Tips from a new boater

So, I bought a new boat.... It should be easy, right?  Drop it in the lake, and enjoy the great outdoors. Fishing, tubing, sightseeing are all yours.

Like most things, the devil is in the details.

Here's a few things I've learned. Some may seem obvious if you've ever actually put a boat in the water. There are I'm sure some lessons I haven't learned yet.

1. Make sure you bring the boat key with you. Nothing worse than unloading the boat into the lake to find out the key is hanging on the hook in the cabin 40 minutes away!!!
2. Put the drain plug in the boat BEFORE you put the boat in the water.
3. Gather all of your belongings and put them in the boat before you back down the ramp. This includes coolers, lifejackets, fishing gear, etc... This way your not tying up the ramp while 10 trucks are lined up waiting for you the get your poop in a group.
4. Take your phone out of your pocket. When you wade in to unhook the tether it may get wet and never work again. Better yet, unhook the tether before you back in.
5. Practice backing up with the boat in a strange place a few times before you try and do it with an audience. You'll be much more confident if you've done it a few times.
6. Anchors.  It turns out there are some tricks to using an anchor effectively. Firstly, you'll want to deploy MORE rope than you think for an effective anchor. Somewhere between 3 and 7 times the depth of water you are in depending on the wind/current. Also, you may want to consider adding a length of chain approximately the length of the boat to the anchor before the rope. This helps the anchor to lie flat and 'dig in' a little better.
7. Gas cap. Your boat may have an inboard fuel tank. If it does, make sure that the cap has some sort of tether so that when / if you leave it on the edge of the transom when you fuel, its still there when you arrive to the lake. http://boatersworld.com is a great place to find a replacement if you need.
8. Learn how to tie a bowline knot. Google it.  You'll thank yourself later.
9. Fishing. Put your license in a plastic bag and tuck it somewhere you'll be able to find it when needed.