Boat Ramp Etiquette

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calamus

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Sep 6, 2013
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I have to agree with most of this but one thing that grinds my gears is when Im at the lake with my kids unload the boat and as Im pulling up putting the pickup in the parking lot with my kids holding the boat some people is such a rush will back down and unload. while my 6 and 8 year old are holding the boat. One guy a few years ago actually hit my boat backing his in. Didnt even say he was sorry or nothing got an oops doesnt look like anything got broken. It just is amazing to me how some people can be so stupid and afford boats that cost 10-50 thousand dollars funny the one with boat under 10G are usually the nice ones and know what they are doing.How about you guys any pet peeves about boat ramp etiquette? http://www.youtube.c...h?v=VJv8zWpRbdY I posted this at Bennington pontoon forum also.
 
Alwhite00

Alwhite00

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Re: Boat Ramp Etiquette

I love the guy that takes 20 minutes to load all of the crap out of his escalade AFTER the boat is in the water. Clothes, wifes purse, water toys, enough food for a week on the water and straping the cooler to the swim platform. Don't you think that would be easier to get all of that crap in the boat before launching. (also you don't hold everybody else up)

LK
 
tpenfield

tpenfield

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Re: Boat Ramp Etiquette

Point, counter point . . .

Some folks are overly aggressive at the launch ramps, no question about that. But . . . what would the 'other guy' say about the ramp being unusable while you put the trailer way. :noidea:
 
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Maclin

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Re: Boat Ramp Etiquette

Calamus, are they holding the boat right at at the end of the ramp or at a courtesy dock?
 
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calamus

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Re: Boat Ramp Etiquette

On our lake they put concrete rubble around the boat ramps and dont have any courtesey docks Im not blocking the ramp long and when you are the only adult with little kids 6&8 years old most people even offer to help the kids hold the boat we do not load our stuff on the boat at the ramp or any of that crap. If I was waiting for a dad with 2 little kids Im not going to be an ***** and bully my way in I would back down close to the water and offer the kids/dad/mom help. Those are the people that need to chill there are different situations for every family at the ramp if my wife is there she pulls the truck up and we go out until she is back.
tpenfield said:
Point, counter point . . .

Some folks are overly aggressive at the launch ramps, no question about that. But . . . what would the 'other guy' say about the ramp being unusable while you put the trailer way. :noidea:
Click to expand...
 
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calamus

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Re: Boat Ramp Etiquette

Maclin said:
Calamus, are they holding the boat right at at the end of the ramp or at a courtesy dock?
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our lake only puts out 2 sections of dock not much maybe 30ft and put concrete rubble all around the ramps for 50 yards either way I guess I should of pointed that out but even if they had courtesy docks the truck is still sitting there till you get the boat parked. How many of us go out by ourselves or with kids Im saying a little common sense goes along way at the boat ramp! Same thing when pulling out if Im alone I wait till the ramp is not being used. When my wife is with me I drop her off and go back out (if there is a line) and dont pull up till she backs down the ramp and sure enough some lady will be there holding the boat blocking the way and her husband is 6 trucks deep waiting in line. Ya I been doing this along time I know what pisses people off. It would be nice if we had more developed ramps like some other lakes but ours only sees heavy use on weekends
 
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Old Screwball

Old Screwball

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Re: Boat Ramp Etiquette

ahhhh, The armpit that puts his boat on the trailer, pulls forward 5 feet and proceeds to wipe down the boat while 10 people are in line to get their boats out or in. When we launch, wife backs the trailer in, I drive the boat off and 'hover' off shore until she walks back down to the dock. ditto the reverse taking the boat out. Never on the ramp more than a couple of minutes.
 
MinUph

MinUph

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Re: Boat Ramp Etiquette

I've always tried to stay away from ramps. I do it when necessary and am very considerate at it but it seems they are always busy and there is someone inexperienced there taking forever. I don't even mind that. We have all started at one point. The people that have no patients are the ones that get me. So I don't own a boat unless I have a dock to put it at. A couple times a year is enough for me at the launch ramps.
 
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pikefisherman

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Re: Boat Ramp Etiquette

I'ts always nice when the sheriff is at the launch milling around, amazing how every one is so well behaved.
 
tpenfield

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Re: Boat Ramp Etiquette

pikefisherman said:
I'ts always nice when the sheriff is at the launch milling around, amazing how every one is so well behaved.
Click to expand...


LOL, . . . kind of shows you that folks know how to act at the ramp, but they don't if un-supervised :facepalm:
 
achris

achris

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Re: Boat Ramp Etiquette

I joined a club about 27 years ago. After my boat go smashed into twice in 10 minutes on the public ramp next door.... They have rules at the club... Before launching you must pull into the 'prep bays' to do things like load gear from car to boat (though I don't see why that's not done at home), fitting plugs, lifting radio antennas, securing a line bow and stern (a club requirement for launch and retrieval). When you launch, pull the ALL THE WAY to the back of the jetty, so other people can also launch while you're ginning around with trucks and trailers. When you return at the end of the day, pull all the way forward so others can come in behind you, and move your boat up as the space becomes available.... Really simple common sense... You'd think... :facepalm: More than once I have returned to the jetty at the end of the day, seen a boat at the very end of the jetty and, thinking he was on his way out, slid in ahead of him... Only to be shouted at for 'queue-jumping'... ?!?!? Fortunately we have a 'bosun' on duty at our club, and each time he's come down, explained that I'm right, and allowed me to retrieve my boat first.... They only do it once!

Yeah, common-sense, not all that common....

Chris......
 
OK Toon

OK Toon

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Re: Boat Ramp Etiquette

calamus said:
our lake only puts out 2 sections of dock not much maybe 30ft and put concrete rubble all around the ramps for 50 yards either way I guess I should of pointed that out but even if they had courtesy docks the truck is still sitting there till you get the boat parked. How many of us go out by ourselves or with kids Im saying a little common sense goes along way at the boat ramp! Same thing when pulling out if Im alone I wait till the ramp is not being used. When my wife is with me I drop her off and go back out (if there is a line) and dont pull up till she backs down the ramp and sure enough some lady will be there holding the boat blocking the way and her husband is 6 trucks deep waiting in line. Ya I been doing this along time I know what pisses people off. It would be nice if we had more developed ramps like some other lakes but ours only sees heavy use on weekends
Click to expand...

I was really hoping to see more positive comments for calamus towards this situation. We have the same issue at one of the public ramps we use. There is no shoreline that a boat could be beached. My wife pulled the truck out while I pulled the boat away and then came back up to the ramp to let her board. But she can't back a trailer nor load a boat so she had to stand in the water off to the side on the concrete rubble while I backed the trailer in. Then I got in the boat and loaded it. Luckily we only have to use a public ramp a couple of times a year. Otherwise we are in a private development with a private ramp and everyone is very courteous and helpful -- plus we have a nice beaching area on both sides of the ramp for quite a bit of shoreline.
 
Old Screwball

Old Screwball

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Re: Boat Ramp Etiquette

Backing down the launch ramp while 4 or 5 kids are playing and splashing. I guess Mommy and Daddy weren't watching their kids at the beach and they decided it was more fun to dodge the boats.

Oh, and lets not forget DRUNKS DRUNKS D R U N K S
 
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joebob14

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Re: Boat Ramp Etiquette

Although Ive had several bad experiences at ramps this reminds me of a time when I was coming in. Left my boat tied up at the courtesy dock right next to the ramp and went to get my truck. When I returned there was another boat at the ramp coming unloading everything from his boat. Yes that's right unloading his boat at the ramp before even backing his trailor down the ramp. I could have handled it better but you should have seen the look on his face when I backed my trailor down in front of his boat. He hadent even retrieved his truck yet so I locked up my truck on the ramp and got my boat into position to load. he asked what the %&( I thought I was doing and I just smiled and told him I was waiting on him.
 
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twedd

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Re: Boat Ramp Etiquette

I just witnessed my first bass fishing tournament with 150 boats! watching the waves of boats come in, drop a passenger to retrieve trailer, go hover until you trailer is backed down then drive onto trailer {powerload} and ride in boat until trailer is parked. I watched appx. 50 boats come in and all were on land in about 15 minutes, of course they have 7 ramps there. The average time the trailer was backed into the water was about 60 second, mostly waiting for the boat to make it up to the ramp.
 
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calamus

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Re: Boat Ramp Etiquette

This time of year the lakes are down really low and some of them have tractors putting boats in now because the water is way lower than the cement boat ramps. There is always that one jerk that wont spend the $15 and gets his truck stuck and spends $40 to have the tractor pull him out. All while everyone is waiting in line.
 
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staydry

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Re: Boat Ramp Etiquette

When we launch, wife backs the trailer in, I drive the boat off and 'hover' off shore until she walks back down to the dock. ditto the reverse taking the boat out. Never on the ramp more than a couple of minutes.
Click to expand...

Same here...
 
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calamus

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Re: Boat Ramp Etiquette

Boobie.Trap said:
First thing that popped in my head too.
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They are only two sections of dock maybe 30' long Ya the guy was just being a ****, or just inconsiderate and a new boater not knowing enough. There are not any extra docks to pull your boat to and you cant beach them. I mean really kids standing on the dock holding a boat while dad parks the truck and you back your boat into a floating boat. It really shocks me that people ask if the kids were at the end but I guess not all boat ramp docks are as short as ours here in Nebraska. For the most part though everyone is good out at the lake. Weekends in the summer we get city people that come up and are kinda rude but we always try and avoid the holiday weekends, and that helps (Drunk boaters are always fun to deal with).
 
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