Thread: Joys of age related stupidity

We all feel your pain Ray. I've done many stupid things, have had some bad luck, and have seen quite a few weird and funny things while at the lake. Yeah, it's funny when it's happening to someone else! I decided to make a trip to Greenwood a number of years back. It was a cold winters day. When I got to the ramp, I was the only truck present. I unhooked the boat, backed it down a little too far and the boat slid off the trailer out into the water. I thought no big deal, then the winds began to blow. It blew the boat out of the creek, and out into the main lake. I'm sitting there thinking someone would certainly be coming to the lake as it was a Saturday. One hour passed.....no one. Two hours passed....no one. I have no one to call, and see nary a soul anywhere. I'm just pacing back and forth along the shore when a little jon boat appears out of the lake fog. This elderly gentlemen ask, you wouldn't happen to be looking for a boat would ya? He said he saw it drifting down the lake and was fearful someone had fallen out. Super nice fellow, and my hero on that day. My worst day however, came about on a warm fall day about 10 years ago. Around 10:00 one week day morning I got a wild hair and decided I would run to the lake to try my luck for a few hours. I got about 3/4 of the way to the lake when I noticed a farmer harvesting corn. His combine spooked a bedding deer and it ran in front of my truck and I hit it. I pulled over to look at the damage, and check if the deer was dead. The truck was still drivable, so I got back on my way to the lake. After making it to the ramp, I backed down, and unloaded. I pulled the boat onto the bank, and parked the truck. When heading back to the boat, it had drifted off some 40 feet from shore. I stripped down, and swam after it. I got it back to the bank, dried off, and off I went. My first spot, I broke a pole. I fished another 1.5 hours without ever getting a bite. I finally said the heck with this,this is not my day. I loaded up and headed towards the house. Not wanting to come home empty handed, I picked the deer up I had struck to at least have a little something to show for all my frustration on the day.

An interesting sidenote:
I looked on line for a new thru hull fitting to replace the one that broke. (It was plastic, like every other one I've seen, at least on aluminum fishing boats) Every plastic one I checked stated "not for use below waterline". Guess Duracraft ignored the statement. So, for an additional $8 I ordered a stainless steel one.
It came today. Guess what it said on the package.
"Not intended for use underwater"
I think now that is a CYA in case one leaks.

Youth + military contract + chartered sailboat + casino + overindulgence = chasing a falling tide and cracking the keel bolts on a 35' boat, 20' off the coast of South Africa

Myself, my dad and a couple friends pulled down to Edisto a couple years ago to go trolling for phins and wahoo. Pulled up to the ramp behind about a 24' Grady with 5 dudes from Greenville. They went to put the boat in, noticed that they didn't have the plug in the boat. Then the convo went to; "did you pack the plug". "NO, I thought I told you to grab it!" "Yea, but I told him to grab it." Walked up to them, no big deal we always carry a spare in our boat. Crisis averted right? WRONG. Our spare plug doesn't fit their boat. That's a long way to drive to have your day ruined by not having a plug. But I now carry two plugs just in case, because of someone else's mistake.

Ray, years ago my old buddy (passed away now and I miss him EVERY DAY) and I rode down to clark hill at a popular ramp and took the grill, a couple ribeyes, and a cooler with drinks. We also carried a couple lounge chairs and our goal for that leisurely afternoon was to relax and sit back, eat good, and get a few laughs watching all the yahoos loading their boats that evening. And to no surprise to me we did get some chuckles watching those people. Probably the funniest that day was watching somebody TRYING to back the trailer in the water and then fussing the whole time at his wife that was TRYING to drive the boat onto the trailer. I laughed so hard I almost regurgitated the steak I was eating. Very frustrating when youre in line to load but any other time It's really entertaining when you have absolutely nothing to do watching those big city slickers with their big rigs on the boat ramps without a clue as to what theyre doing.

Originally Posted by gabowman

Ray, years ago my old buddy (passed away now and I miss him EVERY DAY) and I rode down to clark hill at a popular ramp and took the grill, a couple ribeyes, and a cooler with drinks. We also carried a couple lounge chairs and our goal for that leisurely afternoon was to relax and sit back, eat good, and get a few laughs watching all the yahoos loading their boats that evening. And to no surprise to me we did get some chuckles watching those people. Probably the funniest that day was watching somebody TRYING to back the trailer in the water and then fussing the whole time at his wife that was TRYING to drive the boat onto the trailer. I laughed so hard I almost regurgitated the steak I was eating. Very frustrating when youre in line to load but any other time It's really entertaining when you have absolutely nothing to do watching those big city slickers with their big rigs on the boat ramps without a clue as to what theyre doing.

Butch I'm may have told you that when I retired my wife and I sold out house, put what we kept in storage and spent the next 5 years traveling around this beautiful country of ours. After a while parking and maneuvering the motor home came pretty natural. My wife drove as much or more than I did
One of the most entertaining things we saw was watching people trying to back campers into sites. You are correct, if you are just a bystander it gets pretty funny.
If someone had made a video of me last Friday, I'm sure it would have been a hit on U-Tube.

good stories, I have decided to leave the plug and keys in all of my boats. I never take them out

if there Is water the bilge pump will take It out

Originally Posted by Potatoe

good stories, I have decided to leave the plug and keys in all of my boats. I never take them out

if there Is water the bilge pump will take It out

That's what my buddy who was with me said he did. Several years ago a mutual friend and I sat at the dock at Monticello for 90 minutes while he went back home to get boat keys. I had forgotten that until I read your post.

Searay, Back in the day, we live in So California, we'd go water sking at sun up to beat the Tubers and water lice. Once we'd get done we'd head back to the motorhome, have breakfast then grab the inner tube and head to the ramp with a cooler and drinks. Always got a bunch of laughs watching folks trying to get the trailer in the water and out.
Once there was a couple that were screaming at each other come on back, he's in the boat she's in the MH finally they both go back and forward at the same time, the boat bounced on the trailer right into the back of the MH.
Or the guy that decided to not pay the $5.00 launch fee and tried backing the boat into the water, burying his truck, spending most of the day trying to save it then paid $100 for a wrecker. Ah the good old days

wow,,,a fishing trip you will never forget....