We Need Boat Launch Videos

[Captain Caveman]

I didn't want to hijack the other thread, but I got an idea. Someone with a video camera should sit at a few busy boat ramps with a video camera in hand. One could put together an informative "don't do this" video available online. I know that there are various videos out there showing swamped trucks, but this would be more instructional about the no-nos

 

[airshot]

Re: We Need Boat Launch Videos

I like that idea a lot !! Problem would be in my area you probably will not find many proper examples, but an awfull lot of bad examples will be easy.

Airshot

 

[pcrg28328]

Re: We Need Boat Launch Videos

Was at the boat ramp a few weeks ago fishing. I saw a man and woman put a 18 something bowrider in and speed away. About 10 minutes later they come racing back ran to the truck and hurriedly loaded the boat. They then stopped half way up the ramp and let the water run out. LOL apparently they forgot the plug. They sat there for about 30 minutes draining.

 

[coreybv]

Re: We Need Boat Launch Videos

They sat there for about 30 minutes draining.

Wow, I've forgotten the plug several times. Once got up to ankle deep in the back of the boat. Even then, I didn't pull out, just headed for open water and putted around for awhile while the bilge pump earned its keep.

Not sure I want to know how much water you need in the boat for it to take 30 minutes to run out the drain!

 

[betroncm]

Re: We Need Boat Launch Videos

Last Sunday while waiting my turn to dock at the boat launch, witnessed someone having a hard time keeping his trailer straight backing down the ramp to get his boat. After what felt like 10 minutes of this and watching this guy almost hit other vehicles near by he finally manage to get his trailer down the ramp. Hooked his boat and drove up only to hear a loud scraping sound from his prop or skeg dragging because he forgot to raise his outdrive.

 

[skydiveD30571]

Re: We Need Boat Launch Videos

If I've learned anything, it's that these things tend to happen in a chain of events. He was probably pretty stressed and hurried after finally getting the trailer in the water that it was easy to miss obvious things like the drive being down. A good deep breath and slowing down does wonders.

This is my third year of boating, and usually use small empty boat ramps on the local lakes. Because of water levels, only 1 ramp is open at the lake I visited yesterday (6 closed ramps). It is a 5-lane ramp with small courtesy dock on the side. I took a parking spot and got everything ready, then headed around towards the ramp. Coming around the corner I see two trucks with pwc's, halfway down the ramp, parked perpendicular to the lanes, loading up a boat that was just backed down one of the lanes :facepalm: they were both blocking about 3 lanes each. There were easily 8-10 boats floating in the small cove waiting on trailers to be backed down (which were waiting on these guys to move). I sat and waited until they moved, and proceeded with my normal routine. What makes people feel like they own the whole ramp? They looked pretty "rough" and most likely wouldn't take a comment very well. My gf is assuming trailer duties so I pointed it out to her and said "See that, that's what you don't do."

 

[MH Hawker]

Re: We Need Boat Launch Videos

I dropped my boat in way back in February and its really been a very calm uneventful season so far, till yesterday

Went out to fish awhile yesterday and ran into a few having problems, its a small very rural sort of back woods ramp at a place called east Lynn lake in WV. When we arrived one guy had his tinny parked in the middle of a 2 lane ramp blocking both lanes while he was prepping it.yea so I just waited and prepped mine. And just as he was getting around to launching a second guy came in a bit hot shouting he had water coming in and needed to get his on the trailer instantly, so guy one gets his fired and moves out of the way while i hold the boat for guy two. guy one moves his rig and guy two backs down and we push his onto the trailed and winch it up and as he is pulling up i hear the skag dragging and yell for him to stop, and he gets it trimmed up and pulls out lol and yes he did have the plug in but he thinks he blew a raw water cooling hose.

Guy one is in his boat and idling out and I get mine dropped in and go to park the truck as water is still draining out of guy two boat I asked about a bilge pump, his answer is ,, I just bought the boat and was giving it a test run,,

So we head out run a few miles out on the lake get anchored in a nice spot and get some lines out and just get settled in and it starts to rain. Let me tell you about east Lynn rain it dosnt fall out of the sky like most places it all ways rains side ways, so yea we are like drowned rats head back to the launch, load the boat, get the cover on and head out.

About 2 miles into the drive going around a blind curve down hill to find a tractor stopped in the lane with blue lights flashing a bit farther down the road. Some poor person had lost control in the rain and did a head on into the end of a Gard rail and rolled their truck about 100 feet and just as we were coming to a stop the ambulance was pulling up.

So today I am sitting here waiting on the rain to slack up so I can empty the boat out and start drying stuff out to get ahead of the mold. And looking at 3 more days of rain.

 

[whynson]

Re: We Need Boat Launch Videos

As disappointing as a messed up day on the water is, at least you weren't the guy in boat 2 taking on water or in the truck that lost control. Sometimes its the things that don't happen that make you feel lucky.