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Almost Sank The Boat!!!


joaquin12345

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So yesterday I went out in my 23LSV. I had 10 people with me, all of our stuff, and filling up ballasts.  I dropped my wife into the water which she’s learning to drive the boat so needless to say I always need everything to go smoothly. I went up to park the trailer, which probably took about 5-10min because the parking lot was full. Walk down and back to the boat and get in and switch with my wife. Well I start going away from the docks and stop because I have a routine. I always get up walk to the back open the engine compartment take a peak to make sure everything is the way it’s supposed to be.  Well as I’m turning my head to the left and about to get up I notice  two T Handle  type plugs  in the cup holder immediately to the left of the cockpit. As soon as I saw that I look down open up the small lid to the left of the driver seat and the water has started to come through the floor!!!  I quickly turn the boat around I tell everyone we are taking in water. I’m yelling commands at this moment. I yell at my friend to grab the keys to the truck and get ready to sprint up the ramp and get the trailer in the water now!!! Get to the docks which are about 50yards away luckily. Everyone jumps off. I quickly flip all the ballasts to drain, my bilge pump I had to turn on, for some reason it’s not automatic??, I yell at my older brother to put his phone down and to come down where I’m at. I grab his hand give him the t handle plug and tell him to hold it over the front plug hole, it was hard to screw in due to the front ballast starting to fill up and I couldn’t push it forward to give me more room to screw in the plug. I run to the back screw in the back t handle plug that goes next to the vdrive then go back to the front and am able to screw in the front plug. While this is going on my wife kept asking questions about what to do. All I said is I don’t care what you do do whatever you want. Luckily she runs up the dock and starts telling everyone in line that we are going to have to cut cause our boat is going down. Finally get the boat in the trailer pull it out, drain it, and pray the engine and transmissions are free from water. Well everything was good and we were able to salvage the rest of the day!!  This is crazy and I felt so retarded because I always have a routine I follow and everything goes smoothly. This time though I had taken those plugs out because I was teaching my brother to drive the week before and he had taken in water over the bow a few times and when the boat was parked there was enough water in the bottom to not drain out the back, so I took the T handle plugs out and luckily put them in the cup holder so I could see. Our lake is pretty rocky but one area is sandy so I was really close to beaching it!  A long time ago I had forgotten the back plug in my first boat and that has never happened again. This I guess I just wasn’t used to having to put the t handle plugs in which I never take out. Won’t ever do that again. I almost beached the boat in this sandy area next to the docks because it was taking so long to bring down the trailer. Please tell me I’m not the only doofus that’s done this!!!

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ahopkins22LSV

We’ve all done it or will do it. Glad everyone is ok. Check for the plugs before you even turn your blower on in the prep area!

The bilge pump(s) should turn on automatically. Definitely look into that. 

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I put the plug(s) back in even before the boat leaves the driveway to head to the lake.  I leave the plug(s) in a zip lock bag in the middle of the floor.  We always have to load items that were dried in the garage (kids life vests, tube, ropes) so we are always putting stuff back on before leaving the house.  Boats always clean so the plug(s) on the floor sticks out as a reminder.

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No not alone.  We have all done that.  After almost 20 years got out of my routine two weeks ago.   Wife was driving the boat off the trailer notice the plug in the drink holder.  She pulled back on the trailer.  Had a few choice words for me...  Put the plug in and we dodged a bullet.  

Malibu added an alarm for that as an option.  So popular in 2016 they ran out mid year.  Would have bought that if it were available just to save me the embarrassment.  

Never ever complain again when my wife asks me multiple times if the plug is in!  

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