Boat Ramp Follies

[brian4321]

On my home lake I have two different 4 lane ramps about the same distance from my house, and used to always use the one at the campground, but after some time I realized most of the people launching there are vacationers that only launch a few times a year, and had its fair share of nitwits and newbie's...so I started going to the other ramp that's kinda off the beaten path, and found most everyone there is experienced and i hardly ever have to wait in line, but if there is a line most everyone is respectful and tries to hurry, so my launch and retrieve time is a lot more pleasant...it takes about 15 minutes to get to the other ramp and about 20 minutes to get to this one, but it's well worth it

 

[Blackcrowe14]

Great thread.
Today's antics included a guy with a 70k bass boat... his buddy gets off the boat to back in the truck and trailer. He took 15 minutes and was just going in forward and reverse knifing the trailer over and over. I asked the guy who was staging in the bass boat "you want me to give him a hand?" To which he replied "what the f is wrong with him?!" I ran up to the truck and asked if he needed a hand. "No man, I do this all the time!" I still gave him the tip about hand at the bottom of the wheel and turn the wheel the way you want the trailer to go. He brushed me off, but somehow suddenly figured it out on his own... lol
The owner still ended up jumping off the boat and booting him out of the truck to take over backing in. Lots of swearing at the backup king.
Ramps are the place where you hope you are never the entertainment. It's always a clown show!

 

[SlurpJ]

Holiday weekends bring out the best entertainment!

 

[Fish209]

Be good humans

If they are truly just new to the boating world and not being a-holes, give them a break, we were all there one day. Now, if they are being a-holes like in Old Ironmaker's post, that's a different story.

 

[robert graham]

I'm as prone to ramp screw-ups as anybody, so I started doing a twice around walk around the boat while at the staging area to give it a good look over....try to at least minimize screw-ups.....wife is a big help also....she's my " did you remember the transom plug" specialist....

 

[Rix86]

^^^^

Noob
Wish me luck.

 

[Bayou Dave]

^^^^

Noob
Wish me luck.

Practice and practice. You will get the hang of it.

 

[gm280]

If you are new to boating, try to back up your trailer a few times somewhere else to get the hang of it. Learning on a busy ramp is not the place to learn.

Find a lonely road somewhere and practice backing up your trailer to fit between two cones or markers. It doesn't take long to learn. But doing things for the first time at a busy ramp will only add to your frustration and other's as well. Once you learn the technique of backing a trailer. you'd be amazing how easy it becomes to put your trailer anywhere you want it. JMHO

 

[Redfred1]

One of the ramps we use is a County Park; big concrete ramps; all piered; usually no problem. One of the best ones I have seen (several times) is a husband and wife who live down there. They show up with a 20+ ft boat loaded with crab traps; stacked higher than I can reach; they have a older Dodge Dually; boat is on a trailer (tandem with 12" wheels). This rig has probably never seen a water hose! She gets out; grabs a rope to the boat; unhooks the winch; and walks to the pier. He backs up; boats floats off trailer; he parks trailer. They leave. I have seen the loading too. He backs trailer in water; she drives boat up close to the winch; he cranks the winch tight; and gets in the truck. By this time she has motor shut down;tilted up. They leave. (I have seen her stay in the boat; and have seen them swap positions. Practice does make perfect!

 

[bashr52]

I was pulling my boat out on Sunday at a public ramp, which was really busy. There was a guy in a bass boat heading toward the ramp, closer to shore than me and from my left. He sees me motoring in and speeds up to try and beat me there. I was going fairly slow (10-15 mph) as I was waiting for my wife to show up with the trailer, and there was a boat tied up at the deeper side of the ramp so there was no way I could pull out until he moved. Bass boat beats me there, gets in line for a few minutes, decides the guy isn't moving fast enough, and pulls out of the way to the left and starts fishing the bank next to the ramp.

Boat finally clears out of the way, I pull up, my wife had just gotten there so I hand my ropes to the inlaws while I jump out and into the jeep to back in the trailer. I pull out of the staging area and square up with the ramp and start to back in while a whole truck load of "interesting" people (dogs, kids, inlaws, etc) decide they need to get their beat up pontoon boat in the water NOW, and just pull out and cross between me and the boat on their way to the far ramp. The guys wife/girlfriend/baby momma just stands there watching him with a cigarette hanging out of her mouth like that was totally normal practice. I'm glad I was watching him just knowing he was going to try something or I would have been backing up as he crossed and either put my trailer into the side of his truck or trailer, or he would have plowed into the side of mine.

 

[brian4321]

I like to think of myself as one of the more experienced boaters at the ramp and most times I launch or retrieve by myself faster than the average boaters that launch a few times a year . But a few weekends ago I looked like one of the "idiots".. We were camping and had launched at a ramp that had no courtesy dock , so when we came back in to load up, I had my wife stay in the boat so I could back the trailer. She's a pretty good boat driver but doesn't have a lot of experience and has never drove onto a trailer. There was a pretty good line of boats waiting so I decided to have her load the boat versus backing the trailer. I got backed in and she did a grand job of driving onto the trailer, I winched up, and before I got back into the truck I said make sure you trim up all the way before I pull out. She said ok and I started up the ramp. I got about 20 feet and heard the dreaded grinding of the skeg dragging on the ramp. She hadn't known that you have to push the "trailer" button on the shifter to trim up all the way! Very embarrassing for both of us and I'm sure the people in line were shaking their heads, but she felt bad and I kept my cool, so at least we weren't the couple that was yelling at each other... The skeg was fine except it was a bit shorter, but my ego was bruised lol

 

[EchoNovember]

My second time ever launching, we forgot to put in the drain plug... It was a quiet ramp, so we launched the boat, tied it off, and started loading the last few items of gear, like the bait we didn't want to accidentally spill. We noticed the stern was sitting lower than normal, and I was trying to figure out why. Then I asked the admiral if she put the drain plug in since she handles the in water part of the make ready. She said she thought I did. Thankfully the Jeep and trailer were still on the ramp and I had her jump in the boat and turn on the bilge pump. It was a solid strong stream of water coming out. We frantically got the boat back to the trailer and winched it up. We pulled up about 20 feet and watched the solid stream of water coming from the bilge pump and drain hole. It took 10-15 minutes to fully drain the boat with the plug out and the bilge pump going...

Eventually someone from the park came over to see if everything was okay. When we told her what happened, she was trying not to laugh. It's a mistake you hope you only make once. Others at the launch chuckled and said something to the extent of, "Yeah, always fun when that happens, we did that once and learned not to." After the boat finished draining, we put the plug in, launched, and went about our day. Saw some of the people who witnessed our folly when we went to retrieve, and no one made a comment about it, thankfully. Great learning experience...

 

[gm280]

My second time ever launching, we forgot to put in the drain plug... It was a quiet ramp, so we launched the boat, tied it off, and started loading the last few items of gear, like the bait we didn't want to accidentally spill. We noticed the stern was sitting lower than normal, and I was trying to figure out why. Then I asked the admiral if she put the drain plug in since she handles the in water part of the make ready. She said she thought I did. Thankfully the Jeep and trailer were still on the ramp and I had her jump in the boat and turn on the bilge pump. It was a solid strong stream of water coming out. We frantically got the boat back to the trailer and winched it up. We pulled up about 20 feet and watched the solid stream of water coming from the bilge pump and drain hole. It took 10-15 minutes to fully drain the boat with the plug out and the bilge pump going...

Eventually someone from the park came over to see if everything was okay. When we told her what happened, she was trying not to laugh. It's a mistake you hope you only make once. Others at the launch chuckled and said something to the extent of, "Yeah, always fun when that happens, we did that once and learned not to." After the boat finished draining, we put the plug in, launched, and went about our day. Saw some of the people who witnessed our folly when we went to retrieve, and no one made a comment about it, thankfully. Great learning experience...

If have never done that at least once, I don't think you area true boater. I mean I don't know of many that haven't. But you really do need help if you do it all the time.

I wonder why they don't make a one way drain system. When you are in the water, it seals off. And when you pull the boat out, it opens. Seems fairly easy to make. I mean it is basically a check type valve. :noidea:

Humm, makes me think...

 

[EchoNovember]

I thought of attaching a scupper to it as a fail safe, then realized it would open up once underway due to water drag.

 

[ZacUSNYR]

My wife never understood why i'd just sit and watch the boat ramp (camp ground has a boat launch and we get a water site that is in sight of the launch).

One morning I was sleeping in and she got to witness someone with a decent sized cuddy and a roller trailer drop the boat when the tires crested. She for some reason finds joy in watching the boat ramp now. We watch videos on youtube together lol

My waverunner trailer is so short, when empty it's a chore to backup with my F150. Putting the tailgate down does nothing. So i'm forced to backup with the rear view camera. I do a little zig-zag down the ramp but still put it where it needs to go.

 

[jimmbo]

While I find ramps very entertaining, seen boats launch themselves long before the transom is over water, trailers backed so deep the winch is below water, heck the tow vehicle is partially submerged. What really bugs me though are parents who think the ramp is a playground for their little monsters

 

[brian4321]

If have never done that at least once, I don't think you area true boater. I mean I don't know of many that haven't. But you really do need help if you do it all the time.

I wonder why they don't make a one way drain system. When you are in the water, it seals off. And when you pull the boat out, it opens. Seems fairly easy to make. I mean it is basically a check type valve. :noidea:

Humm, makes me think...

I like it GM...

 

[brian4321]

Just this past weekend I had to wait on a guy that thought the best place to work on his wiring was backed down the middle of a two lane ramp with
half a dozen people waiting to launch or retrieve... Engine hatch open, parts laying around, had obviously been there for some time ..

 

[bruceb58]

I guess I have a different take on it. I don't enjoy watching and making fun of other people's misery. I guess that's just me.

I have helped people at the ramp though. To me that is a little more satisfying.

 

[brian4321]

I guess I have a different take on it. I don't enjoy watching and making fun of other people's misery. I guess that's just me.

I have helped people at the ramp though. To me that is a little more satisfying.

I feel the same way if people are open to accepting help, and some are if you offer....What gets me though, is the ones that obviously could use help but get offensive if you offer... I agree though, I've been helped in the past and have helped several newbies , and yes that is a good feeling