Well, I'm prolly not the only one who's done the first reach and looked down onto the board in horror to note Alzheimer's set in....well, someone has actually patented a solution http://www.freepatentsonline.com/6695661.html Another one on chinook gear is to close the tab with the bolt inside so you cannot insert the mast base without noticing the bolt is in there...unless you open the thing in a board changing rush, annoyed it's been closed, flip the board over, jettison the bolt into the underbrush, insert the rig and go about your merry doomed way

BTW- I had read somewhere that a non-rubber deteriorating (read: non-oilbased) lubricant should be used for vent plug O-rings and I have used a silicon lube in the past. DON'T DO IT, the friggen' thing leaked, not sure why, just keep replacing the O-ring once it gets brittle

I don't know why I even started messing with the things, unless you leave your gear in the sun for a whole day in Maui, on a rooftop in the Gorge in July, or on the Baja beach for a month there is no need to remove or adjust the stupid things (ok, maybe air travel). I NEVER removed them at all on my first few boards and had no issues....don't fix stuff that ain't broke

Too bad Kus. Some hints on how to dry it http://www.boardlady.com/water.htm if you need a reminder!

kus didnt you post a vent screw rant about a year ago? I thought the chinook baseplate system was idiot proof - or proof of an idiot i guess?!? anyways i have the vac pump if you really want to dry that thing out.. 1/2 hr of ventilation is probably better than weeks of stuffing paper towels in there. i bet.

Here's my solution to avoid this problem - using thin brightly-coloured twine, make a small loop just big enough to fit over the vent screw head. Leave a few insches on the ends to dangle and provide the big visual reminder that the vent screw is open. When you're going sailing, store the reminder-twin on the shaft of the screwdriver used to tighten the vent screw. Don't open the vent screw without putting the reminder-twine in place.

Stretchy nylon twin, ~ 1 mm in diameter works well. Sized correctly to just fit over the screw head, it stays in place with the board in a board bag.