Launching safety

[BJM]

Whenever I launch my boat, the kids and my wife are made to get out of the van. I can't stand the thought of an accident happening where my kids might roll into the lake in my vehicle. I also lower both front windows as I back in case I have to swim for it. You never know.<br /><br />What do other people do? Any other tips?

 

[EatMoreFish]

Re: Launching safety

I put the wife in the truck an I get in the boat

 

[blifsey]

Re: Launching safety

My kids (and any friends with them) must put life jacket on while around the ramp/dock. I read story about a child that drowned while father was occupied launching boat. Good idea about rollingn down windows. We also do not ride in boat while pulling boat out from ramp to "clean up" area.

 

[BJM]

Re: Launching safety

We do the life jacket thing too depending on whether mom is watching me launch or is helping me. Our lake launch is always empty so pulling out with people in the boat seems safe. Has anyone had a problem with boats falling off trailers or anything else untoward?

 

[boatingfool]

Re: Launching safety

The wife and kids get out of the van at the top of the boat ramp. The wife walks down to the dock while I back down. I back the boat in the water get out of the van hand the rope off to the wife then I slide boat off trailer.Meanwhile the kids are back at the top of the boat ramp putting life jackets on.By the time me and the wife are done unloading the boat the kids are heading down to the dock. I tie the boat off and the wife double checks the kids life jackets and loads them into the boat while I park the van. When I get back we are ready to go!! <br /><br />BJM,<br />I did see a guy once unload his boat off the trailer into the water and for some reason stopped his truck half way up the ramp and got out.When he did the truck with trailer rolled back down the ramp. The trailer caught the boat and spun it sideways and the boat was stuck on the trailer sideways on the fenderwells!<br /><br />Most of the damage was to his pride.

 

[Boatist]

Re: Launching safety

When we launch everyone is out of the car. Wife or adult male will handle the dock lines. Any Kids under 12 required to wear Life Jackets on the boat with only a few exceptions so if we have young kids they put them on when we prepair the boat for launching. Also need to have someone watch young kids. <br />Back down to waters edge with truck, unhook the bow strap get in truck back it until back floating hit the brakes wait about 5 sec for boat to roll off trailer Pull out and go park. By the time I get back to the boat blower has been turned on and crew is onboard. Start up both motors clear the lines and back out.<br />I have seen two boat launched half way up the ramp pulling out the boat. First one was a roller trailer and the guy flipped the winch ratchet the wrong way. When he started up the ramp boat started rolling off the trailer right away. Boat ended up with the back at the waters edge and bow up no the concreat ramp and laying to one side. He managed to crank it back on roller trailer by taking the trailer off the truck and raising the tongue. Then used the wench to crank on with help holding trailer. Then Blocked wheel and hooked back up. Second boat was a dry pipes Jet boat on a bunk trailer. Guy in boat drove it on gave the driver the thums up he started up the ramp but wheels spinning in the mud so he gave it more power finally got out of the mud wheels hooked up and he dropper the boat about 10 fee up the ramp. Driver did not even know. Both guy too drunk to deal with so they got no help until the rangers showed up with a free ride.<br />Also seen two truck in the water. First one we had just pulled our boat and was in the tie down area when the very excited man came running up to us saying we had to help him pull his truck out. I looked down the ramp and just saw a lady holding the dock lines and figured this guy was some kind of nut. Then he said boat in on trailer and truck is under water. We back down and hooked a 1/2 inch line to back of my trailer and he tied to front of truck. Put my truck is in low four wheel drive and pulled out his truck trailer and boat. Water pooring out of the truck but we pulled him up a flat area. Then some guy cam out of the local bar that he knew and they hooked the boat to his truck and took off. What hapened Was he had an old manual shift truck that he left running in netural and set parking brake. He knew brake was bad so he put a 4 by 4 block behind back wheel. That worked fine until he started cranking boat on trailer then it went over the block and into the water. Just the top of the hood showing.<br />Second truck I did not see happened but it was at a salt water ramp at low tide and the ramp had lots of moss on it. He was launching his boat with a ford explorier. He went too fast and locked up the brakes and it slid down the ramp and turned sideways about 50 percent in the water. We came by in our boat about that time. He had lots of help plus the Coast Guard station Bodega Bay about 100 yards away. This was about 14:00 so lots of boats coming in at that time. Coast Guard and Doran Park ranger closed ramp and got him pulled out but keep ramp closed until could find a way to clean it. All the boats coming in were stuck in water. Finally tide came in enough they started letting people pull boats at own risk. Next day keep ramp closed until got it cleaned off at low tide.

 

[roscoe]

Re: Launching safety

Not a good idea to pull boat out with people inside of it.<br />Hit a bump, slip on gas pedal, winch ratchet releases, or passenger stands up at the wrong time, and you have someone with their head buried in the concrete and the lake water turning a brilliant red.<br /><br />EMTs are usually a long way from the lake. Better safe than sorry.<br /><br />I had a winch ratchet break once, luckily the safety chain was attached.

 

[PAkev]

Re: Launching safety

Last summer after a warm summer day I pulled in to unload my boat and fishing equip. when we noticed a big crowd of guys around the ramp. The story I got was this: a guy unhooked his trailer from the truck in order to park both truck and trailer at seperate locations in the crowded parking lot. When he rehooked, the lip of the trailer hitch tongue did not completely engage over the ball. When the trailer hit the water the only thing holding the trailer to the truck was the safety chains with the trailer hitch aimed up in the air. This certainly could have turned out to be a bad day for an innocent bystander but luckilly enough no one was standing in close proximity of the trailer when this happened. LESSON: Don't trust anyones competency when loading or unloading their boat. <br /><br />kevin

 

[twodeer]

Re: Launching safety

Most 'accidents' I've seen at launch or take out appeared to be due to the guy feeling he has to hurry to please those in line. Or I've seen many intoxicated boaters fumbling at take out. I keep my family clear & out of the vehicle when I launch. I can always fix the boat & trailer if I screw up but not so for my kids. If I'm out for fun & fishing, I'm not in a hurry. I'll wait for you if you'll be patient with me, huh? T'anx.

 

[Seaboo2]

Re: Launching safety

My school of thought on it is that, if my wife is with me, (and I have boat launching help) she stays in the car (and ready to hit the brakes if for some reason it should roll). Mind you I do not have kids so I can't factor that into the picture. I do always have the windows rolled down (I have watched a guy once that didn't, and his truck started to roll down the ramp.. He had also acidentally hit the power locks on the way out of the car so he was helpless to stop it....)luckly he was launching alone....it was a scarry hapening though.

 

[mikiedo]

Re: Launching safety

Buddy of mine is a fishing guide, who takes clients of sometimes questionable intelligence out on a river. He tells us to NEVER help him launch his boat, because one time he backed up to the ramp, unhooked his boat and tied his launching rope to his truck bumper and clipped it to the bow. He usually will back the boat into the water, wait until the boat slides off the trailer, then drive up the ramp a ways until he sees the aluminum bow scrape the ramp. Only this time, he sees his boat heading dwonstream. His customer is there at the ramp waiting for praise. "I unhooked your boat from your truck, jeez, it could have pulled the whole truck into the water". Fortunately, some boaters passing by recovered his craft, but the client missed out on some good trout fishing that day. m

 

[Rob Lung]

Re: Launching safety

I used to have an 18' ski boat and when I launched it was a solo act all the way. Friends and family just got used to it. If I screw up my boat or truck I'll get really mad, but I won't kill myself! They got the message... Now turn clock to present, with a 27'er I have given in to help. Trusted friend in the truck, kids way out of the traffic with Mom (can't hear the stress in her voice so well if she is keeping the kids out of trouble). Always run the blower, make sure the temp gauge stops climbing, and bilge isn't filling before totally leaving the trailer. <br /><br />I once whatched a couple fighting and yelling over getting a 35' go fast on the trailer behind a chevy daully... He finally yells "OK, now go "from the baot... she promtly floors the truck , nothing happens, except for a growing cloud of blue smoke coming from the rear of the truck. What fun, about 100 people around the ramp just stopped to whatch until he got to the truck and she relented... big cloud of blue smoke

 

[wezie]

Re: Launching safety

I really like folks out of the vehicle. Some can help launch but not too many. You can only listen to one at a time; but more eyes watching can be a lot of help.<br />Too many folks break the string of events and my concentration.<br />Don't have kids, but they really should be kept out of the way. These are not times of maximum visibility.

 

[SpinnerBait_Nut]

Re: Launching safety

Since me and the wife fish together all the time, this is a no brainer.<br />Get to ramp, get all items aboard, back down ramp to almost waters edge, get out, unhook boat, get in boat, wife backs in water, boat slides off trailer, after I have fired it up to make sure water pumping and running correctly, wife parks truck, comes to boat, puts life jacket on and we are off on a another fishing trip.