock it off" settled him down and he never paid attention to them after that. Well the chicken chucker shows up and starts slinging his bait and making big splashes. Jack was instantly up and paying attention. Tail wagging, ears perked up, and hunches ready to leap. I scolded him again and he relaxed a little. Every time that bait hit the water he wanted it. After about 10 minutes I was done and was ready to roll to the next spot. Ole chicken chucker was still at it but had worked his way up the cove toward the mouth end. I fired up and rolled on out. Just about the time we pass the chicken chucker, he lets loose with a cast and that large splash. Well that was all Jack could stand. He leapt out of that frigging boat that was going upwards of 55 and hit the water in the standard doggie superman pose. That poor SOB must of skipped a country mile, taken water onboard at both ends and lost some hair from his intact parts. I stopped pretty quick and that big dumbass is swimming towards the other boat/fisherman looking for that frigging bait he is throwing or the impact has rattled his noggin enough that he doesn't know where the hell to go.. Well Mr. chicken chucker must of been a cat lover. He is screaming at me wanting to know if Jack is going to bite him! I call Jack, he reverses course and swims to my boat, I lift his big a** in and he looks at me with a "Boss, as long as I live I will never jump out of another boat. I promise". Best damn dog I ever had.
    Great story. Had to put my chocolate down this fall. By the time I got my boat, he was too old to get in and out well. I’ll be getting a new lab in the spring and he will be in the boat from day 1.


    2019 Basscat Caracal
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  9. Member Finlander's Avatar
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    St. John's, FL
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    #329
    I have to think back 25 plus years or so and was lucky enough to hang with a few very seasoned folks willing to coach me up. Biggest goof was running over a shallow bar by not knowing how to read the ripples. Only about $2000 to rework the hull from bow to aft back in the 90’s but can read depth cues much better today.
    2012 Ranger Z519 Comanche - Merc. 225 Pro XS - 24 Razor 4 XL/25 Tempest Plus

  10. Member
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    North Carolina
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    #330
    This is actually a brilliant thread. I'm going to start pointing all of my buddies new to boats here. Tons of these are the kind of mistakes that a brand new boater is bound to make at some point, maybe a good read could deter some of that.

    My most recent contribution: try to float through a 60" pipe to get to the sneak hole, only pay attention to where the bow is, and take a chunk out of your gelcoat when the stern smashes into the side of the pipe T.T

  11. Member Cgs1967!'s Avatar
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    Jun 2017
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    Montevallo, Alabama
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    #331
    Quote Originally Posted by RonCat View Post
    Having more than 1 rod on the deck the first time the dog went out on the boat.....that was a long morning.
    When my 3 month old lab was on our last boat she bit a lure. All I hear is her screaming. I cut the line and held her and the lure still. Got to the bank and got bolt cutters and cut the barb off and pulled the hook thru. It was stressful.
    2018 Ranger Z518C 200hp Rude.
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  12. Member
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    Nov 2019
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    Rathdrum, idaho
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    #332
    Launched lots of boats..never a brand new one....picked up my first new tin rig and headed for the lake..very first launch of new boat. backed down the ramp ,(very flat ramp I thought) unhooked transom tie downs and bow hook, got in the boat to let the passenger back down remaining few feet of ramp....as soon as tranny hit reverse boat slid right off .transom bounced twice and slid into the water...new paint and brand new carpet are slick! Cryed a little that day.

  13. Member
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    Lees Summit MO
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    #333
    My second trip out in 2003.... left the trolling motor down and took off...... bent TM shaft.

  14. Member
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    PA
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    #334
    One of the first times out with my first bass boat and forgot to tilt motor up when pulling trailer out of the water and messed up my stainless prop, thankfully not my lower unit. Didn't go more than a couple feet before I heard the noise and knew something was wrong. That was an expensive lesson I'll never forget.

  15. Member
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    Bryan, Texas
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    #335
    This isn't a rookie mistake (since I'm no rookie lol). Few weeks ago I pull up to the dock, my FIL is going to back the truck down and I'm standing with 1 foot in the boat and 1 foot on the dock (they were at the same level, slight wind that was pushing the boat next to the dock). I'm standing and a guy is loading up his fish and ski. My buddy is getting one of those so I chat with him a little bit. I turn around to get in the boat, and my boat has floated 5-6 ft away from the dock. I had to leap into the boat, lucky I barely made it in & didn't fall in the water. Your talking quick action I didn't even hesitate, took 2 steps then made the leap. For some reason I stepped off the boat completely while talking to the guy, totally forgot my feet were keeping the boat to the dock.

  16. Member
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    Jun 2019
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    Tulsa, Oklahoma
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    #336
    The first time I got my boat out on the water by myself (maiden voyage) I forgot to trim back up when pulling out of the water after my trip and dragged my skag across the parking lot to drain and tie back down, wore a flat spot on it...and not once not twice but THRICE I forgot to pull my trolling motor out before blast off to another spot (boy thatll make a fella feel stoopid!) I think i got it down now, i just get too excited out there.

  17. Member
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    Jan 2020
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    Central Texas
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    #337
    Since the wife and my dad can't see this post I'll rat myself out a bit. Grew up on Lake Erie, Grandpa had an aluminum V bottom boat, 16 ft with a 20hp Johnson I think. We took that boat everywhere that the fish were biting, many places we shouldn't have now that I'm old enough to know better. Having a 16 ft boat in three to four foot rollers is scary for a kid who ain't that tall. Grandpa never failed me, not once.

    My dad buys a 32 ft Reniell semi front cabin, big boat, second time out it gets dark, like ten feet up a camels behind dark, Dad is using shore lights to navigate his way back into the docks. Grandpa is telling him were to go, but Dad knows everything there is to know about boats, he's owned one for two whole days. Grandpa tells me to go sit on the floor, as he and Dad argue about which light is which. For some reason Dad decides to accelerate this beast, the lights he's using to navigate suddenly disappear, and then we hit one of dozens of small islands in the bay. Not sure how fast we were going at the time, but my dad managed to get most of the 32 ft on the beach. I manage to survive without a scratch, Grandpa has a knot on his head the size of a baseball, Dad breaks a couple of ribs and wrist. On top of all that, the radio is now missing, it's somewhere up on the beach (30 feet in front of the boat) along with anything else not sufficiently tied down.

    This is long before cell phones, so we have no comms with anyone. Gramps and I spend the next five or six hours digging around the back of the boat to try and re-float her, no luck. When the sun comes up the Coast Guard finds us, thanks to a phone call from Grandma, pulls boat off the beach, tows us to the marina, writes Dad three different tickets and leaves. Then Mom and Grandma show up, nothing good comes of this screaming match.

    Moral of the story, when an old man who has spent most of his teenage and adult life on a lake tries to help out, do everyone on-board a favor and listen. He may not be the easiest to get along with at times, but he doesn't want to die either, give him some credit. Whether people want to believe it, there are different levels of dark. In the dark, speed is never your friend, never! Shore lights all look the same when you're not in the channel you think you are, buoy lights don't always work when you need them to be there. Not everyone turns on their boat lights, once again, speed is not your friend in the dark. This story is funny now, 50 years later, but the outcome could have been much worse, we got very lucky.

    I do a lot of night fishing due to the summer heat in TX, I see people running wide open all the time. I also see boats without lights on frequently, especially Kayaks, almost got one myself heading in. so, one last time, speed is no one's friend at night. Drive a safe speed for the area your in.
    Stuck with a G3 Sportsman 1910 - Yamaha 150 - Helix 10 Mega Si - Helix 7 SI - Ultrex

  18. Member
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    #338
    And any boater that hasn't done at least five of these is lying!!! Great thread!
    90 Shadow 20' Mod V w/ 200 Merc - Total resto and loving it!
    Here's my build from cap-off to boat in the water.
    http://www.bbcboards.net/showthread.php?t=336645

  19. Member
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    Feb 2018
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    Madisonville, KY
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    #339
    Picked up the boat from storage with boat mechanic and failed to check power for everything. Ended up sitting in the middle of the lake with no trolling motor. Found one of the cables had been disconnected. Thank goodness I put the tools in before I left.

    Always check everything especially before first trip out.

  20. Member
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    Kalamazoo, MI
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    #340
    Hum, Fishing Lake Michigan for salmon, boat is running fine with a new battery. after about 3 hours and 5 miles from shore the motor stops. Won't start. Evidently I had a bad alternator and the motor was not charging the battery and/or bad ground wire. Was towed in by a fellow fisherman who I flagged down. Lucky I had a 50 dollar bill in my wallet for his trouble and fuel.

    Used a cheap rope for my trolling bag, couldn't figure out why my speed increased, lost the trolling bag to the big lake.
    Fell off the boat trailer into 40 degree water when pulling out of the water. Grandson laughed all the way home.
    Stepped off the boat trailer with my boots on at the launch. Mis-gauged the depth of the water. Filled my boots.
    Yep, new boat, forgot the plug.
    New boat, kill switch. Drove 2 hours back home before figuring it out.

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