Alternate uses for launch ramps....

[Mark42]

Yesterday I'm pulling the boat out. Had put the trailer in a tad deep, and was leaning out the door looking back as I slowly pulled up making sure the boat settles down on the bunks right. There is another boater waiting for me to clear the ramp very patiently. Meanwhile, some passing motorist decides that the single lane ramp I am crawling up with my door open and looking back, is the perfect place to execute a K turn. So apparently the motorist pulls onto the ramp, and then puts it in reverse, but traffic is now blocking him. I turn to look ahead and speed up, and see his grill just two or three feet in front of me. Damn! That is a surprise. Wasn't expecting to find a car facing me on the ramp! So I slam on the brakes, stop within inches of his car. Then give him the "what the hell are you doing" signal. At this point, I believe he has realized the error of his ways, and tries to get out of the way.

The guy waiting to launch was laughing hard when I finally got to drive past him. Just gave him a wave, and he rolls his eyes at the guy. It takes all kinds.

 

[j_martin]

Re: Alternate uses for launch ramps....

I don't think I'll ever forget the day I had a dump truck with the front end about 8 feet in the air because a load of scrap iron was stuck on the swing gate. Some idiot drove past under it with a pickup.

 

[RicMic]

Re: Alternate uses for launch ramps....

The other day, I'm just pulling out of the very high and steep ramp at the river, when I guy with his wife and family go flying past me in a big SUV, doing about 30 on the gravel right onto the ramp, he gets to the top and slams on his brakes when he notices that his about to "launch" his SUV. Luckily for him the water had been down for a while so the ramp had time to dry out and wasn't slick and muddy. He backs up, again at high speed to where I am strapping down my boat, rolls down the window and says,"wheres the beach"? I explained that this is a RIVER, there is NO beach and the water temp is about 55 degrees!

 

[OldePharte]

Re: Alternate uses for launch ramps....

Not necessarily stupid but our ramp has been used for -

Suicide - A guy just couldn't handle life any more and drove down the asphalt parking area at a high rate of speed and drove him and his car into the lake. RIP

Airplane repair - A seaplane landed at the mouth of the cove, taxied up a ramp, shut down the engine, fiddled with something, turned around, and took back off. I'm sure some boaters had to change their shorts having a seaplane cross in front of them as he was taking off.

MediVac landing pad - Seen too many of these.

Fire Department training ground - They come down practicing setting up the pumper connections. They can get a boating crowd on a hot day when the ladder nozzle is operating.

Fire fighting - We have had burning boats towed in to be put out by local FD land units. Several have caught on fire close enough for this to work.

Recovery operations - It is an easy sunken boat retrieval spot.

And a never ending source of entertainment for us living across from a ramp on a busy holiday weekend. Seen a ton from the "No Plug" crowd and the "Forgot to Trim Down the Engine" group.