The DUMBEST thing you've ever done to a boat or motor??

[Chinewalker]

Okay guys, time to fess up! What's the absolute dumbest thing you've ever done in the shop or on your rig? I'll start things off...<br /><br />I was in the midst of tearing down a buzzy, rattling motor and discovered bad needle bearings on one crank journal. The rod bolts WOULD NOT budge - enough so that the Allen wrench was spinning in the bolt, so I decided to add some heat to the equation. I thoroughly heated up the rod bolt with a propane torch, set the torch down and promptly grabbed the very same area with my bare hand! Left a perfect brand of an Allen head bolt in my thumb!<br /><br />I've got others, but that's probably the dumbest...<br /><br />- Scott

 

[dingbat]

Re: The DUMBEST thing you've ever done to a boat or motor??

I think I have you beat.<br />How about going out and purchasing a new float switch for the bilge pump and then spending more than 1 1/2 hours taking the old one out and installing the new in the most inaccessible bilge known to man only to find only to find that I forgot to connect the feed wire when I changed out the battery the night before. Talk about feeling stupid. At least no one knew except myself

 

[JB]

Re: The DUMBEST thing you've ever done to a boat or motor??

Watched a wrench "setting" the tension on a Suzuki DF70 cam drive belt with a prybar.<br /><br />Mentioned that the book says tight enough to give no slack and was told he knew what he was doing.<br /><br />Engine was back in the shop when I came to pick up my boat. Broke the nose off the cam.<br /><br />Had him reset my belt by the book.

 

[DJD775]

Re: The DUMBEST thing you've ever done to a boat or motor??

With the intent of just cleaning the spark arrestor on a Mercruiser 120 I dropped the nut that holds the spark arrestor on down the throat of the carb. I had to perform a little more work then planned to retrieve the nut.

 

[Dhadley]

Re: The DUMBEST thing you've ever done to a boat or motor??

Dumbest thing I ever did to a boat was to sell my last Hydrostream to a guy who "improved" it. He tore the motor apart and had some "whiz bang" hop it up to 260 hp, threw away a perfectly good Mazco prop I had custom built, and changed the gearcase shape. He "improved" it to run almost 80 and its barely controlable.<br /><br />When it left here it'd run 88 all day long, the motor stock and was an absolute pleasure to drive.<br /><br />My wife told me not to sell it.....

 

[Paul Moir]

Re: The DUMBEST thing you've ever done to a boat or motor??

I'm sure this isn't the dumbest, but it sticks out in my mind.<br />The powerhead of a small outboard (bro's 4hp Merc Gnat in fact, for anyone here know's what that means ) needed to be removed for some minor service - but it was running before. After reinstalling the powerhead, I went to test it and now it wouldn't start. <br />I checked spark: good. <br />Swapped plug wires: no start. <br />Got out the timing light and checked timing: good - dead on.<br />Tried spraying fuel/oil down the carb's throat: no start. <br />Wrecked pull-start pulling my arm off - went to a drill motor with a socket attached to crank it: not a puff.<br />Removed, cleaned and replaced spark plugs a few times. Funny, there wasn't hardly any fuel on them.<br /><br />Hours later it finally hit me. I had never seen a drop of gasoline in the bucket's water and come to think of it, I didn't see any bubbles coming out the exhaust. I had installed the new powerhead base gasket upside down and the only things that were not symmetrical were the cutout for the water tube and the exhaust. The exhaust was completely blocked by the inverted gasket. I have no idea how I managed to goop it up and place it perfectly over the holes without thinking.

 

[Chinewalker]

Re: The DUMBEST thing you've ever done to a boat or motor??

Paul,<br /> That's a good one! I did the same thing on a little Johnrude 4hp a couple years back. It has a tiny little exhaust tuner and the one I had needed a new gasket. Somewhere between cutting the outer shape of the gasket and the point where I should have cut the inner part out I had a phone call or someone stopped by the shop - can't remember what - but it distracted me enough that I never cut the middle of the gasket out. I installed it and racked my brain for several months (yes, MONTHS) trying to sort that one out. I would tinker with it, checking this and that, get frustrated and set it aside. I would ponder it and come back to it later, KNOWING I had solved the problem, and no go. Finally, I figured I had installed something wrong inside the motor and got so far as pulling the powerhead and noting the lack of breathing ability caused by the complete sheet of gasket material covering the exhaust outlet. I finished the gasket, reassembled the motor and it started FIRST PULL! DOH!!! <br /><br />- Scott

 

[KCLOST]

Re: The DUMBEST thing you've ever done to a boat or motor??

While working on a 50hp Merc several years back I was diagnosing a problem shortly after replacing the water pump...<br /><br />For some reason, I had no fire at all. Wouldn't start, nothing... After checking all that I could, I actually convinced myself to buy a new switchbox, that had to be it....<br />1 day after I placed the order for the box, I noticed that I forgot to reset the kill switch!!!!<br /><br />Had a new switchbox anyway!<br /><br />I also have a problem forgetting to raize the trolling motor before taking off at full throttle... Poor trolling motor is still working but not happy with me...

 

[cobra 3.0]

Re: The DUMBEST thing you've ever done to a boat or motor??

Dumbest? It's hard to say. Dumb? Here's a few:<br /><br />1. Tried for half an hour to start my 30 hp Johnson (that usually started first or second crank)only to find that I put on the gas line backwards off the tank.<br /><br />2. "Dolled up" a 4 hp Evinrude with fresh paint and custom stickers, only to see it go bye bye on the first time out when my homemade motor bracket broke. (No I didn't put on a safety chain or rope!)<br /><br />3. Stared at a triangle shaped object in the distance in the water which we couldn't figure out. Ended up trolling onto some reefs and recked my prop and outdrive. After that I didn't give a darn what that object was! <br /><br /><br />4. Took off at high speed with my anchor still in the water and was wondering, why is this boat so slow? (At the time I was a little distracted and frazzled with something that happened with my young kids.) <br /><br />5. That's enough! I'm feeling like enough of an A$$ right now!

 

[Captn Dave]

Re: The DUMBEST thing you've ever done to a boat or motor??

When to start my engine in the driveway one weekend before heading to the ramp. Engine would turn over but not fire. After extended period of cranking with no luck I proceeded to troubleshoot.<br />Pulled a plug, no spark. <br />Disconnected the electrical plug at the engine, jumped the solenoid, and got spark.<br />So now I'm thinking the key switch is failing and grouding out, which has happened in the past on another boat.<br />Jump in the car, head to marine store, buy new switch, get home, make note of all wires on old switch, get down on back in awkward position, replace switch. Still no spark. <br />Finally see that the lanyard and clip for the kill switch, which I removed several weeks ago to do something, is still off.<br />Daaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[WillyBWright]

Re: The DUMBEST thing you've ever done to a boat or motor??

Remember, I was a know-it-all teenager...<br /><br />Dad rents boats. Aluminum rowboats. Previous business owner leaves behind an old Waterwitch. It won't start. Boat with Waterwitch beached, me ankle deep in water. Remove sparkplug and reconnect lead. Place sparkplug on cylinder and pull rope. Suddenly realize I forgot the "Place sparkplug on cylinder" part, still holding sparkplug. The magneto wasn't the problem.

 

[C-RAVEN]

Re: The DUMBEST thing you've ever done to a boat or motor??

After a nice day fishing on the ocean, it was to time call it quits. Killed the trolling motor, reeled in the gear, started up big motor and away i go.<br />Boat won't plane, so more throttle . Still a struggle ?? eventually it barely planes and i hear a "bang bang bang" behind me.<br /><br />I look back and there is a downrigger jumping up and down with about 40 feet of wire out and a 10lb cannonball skipping along the surface.<br /><br />The downrigger just about ripped out of the mount.<br /><br />Boy did i feel dumb ! (hope no one saw me)

 

[tee-boy]

Re: The DUMBEST thing you've ever done to a boat or motor??

put a 25 hp evinrude on back of 12ft aluminum john boat when i was a teen. <br /><br />Also, hooked the positive and negative on a bilge pump to the two poles on a switch. then closed the switch. Melted the insulation on the wires and melted my hand when I grabbed a wire to jerk it off of the battery (opening the switch probably would have been better idea)

 

[tee-boy]

Re: The DUMBEST thing you've ever done to a boat or motor??

I forgot to mention part about being a teen when connecting the pump. I'm sure I would never make this mistake as a responsible adult

 

[cowboyup]

Re: The DUMBEST thing you've ever done to a boat or motor??

Had the boat in a friends slip for the weekend. Started the motor to warm it up while i loaded gear. Noticed the motor was running a little rough so i took the cowling off. Saw one of the spark plug leads had come off the plug. Without even thinking i reached down to put it back on. WHAM! Felt like someone whacked my arm with a baseball bat.

 

[swist]

Re: The DUMBEST thing you've ever done to a boat or motor??

Went to change tstats on my V6 Yamaha for the first time - did it on the boat working from the top so I can only see the top end of the tstat cover. Take bolts out, won't budge - gaskets must be frozen - so I take a screwdriver and proceed to punch a hole in the large gasket the holds the cylinder head cover to the cylinder head. Thus necessitating replacing another large and expensive gasket. If I had aimed another 1/2' toward the block, I would have toasted the head gasket, so it could have been worse. <br /><br />Idiot.

 

[OBJ]

Re: The DUMBEST thing you've ever done to a boat or motor??

Rebuiling a 25 horse once....connected the rod caps and quit for the day...it was the weekend. Came back and finished putting the engine together. Dropped it in the test tank and fired it up. Ran good. OK...run her for a while for breakin. Started to rattle like an old Maytag. Short story is that dummy here forgot to torque the rod cap bolts. No damage done....luckily.

 

[steelespike]

Re: The DUMBEST thing you've ever done to a boat or motor??

After 55 years of boating Ive probably got hundreds a gaffs.As a teenager we had a nice Chris Craft kit boat with an 18 Evinrude.Of course I pushed it hard and it leaked most of the time. It had a nice drain plug under the seat and it drained quickly.But I would forget the plug about half the time and I would came back at 1:00 in the morning and the boat would be hanging by the lines with the gas tank floating at the end of its hose.We had an old fashioned 3 inch hand pump from an old flue pipe.About 20 minutes of pumping would get enough water out so it would plane and the drain could take over.I did this over and over again.Dumb!!

 

[Terry H]

Re: The DUMBEST thing you've ever done to a boat or motor??

I have some good ones after all the years I been out there, but I don't need to check the plug anymore, everyone that boats with me has been away from the dock bailing water, they do the plug now...

 

[BillP]

Re: The DUMBEST thing you've ever done to a boat or motor??

I can think of a few really dumbs moves I've done.<br /><br />1. First time launching my brand new pontoon boat. Tried real hard to start the motor but it wouldn't. Packed up and came home...then it hit me. I forgot to slip in the ignition safety clip. <br /><br />2. Same boat...flushing the motor and I accidently kicked the hose loose off the foot. Trashed the impeller before I could get it back on. Now I use the screw in flush to avoid that hassle.<br /><br />3. An old 75 V4 Johnson...prop was stuck and my puller wouldn't fit. I took a rubber mallet and piece of wood to it with light taps. Broke the prop shaft off in my hand. Believe me, it didn't take much! <br /><br />4. I was a young kid in high school and built a minimax with 15hp evenrude. Dashed at full speed toward the shore thinking I would pull the motor up and go high on the beach. I shut down at full speed and quickly pulled the motor up. The boat immediately swapped ends and filled with water over the stern...before it settled to the bottom. <br /><br />5. 14' PennYan strip plank boat with 15hp evinrude. I came up behind a big 40' cruiser plowing along making a huge wake. I decided to pass him by jumping over the waves. Instead of jumping over it stuffed the bow into the wave and filled the boat up to the gunnels. It didn't sink but everything, including the gas tank floated away.<br /><br />6. Refueled a 3hp Johnson and spilled gas all over the tank. Instead of waiting for the gas to evaporate I cranked it up. Immediate fire and nothing to put it out with but my shirt. No damage but that taught me a good lesson...40+ yrs ago and I still remember it well.