Funny Ramp Stories/ Boat Ramp Watching

[Stamey]

Re: I got one!

Re: I got one!

At one of the ramps I use, on the Appomatox River in Hopewell, Va., a couple of years ago I was educated on ramp watching. I had taken out my 24' pontoon boat to fish the James River and was coming back in. I pulled up to an old concrete wharf across from the ramp and tied up because it looked like it was gonna be a while before my turn. I got a drink from the cooler and began to watch along with the rest of the people who were gathered on the wharf. In talking to them I learned this is what they did for entertainment.
Anyway, this one fellow, with a practically new 20-23' walk-around cuddy (really tall looking boat) insisted on power loading the boat. He made several unsuccessful runs at the trailer and wasn't having much success. He did, however, manage to hit a boat beside him with his stern, in the 2-lane ramp space, and to rip one of the the bunk boards off his trailer at some point in the process. We spectators watched this go on for 20 minutes. What made it worse is he wasn't alone. He actually had one of his party IN the water, by the winch post, to help hook up the boat. I cannot imagine why he felt the need to power load when he was so unskilled at it and had help. When the bunk board began floating free of the trailer he picked it up and threw it in the back of the truck. I don't know what happened to his gel coat without the bunk being there.
So when my turn came I was hoping I wouldn't give them too much of a show, since it was just me to do everything. I power loaded too, but gently so as not to damage the ramp, and got hooked up and out of the water with no fanfare. Took longer to get back to the boat after I had put the trailer in the water than to put in on the trailer and get off the ramp. I had one of the spectators comment to me that I was the best load so far that evening. That kinda felt good.

Chris

 

[laguna80]

Re: Funny Ramp Stories/ Boat Ramp Watching

My brother and I went fishing just a few days ago with our 17' Montauk. I back the truck and trailer down the ramp and my brother jumps onto the trailer and starts pushing. Couple minutes later, he tells me to back down the ramp further. He says "guaranteed this time." Another couple minutes of pushing and he tells me a little bit further. Now, the back of the pickup is in the water up to the tailgate. He says "guaranteed this time." He shoves for about a minute more before I get our and walk around to see why it won't come off. I do the Homer Simpson as I notice the rear tie downs are still on. We decided not to tell our dad about that little hiccup. Luckily no one was waiting in line.

 

[Jayb123]

Re: Funny Ramp Stories/ Boat Ramp Watching

No matter how many times I launch or bring in a boat I always get a little anxiety ridden... maybe a good thing..not sure? I get even a little more nervous when the ramps have ppl waiting.... maybe thats goes away with more experience.

 

[DBreskin]

Re: Funny Ramp Stories/ Boat Ramp Watching

I went to take my boat out for the first time this season. I thought I'd prepared properly, checking everything I could think of and even running the engine on muffs in my driveway a couple of days ago so I wouldn't be disappointed.
I get to the ramp this morning, back down and launch without issue. I park the trailer, walk back to the boat, and try to start the engine. It sounds like it wants to start, and will sort of run until I release the key from the "start" to the "run" position. I just can't keep it running.

I try revving the engine. No luck. I try a regular start again. No luck. I sit and mope, wondering what is wrong; it must be something electrical. I start to accept that I'm not going boating today. Depression starts to set in.

I look at my switches and instruments, wondering what could be wrong, when I notice the kill switch lanyard hanging down, not connected. D'oh!

After connecting the lanyard (to both the switch and my life vest) everything went smoothly. I was glad the ramp was vacant so nobody saw what happened.

 

[j_martin]

Re: Funny Ramp Stories/ Boat Ramp Watching

When I offer aid at the boat ramp, 1 out of 5 times it is to "adjust" the kill switch.

 

[Flysfloatsor]

Re: Funny Ramp Stories/ Boat Ramp Watching

No matter how many times I launch or bring in a boat I always get a little anxiety ridden... maybe a good thing..not sure? I get even a little more nervous when the ramps have ppl waiting.... maybe thats goes away with more experience.

Im not sure that goes away. I feel it every time. It helps that Im young and kind of a big guy, and usually launching/retrieving with a few of my meat head buddies... So people dont usually chirp at us. It also helps that we are very courteous, helping people launch, lifting coolers into strangers boats etc. Even backing someone elses rig (without judgment) because you can tell they are already embarassed and nervous.

 

[CaptOchs]

Re: Funny Ramp Stories/ Boat Ramp Watching

I have one...

I moved my 65 hp merc to another boat. I had just upgraded to a larger and nicer boat. The launch went smooth. The cleats on the dock were all busted up so I didn't bother to tie up. My gf pulled the car & trailer out of the way. I moved the throttle forward with the gear in neutral and started it. I was thrown to the floor in the back of the boat! The boat hit the concrete ramp and was trying to climb it. I quickly crawled my way to the helm and turned the key off.

Lesson learned: when installing a new outboard, it would be in your best interests to make sure your throttle and shift cables are adjusted properly. My shift cable was out of position just enough to catch the forward gear and send the boat screaming to the ramp at half throttle.

 

[V153]

Re: Funny Ramp Stories/ Boat Ramp Watching

Im not sure that goes away. I feel it every time. It helps that Im young and kind of a big guy, and usually launching/retrieving with a few of my meat head buddies... So people dont usually chirp at us. It also helps that we are very courteous, helping people launch, lifting coolers into strangers boats etc. Even backing someone elses rig (without judgment) because you can tell they are already embarassed and nervous.

Ya I don't think that ever goes away. Always gets the adrenaline pumping a lil bit. Yup it's best to offer assistance & not to be too hard on people who screw up. Ramp fouls & mishaps can happen to the best, and unfortunately the worst, of us as well.

For example: Not long ago my brother was backing down the ramp to launch his boat, when the hub on the left side of the trailer literally exploded. He could hear it pop from inside his truck. He was afraid to move 'less the wheel fall off. Luckily big bro was nearby, just settling into my favorite female barber's chair matter of fact. Dangit!

Anyway to make a long story short: I got there quickly & we nursed it back up the ramp & out of the way. With the aid of a big pair of visegrips clamped onto the axle to prevent the wheel from sliding off.

Frankly I never seen anything like it. That hub from the wheel outward just disintegrated! Plenty of grease, no sign of damage to the bearings & races, dang thing simply fell apart?

 

[veritas honus]

Re: Funny Ramp Stories/ Boat Ramp Watching

I get impatient with myself if I'm past the 90 second mark! 3 minutes? must have fallen asleep! The wife and I have a VERY good system down to say the least...

Are we still talking about boat ramp loading/unloading... or somthing else???

 

[sprcpr]

Re: Funny Ramp Stories/ Boat Ramp Watching

I've got tons of stories... Mostly on myself. We had just bought our 17' BlueFin boat and were launching it for the first time. We back the boat in on her maiden voyage and put the boat in the water, everything is good. I start the boat and the way the launch is, I decide to back out. It's about 100' long, 2 lanes, and I'm cutting around boats on the side. Everything good so far. Get to teh end of the launch, go to put teh boat in forward, and the motor cuts out. I start the boat and put it in gear and it cuts out again. So here I am, now floating in the lake with a dead boat. I'm trying to get the boat to run and avoid all of the house boats I'm drifting into. The boat will start fine, rev, but die as soon as it's put into gear. I pull the motor cover and try to figure out what is going on. It seems like it's flooded and the plugs are loaded up so I'm trying to rev the boat with the throttle on the motor to dry out the plugs and doing a pretty good job of killing all of the mosquitos in a mile radius. Luckily I drifted to the back of the bay. My wife (who was on the shore) later relayed on how I was the show of day. Lot's of people wondering who the crazy guy revving the smokey boat was. Finally my wife sent a couple of guys in a bass boat to get me. I was VERY grateful for the help. Embarassed, but grateful. We spent the day tied to the dock, feeding the ducks and watching the fish under the docks. It weas still a great day.

 

[V153]

Re: Funny Ramp Stories/ Boat Ramp Watching

Pic speaks for itself: Whoops!

 

[cajunman83]

Re: Funny Ramp Stories/ Boat Ramp Watching

I recently went to one of the public launches around here. They are sort of primitive with worn out asphalt topped with sandy clay. Not a good combo but most of us that fish this river have smaller boats and a 4x4. Well in this river you usually fish out of an aluminum boat because of the snags and such. There's places I wouldn't go in a flat boat, much less an aluminum bass boat. Well this guy decided to take his kids fishing...good intention...but his boat is a 18' fiberglass bass boat with a 200 Mercury. Not the ideal boat for this river, especially since there are parts that get less than a foot deep. Well he had plenty of truck to pull it, F-250.....on dry ground. It wasn't a 4x4. HEH HEH HEH well me and a buddy pull up to run lines that evening and see him desperately trying to get out. He said he had been there for 30 minutes failing. There was one boy in the boat with the 200 Mercury running wide open with him in the truck seeing how much turbo he could get out of his diesel. That was a sight to see. We asked if he needed help and sure enough he said yes. Well we unhooked my boat off of my single cab Nissan Frontier 4 cyl. 4x4 and backed down the ramp. I locked the hubs in low and pulled him and his boat out on my worn out BFGs without spinning a tire. He was thrilled I showed up and offered me $50 for helping. I politely declined it and said, "Who knows I might need you to tow me home one day."

 

[NewfieDan]

Re: Funny Ramp Stories/ Boat Ramp Watching

leaving the boat trailer and truck stick right in the middle of the ramp, no one could use it, ]

This haapened to me one day at the lake we used to go out on. But I wasn't qquite as polite about it. I drive a 3/4T 4X4. At the time I had a 17ft bow rider. So I took a quick look fidgured I had enough room to back down beside this little cute ute. I left just enough room to walk bewteen my boat and his. put the boat in the water, parked the truck and left all while he was still trying to unload his boat.

When I started to back in he gave me some pretty nervous looks like I was trying to push him farther out in the lake or something. Once he realized I wasn't going to actaully hit him the nervous look turned to something closer to anger. Kind of like the how dare you show me up.

I was careful pulling the empty trailer out since I didn't wnat to hit him as he tried to prep his boat while it was sitting half in the water and half on the trailer. Still got him pretty wet though with all the water running back into the lake from around the trailer. Never saw him or the boat after though. Maybe he decided to sell it since really didn't know what he was doing.

 

[soggy_feet]

Re: Funny Ramp Stories/ Boat Ramp Watching

I've yet to have any real trouble at the ramps, but that might be because my boat is a little big for a ramp. Its a 40ft houseboat. I DO use the ramps to pick up/drop off friends when I have a large group come out, which sometimes means creeping in in a line of small boats getting pulled out, with a cross wind trying to blow me into the bows of the boats in the slips of the marina right next to the public launch.
Cant stress enough to my friends that they need to be ON the dock at whatever time I specified, with their coolers or whatever at their feet. I wanna be in and out in less than 3 minutes before more boats pile in around me and I can't swing around to get back out.
Well, one day Im kinda pushing people along, throwing their gear back onto the dock at the end of the day... I mean, helping them unload... as they're taking their time and screwing around with stuff. Getting pretty fed up, I finally get everyone unloaded, and get my lines back in. I throw it in reverse, and the engine quits. Hmm... must have loaded up while idling here. Start it again, rev it a bit, seems fine, so I throw it in reverse again. And it stalls.
Now Im starting to drift back off the docks, and across into the other lane, and any time i try to put it in gear, it quits.
I screwed with it until the last second before I knew I wouldnt be able to reach the dock with a line to drag her back in, ended up jumping across, and pulling the boat back with my bow line.
Tied the bow off, pulled her straight again, and ran back to the engine to see what was up. First guess, and I was right, was that it was the shift interrupt switch, so i a hurry to get out of there, I just cut the wires to the switch, and crossed my fingers. Fortunately, it did the trick.

I like to think that I at least appeared collected enough to bystanders, but i was really sweating bullets.

 

[DJ]

Re: Funny Ramp Stories/ Boat Ramp Watching

Did you ever want to sit at thje top of the ramp with score cards? 5.0, 6.5, 5.9. etc.

I've thought about it here but I've seen two fist fights at my closest ramp. Saguaro Lake.

 

[NHGuy]

Re: One THOUGHT, One QUESTION, One EXPERIENCE, And Another QUESTION!

Re: One THOUGHT, One QUESTION, One EXPERIENCE, And Another QUESTION!

e: One THOUGHT, One QUESTION, One EXPERIENCE, And Another QUESTION!

I can add one to this thread. It happined a couple of years ago at my favorite launch site, Higgins Ferry on Lake Mitchell. I had my girlfriend with me and we were taking my Glastron bowrider out for a day of riding a tank of gas out. I pull into the parking area and get in the ready lane. It wasn't terrible crowded and I get everything out of the truck and into the boat, get it unstrapped and ready to go. I still hadn't really looked toward the ramp. A couple more boats are behind me and ready also. I pull around the slight curve to the ramp and parked right at the top of the ramp, sideways and blocking everything sits a new Chevy truck with an expensive really new looking Malibu ski boat. There's some guy standing by the drivers door changing a baby's diaper right there in the seat while blocking the whole ramp!! I'm laughing and sayng out loud couldn't one or the other wait a minute? Well he notices that I have pulled up and cant go back as there are two more behind me. He gets sort of in a hurry then and the kid is squirming around and won't be still. He shouts how it's just his luck that everybody in the whole world shows up just as he's trying to get his boat launched. I couldn't stand it and leaned out the window informing him( in nice terms) that the ready lane is over by the fence and he should be getting his show going as we were waiting. He really gets in a hurry then and had a loaded baby diaper in his hand and trying to hang on to a naked kid with the other. The kid is really flopping all over and the diaper lands in the seat of the truck, dirty side down. I am hysterical by now and can hardly see from laughing so hard. So now he is cussing up a storm, get's in the truck, sits in the diaper, cusses more and backs down to the water. I turn around, back down to the water and get my boat started and back off the trailer. He's still trying to get poo off his pants when we leave the dock. Not too sure if the kid ever got a clean diaper or went commando. I take it to have been his wife that was just sitting on the dock the whole time like she was in another world.

I feel bad for laughing but that's the best ramp story in a long time.

 

[U.S.S. Too Tall]

Re: One THOUGHT, One QUESTION, One EXPERIENCE, And Another QUESTION!

Re: One THOUGHT, One QUESTION, One EXPERIENCE, And Another QUESTION!

Being new to the boating world, I think that I have gotten pretty good launching and leaving. Down to a few minutes. The wife does not yet have the skill to back-up the trailer, but we are working on it. So as of right now, its a one man operation, ME! lol

Yesterday we go out onto Cass Lake, and the parking lot is pretty full. Only a few spots open. Some of the "open" stops are blocked by empty trailers, that drivers didnt take the time to straighten out, so other people could park next to them. After I get the boat ready to launch, the guy next in line and I start looting for a parking spot, and complaining about the bad parking job of others. This guy and I, slide over a few trailers, just enough so both of us can park. Both of us launch, and park, and have a great day on the water.

When its time to come in, we both happen to meat at the launch again. The launch is a 4 spot, with 2 docks, great, right? Anyway, I pull into the middle, next to a canoe. The guy is backing the van down, and is going to put the canoe on the roof. Ok, fine by me. I walk out to the truck, and pull her around, to find the van blocking the middle of the launch!! I wait a few, and finally get tired of waiting (wifes upset because the mosquitos are out in full force). I back the trailer into my spot, which was an awesome maneuver, if I do saw so myself! The wife says that the guy was freaking out the whole time! Thinking that I was gonna hit his van. I get the trailer around him, and in the water right where I need it to be. I get out, and get the boat on the trailer, just as my friend from launching earlier backs his trailer in. I have our boat on the trailer, and pull out of the way, to pull the plug out, and put transom strap on, etc... I was all done and leaving the parking lot, and canoe man was still blocking the launch. I dont know what the hell that guy was doing but I know that I have never took that long blocking half the launch.

Oh, I didnt mention that the other people with canoes were pulling out next to the launch, and dragging over to the parking lot, to then put up on the car.

I thought that some of you would like this story.

 

[jumpjets]

Re: One THOUGHT, One QUESTION, One EXPERIENCE, And Another QUESTION!

Re: One THOUGHT, One QUESTION, One EXPERIENCE, And Another QUESTION!

I saw one today that I have to share:

I was at a public ramp near the atlantic, and I saw a boater with more money than sense. He was in a 2012 fully loaded F-250 FX4 lariat, a $55,000+ truck, with the nicest brand new I-beam triple axle trailer I have ever seen.

This boater gets his 50+ft tow rig wedged into a really tight parking space, and as he's backing out, he hits another truck with his trailer. A few others ran to help him out with his poor parking job. After over 15 minutes of an "Austin Powers" style 105 point turn, he is finally free.

He backs his trailer into the water, and power loads a 36' brand new fountain center console with 3x 350hp outboards. After the boat was loaded, he drove off..... going the wrong way down a one way street!

 

[beason]

Re: One THOUGHT, One QUESTION, One EXPERIENCE, And Another QUESTION!

Re: One THOUGHT, One QUESTION, One EXPERIENCE, And Another QUESTION!

ok, i have one from the first time i took out my first boat. Luckily I was not the subject of entertainment.

My family has had boats or wave runners my entire life. I have backed many a trailer, and helped with all the boat related things many times, so our first official outing was uneventful.

We had just got back to the ramp which is on a small river just off a large lake. It is a 2 lane with docks on both sides and one down the middle.

We are floating out by the no wake buoy, waiting our turn, and watching this guy launch a 25ft or so CC fishing boat. Its a pretty big boat, but he is driving a large 3/4 or bigger truck so he is prepared.

He backs it in nice, and climbs into the boat to power it off. Apparently he didn't back in far enough as the boat isn't budging, and he is giving the throttle hell.

Next thing i know, i see the truck backing up. I'm thinking someone is inside, and is backing up to let him off the trailer. Then big boy bolts from the helm, up to the bow, jumps to the dock and is running for the truck. He is just about to jump down off the dock, when the truck stops on its own.. just deep enough for the boat to slide effortlessly off the trailer and head out to open water. Big boy jumps back up on the dock and is sprinting to the other end as his boat is floating away.

Just as i reach down and touch my key, in anticipation of retrieving his boat for him, he flops "superman" style down on the end of the dock and snags the bow line as the boat floats past the end of the dock. He then ties off the boat, collects himself for a minute, and then goes and parks the truck.

I slide up to the dock, tie off, and head to go get my truck. As I'm walking across the lot, i meet him, and ask him what happened.

He was VERY frazzled, but from what i understand, the truck was a standard, and although the E-brake would hold the boat and trailer, it wouldn't hold against the boat trying to power off.

What gets me is his wife was walking beside him. Im assuming she was in the passenger side of the truck, and was probably pretty scared herself. I bet next time, he has her at least hold the brake!

 

[Home Cookin']

Re: One THOUGHT, One QUESTION, One EXPERIENCE, And Another QUESTION!

Re: One THOUGHT, One QUESTION, One EXPERIENCE, And Another QUESTION!

those who rely on "e brakes" at a ramp are those who lose trucks.

Your guy also learned something that saved me recently from a SHT: always have the boat tied off, preferably to the winch stand, both launching and retrieving.