Fell in the drink

[korygrandy]

Well after a year of dry launching and loading I finally took a surprise swim today. I was giving the boat a nice shove to the shore as I stood on the bunk. When I turned around lost balance and I couldn't get in a position to put my other foot down to balance myself. I yelled out a holler as I went *** down and grabbed my other bunk. Thankfully I just bruised the ankle and hip in the process.

This could have been prevented I'm sure of it heh.

Of course I finally get on plane and I see 4 boats hauling arse at me I look up and see some dark clouds forming just as the beeep beep ba beep beep beep ba beep is heard from my radio and they chime in saying nado's were spotted south of me.

I should have stayed dry docked today. :facepalm:

 

[jigngrub]

Re: Fell in the drink

If you're getting more than the sole of your boots wet when launching, you're doing it wrong!!!

I give launching lessons, but the per diem for me to travel to minnie-soda would kill ya!

 

[Mel Taylor]

Re: Fell in the drink

Don't feel bad, I've done the same thing more than once and I've been boating for well over fifty years. It's interesting to me that no matter how hard you flail your arms, once you start to tip you keep right on tipping until you make intimate contact with the water. Just thank goodness you weren't hurt any worse than that.

After my first impromptu water ballet performance at the ramp, I started making sure that my wallet was NOT on my person when I began to launch or retrieve. Years later when I first started carrying a cell phone I remembered the wallet lesson and that too came out of my pocket at launch and retrieval time.

I've yet to figure out any way to keep my pride dry and undamaged when someone else is watching me though.

 

[Sixmark]

Re: Fell in the drink

If people are going to be worried about getting wet, then buy an extra car instead of a boat.

 

[Mel Taylor]

Re: Fell in the drink

If people are going to be worried about getting wet, then buy an extra car instead of a boat.

Right on! I wasn't going to mention it, but when I'm launching by myself at one of the ramps that I use on a fairly regular basis, the quickest and easiest way to get launched is to back the trailer into the water until the boat almost floats. Then wade out, shove the boat off the trailer, tie it to the adjacent floating dock, get back in the truck, go park truck and trailer, come back and go fishing. I get wet up to about mid thigh level each time but I've long since lost the illusion that I'm so sweet that I'll melt when I get wet.

 

[Sixmark]

Re: Fell in the drink

Exactly, I launch at some places where I have to push my boat out 60ft to a drop off, otherwise there isn't enough clearance to even use a trolling motor.

 

[emoney]

Re: Fell in the drink

Heck, I've got you beat. I fell in the drink and I don't even have to launch. I keep my boat on a lift behind the house. Thought it would be easier to lay on the lift platform and reach around to the plug to pull it. Just a little bit further, where my last thoughts, right before "Oh Sh%t". Yep, took about a 5' dive then to add salt to my wounds, cut my toe on barnacles on the dock. Thankfully, no neighbors saw me but my wife had a grand ole time laughing. From now on, it's lean over the transom keep feet locked under splash well.

 

[bellhop]

Re: Fell in the drink

I consider getting wet while launching the boat foreplay.

 

[wifisher]

Re: Fell in the drink

I consider getting wet while launching the boat foreplay.

Does your wife agree with you?

 

[soggy_feet]

Re: Fell in the drink

I live on my boat on a mooring in 4ft of water all summer, twice last summer I tried to stand in the inflatable and step across to the deck of the boat... and didn't make it.

For some reason... something about boats... you just can't use them without getting wet it seems...

Ha, one time, I was proud of myself for keeping the cheap little transistor radio I had in my hand dry as I stood there in the water inspecting it... until I remembered I had my very expensive cell phone in my pants pocket still...

 

[Banditz]

Re: Fell in the drink

You guys crack me up bad! All you northern fellas up there wadeing in...getting wet...all the while justifying it as a must do to actually boat...hehe..

I have only once gotten close to falling in...jumped too soon on a smaller boat I was not used too. But caught myself just in time.


As for a GREAT way to launch without EVER touching water...just have a long dock line with a clip on each end. Clip the ends to the boat AND the winch or somewhere on the trailer..back her back down and when she is ALMOST floating just give her a little extra Ooomph. When she slide's back she will go out a ways leaving you PLENTY of time to pull up enough to not get wet by the waves, and then simply walk around to the dock and tie off.

When your good to go on that one and you are pulling her out, back the trailer ALL that way down in the water..then pull it out till about 3-4" of the wheels come out of the water and power loading will be a breeze! She will basically load herself...With NO guides needed. Lave the slightly trimmed motor at about a quarter throttle or so, walk to the front lean over, attach the winch, finsih pulling her up and then walk back, trim her up and shut her down. Then its just a short jump to the tail gate you left down...or to the dock you were smart enough to get close to and your high and dry the entire trip.

 

[Mel Taylor]

Re: Fell in the drink

You guys crack me up bad! All you northern fellas up there wadeing in...getting wet...all the while justifying it as a must do to actually boat...hehe..

Northern fellas? The only thing I'm north of is the Mexican border and only about 45 miles north of that. I'll bet you were a whiz in school when it came to geography.

 

[iBrent]

Re: Fell in the drink

You guys crack me up bad! All you northern fellas up there wadeing in...getting wet...all the while justifying it as a must do to actually boat...hehe..

...and then simply walk around to the dock and tie off.

.. power loading will be a breeze! She will basically load herself...With NO guides needed.

...or to the dock you were smart enough to get close to and your high and dry the entire trip.

What about the lakes that have NO dock, and power loading is illegal?

Wait, I thought everyone has the exact same circumstances to do it your way?!

 

[H20Rat]

Re: Fell in the drink

At many ramps, it is A LOT slower to unload if you can't get wet, especially for one person. In my case, if I don't want to get wet, I back up until it is ready to go, then crawl over the bow and get the engine started, back off, and then manuever to the beach parking area. If I am ok with ankle deep water, it is simply back up, and then grab a rope and walk it 20 feet over to the side. Saves the time of having to get the motor cranked up, which essentially doubles unloading time, as well as the safety factor of crawling up the trailer and over the bow of a boat.

Ironically, the group most likely to be afraid of the water are the go-fast bass boat fishermen. Don't know what it is, but that group is absolutely allergic to it, I swear they will melt. (hence, powerloading with a 300 hp outboard is also a requirement for said group)

 

[Sixmark]

Re: Fell in the drink

You guys crack me up bad! All you northern fellas up there wadeing in...getting wet...all the while justifying it as a must do to actually boat...hehe..

I have only once gotten close to falling in...jumped too soon on a smaller boat I was not used too. But caught myself just in time.


As for a GREAT way to launch without EVER touching water...just have a long dock line with a clip on each end. Clip the ends to the boat AND the winch or somewhere on the trailer..back her back down and when she is ALMOST floating just give her a little extra Ooomph. When she slide's back she will go out a ways leaving you PLENTY of time to pull up enough to not get wet by the waves, and then simply walk around to the dock and tie off.

When your good to go on that one and you are pulling her out, back the trailer ALL that way down in the water..then pull it out till about 3-4" of the wheels come out of the water and power loading will be a breeze! She will basically load herself...With NO guides needed. Lave the slightly trimmed motor at about a quarter throttle or so, walk to the front lean over, attach the winch, finsih pulling her up and then walk back, trim her up and shut her down. Then its just a short jump to the tail gate you left down...or to the dock you were smart enough to get close to and your high and dry the entire trip.

OK Mr. Rocket Scientist,

Explain to me how you are going to winch a boat 60 feet out into the lake, did you even read any of the posts or did you just figure you were going to try and act like a self proclaimed "expert".

 

[bellhop]

Re: Fell in the drink

Does your wife agree with you?

Nowadays it's just fine with her!

 

[scrat]

Re: Fell in the drink

Or in my case I have a 22 foot cruiser.. Bow is WWAAAYYY to high to climb up from the tailgate or front.

What about the lakes that have NO dock, and power loading is illegal?

Wait, I thought everyone has the exact same circumstances to do it your way?!

 

[Mel Taylor]

Re: Fell in the drink

Had a chance to see a "can't get wet loading" and participate in a "almost up to my waist loading" yesterday. You decide which was easiest. Made a spur of the moment trip to Elephant Butte lake yesterday. Early morning wind was calm, launching was a snap and my wife and I went fishing.

Boat is an '84, 14 ft tinnie with a '94, 30 horse Evinrude

Around 10:30 in the morning the wind began to pick up and by about noon wind and waves were just too much for comfortable fishing even in the coves and we decided to call it a day. So, off we go, back to the ramp.

Lake is low this time of year, ramp is shallow w/gentle slope. Only one dock and only one side of that usable to tie up for launching and loading. Dock is on the right side of the ramp, wind blowing from the right and there is a sandy beach on the left side of ramp.

Three guys are trying to load a boat, not too different from mine. Neither their trailer nor mine had guides, so loading even in a slight wind can be a chore.

They tried to power the boat on with no luck. Boat wouldn't stay lined up with bunks and rollers. Backed off and tried again with one guy standing on center beam of trailer pulling on bow line. Again, no luck. Boat ended up sideways across trailer. Driver pulls truck up a little more and joins man on trailer tongue. They attach winch line to bow line and try again without powering. Same results. After a good half an hour they finally get boat loaded and out of water then spend the next several minutes shoving the boat sideways to center it on to the trailer. BUT, Nobody got wet. Thank goodness for that or they might have died of hypothermia in the 95 degree heat.

In the meantime, my wife and I beached our boat on the sandy shore next to the ramp while we watched the antics of those guys.

When they were done, I went up and backed our truck and trailer down. Wife and I both stepped in the water, one at the front of the boat and one at the back, pulled the boat around to the back of the trailer, lined it up with the bunks and winched it onto the trailer. Realized it wasn't quite centered so I backed the trailer up a little to give the boat a little buoyancy. We centered the boat and in less than ten minutes from start to finish we were loaded and off the ramp.

By the time we got tackle boxes, rods and other gear transferred from boat to pickup we both were dry (there ain't much humidity here in New Mexico to slow down evaporation) and we were on our way home.

Having said all that, we also watched people with guides on their trailers load ever so much easier than we or the "can't get wet bunch" did. My trailer is an '84 Shorline with a banjo shaped frame and I can't figure any way to effectively put guides on it or they would already be there. I'm looking for a trailer (a tilt trailer if possible) right now that I can afford with guides or the potential to have them installed.

Then maybe I'll join the can't get wet crowd.

 

[Mark42]

Re: Fell in the drink

I can usually launch the boat without getting wet, but that requires standing on the tongue. With limited movement in one ankle, balancing on the tongue is difficult at best.

I have never been able to load and stay dry. The advantage of standing knee deep in the water to assure the boat is loaded correctly is worth getting wet. Lets face it, I'm not wearing wing tip shoes, I wear sandals and a bathing suit, not a 3 piece suit. So whats wrong with getting wet when I've spent the majority of the day playing in the water anyway?

Geez, its boating, not bowling. Water is involved.

 

[Triton II]

Re: Fell in the drink

My previous trailer had a walkway and I could launch and retrieve without dipping a toe. My current set up doesn't allow for that so I have to get a little bit wet... up to my calves normally. It doesn't bother me now as the coldest our water gets is 16 degrees C (about 60 F), though at first I was thinking about modifying the trailer with a walkway. As for taking a plunge off the trailer... not yet in 40+ years of boating. Fingers crossed.

TII