Boating Lessons learned

So, Leslie and I bought a boat from my wife's cousin that we have been enjoying for years as we vacation with them each summer out West.  I have been around boats my whole life, but not 100% responsible for one until now.  And never a motor/ski boat.

I talk all the time that I want to journal by lessons learned so my children don't have to learn using the "trial by fire" method.  So here we go....

Lesson 1:  Drain Plugs.  Make sure the drain plugs are in.  When I had the boat delivered from California, I had it "Summerized" (get it inspected for the summer season)  and I assumed (big mistake here - you know what happens when we assume - it makes a ass out of u and me) that the drain plugs were put back in.  So I invited my two buddies,  David and Jonathan, to help me put the boat in the water.  We made a quick loop and the bilge was running the whole time.  When we found a place to stop and jump in the water I decided to open the engine hatch only to see the water rushing in.   I immediately went to the tool kit and found the drain plug and then handed it to my buddy Spiva and he put the plug in.  That could have been costly.    I learned here to make sure the drain plugs are in when before you put it in the water and make sure you remove them when you pull it out of the water.

Lesson 2:  Anchoring.   Make sure rope is tied to the anchor before you through it overboard.

• We were on Morgan's 6'th birthday getaway with our friends the Vanderpool's at Lake Nottely in Blairsville Ga when we found a nice cove to park in and let the kids swim.  I got on the front of the boat and started to tell the kids the importance of making sure the rope is tied to the anchor and then I threw the anchor overboard and watched it come untied from the boat line and disappear.  That was funny.  
• You also want to make sure the anchor is pulled up before you take off.  The boat we bought was a 2003 Malibu with a 8.2 liter engine that could probably pull a semi truck out of the water.  Needless to say when Singer Hughes and I decided to leave the cove we were hanging out in to pull Leslie on the tube, I took off and forgot to pull the anchor up.  There was no way to tell the anchor was still down as we pulled away as that anchor might as well had been a feather with that big engine.  As we were pulling away, I heard a loud "thud" on the bottom of the boat.  I knew that I was not in shallow water and could not imagine what it was.  Well, the anchor was still down and it must have swung underneath the boat and hit the hull.  
• You also want to make sure the anchor is in a storage compartment that can easily be deployed off of the bow of the boat in the event that your motor stops and you need to stop drifting into another structure.  Keep it in the bow of the boat.  We were taking our friends the Davidson's and the Wilson's out one Sunday afternoon and the ski rope got caught in the propeller and snapped off so abruptly that it drew blood on Scott Davidson's arm.  I thought it had taken his head off from the sound it made.  The rope was wrapped around the propeller and we had to throw the anchor to keep from drifting onto land so that we could have time to loosen the rope from the propeller.  It is also a good idea to keep some goggles on board in the event that you do need to go under the boat for any reason.

Lesson 3:  Road Traveling with Trailer.  

• Expect the tires to blow and make sure you have a good spare.  Make sure the hubs are greased so they do not lock up.
• Make sure everything is secured in the boat before you travel.  On our way back from Lake Nottely for Morgan's birthday, the bow carpet got loose and flew out on the trip back somehow.  
• We also had one of the four tires blow on the way back and the tire tool from my suburban did not fit the lug nuts on the trailer and I had to call AAA.  A good 3 hour delay.  
• Get a good lock for your trailer
• Get pads to lift the tongue up in the event that you are parked on uneven ground and you can't lift the tongue off the hitch.

Lesson 4:  Securing your boat from thieves

• This one probably seems like a no brainer but it turns out it is really easy to steal a boat.  All you have to do is untie it from the dock and stick just about any key in the ignition to crank it.  When Leslie's mom came in town to visit for Morgan's birthday in 2014, we also had our cousin Rita come up on a Sunday morning to have a boat day.  It was a typical Sunday where Leslie had spent an hour getting snacks/drinks and other items ready to be on the boat all day.  I had also been getting the life jackets and tubes down to the dock as well.  On the way down there I remember Leslie saying, "wouldn't it be funny if we walked all the way down there and the boat was gone?".  Well guess what?  We did and the boat was gone.  No where to be found. Called the cops, reported it stolen, dropped the family back off at home and we grabbed our friends the Wilson's and went and rented jet ski's to cruise the lake to find the joyrider that took the boat.  After about an 1.5 hours, we pulled back up to our marina and found the boat professionally moored back at the gas dock.