Stupid things done on a boat.

[Commercial Dave]

Spent half an hour bailing about 500 litres of water out of a RIB when the bilge pump intake got blocked up in a choppy sea, only to later find out you can deploy the elephant trunks while underway and it would have emptied it in about 1 minute

 

[Alicatt]

Spent half an hour bailing about 500 litres of water out of a RIB when the bilge pump intake got blocked up in a choppy sea, only to later find out you can deploy the elephant trunks while underway and it would have emptied it in about 1 minute

the 1" diameter drain bung on the transom would empty my rigid raider in less than a minute when you got underway, when it got down to the last dribble or so you could hear it sucking and slurping even over the noise of the outboard.
It was not putting the bung back in when you stopped was the problem

 

[ChromeDome]

the 1" diameter drain bung on the transom would empty my rigid raider in less than a minute when you got underway, when it got down to the last dribble or so you could hear it sucking and slurping even over the noise of the outboard.
It was not putting the bung back in when you stopped was the problem

Reminded me of the Crescent outboard (later merged with Archimedes, Electrolux, Monark and eventually aquired by Volvo Penta) with a hose to place in bilge, to suck out any water while running.

 

[Commercial Dave]

the 1" diameter drain bung on the transom would empty my rigid raider in less than a minute when you got underway, when it got down to the last dribble or so you could hear it sucking and slurping even over the noise of the outboard.
It was not putting the bung back in when you stopped was the problem

No drain plug on ours but it has two 100mm diameter elephant trunks. It's still the only boat I've ever been on that has trunks, and I didn't realise they could be used underway! Next time I'll keep them deployed when we're out in chop, as long as you're moving forward they will get water out of the boat.

 

[Alicatt]

No drain plug on ours but it has two 100mm diameter elephant trunks. It's still the only boat I've ever been on that has trunks, and I didn't realise they could be used underway! Next time I'll keep them deployed when we're out in chop, as long as you're moving forward they will get water out of the boat.

A previous owner had filled and glassed over the holes for the elephants trunks, it was only when I seen the elephants trunks on a RIB that I realised what they were

Reminded me of the Crescent outboard (later merged with Archimedes, Electrolux, Monark and eventually aquired by Volvo Penta) with a hose to place in bilge, to suck out any water while running.

Our Handy Crinan a 12ft clinker built tender, it's Stuart Turner inboard engine had a engine driven raw water pump that could be switched from sea to bilge, didn't take long to empty the bilges with it

 

[C08]

By far the most stupid thing I have done on a boat was not realising that towing a tender with people in it can be dangerous. My boat was moored in Conwy near the bridge and the tide was ebbing fast. We left my boat in my tender which was a 10ft heavy fibreglass simulated clinker hull and headed towards the shore when we were waved at by a couple on another boat in a tender ( a fibreglass small dinghy) at the side of their boat. We went over and it seemd their tender ouboard had failed and they needed a tow to go ashore. Athough I had been boating 3/4 years and considered myself reasonably experienced I did not realise this was a stupid thing to do and the skipper of the other boat also could not have realised this. Anyway they passed me their painter and I fixed it tp my stern cleat. I set off slowly but with plenty of power as the ebb was strong and immediately the their tender started swerving about as the woman was sat right at the front and the bow was carving the water and in danger of capsize, I tried to call her to sit further back but was too busy trying to avoid moored boats whilste being swept backwards. I realised this was all very dangerous and did my best to avoid going too fast and to try and make the shore albeit some way downstream. At one point we passed under the bowsprit of another boat. We made the shore and the dinghy occupants were a bit shell shocked me too.
Afterwards I relised they should have got into my tender and all would have been well. Another lesson learnt!

 

[Seastoke]

Many years ago we bought a sports cruiser from a guy from London , the boat was moored on the middle of the river in Christchurch , so we did the deal in the cabin all in cash . He put the money in his brief case , the boat came with a nice 2.7 rib in white , we shook Hans and asked me to give him a lift ashore in the rib , he was sitting at the back and me on the centre with steering wheel . We pushed the nose on the beach I jumped out and pulled up the beach while he stood up I yanked at the painter at the same time he fell back into the river , suit and brief case and all . We shook hands then he made his was to the taxi rank for the train back to London.

 

[petem]

When we first owned our current boat, my wife convinced me that the foredeck cushions wouldn't fly off without them being attached unsure: I know!).

Not surprisingly, they soon flew off in the middle of Southampton water. This required some manoeuvring so that they could be retrieved from the bathing platform.

Before we knew it the RedJet ferry was bearing down on us.

Fortunately, we we able to move to the side of the fairway with a full complement of crew and cushions before the RedJet ran over us.

I still cringe at the thought of it all!