So I did it: I forgot to put the drain plug in. 2024
hooah212002 reply :
.........and the second worst outcome happened: it took on more water than it could handle and became submerged just over halfway.
Got the boat out yesterday morning and the launch we dropped in at did not have a dock. Being only our 3rd time out, we didn't realize the trouble that would wind up causing. Anyways, I get in and try getting the engine started but it didn't want to turn over. I get out for some reason or another, then when I get back in, I see that there is water coming up from the floor on the captains chair. I tell my dad and he says ""OH **** ****, I FORGOT THE DRAIN PLUG!". I open the bilge and sure enough, it's full. I flip on the bilge pump, but it's listing to the side the pump empties so that is useless. i then reach down to try and find the plug but nope, I can't. My dad then gets in and finds it and plugs it.
Then some other chain of events happen that all kinda blended together and are kinda fuzzy, but they resulted in the motor eventually starting and me trying to go in reverse because I could not go forward which was the final straw: my dad looked at me and said "that's it, it's under water, go go go!". I gun it to try and cut it left and maybe get it on plane or something, anything but all I do is drive it up on the concrete walkway. That actually saved our butts by bringing it far enough out of the water to formulate a salvage attempt. Luckily, some amazing guys were there and they helped us maneuver the boat back to the ramp, then slowly and methodically pulled it back on the trailer via the winch and our anchor rope. How that winch didn't snap is beyond me.
Once we got it out of the water and drained, the only obvious damage was the trim motor randomly getting stuck in the up position, trimming the engine up. I narrowed this down to being the switch by the transom and was able to take it apart and clean it which seemed to have fixed the issue. We took the cowl off the engine, checked the spark plugs and blew most everything out with an air compressor until it was good and dry. Took the batteries out and did the same. After a couple hours of making sure stuff was dry, we reconnected the batteries and tried starting it up but nothing. No power. I then noticed how heavily corroded all the battery connections were so I took a wire brush to all of them, one by one and cleaned them off. Reconnected everything and voila! We have power! Put the key in and it tries to turn over! Holy crap, it's not completely dead. Well, then I fiddle around with some oil injection hoses and as most of them have been, one more breaks apart in my hand (the third one to do so in the ~2 weeks we've had the boat) and I have to swap it out. Once I do so, we are able to actually get the engine running. I am sitting here today still in disbelief because we then took it back out on the water without any issues.
nope, I don't have pics. But looking back, I kinda wish I took some to put on my wall of shame, possibly even on my console next to the steering wheel so i NEVER forget again.
Junger reply :
I'm a newbie boater too, I bought my first boat in March, and on my third outing I also forgot to put the drain plug in.
My dad spotted the water coming from the transom bilge area and luckily the bilge pump did just enough to keep it from going under.
Lesson learned, I now plug the drain in while I'm leaving the garage instead of at the ramp.
hooah212002 reply :
On 7/10/2018 at 5:32 AM, Junger said:Lesson learned, I now plug the drain in while I'm leaving the garage instead of at the ramp.
I'm considering doing that as well. Or putting my boat keys on a carabiner with my plug. Or a yellow sign on my console that says "did you put the plug in, moron?"
12poundbass reply :
Welcome to the club. We have T-shirts. ????
Gundog reply :
On 7/10/2018 at 6:22 AM, 12poundbass said:Welcome to the club. We have T-shirts. ????
But they are currently at the bottom of the lake. ????
Way2slow reply :
Don't worry, next time you can take pictures.
I've been boating since the early 60's and have left it out a few times.
The drain plug in my Javelin is a screw-in with a short tether that keeps it in the hole when unscrewed. A few years ago I was going to see a friend that was camping on the lake I mainly fish. It was about five miles by water and 40 miles by road so I dropped the boat in and went by water. I was there about 20 minutes, came back and loaded the boat. I always take the plug out before I leave the ramp. When I went back to take it out, I found I had never screwed it in. Luckily, the tether holding it let the plug fill the hole so water didn't rush in when stopped or it would have sank at his camp site, the water there was deep.
MickD reply :
I never take mine out. Since I store the boat inside, no need to take it out.
But I've been there too. Grandson to Grandpa: "Grandpa, the water's getting pretty deep back here."
gimruis reply :
On 7/10/2018 at 5:32 AM, Junger said:Lesson learned, I now plug the drain in while I'm leaving the garage instead of at the ramp.
On 7/10/2018 at 7:52 AM, MickD said:I never take mine out. Since I store the boat inside, no need to take it out.
I used to do both of those because I was so afraid of forgetting to put it back in before launching but state law here now says you MUST travel down the road with the drain plug visibly out and you cannot put it back in until you get to the ramp. If you get caught going to the lake with the plug in now, you get a major fine.
Way2slow reply :
I also have my routine, and normally screw mine before leaving, but things can happen when you get out of routine. That time, I didn't go through my normal routine because I wasn't going fishing and didn't need to prep the boat. I just jumped in the truck and headed to the ramp
Arcs&sparks reply :
On 7/10/2018 at 8:25 AM, gimruis said:state law here now says you MUST travel down the road with the drain plug visibly out
Curious, what is the theory behind this law?
Russ E reply :
Fortunately my boat has a remote drain plug.
Twice while in a hurry to launch the boat I forgot to close it.
luckily I heard the water gurgling and quickly closed it.
Sam reply :
Welcome to the club.
It will happen to everyone sooner or later.
I always put the plug in before I leave home.
Never have had a problem since I started doing this.
Russ E reply :
On 7/10/2018 at 8:35 AM, Arcs&sparks said:Curious, what is the theory behind this law?
I believe it is to cut down on transporting nuisance species, like zebra mussels
gimruis reply :
On 7/10/2018 at 8:35 AM, Arcs&sparks said:Curious, what is the theory behind this law?
They're trying to slow and/or reduce the spread of aquatic invasive species from one body of water to the next and a visibly removed drain plug basically indicates that you don't have any water in there that could be transported to the next lake. Same with the live well, bait well, and anything else that could hold water in your boat. It took a lot of getting used to here but after you get in the routine of taking it out and putting it back in at the ramp, and ONLY at the ramp with a heavy fine as punishment, you learn quick.
Arcs&sparks reply :
^Gotcha. Makes sense. I wasn’t thinking about the bilge pump and livewells. My bilge pump is a flat sided milk jug w/top cut off ????
flechero reply :
I don't know a single boat owner that hasn't forgotten the plug at least once... most of the time it's uneventful.
Arcs&sparks reply :
On 7/10/2018 at 9:11 AM, flechero said:I don't know a single boat owner that hasn't forgotten the plug at least once... most of the time it's uneventful.
4 years and I haven’t done it yet... knocks on wood...
N Florida Mike reply :
On 7/10/2018 at 8:25 AM, gimruis said:
I used to do both of those because I was so afraid of forgetting to put it back in before launching but state law here now says you MUST travel down the road with the drain plug visibly out and you cannot put it back in until you get to the ramp. If you get caught going to the lake with the plug in now, you get a major fine.
Why in the world is that ?
Never mind, just saw the response.
flechero reply :
Not even remembering as you launch? Good think I don't know you! You'd have made a liar out of me. ????
12poundbass reply :
On 7/10/2018 at 9:15 AM, Arcs&sparks said:4 years and I haven’t done it yet... knocks on wood...
Key word is yet. Give it time. ????
N Florida Mike reply :
I left it out once. Took a friend's daughter fishing, but I didn't notice until she said something like "Are we sinking"?Although I was in a fairly narrow canal, I did a 180 and gunned it to hopefully run the water out and, to at least make it back to the ramp if it didnt. It just planed off enough so it didn't swamp, and we were able to bail the rest out at the ramp.
Arcs&sparks reply :
On 7/10/2018 at 9:26 AM, flechero said:Not even remembering as you launch? Good think I don't know you! You'd have made a liar out of me. ????
... On the ramp? Yeah I always catch it when I remember to unstrap the boat ????
Junger reply :
On 7/10/2018 at 7:52 AM, MickD said:I never take mine out. Since I store the boat inside, no need to take it out.
But I've been there too. Grandson to Grandpa: "Grandpa, the water's getting pretty deep back here."
I get a little bit of water in the bilge after every trip, not sure where it comes from but it's not enough to worry about but enough to drain after an outting.
boostr reply :
Congratulations!
I did that once, but a fellow boater caught it while I was backing down the ramp... that would of sucked.
doughboy1979 reply :
Yup, just did that last Friday and was close to losing it. 3rd time out on the new boat, took my 6 year old boy with me. Just started to fish when my son asked my there is water in the boat. I casually said "son, it's a bass boat, it's going to have some water in it". 5 minutes later, he said again, but this time with urgency and a crack in his voice. I looked around and saw water was coming in under the seats and was about 10 inches high on my drivers chair. I freaked the F*** out and ran to the back. The back of my Nitro was almost submerged, and the bilge pump was not working. So thank god the engine fired up and I started to go. I tried to floor it, but the nose shot straight up in the air and could only go about 5-10 mph. I was thinking "crap, I sunk my boat with my boy in it, my wife is going to kill me!!". So then I had my son sit down at the very front of the boat, and with one hand I was steering the boat while the rest of my body I was standing as far front of the boat as I can muster while still holding on to the steering wheel. About 5 minutes goes by and I start to feel, and hear, the engine RPM's getting higher and I could feel the boat start moving faster. Took about another 2 minutes and I was able to get the boat on plane and moving!! But then I started to think about how the hell I was going to try and put in the drain plug. I tried swimming underneath, but after a minute of not finding it I came up for a breath and my boy was crying and shaking. He thought I drowned, which destroyed me "inside" seeing my boy that way. So I then remembered that this lake has a swimming beach, so I drove my boat to the beach and I beached it. Found the drain plug, put it, and we were off after that. Needless to say my boy ratted me out to mom as soon as we got home, so that was an interesting conversation she had with me. Now I gotta figure out my d**n bilge pump issue. But d**n, that was some scary **** considering this was my first boat and out for only the 3rd time. Glad it all worked out for you guys!!!
J Francho reply :
I forgot it once, fishing with @clayton86. That's when I discovered my auto bilge pump setup pumped it as fast as it came in.
Troy85 reply :
Welcome. I’ve probably done it twice in the past 10 years.....man it’s so embarrassing....not the worst tho. worst I’ve seen was the guy didn’t tie his boat up good and it floated away from the dock...he had to get a ride out to his boat....if that happened to me I don’t think I’d ever be able to show my face that boat launch again.
hooah212002 reply :
On 7/11/2018 at 2:00 AM, doughboy1979 said:Yup, just did that last Friday and was close to losing it. 3rd time out on the new boat, took my 6 year old boy with me. Just started to fish when my son asked my there is water in the boat. I casually said "son, it's a bass boat, it's going to have some water in it". 5 minutes later, he said again, but this time with urgency and a crack in his voice. I looked around and saw water was coming in under the seats and was about 10 inches high on my drivers chair. I freaked the F*** out and ran to the back. The back of my Nitro was almost submerged, and the bilge pump was not working. So thank god the engine fired up and I started to go. I tried to floor it, but the nose shot straight up in the air and could only go about 5-10 mph. I was thinking "crap, I sunk my boat with my boy in it, my wife is going to kill me!!". So then I had my son sit down at the very front of the boat, and with one hand I was steering the boat while the rest of my body I was standing as far front of the boat as I can muster while still holding on to the steering wheel. About 5 minutes goes by and I start to feel, and hear, the engine RPM's getting higher and I could feel the boat start moving faster. Took about another 2 minutes and I was able to get the boat on plane and moving!! But then I started to think about how the hell I was going to try and put in the drain plug. I tried swimming underneath, but after a minute of not finding it I came up for a breath and my boy was crying and shaking. He thought I drowned, which destroyed me "inside" seeing my boy that way. So I then remembered that this lake has a swimming beach, so I drove my boat to the beach and I beached it. Found the drain plug, put it, and we were off after that. Needless to say my boy ratted me out to mom as soon as we got home, so that was an interesting conversation she had with me. Now I gotta figure out my d**n bilge pump issue. But d**n, that was some scary **** considering this was my first boat and out for only the 3rd time. Glad it all worked out for you guys!!!
Dang brother, you have my sympathy. Glad you guys are both ok because just like my experience, that was close to being REALLY bad.
On 7/11/2018 at 2:49 AM, J Francho said:I forgot it once, fishing with @clayton86. That's when I discovered my auto bilge pump setup pumped it as fast as it came in.
An auto on switch for my bilge pump is on my short list of things to buy.
moguy1973 reply :
I've had it happen once the first year I owned my boat. I was out alone at a lake that you have to idle out past a wave break wall quite a ways before you can open it up. I throttled up and the nose of the boat came way up in the air. I thought there was something wrong with my engine because it wouldn't trim down. So I shut it off and open the back hatch to see that it was 3/4 of the way full of water and the transom was almost at the water level. Saw my plug laying the splash tray and luckily I was able to reach in the water and under the boat to put the plug in. A couple minutes more and I would have been in a bad situation as I was out about 1/4 mile into the lake by then. Turned on the bilge and it took a few minutes to pump out and off I went with a wet long sleeved arm.
the reel ess reply :
My dad and I did this once. We took off from our own boat launch so the trailer was still in the water. We got maybe half a mile and the water was around our ankles. We turned around quickly and headed back to the launch taking on water the whole way. We tried to drive up on the trailer, but had to winch it on and wait for it to drain. We were lucky. It was an older aluminum bassboat and I wouldn't trust the flotation.
bassalive reply :
It happens to everybody at some point, over the years I began leaving the drain plug in, and just use the bilge pump to rid water. Actually a wee bit of water in the bilge is a good thing, as it keeps the pumps wet.
If you throw a bar of soap in the bilge, the water will slosh it around, and keep the bilge area clean as well.
I take out the plug in the Fall when winterizing.
TOXIC reply :
An auto bilge pump ought to be standard on every boat but it is not. My old NITRO had a switch for "Auto" or "Manual" but my current Ranger has a fully auto bilge as long as the master power is on. I can also manually pump out with 1 or 2 pumps as needed. Although I have never left the plug out, with my old NITRO, I took a client out who lived on the lake and I would pick him up and drop him off at his dock, then go load my boat at the marina. I dropped him off and my boat was struggling to get on plane so I opened the back hatch and the water was almost over my batteries. I hit the bilge and luckily the motor stayed running. Long story short, the sealant around my transom bolts had broken loose and water would rush in when under power but not just sitting in the water. Took a looooong time to chase that one down.
Brew City Bass reply :
It's like a right of passage to owning a boat.
I did it within a month of getting my new to me boat. I went out with my buddy and we were in the middle of the lake when he stepped off the back deck into the water. Ankle high. He said "Jason, we gotta go NOW". I knew instantly I forgot the plug.
Instead of grabbing it out of the locker and jumping in like I should have, I turned on the bilge pump and plowed water to the ramp. WOT doing about 5mph with the nose straight up in the heavens. I think we were about 2 minutes away from sinking the d**n thing. Took about 20 minutes for the water to drain at the ramp. Doh!
Ever since, I always put the plug on the driver seat so if I ever forget to put it in at the ramp, as soon as I get in the boat to sit down I either sit on it and remember or see it before it's too late. Only forgot it once since that time and it was right after I backed the trailer in. I hopped in at the launch and plugged it. Bilge pump cleared the water in 2 minutes.
burr56 reply :
It took me a year and a half but i got caught by the plug bug. Got to lake boat off trailer in water tied to dock parked truck git back to boat and sis says' why is the carpet wet? Luckily i could reach plug by leaning over transom got plug in bilge pump running and then excused myself to go change my shorts???????? by the way i wanna t-shirt
Spankey reply :
I don't know if this will help you but I made up some lables on my Brother printer "is the plug in". I have them at my console and one on each side of the top edge of my transom. Each side of my motor. Though not big in size when you're undoing the transom straps and motor totter you can't miss seeing them. Years ago the state gave them away, since stopped. Easy to make.
I've had that happen before. I caught myself early and almost immediately. No damage. You just chalk it up.
I've been doing this a long time and have a routine down long by now. BUT it can happen to anyone. Only takes a slight distraction. I'm by myself 98% of the time so I don't get many distractions. When I do have someone with me I don't want them helping for the most part getting ready to launch. I just have my way and roll like that.
Spankey reply :
I could make you a few of those labels if you want and pop them in the mail. They are not tacky looking. And I think they have proven themselves to be useful.
But it if I walk around my boat once before I put it in the water I've really walked around it 5 times. Between drain plug, small dock fenders, trailer harness, transom straps I pretty much have a routine.
Dont sweat what happened. The most important thing is you and your dad are not hurt or killed. What needs to be repaired is small time vs. what could possibly happened.
Be safe.
I fish from a 19 ft. Tracker Pro Team puddle jumper.
12poundbass reply :
See I told you we have a club. We have good membership numbers as you can see. ????
Further North reply :
On 7/11/2018 at 3:01 AM, Troy1985s said:Welcome. I’ve probably done it twice in the past 10 years.....man it’s so embarrassing....not the worst tho. worst I’ve seen was the guy didn’t tie his boat up good and it floated away from the dock...he had to get a ride out to his boat....if that happened to me I don’t think I’d ever be able to show my face that boat launch again.
Ulterra...just sayin'
YaknBassn reply :
I think it's a right of passage with any watercraft. I've had it happen with a boat and a kayak. Leaving it out of the boat was pretty uneventful, but the kayak was very eventful.
I treat the kayak just like I would a boat. I was it after every trip and drain any water in the hull, especially before going to a different lake. I guess I forgot to put the drain plug back in and failed to check before launching. I decided to move along and notice that it seems EXTREMELY hard to paddle, then I realize that I'm actually sinking. Of course, I'm in in 20+ feet of water when this is happening. Ever tried to swim a 100+ pound kayak full of water back to shore? Not easy, especially in 55° water. I was fortunate enough to have some guys fishing a boat tournament nearby see my dilemma and help me out. Was super embarrassing until they shared their drain plug failure story.
hooah212002 reply :
On 7/15/2018 at 11:15 PM, YaknBassn said:I think it's a right of passage with any watercraft. I've had it happen with a boat and a kayak. Leaving it out of the boat was pretty uneventful, but the kayak was very eventful.
I treat the kayak just like I would a boat. I was it after every trip and drain any water in the hull, especially before going to a different lake. I guess I forgot to put the drain plug back in and failed to check before launching. I decided to move along and notice that it seems EXTREMELY hard to paddle, then I realize that I'm actually sinking. Of course, I'm in in 20+ feet of water when this is happening. Ever tried to swim a 100+ pound kayak full of water back to shore? Not easy, especially in 55° water. I was fortunate enough to have some guys fishing a boat tournament nearby see my dilemma and help me out. Was super embarrassing until they shared their drain plug failure story.
Wow man. That sounds dreadful.
WIGuide reply :
As much as I'd like to say that this has never happened to me, I'd be lying if I did. It sucks when it happens, and it rather embarrassing, but it's not the end of the world.
Slade House reply :
Call me when that happens and then your boat catches on fire on the way back to to the dock
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