worst boat ramp story

[powderhombre]

So finally got the 17ft bowrider fixed up and ready to test it. first time in 14 years boat has seen water! my first boat and first time out. (Good friend with lots of experiance along for help) South shore ramp at Antero reservior in Colorado's South Park, home of huge 10 lbs. Rainbow trout. Unloaded no problem, walked boat over to the CONCRETE dock. buddy says I'll push you off, head out in the middle of the cove and out to lake. I do, and about 100 yard away bamm! the outdrive hits something!. I don't have a fish?depth finder yet. didn't feel any shudder or anything so I hit the tilt down and go on my way. had a great time, boat handled OK and no leaks or issues. wind came up, and we headed back. lots of other boats doing circles and figure eights waitng, so me too, and then Bamm! outdrive hits something and this time the engine stalls.we were a good 400 yards out. Start up and feel shudder for sure. tore my prop up pretty good, but no shaft damage. got lucky. so had a little trouble loading, as I didn't want to drive onto trailer, as everyone else was doing for fear of hitting the outgrive again/ saw a guy ground his boat 10 feet off the ramp. he walked out to push it off, the water was only knee deep! I don't think I'll be using the south shore ramp again.

 

[Mark42]

Re: worst boat ramp story

Sounds like a rather shallow area with rocks. Are there any buoys or channel markers in the area so you can avoid the rocks and bottom?

 

[powderhombre]

Re: worst boat ramp story

no bouys. Antero is a shallow lake for sure, only 12 feet deep avarage. it is man made and very weedy. there is a map at the ramps showing a couple of known shallow areas, but we were not near them. the north ramp is much better, but it was closed because the wildlife officers were short handed and could not inspect boats at both ramps. checking for Zebra mussels. don't know why they picked the worst ramp to open.. they must have known I was comin..

 

[Thad]

Re: worst boat ramp story

Well, it is not a newb mistake for sure. I have been launching regularly at the same ramp for five years now and on and off for the last, oh, I don't know twenty or so.
Three weeks ago, I got my new prop and while waiting for my trailer, bounced off of some big rocks never knew were there. Tore up my brand new, 24 hour old, 4-blade Solas. $2.00 less than it cost to buy for repair.

And I have a depth gauge. But, then again, I think they are only good for telling you where you should be and not where you should not.

A little something my dad taught me when I was young, that I don't do, is use your paddle off the side to check the depth if your not sure. Although, in my case it would not have helped, I was idling in 5 ft. of water at the time.

 

[rentprop1]

Re: worst boat ramp story

stumps ??

 

[109jb]

Re: worst boat ramp story

Another plus for an outboard. Can be run at low speed in the tilt range as long as the water pickups are in the water. I have had to do just this a several times on shallow lakes. Can be run with the prop 1/2 in and 1/2 out of the water.

 

[mike-the-cobra]

Re: worst boat ramp story

Happened this summer. Rented a cottage on a lake for a week. Never got the boat running but that is another story. The boat launch at this lake didn't have any concrete, just sand. launched no problem. Put it back on the trailer, got in the truck, stepped on the gas, rear tires sunk 6 inches.

Here I am on an unfamiliar lake, not knowing anyone, so I started going to houses and found someone with a huge 4 wheel drive pickup. Felt like a real idiot! After he pulled me out, he stated that I should have my truck checked because he didn't see my front tires pulling at all.

Felt too much like an idiot to tell him I only had 2 wheel drive.......

 

[RoyR]

Re: worst boat ramp story

Launched in the ocean, came back few hours later, not realizing the tide had dropped. First time at this ramp, slowly pulling up on the trailer when the boat stops? Wife backs the trailer in deeper, and I add a bit of power, nothing moves? Look back only to see a spray of sea water and sand.... Boat was bottoming out Luckily nothing was damaged!

 

[H8tank]

Re: worst boat ramp story

he stated that I should have my truck checked because he didn't see my front tires pulling at all.

Lol, too funny.

 

[This_lil_fishy]

Re: worst boat ramp story

Yup, almost had one of those days, there's a notorious rocky lake near me that I wasn't familiar with. Anyhow I was running about 40mph in what I thought was a main channel (missed a channel marker!!) when I just happened to look down at my fish finder and see the bottom of the lake (what was about 50') comming up real fast! Cut the throttle, and hit the trailer switch to bring the drive up. Just as the drive hit the stop I felt a very slight bump..almost like docking....cept it was some car sized boulders under me. That is my lucky day story.


My docking story, end of a long day on my 14' fiberglass runabout, a long day of 2'-3' swells. Actually got checked by the cost guard to make sure I was okay. So anyhow cruise into the dock not realizing how beat up I really was and waited patiently for the guy ahead of me to load his jet ski. He pulls out, and I pull up to the dock and noticed I wasn't comming in right, so SLAMMED it into reverse, but turned the wrong way, and SLAMMED the bow of the boat into the dock. Hard enough that everyone within 20' turned to see what happened. I felt like a total idiot and learned a valuable lesson...think first react second. Specially when tired out. Just lucky that old '70's boat what built like a tank, not even so much as a skuff. I would be in tears if I did that with the new boat.


ian

 

[werthert]

Re: worst boat ramp story

Good Lord people!

Stop scaring me with your horror stories!

 

[TahoeQ4Pilot]

Re: worst boat ramp story

Passed too close to a boat ramp a few months ago and took out 2 blades of a 3 blade prop. Was loading up at a different ramp on the same lake a few weeks ago and tweaked the new prop.

7 1/2' low lake levels just stink. <shrug>

 

[WAVENBYE2]

Re: worst boat ramp story

Yep, I have been using the same boat launch and THOUGHT I was ok too, Wham!! out of nowhere, hit some rocks too, Well I now know where they are at now!! I still use the same launch area, I tell people to watch out now when I am there and they say "Oh ya you need to watch out for those rocks over there!!" Now they tell me

 

[wilkboater]

Re: worst boat ramp story

Here's mine..............wife can't back the trailer down the ramp(yet-we're working on it), so each time we load, I get the truck and back the trailer in the water, then get back in the boat, while she goes to the truck. I then drive the boat up on the trailer, she hooks the bow, and cranks the winch tight. Somewhere in this long drawn out procedure, one of the boys has some fun pushing the trim button. I jump out of the boat, and tell the wife to pull forward, she does, and we(and everyone at the ramp) hears the horrible sound of aluminum scraping on concrete. The lower unit was all the way down. I had to climb over the side of the boat to push the trim button to let the boat back down on the trailer; it was 8" off of the trailer. Good day---bad ending.......

 

[Thad]

Re: worst boat ramp story

one of the boys has some fun pushing the trim button.

That's your story and you're sticking to it.

Blame the boy, sure, I see how it is...

 

[LIQUID PROZAC]

Re: worst boat ramp story

same happened at lake jordan nc cruising in 10 feet of water and bam--wham---bubbabubbabubba--sand bar and rocks galore--showed 2 feet

 

[gammalight]

Re: worst boat ramp story

same happened at lake jordan nc cruising in 10 feet of water and bam--wham---bubbabubbabubba--sand bar and rocks galore--showed 2 feet

Yeah better watch out at Jordan, especially now, the water level is down really far. Look out for stumps and old roads as well. Everything on the other side of the 64 bridge opposite side from the marina is shallow and dangerous. Stay in the main part of the lake by the beaches and down by the damn.

Saw a guy backing, or more like racing, his brand new twin 250 hp, center console fishing boat down the ramp at Jordan Lake with his tow strap and hook disconnected from the bow. His wife was on the boat when she yelled stop, right at the top of the ramp. We all know that one law that Sir Isaac Newton came up with that states an object in motion will continue in motion unless acted on by an opposing force. Well, yes his boat sure did stay in motion as it came right off the trailer and onto the nice concrete ramp. My Dad and I were in the slip next to them and had a hard time holding back our giggles. The wife then turns to us and states that they do this all of the time, and we looked at eachother and said, 'what, launch your boat onto the ramp instead of the water?'

 

[opieandy1]

Re: worst boat ramp story

The story my family loves to tell.....
planning for a day of fishing at a local lake- get there for an early start. At this particular marina, only a single lane ramp, but very popular. Back trailer down to the water, get out of truck to unhook everything (line starting to build at the ramp). Go to get back in my truck- Locked! Try other door- Locked! And.....the truck is running. They call for the local game warden- he arrives with a big smile. His contribution was to tell me that I should be more careful. 45 minutes later, steaming people around me, get truck unlocked. Drive off (with boat)- go home. Don't feel like fishing today.

 

[jonesg]

Re: worst boat ramp story

If the engine is running you can call the fire dept.

 

[billsnogo]

Re: worst boat ramp story

Yours happened at a launch, mine in the middle of the Mississippi! First day out with the new to us boat. Going along at a medium pace and come up to a pair of islands and decide to turn around and head back due to clutch dog slipping.....

Anyways, we are going along and all of a sudden....BANG! Wife and I look quickly at each other, that did not sound/feel like the clutch dog slipping, we hit something!

Quick tilt the motor up and the boat hits again. Look over the edge and small boulders about the size of a jet-ski are just below the water line..... and are all over in the dead center of the river No warning buoy to mark them either. Current turns the boat and pushes us into some more and wedges us. Try the paddle and can not push us off.

What to do? Well, the current seemed pretty slow and did not think I had much of a choice other than to jump out and push off.

Prop is toast, and I am now afraid to use the river again (launch is only three blocks from my house too!).

I did become my wifes hero though for saving us