Ramp experiences

[TerryMSU]

Last night I went fishing and had a couple of interesting experiences at the ramp. As I pulled into the lot, there was a pontoon on a scissor trailer pulling up to the ramp. I got my boat ready to launch, launched it, changed a pin on one the V-roller on the trailer, parked the trailer, and headed out fishing. They were still trying to get going. No real issues, just VERY slow. I think they may have been well lubricated. They had a small dog (yapper) tied up to a rock near their side of the ramp. Not a big issue, as the launch was not busy. Oh, and during my launch, there was a guy and gal walking her dog right in the middle of the ramp. Tooted my horn and she was clueless. Tooted it again and the guy finally encouraged her to get going.

As I left the lake, the pontooners were pulling off the lake at the same time. I just took my sweet time letting a kayak go ahead of me so that I would not have to deal with them. They let yapper run free this time. First it came over to investigate the kayaker and I. Then it chased a truck (one of the pontooners) out of the lot. I thought for sure it was going to get hit. These people were either well lubricated or clueless or both.

TerryMSU

 

[DonHof]

Re: Ramp experiences

Some people are just clueless!

Was over at the lake fishing the other day. Went to take my boat out, two guy's had the ramped blocked with two boats
one on either side of the dock. They were switching trailers no big thing. I circled about 20 minutes waiting. No one waiting
to put there boat in. Guy's got there boats loaded and pulled out, two guy's come and back down the ramp and started to
get their boats ready. They got unloaded and away from the dock, so I pull in tie up the boat to get my car and trailer.
Some guy pulls in blocks both ramps get out and starts to BS! So I had to try and back in around his truck and trailer.

He looks at me and said, do you want me to move! I told him to keep BS-ing. By then there was six people
waiting to put thier boats in.

 

[26aftcab454]

Re: Ramp experiences

what gets me is the folks trying to start a non running motor...and after spraying half a can either starting fluid in the carb... get it to run..and take off accross the lake!
or the ones who pull into the ramp only to START loading everything into the boat.. unstrap...put the plug in...load the kids.....

 

[LippCJ7]

Re: Ramp experiences

ok, Couple weeks ago at the lake I hate but is close so me and the wife bite the bullet. We pull into the ramp area and get prepared and then get into line behind two trucks pulling two jet skis each, 2 lane ramp one lane open, wait a few, wait a few more finally my wife says WTF? and she is in the boat so obviously this is not exactly being politely quiet so knowing that this is my Order to go find out what the deal is (more appropriately to intervene before a future war between my wife and two poor individuals happens) so I go to the front truck and notice nobody in the drivers seat so I turn around to tell the next truck to go around and well no driver again! WOOHOO!! So as I am getting into my truck I yell back to the truck behind me that the drivers are MIA and we both pull around!

As I am dropping my boat I realize that the guy dropping his boat in the other lane is associated with the 8 people on the dock and the two trucks with jet skis and apparently is the only one who can back anything down the ramp and its his boat so he decided to launch his boat first before dropping the jet skis into the water.

So I drop the boat in the water wife drives the boat off and I go drop the truck and trailer off, as I am coming back the guy still hasn't gotten his boat running but he has time to ask me if I wanted to trade wives LOL I politely declined and told him mine was a keeper!

 

[kenmyfam]

Re: Ramp experiences

Ah yes, another fine season of ramp stories. I often walk the dogs to the ramp at the campground just for the entertainment (and to give our dogs a swim)

 

[carguy001]

Re: Ramp experiences

ok, so I finally got a story to add. this is our 2nd year boating as a family my wife and have our own boat as well as my brother in law and his wife have their own boat. so any way we took just my brother in laws boat to some local fire works on the ohio river and used a public boat ramp. fire works are over and we are ready to pull the boat out so brother in law drops me off at the little dock and backs away , I go up and get the truck & trailer mind you at this point there is only one other boat at this 3 lane ramp and they do the same drop off some one to get the truck and trailer and back away. when i get back to the ramp with the trailer there are 3 boats blocking all 3 lanes. so i back the trailer down to edge of the water and the boat does not move, about this time some jack leg pulls up with his dulley and says"that is my boat your blocking" so i pulled up and move another ramp slot to let him get his boat. there another jack leg with the bow tied to the dock and the back swings around and blocks the 3rd ramp. finally we get the boat out of the water on the 3rd try and 2 jack legs. i boated with my parents for 10-15 years about 15 years ago and the rule was the trailer order set the order in which the boats come out of the water. rude people!

 

[444]

Re: Ramp experiences

What I don't get is how some people are soooooooo slow at the ramp. Takes me only a couple minutes to launch. Before hand put in the plug, unhook the straps and winch. Truck backs down at throws the boat in the water. Probably the slowest part for me is my old 82 mercury 175 does not have a high and low speed trim to it, only a slow speed trim so it takes a while to tilt the engine down before I squeeze the primer and hit the key. Pulling out only takes slightly more time for me to crank the winch. Don't get how some others take all year to accomplish this.

i boated with my parents for 10-15 years about 15 years ago and the rule was the trailer order set the order in which the boats come out of the water. rude people!

I agree with you there, trailer order at the ramp sets boat priority, not the other way around. Most people get it, others are morons. I think I did slightly annoy some people this weekend by doing this though. I dropped my buddy off at the beach to get my truck, and knowing how slow he is we went and cruised the lake and river and showed up to see 4 other boats waiting to come out of the water at the single lane dock just as my truck starts backing down the ramp. Timing was perfect!

 

[jumpjets]

Re: Ramp experiences

This is my second boating season. Last season I got really lucky and never dealt with fools at the ramp. This year, I'm beginning to understand why there are soo many threads about the ramp buffonery.

I had two good (bad) experiences tonight. As I'm recovering my boat at a very crappy desolate ramp, a tinny pulls up next to me, and the two geriatrics inside are hammered drunk and incoherently trying to hide a bag of what looked to be marijuana. The fat old stoned woman in the boat almost fell in the water when trying to climb out of the boat onto the dock. They load the boat quickly enough, and then pull it just far enough out of the water that the tires are dry, but they are still blocking everything. They spend over 15 minutes moving fishing poles, coolers and god knows what else from the boat to their truck. Finally, the old man grabs a beer from the cooler, pops it open, jumps in the driver seat, takes a swig, and drives off. I really would have loved to call the cops on him, but it was dark and I couldn't see his license plate. His 1988 ford F-150 was running on 7 cylinders and most of it's lights were burned out, including the tag lights.

My boat is currently sitting crooked on it's trailer due to the mountain range under the water line at that same ramp. I'm the only guy in NC that doesn't power load, and most of our ramps are trashed. I backed my trailer into the water, and one side was about a foot deeper than the other. I backed it in a little more, hoping it would even out, and the trailer raised back up out of the water to the point that both bunks were completely above the water line. I fought with it for a while, but eventually I accepted that I was going home with a crooked boat. There was no way to get it on straight when the trailer is sitting 30* left-side-low in the water.

 

[TerryMSU]

Re: Ramp experiences

boated with my parents for 10-15 years about 15 years ago and the rule was the trailer order set the order in which the boats come out of the water. rude people!

Respectifully I must disagree... If that were the rule, I would never be able to pull my boat out. I boat alone. The lake I boat on has one double wide ramp, with a dock on each side. No where to beach a boat or even anchor within reach of shore. So, I cannot even get my trailer to the ramp until I tie off to the dock. In fact, thinking about it, even if I had someone with me, the situation would be unchanged. Each ramp may have special circumstances, with different solutions. Common courtesy and common sense need to trump rules.

TerryMSU

 

[jcupo6]

Re: Ramp experiences

Respectifully I must disagree... If that were the rule, I would never be able to pull my boat out. I boat alone. The lake I boat on has one double wide ramp, with a dock on each side. No where to beach a boat or even anchor within reach of shore. So, I cannot even get my trailer to the ramp until I tie off to the dock. In fact, thinking about it, even if I had someone with me, the situation would be unchanged. Each ramp may have special circumstances, with different solutions. Common courtesy and common sense need to trump rules.

TerryMSU

I agree with this. Trailer order to a point, but single boat operators must tie their boat off so common courtesy is needed.

Took the boat out yesterday, launching was clean and easy. Trying to retrieve my boat was a different story. Wide ramp, two docks. Both docks full of boats and their owners prepping with gear (taking FOREVER -should have been done before launching). A few sailboats being assembled, one caught the wind and took off without the owner (kinda funny actually) And the best, children swimming on the ramp... Yes, swimming on a packed boat ramp. This was a first for me. I've never gotten into an argument at the ramp until this weekend. First I had to ask the children to move so I could dock my boat. Then my fiance had to ask them to move again as I backed the truck down the ramp. Once I retrieved the boat, we walked over to the parents and suggested that the children swim on the other side of the docks where there was no boat traffic. Parents said the kids were fine and to mind our own business (finance didn't take too kindly to this). Another boater overheard and joined the conversation/argument agreeing with us. The family got angry and left. Probably for the better, the kids were lucky they weren't run over by boats and or trailers. It was insane.

The picture gives you an idea, although it was after the fact. Two of the 8 kids are still in the water at this point and the traffic died down a good bit.

 

[carguy001]

Re: Ramp experiences

As for the boaters that boat alone I understand you need to leave your boat some where, but these people had a whole boat full of people and they could of tied up on the outside of the docks or move the boat to the end of the dock so others can get around to load there boat.

 

[BonairII]

Re: Ramp experiences

Saw my first bonehead move at the ramp the other day.....

2 men(around 60-ish years old). One guy barely backs the trailer down the ramp....maybe half the trailer is wet and the rest is still pointing up the ramp itself.

The driver of the bass boat starts to powerload and makes 2-3 attempts to try and bully the boat UP the trailer. During all of this, his 225hp motor is trimmed all the way down! My son and I were sitting in our boat right behind this whole mess, and waiting for him to bang his skeg(or prop) into the bottom. Sure enough, we see the boat get jarred a bit so he must have hit the skeg.

The driver finally gets the bow in the bow stop and leaves the motor in forward(at about 2500-3000rpms) and leaves the helm and walks up the boat to tie the bow up! He farts around on the bow for about a minute....the whole time the motor is pumping away trying to push the boat forward. The other guy is just standing doing nothing, which makes me believe that they do this all the time. :facepalm:

They finally pulled the boat out and drive away. My son and I were just sitting there scratching our heads.

 

[MH Hawker]

Re: Ramp experiences

I have seen that type of loading a hundred times. Mostly by the bass croud.

 

[MN Sun]

Re: Ramp experiences

Although having been into boating for several years, I haven't ever come across anything other than the typical "ramp shenanigans" until recently.

Having just loaded my boat at the Hidden Falls access on the Mississippi River, I moved into the lot to remove the plug, attach straps, fold seats, etc. Behind me I heard a sudden loud THUD and actually felt the vibration in the asphalt. I turned to see two 60ish gentlemen standing next to a very new-looking 18 foot Crestliner with a 150hp Yamaha that was currently planted on the ramp about 1/2 way up the access.

I walked down the ramp to see if they needed some assistance and quickly discovered whoever was "in charge" had forgotten to attach the winch strap as they had power loaded the boat on the trailer. The boat managed to stay on the trailer until 1/2 way up when it rolled off the trailer and onto the ground.

No one at the access who witnessed that event will ever forget to double-check their winch strap from now on as that boat had significant damage to the bottom of the transom as well as the lower unit.

Bummer of a day for those two guys to be sure.

 

[Stachi]

Re: Ramp experiences

we had one come off of a trailer last Sunday....he had the strap attatched but it failed...he did NOT have his safety chain hooked ....I never understand why folks don't use it on the ramps...

Although having been into boating for several years, I haven't ever come across anything other than the typical "ramp shenanigans" until recently.

Having just loaded my boat at the Hidden Falls access on the Mississippi River, I moved into the lot to remove the plug, attach straps, fold seats, etc. Behind me I heard a sudden loud THUD and actually felt the vibration in the asphalt. I turned to see two 60ish gentlemen standing next to a very new-looking 18 foot Crestliner with a 150hp Yamaha that was currently planted on the ramp about 1/2 way up the access.

I walked down the ramp to see if they needed some assistance and quickly discovered whoever was "in charge" had forgotten to attach the winch strap as they had power loaded the boat on the trailer. The boat managed to stay on the trailer until 1/2 way up when it rolled off the trailer and onto the ground.

No one at the access who witnessed that event will ever forget to double-check their winch strap from now on as that boat had significant damage to the bottom of the transom as well as the lower unit.

Bummer of a day for those two guys to be sure.

 

[fishrdan]

Re: Ramp experiences

i boated with my parents for 10-15 years about 15 years ago and the rule was the trailer order set the order in which the boats come out of the water.

Respectifully I must disagree... Each ramp may have special circumstances, with different solutions. Common courtesy and common sense need to trump rules.

I'm with Terry on this. I've been to a few ramps where the person with a boat at the dock is in control, no room for anyone to do anything else as the ramp is completely blocked.

On the flip side, I've been to other ramps 6-8 wide and if everyone is waiting for the 2 dock-side lanes, I'm going around them to use an outer lane. Just because they are waiting for the dock-side lane, doesn't mean I have to wait for them to get the dock-side lane, if the outer lanes are completely wide open. I hope they don't get pizzed, but if they wanted to use an outer lane, they should have done so before I pull up. I've been they guy waiting for the dock-side lane and if someone wants to use the outer lane, go for it! (... just don't get in my way :facepalm: )

If all lanes are being used, well, I have to wait in line just like everyone else.

 

[BonairII]

Re: Ramp experiences

If all lanes are being used, well, I have to wait in line just like everyone else.

I'm not sure what the general rules are at most ramps.

Here's a scenario that happened to me a couple weeks ago. The ramp was crowded and there were 30+ plus boats idling waiting to come into the docks. I got my boat to a dock and ran to the car while my son sat with the boat.

I pulled into the line of trucks(most were boats waiting in line to launch)and a handful of us were trucks w/ empty trailers trying to pull out boats out. What do I do here? Just wait in line to pull my boat? Or do I pass the trucks/boats waiting to launch and pull my boat out(thus clearing a lane for launching)?

In this scenario, 4 of the 7 lanes had boats waiting for trailers.....but the empty trailers were far back in the line. Seems as though, the boats wanting OUT of the water would take priority. Yes?

 

[Davem3]

Re: Ramp experiences

In this scenario, 4 of the 7 lanes had boats waiting for trailers.....but the empty trailers were far back in the line. Seems as though, the boats wanting OUT of the water would take priority. Yes?

Usually, yes, but not 100% etched in stone.

if i am getting ready to launch, and people are trying to get in, i usually let them go first, thus opening up room for me to launch, but that is just my opinion ................

 

[LippCJ7]

Re: Ramp experiences

Seems as though, the boats wanting OUT of the water would take priority. Yes?

Here in Colorado that would depend, if your at a lake like Chatfield or Cherry Creek where they have boat limits and reach them every day yes taking off has priority CLEARLY, since the State Parks Service will not let a boat on until one gets off.

If you are at a lake that does not hit the boat limit then your waiting like everyone else. Obviously extenuating circumstances can change this but Generally cutting line will get you tossed off the lake quickly, its one of those places where the Park Rangers keep a good eye on.

 

[Scott Danforth]

Re: Ramp experiences

many of the ramps here are labeled launch lanes and retrieve lanes. however not everyone can read.

I so want to mount a web cam on various boat ramps and call it the boat ramp network. much better than comedy central.