My boat failure resume: Lessons I've learned

[Kevlar7r]

My family has had boats since I could walk. I've owned 3 boats and 3 jet skis. That doesn't count family boats growing up.



Through all of that, you'd think I would have learned it all. That's wrong. To this very day, I'm learning valuable (translation, expensive) lessons about boats; more particularly engines and drives.



I'm going to start listing off stupid mistakes I've made, and the lessons learned. I hope that someone else may stumble upon these lessons, and avoid making them for themselves.



Please feel free to add your mistake/lesson story. It only ads to the value of this thread.



Mine will be stream of consciousness, not chronological order.





- 1972 Mercruiser 115hp outboard. Ran great for 20 years (still one of my all time favorite engines) then one day seized and blew a hole through the side of the block. Bought a whole replacement outboard. Blew after 5 hours. Lesson... Didn't check or change the fuel. I had mis-mixed the 2stroke oil, halving it.



- Dad's failure... Okay, I contributed. 1984 bayliner, mercruiser 350..I assume alpha drive. At 6 years old, I stepped on a clam on the beach and sliced my foot wide open (Warm Creek Bay, Lake Powell). Quick first aid to stem the blood flow, and dad starts up and punches the throttle to get us back to town for stitches.... With the outdrive full up. Ujoint snaps. Called for a tow. Ended up being 8 hours to get me to the ER for stitches, and unknown repair costs. Lesson: Do not operate with drive up.



- Figured out I could submarine my 1986 Kawasaki JS 300. Dove too deep one time. Came up without my ski. Saw bubbles coming to the surface, stuck my head under and could hear it running. Turns out you can't dive 18 feet down with your life vest on. Ditched it, and got down there, and tried to lift the sunk but still running ski off the bottom... Rather than hitting the off switch. Summary, recovered the ski eventually, with a hydrolocked and blown motor.