Boat ramp lockout

[Starcraft5834]

Can anyone beat this for dumb.. yesterday i managed to lock my keys in my truck with boat on trailer on the ramp..yes ladies and gentlemen on the ramp....1000 islands Clayton NY public launch into the St Lawrence River..fished early came in got truck and trailer backed down ramp got out of truck shut door loaded up boat went to get back in truck...locked...after getting over being stunned...told fishing buddies I cant believe I just locked my keys in my truck...now here I am on the ramp nicely loaded and cant move it...the public dock worker guy was nice enough to call the local police to see if a "slim jim" could be had..nope....he called local garage..4 blocks away..15 mins later he arrived with burglar tool bag in hand..a wedge and stiff wire manuver..bingo..unlocked...best $35 I ever spent.. what an idiot i am.....some things we dont want to repeat..I asked garage guy how many lockout jobs he does...he said quite a few. Asked how many have you done on a boat ramp..he said this would be my first..

 

[Alumarine]

Glad it worked out.
Always roll down window when launching/retrieving.
Keep vehicle door key on boat key ring.

 

[sphelps]

My luck it would have been at low tide with the tide coming in !

 

[NYBo]

I did that last winter in the parking lot at my office. With the motor running. In the middle of a raging snowstorm. My poor wife had to drive 17 miles to rescue me. I now carry 2 keys for my truck, with the second being on the ring with my office keys.:redface-new:

 

[64osby]

At the ramp window down always is my thing too. If someone is watching and calls out I can hear them.

I also hardly ever lock my vehicle, it's old and if someone wants it they can have it.

 

[bruceb58]

I was at a gas station with my 2 dogs in the car. I left the keys in the ignition while I pumped the gas and then one of the dogs jumped on the lock switch and locked the car. Fortunately, it wasn't hot out and I was able to get a lift to my house to get my spare key.

 

[airdvr1227]

Lots of hiding places. A little RTV and a spare key can be hidden.

 

[Scott Danforth]

when I moved to florida, had left keys in ignition, jumped out, pumped gas, felt in my pocket - yep a set of keys there. then hit the button and went in to use the john. the keys in my pocket were not the truck keys. those were still in the ignition. was in Chicago and it took the guy 2 hours to get there past his 20 minute estimate. when he arrived, he was on the phone with his girlfriend sitting in his truck with his tool bag in hand. I grabbed his wedge and air bag and wire, opened the door myself, handed him back his tools with a $20 with him still talking to his girlfriend. the guy said it would be $80. I asked him for what, he was late in arriving and I did the work.

 

[White90GT]

Yep, you need to hide a door key somewhere on the exterior of your truck. If you happen to need it and people are around to see where you get it from, hide it somewhere else next time. You can use those magnetic key boxes or just put the key on a key ring and hang it on some wires like headlight or tail light wires. Just coat it good with WD40 or something so it doesn't rust and check it a couple times a year.

 

[Starcraft5834]

Glad it worked out.
Always roll down window when launching/retrieving.
Keep vehicle door key on boat key ring.

yep... my plan.........truck key on boat key ring.......

 

[Maclin]

Back late last century I parked in a bank parking lot in a space right in front of the door. Was hot and I thought I would leave the car running with A/C on for some reason, I usually do not leave anything running. I got out and shut the door and heard the door lock. Brain says Why did it do that...I looked back inside and saw the shifter in D. That is when I found out this stupid car locked the doors when it was in gear no matter what if the door was shut, even if it was opened and then shut again. I had set the parking brake so it was not going anywhere, called the wife and had her set of keys in about 15 minutes.

 

[Maclin]

Regarding at the ramp, having all windows down is best. I like to be able to hear from all sides, plus the more exits the better if the tow vehicle ends up in the drink.

 

[H20Rat]

My wife has finally gotten confident enough to back the trailer up, but I'm still working on this one.. ABSOLUTELY there must be a window down on each side of the vehicle when backing! Safety, you can hear things, and if the vehicle does end up in the drink, easier to get out. And of course, no chance of locking yourself out! :joyous:

 

[ihearth2o]

I used to roll my windows down because like a tell tale newb, I would stick my head out the window while backing up. Nowadays I do it mostly out of habit.

 

[beaverliner]

I love my Ford Expedition Key Pad... 4-digit code & you are good to go...

 

[Tyme2fish]

Here's an idea. Get a copy of the key at your local hardware store,etc. This will not be the "programmed" key that will start the vehicle but it will allow you to manually unlock the door.

 

[JaCrispy]

I have a spare key I keep in my wallet after the kid locked the doors with the engine running.

 

[haulnazz15]

I love my Ford Expedition Key Pad... 4-digit code & you are good to go...

Yup, I lock my keys in the truck frequently, but on purpose. The keyless entry pad on the door of the F-150 is extremely convenient for that aspect.

Side note: we had the same thing happen to us a long time ago at a boat ramp. Uncle backed my father's 1990 F-150 down while my father offloaded the boat. Uncle got out of the truck to unhook the winch strap and his knee hit the electric door lock on accident (poor switch location by Ford that was later moved). Went to get back in the truck and the truck was locked and running on the ramp. Luckily, that model of F-150 had the two-window back sliding glass which had a plastic snap-latch which held the windows closed. We were able to take a tiny screwdriver and pop the latch open from the outside of the truck and I climbed in (probably 12yrs old at the time) and unlocked the doors. No slim jim needed!

 

[Brian 26]

I too always roll my window down at a launch as I am afraid I might do that. I also manually lock my truck doors (vs key fob security lock) when I'm away jet skiing, that way if my key fob gets wet I can still start the truck with the key.

 

[agallant80]

I can only imagine the ramp rage that would have happened at some of the ramps where I live. Glad it worked out for you.