things that work for me...
 

these are some things I do that work for me...

these photos were taken during clean up, after labor day weekend, so please don't nit pick about stuff! I was half way thru clean up when I took these, please keep on topic)

( I have a Malibu V ride with a titan3 tower so these ideas might not work for everyone)

while on the water, where I might dock or tie up I keep my docking lines ready

I always keep lines ready, and in a known (to everyone) spot even when not expecting to tie up

I have always caught MYSELF and others using the swim platform as a shelf. If the platform is on the boat OR in the garage on sawhorses
SO I made this

AND it keeps the sun off the platform so I can go up to two years before cleaning and re oiling.
This was a approx. a $15 fix that keeps the sun off the platform and I can go up to 2 seasons before having to clean and re oil the teak.
( I always remove the platform for winter and long periods of un-use)

I'm pretty sure you could grab a rope out of storage faster than you could untie or unwrap it off that tower unless you have some special thing going there.

As far as the swim platform cover goes, do you leave your boat out in the sun? Do you not have a cover that goes over the swim platform?

I don't know many covers that go over the platform and I do know that if left in the AZ sun, gray platform pads are dancelikeamonkey hot. We toss a blanket over it when it's parked and does the same job. Mike I'm also curious, have you got some special knot on that tower rope?

on the tower leg.
I put a cinch loop around the tower base.
Then I "knit" the line around the leg. This way all I have to do is pull the "tail" and it all comes undone.
for ME this keeps the lines ready and out of the way
I went to you tube and found this video on knitting the dock lines same concept, but I do it around the tower leg ( switching sides of leg with each loop )

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XXJpZUQc0jU

I do not pull the tail thru the last loop - I leave it open so I just pull the tail


My cover does not go over the platform
My boat is under a carport for storage platform is not very well protected from the sun

Mike, That is the best knot and people look at you like how did you do that.

^^It's called a Daisy chain

Get a cover designed for a T tower center console boat. Covers the entire thing including the swim platform and tower. I used this for 2 yrs in Louisiana and it did wonders for keeping everything clean, dry and unfaded.

get your cover made to cover the swim platform... all of mine always have...

Also. Well done on the daisy chain. Show these guys a bowline or an alpine butterfly and they might all freak out hahahaha

I already spent the money on a "towing cover" and most of the time the platform is in the garage on saw horses
If i do not plan on riding in the next week I take the swim platform off. ( i hate it when life/work gets in the way of my boating)

Another idea, not worth pictures is my O.S.B. ( OH Shucks Box )
when ever I travel with boat, I keep a Milk crate in the bed of my truck. The milk crate that I use is big enough to hold a spare prop. and I cut a piece of plywood the same size as the inside of crate and screwed risers onto the crate so the prop sits in the crate and the plywood rests on the risers. this way I have all my towing essentials ( a allen wrench that fits my oil bath Hubs, bearing oil, motor oil a few zip ties a spare hitch pin, donnu why, but I have one why why not keep it handy, flash light. Prop key and nut, and other stuff I hope I never need)

So....
please post your ideas to make boating easier

i'd love to see a picture and more details of your OSB.

I'm the same as you Mike. Whenever I pull to our summer house (2hr drive) I always take my large 1/2" Torque wrench and and the sockets so I can pull a trailer wheel with ease if I need to. I figure it's not a matter of if I'm on the side of the road one day but, when. It's already happened to me and it sure made life easier having all the right tools to quickly pull a wheel. Besides the tool box in my boat I also bought a mini socket set this year so I can repair said broken/lose piece or replace an impeller on the water.

I have a dry bag in my boat that I keep my prop puller in.

I've always kept a tool box in the back of my truck as well that has my old socket set. Straps for tying stuff down, jumper cables, and some misc items. It's all come in handy at some point.

Among all the tools the one thing I cannot stress enough that people should have on board is a mask and a knife. I've had to dive down twice this year from a rope going in the prop. Once was my son playing with rope and left it out the side and the second was a lack of knowledge on a new crew that left the surf rope out and me not paying attention. Both times I was able to get it out because we have a clear lake and I can open my eyes under water but it would still be nice to see clearly.

I recently go a new tow vehicle and one of the first things I did was to check the Jack in the truck to see if would work to jack up the trailer, if I had a flat.
(and I keep a star lug wrench in the truck and confirmed that it will fit The boat trailer lugs and the utility trailer lugs...
(on my utility trailer the axle lugs are different size the the spare tire mount lugs-?b butI always have my tool boxes, no matter how buried they are behind the luggage and coolers and toys )

AND I always keep a tool box and socket set with me if I am taking toys
I also keep an old sleeping pad with my OSB so if I have to get down on the ground ( kneeling or laying) I am not on course gravel (or broken bottles) on the side of the highway


Oh yeah, ITS a Boat you should always have access to at least 1 knife
(and flashlight)

Dan,
here is a picture that you asked for.
( it was raining last night so I did not spread it all out)
as you can see I keep all kinds of stoopid stuff in there that might come in handy during a roadside repair and OTHER stuff
1 drop hitch, 1 raise hitch
gloves
extendable lug wrench
oil can for boat trailer, oil bath bearing And extra oil
a spare bungee cord
WD40 ( a great cleaner, not a great lubricant, but will do in a pinch)
and all of this rests on the plywood shelf, so as to protect the spare prop below

forgot to attach picture

and this time of year I use Stabil and seafoam so I can run it through the fuel lines and into the engine

please post your ideas to make boating / trailering easier

I hope no one works for PUBLIX....

that is all great, thank you. one addition you may consider is a trailer wiring kit or adapter. i actually had my disconnect on a long trip to dale hollow. after bouncing off the pavement for hundreds of miles, i had to replace. bought one from the marina, but it would have been cheaper and replaced earlier if i had an extra one. don't get me wrong, it's rare this would happen, but it did.

We use our 10" tablet with navionics as a chart plotter when on lakes we are new to or not that familiar.
Forgive the mess. It was one a 2 day river trip with 10 people in my vlx.
https://scontent-dfw1-1.xx.fbcdn.net...2f&oe=569C88B7
https://scontent-dfw1-1.xx.fbcdn.net...54&oe=56972D00

in my previous tow vehicle I had a fire extinguisher mounted just inside the tailgate.
( you see a picture of a boat burned up because a brake fire on a trailer made me think it was worth $25 and 15 minutes of my time)

I will mount a fire extinguisher some day ( just gonna wait till winter is over )

Daniel,

I like the "10" tablet with navionics as a chart plotter" idea

I have used my phone to find the right cove to meet my friends at there house.
(I knew where it was by land..., but not by water)

d hill this one is for you
(we had one dry day this past weekend)

I typically always drive with my lights on so I can see the side marker lights in my rear view mirror

and that last picture is some of the this I received for Christmas over the years.
stuff I would not rely on, but could be handy, and I did not know what else to do with....?

that is great, thank you. will be doing something similar this winter and appreciate all the ideas.

other things I do
 

for winter
I always remove the battery's and bring them into the basement of my house. I also periodically pu them on a trickel charge if they drop below 11.9 volts

I put the trailer in jack stands over the winter.

I purchased some cheap trailer tire covers and occasionally will spin the tires to re-oil the bearing or at least keep them from sitting in the same position for too long

I once talked to a trailer mechanic and was told any time I change or take a tire off after replacing the tire. I should drive for 25 miles then re-check the the lugs to makes sure the lugs are tight.

I have heard that trailer tires tend to show dry rot or cracking between the treads before it shows on the sidewall.

I have been told that hitting a curb will do a lot of damage to nylon belted tires.
(I live in the city and keep my boat there so I unfortunately hit a alot of curbs trying to maneuver thru traffic or back into my drive way

I also cut a 4x4 corner to corner length wise to put next to the curb when I am trying to back into the driveway ( and I know how to get out of my neighborhood with only making left turns)

a while back I'd picked up a set of offset gear wrenches from Harbor Freight. I think it's the red one that works for the rear drain plug. with it being offset and reversible it allows me to get it on the plug easy with room for my hand to grab it. it makes quick work of taking the plug in or out. so much easier than a stupid crescent wrench or even a regular open/box wrench. on my boat there's not a long of travel for the wrench between the wakeplate actuators, so the ratcheting wrench is awesome.

$10 for the set at Harbor Freight:
http://www.harborfreight.com/4-pc-sa...set-68834.html

http://www.harborfreight.com/media/c...mage_20421.jpg

Not a ton of travel for a regular wrench.
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-w...203_134534.jpg

I'm going to pick up a set of those wrenches this week. My supra is the same way and I hate using the stupid channel locks that I've had in the boat since I've owned the boat. I don't trust it being hand tight.

I keep a telescoping lug wrench in the boat for the trailer. Never know when you'll have a flat when you aren't using your normal tow rig. I also added custom wheels that were aluminum and the holes for the lug nuts were actually smaller than a typical socket so I needed to make sure I had a deep socket. Then I added the blue lug nuts, so I needed to make sure I had the KEY that went with the lug nuts. it goes in the bag with the telescoping wrench.

http://www.outmotoring.com/images/P/GOR_1721_lg.jpg

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-U...508_174700.jpg

I have bungee nets on the inside of each of my rear lockers. the wakeboard line goes in the big one on one side and ski gloves go in the smaller one. On the other side, I store the surf rope in the big one and store dock lines on the other.

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-V...418_171730.jpg

For my dock lines, I use rock climbing carabineers and a section of rope with loops at each end. I once had one of those keychain carabineers bend, so had to step up to real ones.

I use the exile bouy balls. For those I have nylon webbing with quick release plastic buckles to attach them to the boat. In a pinch, I can store them on the top of the tower instead of deflating them and reinflating them. (makes my boat look like it has mickey mouse ears).

I put hydroturf on the bow of my boat for traction when stepping on and off the bow. we nose up all the time to drop off or pick up the driver that parks the tow rig and trailer.
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-X...902_192407.jpg
I likewise put hydroturf on the tops of the gunwales. helps when people step on them to go from dock to boat or boat to boat, or when I climb on them to mess with the tower racks (mine don't swivel).
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-s...717_195806.jpg

My boat has a tower mounted light, so I don't even have a pole anchor light to go in the receptacle on the back of the boat. so I swapped it out with a 12v outlet. I still left it controlled by the anchor light circuit so that way if I used it for a tsunami pump or an air pump I can have someone toggle the light to turn it on and off. It's really handy for when you're stuck having to get out the tube so you can do it from the stern.
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-L...717_195908.jpg

Got this $35 tool kit at harbor freight and keep it in the boat.
http://www.harborfreight.com/130-pc-...ase-68998.html
http://www.harborfreight.com/media/c...mage_23857.jpg

just a quick note on props and pullers. a spare prop is useless without a puller. I thought I could whack/heat/remove the old dinged up prop. no such luck. with the puller in hand, it was off in less than a minute. If you're going to carry a spare prop, order a puller.

Agreed. I finally broke down and ordered a prop puller and a composite prop nut wrench from wakemakers. I realized it was silly to own a wake boat that costs $30k to $40k (or way more in a lot of your cases) and not spend $100 on a good prop puller.

$16 for the composite wrench
http://www.wakemakers.com/media/cata...rop-wrench.jpg

$90 for the nicer prop puller.
http://www.wakemakers.com/media/cata...cesories-1.jpg



And I also got the spare kit that had a new key, bolt, and cotter pin for another $16
http://www.wakemakers.com/media/cata...ies-3.jpg_.jpg

Obviously, get the forum discount for 10% off from wakemakers.

I dig that wrench Trayson! leave it in the boat and not worry about anything rusting. good call, i'll order one

Some good ideas here, I'll try and get pictures of some things I've done to make it easier next time I'm up at the garage.

Trayson....I love the nets on the inside of the locker doors, I've thought about it but haven't done anything yet. Any tips on how you did it or what you used? Looks great and super handy!

I like those too. screwing stuff to the back of an upholstered cushion would make me beyond nervous.. How'd you do it?

I thought I read some where on here that if you put the boat on the trailer and loosen the prop nut some and the put the boat back in the water, but do not disconnect from trailer and hit reverse pretty hard the prop would break loose from the tapper on the shaft. never had to do it but that's what I thought I read

a picture of my cooler on the boat.

on some lakes we ride on passengers are allowed to have an adult beverage.
I like this idea because the cap falls into the cooler and I don't find the bottle caps in cup holders.

(plus after tying up for the night I can have anyone's forgotten beverage and I know where the opener is.)

I have a bottle opener mounted to a carabineer on the keychain of my boat keys, but I really like the idea of a permanent mount one.

I thought it interesting that you said "on some of the lakes" because I'm not aware of any of the boating areas we play in that don't allow alcohol.

EZnet

http://www.homedepot.com/s/eznet?NCNI-5

I used a small and a medium if I remembered correctly. I also put one up by my drivers cupholders but on that one I had to attach it to the carpet and the cupholder base because the hull is too thin to screw into from the inside.

Well, I had the same thoughts, but others before be had done it, so I tried. I simply made sure that the screws weren't too long. I think I only had 1/4" of screw that would actually be going through the bases of the locker lids and I walked on it afterwards and there was no poking. so I guess that little bit that the tip of the screw must be sticking into the cushion isn't enough to penetrate the compressed foam that's on top of it, even when walking on the cushion.

trayson
I live in Ohio and NO state parks allow adult beverages!
I do travel a lot to other places to ride and they DO allow passengers to consume adult beverages

I try to go by the rules!

when I mounted that bottle opener I checked the thickness of the seat base by popping out one of the vent caps shown.
I then used a screw shorter than the thickness of the base. the thickness of the bottle opener just gave me extra safety as to not have a screw point coming thru

I remember one time we were loaded up and had easily a couple cases of beer, and a bunch of energy drinks and vodka. But I kinda forgot to bring any water. We were idling up the river and had a USCG notice the girls were laying on the sundeck while we idled... they came over to us and reminded us that's a no-no. then we offered to trade them some beer for water because my wife was started to feel a little dehydration. They tossed us a water for free and wouldn't accept our goodwill beer. LOL.

The only thing we can't have is a driver that is drinking while the boat's running or one that's over the legal limit. Oh, and we do have laws that say you can't drink while being towed behind the boat... That's a law I've seen broken a handful of times.


I guess now that I look into it, there are some reservoirs where I guess technically you're not supposed to have alcohol. But we've been pulled over by a marine sheriff when it was painfully obvious that some of the guys had been drinking and they didn't blink an eye. go figure.

I always keep a "blow out kit" on the boat in addition to the standard first aid kit most people carry. The kit has a combat tourniquet, hemostatic gauze, Israeli bandage, chest seals and few other things. It's mostly all stuff to stop major trauma bleeding wounds. Help can be a long time away when your out on the water and things like this greatly increase the odds of you making it that far if the worst happens.

could you please post a link to a "blow out kit"

trayson,
I like your nets idea and it makes me think maybe I should put one on the center hatch (motor compartment) for a "towel warmer".
Just a thought for a spring project?

My guess is the "blow out kit" is not available to the general public.