fun with boats
 

So last saturday my fiance and i went boating. I should have stayed in bed. Best way to start you day have the boat slide off the trailer at the ramp and slide all the way down the ramp and into the water.(side note the clip used on a float on trailer is the most stupid desigined thing ever and will be replaced with a winch and cable ,i already have a safty chain but it was disconected ) Run fiances foot over with trailer as the happens. Pull boat back out of water do inspection seems ok. Go for boat ride anyways. Radio decides not to work sometimes and trim and tilt pump just clicked when i was trying to anchor up at the sand bar. but other then that it was a uneventful day! :o

Re: fun with boats
 

NOTES TO SELF:

• Never, never unhook safety chains 'til ready for the boat to actually slide back off trailer.
• Place signficant others at safe distance from any incipient disasters

SEE my signature line below :cool:

Re: fun with boats
 

beradtke
I know your pain too well regarding trailer and mechanical issues......at least it seems your fiance was tying to help you out since you ran her foot over Here is what I go through when I launch my boat......
My wife just sorta stands there with a blank look on her face when I back boat into ramp. Even when I ask her to hold a line or keep boat from rubbing against dock..it never seems to compute..and boat is either rubbing on dock or floating in the middle of the docks!!! So I basically have to dunk boat tie it up...run back to truck to find a spot (which is impossible)...run back to boat with all the things in my hand that she forgot...cell phone, purse, dunkin donut iced caramel latte...dog etc. etc....Once I get back to the boat then the real fun begins....oh not to mention returning to the ramp..so it could be worse..(but I love her!!)
:o-FRED

Re: fun with boats
 

Fred...VERY Funny $HIT Right there!!! Spot On! Part II.

Re: fun with boats
 

yes father can i call you that? she was holding the bow and stern lines of the boat so when in water it would not float away. i have read you line many of times and do take it to heart thats why i am changing over to a actually whinch on the bow.

fred i know you pain to as in that when we first went out i had to explane EVERY detail in detail to her. and belive me i love her too!

Re: fun with boats
 

Nothing more fun than watching folks at the boat ramp....great entertaiment!!!! Especially the guys who can't back a trailer and then blames everything on his wife and kids!! In any case I would have only given you a 5.6 to a 5.8 for dropping the boat on the ramp, however running over your soon to be wife's foot, I guess still soon to be wife, would probably make it a 5.9 to a perfect 6.0 score. :-)

Re: fun with boats
 

I agree watching people at the ramp can be entertaining, except I'm usually watching while I'm waiting my turn.........

seeing big boats come off the trailer on to the cement is a little scary, and I've seen that too many times.

Steve

Re: fun with boats
 

Hopefully she will still want to go boating after that :D

I have a little protocol that I never deviate from when launching. Everyone gets out of the truck but the driver when backing down the ramp. Usually I make the family stand out of the way on the dock. I then back the boat down the ramp till the stern is almost over the water. Set parking brake put truck in park. Get out of truck and unhook safety chain and stern tie down straps. Visualize that the plug is in boat (learn that one the hard way) Get back in truck and back down till the stern is just barely in the water. Set brakes again and get out of truck and then loosen winch and unhook the nylon winch strap. Hand someone the bow and stern lines. If I'm by myself I make a loop in the bow line and loop it over the winch support. Then I back the boat the rest of the way in the water. I'm sure you already know all this! sometimes we get excited and in a hurry and forget ;)

strick

Re: fun with boats
 

oh yeah amature days are the best at boat ramps memorial day,4th of july,labor day. me and my dad would go down to sand sprit park just to watch the fun activities.


we still went boating the same day i just had to chech the hull for any major damage before hand. advice well taken strick and from the rest of yall.

Re: fun with boats
 

As an Anglican priest, I'm married. My wife, who loves boating and fishing, can't seem to wrap her head around what to do to help launch the boat even after 20 years of instructions. But she really does want to help!!

So she and I walk around the boat preparing for launch while in the queue. I actually made her a list of what to do and laminated it in plastic.
Here is what it says.

• Start on drivers side at the trailer connection to truck
• Unhook trailer lights (unplug the trailer)
• Untie port bow line from bow rail stanchion and lay over gunwale into cockpit (Untie front left rope thingy from the metal post and put the end of the rope thingy in the back of the boat).
• Unwrap port sternline from the cleat and lay over gunwale into cockpit on top of livewell cover. (take the back rope off the metal thingy and drop it right over the edge onto the seat in the back of the boat just below the metal thingy)
• Release and unhook port aft hull to trailer security strap (Take off strap thingy from back left part of boat where it hooks to the trailer and put the strap thingy in the back of the truck)
• Install flip-style drain plug in live-well drain in transom. (use a drain plug with the finger-hole in the handle to plug bottom left hole in back of boat)
• Install T-handle style drain plug in bilge drain in transom. (use a drain plug without the finger-hole in the handle to plug bottom center hole in back of boat. Tighten after plugging the hole)
• Unwrap starboard sternline from the cleat and lay over gunwale into cockpit on top of bilge access cover. (take the back left rope off the metal thingy and drop it right over the edge onto the seat in the back of the boat just below the metal thingy)
• Release and unhook starboard aft hull to trailer security strap (Take off strap thingy from back right part of boat where it hooks to the trailer and put the strap thingy in the back of the truck)
• Step up onto trailer step behind trailer fender, reach into cockpit and turn on batteries
• Walk back to motor, and tilt motor all the way up. Lower trailering support on left side of motor. Tilt motor down to within 2 feet of the ground.
• Untie starboard bow line from bow rail stanchion and lay over gunwale into cockpit (Untie front right rope thingy from the metal post and put the end of the rope thingy in the back of the boat).
• Unsecure VHF radio antenna and raise it to vertical, then tighten by rotating handle on base.
• Return to back of boat to visually confirm two (2) drainplugs inserted in transom.
• Back boat down the ramp until trailer fenders are just barely completely submerged and stern just begins to float.
• Put track in Park and set parking/emergency brake
• Pass bow line closest to dock to assistant on dock
• Unhook safety chain from bow-eye on front of boat.
• Unhook winch cable from bow eye.
• Have assistant on dock pull boat backwards off trailer. If no assistant present, do this yourself.
• When front of boat is behind back of trailer, pull boat over to dock and secure bow line to dock cleat or piling.
• Use sternline closest to dock to pull back of boat close to the dock and secure sternline to dock cleat or piling.
• Park the truck and trailer.

I really did take out most of the sarcasm that is on the actual list. My wife is a good sport, and laughed when I made the original list, though. :)

Re: fun with boats
 

Boy,that stinks,Glad that you didn't have more damage.
The one thing that spooks me a bit,is standing behind the boat to remove the transom tie downs,while the boat is on the ramp.

My personal best boat tragedy,was filling the fuel tank at a gas station,before launching the boat.
My buddy was backing the boat down the ramp,and I was holding the lines,when I noticed a strong smell of gasoline coming from the vent,that was even with my head.

I had him pull back out,and we got in the boat and found at least ten gallons of gasoline in the bilge,(very scary).
We found a split in the fill hose,way up in a spot that we couldn't see.
What a nightmare it was changing that hose.
I Brought it to a local boat repair yard where the mechanic simply pulled the drain plug,and proceeded to let it all drain into the gravel driveway.
When I questioned him about that,his reply was,"Hey, it came out of the ground,I'm just putting it back in."

At the city of Oswego NY marina,there used to be a bunch of retired guys,who actually sat at the ramp,and held up giant score cards(like figure skating),and scored all the guys launching their boats.
It was hilarious,to see them holding up the giant cards with numbers like 2.0 and 9.9 on them.
The city made them stop,because some guys complained.

I've seen lots of stuff at ramps,some funny,and some sad,from an entire S10 Blazer completely sunk,with the trailer still attached,-To a boat with twin I/O's slide off the trailer,and point up in the air like a rocket,busting one drive completely off.

Now,if someone could get pictures of all these happenings,and put words with them,it would make a great coffee table book.

Re: fun with boats
 

Father Frank..loved your list!!!!
I printed it out...going to give to my wife tonight after work. Should be a good way to start the evening...heck we might even do some practice runs in the driveway!!!!I am off of my blood pressure medicine...so it should be a good test!!!!
Vezo..firefighters and (ex)cops have the same sense of humor!!!
-FRED

Re: fun with boats
 

Ha, ha, love it!!! Maybe I can start a group here at the Homestead Bayfront Park ramps! :D

Re: fun with boats
 

bayfront park is very entertaining. honestly, alot of times it seems to me that i can get my boat off and on the trailer SO much faster than most other people. not trying to brag it just seems like it. sometimes matheson hammock is a good place too.

Re: fun with boats
 

Well i am glad to see every body has had some boating misque happen to them and is just not me with the good run of bad luck. Hope fully this is my last but at my young age probably wont be. I am just glad every thing is ok and what no,cause looking back at it,all you can do is laugh at the situation.

Re: fun with boats
 

when my dad had his 20 dolphin, we had an incident like yours. he had the habit of unhooking the boat from the winch cable. (i have that same habit too now.) just one time we had the boat too heavily loaded and it slid right off. luckily enough the boat was still light enough that 4 guys were able to pick up the back end and we used the electric winch and the tilt trailer to get it back on.

Re: fun with boats
 

I have had to be more careful this season since with the new rollers I put on, the boat slides off like a greased pig.

Beradke, enjoyed this thread the most after showing it to my wife and hearing her ask me with regard to the line below if I think yer referring to the boat or the fiance!

Re: fun with boats
 

blue i have always unloaded the boat this way thats what the kicker is about the hole thing.

rhody the answer is D. all of the above i am glad somebody else got a laugh out of it.

Re: fun with boats
 

My wife backs me in while I'm in the boat, I don't have to tie up the boat. When we come in, I let her off on the dock and she goes and gets the trailer and backs it in. She then hooks up the winch and chinches it down, then pulls the boat out. It doesn't take us long at all to launch or retrieve. :D

Re: fun with boats
 

Wow what good stuff my srory goes like this , while backing down the ramp the hitch popped off the ball, Thank God for the safty chains

Re: fun with boats
 

lost2a6, I launch the boat in the same manner now. Been launching boats for thirty years, mostly with my grouchy dad (expletives deleted of courses), and your system is the system that works the best. at the ramp we frequent, there is a strong current that often presents issues. With a person (driver) in the boat, the driver can drive the boat off the trailer and come back to pick up the others at one of the docks after truck is parked. no ropes needed.. I just started doing it this way about a year ago and it is by far the quickest way to launch..... boat ramps can be one of the scariest places on the planet imho...some people laugh at the nonsense and idiots...it just stresses me out!!!!!

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Beradtke, don't beat yourself up too bad. Whether we want to admit it or not, We have all done things that were "less than brilliant" at the boat ramp. I have forgotten to put in plugs, forgotten boat keys at home, etc. About twenty yrs ago I actually locked my keys in the truck on the ramp itself and had to call a locksmith... Fairly recently I forgot to take fishing rods down from the t-top after pulling boat out and a couple of them did battle with an oak tree as I was moving the truck and boat from the ramp. the oak tree won. All you can do is learn from the mishaps. It all makes you a better boater :)

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I consider myself very lucky to have a wife that can do the same.

Re: fun with boats
 

i know what your saying just was a great way to start the day off. i am luck no body was hurt and the boat has no major structural damage to the boat. my dad when he had his seacraft always forgot to put down the vhf/loran antennas and always smacked the stop lights at this one intersection on the way home.

Re: fun with boats
 

Hauling the Seafari out at a Cape Cod ramp this past Friday the winch cable snapped about 2" from the hook when the bow was just about ready to kiss the bow stop. She slid right back down into the water. With the cable gone I put the hook on the safety chain and drove the boat up to the stop, just to get off the ramp.

I can assure you I will always take the safety chain on and off at the bottom of the ramp, not the top. Some rust on the 1/4" cable yes, but really did not look that bad. And I just went through and replaced virtually all the hardware on the trailer over the winter with ss, also the rollers but left the cable alone thinking it was fine. Good advice above.

Re: fun with boats
 

i think my favorite one it this one.
Years ago I had a 17ft Aquasport, that the fuel line had rotted or rubbed a hole in itself. Instead of replacing original I added a different fill on the console,since my tank was underneath it.
My uncle asked to borrow it since he was normally landlocked and didn't get down much. Reluctantly, I agreed. When I came home from work, the boat was siting pretty in the driveway, so with relief I asked how the day went. Said they had a good day, but we needed to check the gas because he could smell a little during the day, must be the engine flooding. Also my gauge ws broken because he had put 45 GALLONS in it and it didn't register. I asked him how many cigarettes had they smoked and he said a few.
"did you pull the plug at the ramp"
"yes"
"Smell like gas"
" a little"
"let me show you something i forgot to tell you about"

I think my sides quit hurting sometime that evening.
That might have been the last time I allowed anyone to use a boat of mine that hadn't already been on it numerous times and I fully trusted.

Re: fun with boats
 

boy good thing that didn't go off, that could have been their last smoke

Re: fun with boats
 

People watchin at the ramp should be an olympic sport. A picture is worth a thousand words.

Cedar Key, Florida, July 2006
http://i655.photobucket.com/albums/u...9/IMG_1594.jpg

The captain is trying to pull start the motor while the crew enjoys the shade provided by their stylish umbrella hats.

Re: fun with boats
 

It never ceases to amaze me how WE survive some of the things we do. Call it luck, a Guardian Angel, what have you, but there is usually "someone up there who likes you" around when we need 'em!

Fun with boats: I'm a Boatnik, too.
 

As I sit here reading, I remembered an incident I had tried very hard to forget. It's a classic boo-boo.

When I was about 10 years old, my grandfather, who was a retired Navy officer, and I were going fishing on his early 1950's 45' Rybovich Sportfisherman, leaving from Lake Worth Yacht Club. (Now long gone) As we were preparing to leave, we pulled up to the fuel dock to take on fuel. My grandfather asked if I could handle fueling the boat, to which I proudly replied, "Yes". He went up to the harbor master's office to get ice and bait, and I got the gas hose, and began to put gas in the boat. (The boat had twin Chrysler Imperial motors)

After a couple of minutes, my grandfather came out, and turned off the gas right at the pump. He casually walked over to me, lifted the gas nozzle out of the rod holder, moved it over 4 inches to the open gas fill, and in a very calm voice said, "I think this'll work better". But I had already put about 8-10 gallons of gas into the bilge. He calmly turned on the bilge pumps, and then went in and bought a gallon of boat soap, and poured it into the bilge, and then added lots of water. I finished filling the twin 300 gallon fuel tanks, through the fuel fill this time, and we then went fishing.

I never did that again.

Re: Fun with boats: I'm a Boatnik, too.
 

Aren't Grandfathers GREAT!! WE cannot imagine the ALL of the screw-ups Grandfathers have endured as the result of our tireless effort to "help!" Fathers, too. (My Mom and Dad had some major rennovation done to a 150 yr. old farmhouse here in Mass. some 50 years ago. My two brothers and I helped the carpenters SO much they started charging my Dad for the screwdrivers, hammers, pliers, etc. etc, we all managed to drop inside the lath and plastered walls!

Re: fun with boats
 

Having spent my teenage years in a condo across from the 15th St boat ramp in Lauderdale, there is no greater entertainment than a boat ramp. The city should let boaters launch for free and charge spectators admission to the follies. Seen it all, the best reason for having your passengers exit the tow vehicle prior to launch is so the harbor police don't have to ask if anyone is still in the vehicle.
Once saw a tow cable (land based) snap that was attached to a 'combo-launch'(car/trailer/boat) and it came back, cut a nice 24" thick palm tree in two .... over a 100' away!
But the best were the low tide, two wheel drive types pulling out a twin I/O 23 footer and burning rubber until the tires popped .... the driver getting out to inspect the fact that, yes, there is no tire left (they always touch it, like their eyes are tricking them) and then (turning in disbelief) slipping on the algae and tumbling into the water.
Aahhh .... good times. :o

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Re: fun with boats
 

what exactly is the guy in the blue who is bent over looking at??? is he checking the air pressure in the trailer tires??? I would say that he was not having a good day at the boat ramp...

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Looks like he's attaching the tow strap. It looks like the hood is up on the Ford!

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Hey Ralph, what did the dealer say we should do next to launch this truck?

Re: fun with boats
 

well that's no good, that'll let the water right into the enjun!

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"WHAT, THE HOOD'S UP!!!! He said to make sure we take the GAS cap off, not put the hood up!"

Re: fun with boats
 

what a great pic head first Must be a james bond truck