What's the worst thing you forgot to do ?

Restoration man

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Leaving the fuel taps turned off , went to change fuel filters up the hamble ,turned off the fuel taps realised I had Bought the wrong filters forgot to turn back on , got just out of the entrance and both engines shut down just like in ww2 film when the engines fail on fighter plane , had to drop the anchor just by the sand bar and bleed the engines , felt a complete idiot
 

powerskipper

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Leaving the fuel taps turned off , went to change fuel filters up the hamble ,turned off the fuel taps realized I had Bought the wrong filters forgot to turn back on , got just out of the entrance and both engines shut down just like in ww2 film when the engines fail on fighter plane , had to drop the anchor just by the sand bar and bleed the engines , felt a complete idiot
That happened to me on a students boat , He did not know his son had closed the fuel lines, stopped about 500m from berth in front of a large ship exiting the harbour, had to ask a very nice police boat to tow us out the way.
 

BruceK

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Ah well. Late one night. Managed to drop a line on missing the river pontoon cleat and a prop sucked it up. Had the water taxi fella in my tender trying to cut through it with a knife while the leg was raised. When he finally got through it he shouted to me to see to if I could start the engines. It was late. I was tired. I forgot the leg was up. I forgot it was in gear. I forgot it was in half throttle. I mean the tender was now on top of the leg hiding it from view. Well it started alright. Blew that tender like a leaf in the wind and created a rooster tail high enough to look like a fountain celebrating his success as he surfaced some 10 yards off. It could have gone so wrong but it was also immensely funny at the time. Taxi man didn't think so but I was paralytic with mirth.
 

markc

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20 years ago on the Thames, 40 foot boat in a lock going downstream, I was too busy chatting to the lockkeeper to notice that the stern line rope had bound up on the bollard and boat ended up hanging 4 feet in the air. I used a bread knife to cut the rope under tension, sh!tting myself that it would rip the cleat out of the boat out and take my head off. Ping...ping...ping then splashdown. Lesson learnt
 

Greg2

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Many years ago we re-launched the boat after winter lay-up and started the engines - let them run for a few minutes before heading round into the New Cut at St Olaves when one engine missed a beat - immediately realised that I had forgotten to turn the fuel taps on and dived across the cockpit to rectify the situation as each engine spluttered and died. Only doing around four of five knots but with outdrives and very limited steerage I could only watch as we gently glided into a Gabion basket used to repair part of the bank, taking several chunks out of the gel coat.

Just one of my faux pars and not sure it is the worst! ?
 

Farmer Piles

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Years back we had a trailed cuddy boat. A nice easy launch until I noticed the stern filling with water - a fair bit of frantic activity, Always double checked that the bung was in place thereafter.
 

DavidJ

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Helped a friend with his new narrow boat take it from the river Severn into the canal system. So for the first lock I put out all the fenders and we charged in only to jam solid in the lock. I said to the lockkeeper “it’s a bit narrow” he said “ they are all all exactly the same, nevermind I will flush you out“. So he opened up the other gate and we surged backwards on a tidal wave of water.
Lockeeper totally unfazed
Never assume that skills are interchangeable
 
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oldgit

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Forgetting to open a seacock after impellor change.
An impeller change can be done while underway provided you have somebody to steer the boat, in this case using a knackered Leather man, a ASDA cornflake box , Vaseline.and hanging upside down for 20 mins.
 
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Restoration man

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Forgetting to open a seacock after impellor change.
An impeller change can be done while underway provided you have somebody to steer the boat, in this case using a knackered Leather man, a ASDA cornflake box , Vaseline.and hanging upside down for 20 mins.


yes done that as well ??‍♂️??‍♂️??‍♂️??‍♂️
 
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