Just curious, thoughts on cutting the line at the ramp?

[josh195]

Up here in Canada, we call those kind of people "dipshits".

Every ramp we go to use, there's always at least one...

At the lake we commonly go to there always seems to be a car parked in the turnaround area. Either gawking or fishing from the docks.

 

[212s]

At the lake we commonly go to there always seems to be a car parked in the turnaround area. Either gawking or fishing from the docks.

Yup, we see that too, gawkers watching the show and parking in the way. The good thing is most of the ramps we visit we get there before the crowds arrive, and often leave after the crowds go home for dinner, so usually not too busy and we can get in/out in a couple minutes.

 

[212s]

So as far as cutting in line goes, I don’t have a problem with someone going around me if I’m not ready and they are and they ask, or if someone needed to retrieve their boat I’d wave them ahead.

Yup, I'd have no issues if someone is holding others up.

The last thing I want to do is have an altercation with anyone at the ramp…

Same here...but only because some cowardly douches would vandalize your truck or trailer when you're gone. I have a dash cam, but it can't see someone keying my truck or messing with my wheels.

 

[212s]

I have come to the realization that for the most part these people just don't get it, or know or are just dumb.

I vote for the latter...just dumb.

 

[Crob83]

I had a douchebag encounter a few months ago. Ramp is about 8 wide. My brother in law was coming down the ramp and the guy behind just comes down right behind him. Maybe room for 2 boats if they are very good at backing down, he just goes super fast cuts him off and goes into the spot. My bro in law said fuck it there's room for both of us if your gonna be a dick, and backed down right next to him like 5 or 6 inches apart. They pull out before us and then stare me down in the parking lot as they are strapping the ties downs, etc. Had my buddies 60 year old mother in law and aunt with me, took everything I had to not go over there. I was fuming mad, but I was like fuck it, it isn't worth it

 

[FSH 210 Sport]

So here is a good one from today, and is this type of thing Is why I do not go to the lake on the weekends..

Today was a busy day at the lake.. but when we arrived in the early afternoon we were the only ones in line per se’ at the water craft inspection-this is a super quick process with young people doing the check that probably takes about 3-5 mins max. About the time my friend is finishing up the check with the two teenagers, I’m removing the transom straps and putting the plug in.. just as I’m walking back to get into the truck, my two friends are in the boat, some mooseknuckle pulls up right next to me talks quickly with the two young folks doing the check and zips down to the ramp, and starts backing down. I said to my friends, that was a bit of a dick move.

So I pull down to the ramp but still up a ways so this guy can get off of the launch ramp. They proceed to dick around with the boat, no one is in the boat mind you, and finally the guy in the truck pulls away and leaves his friend holding the boat by one bow line. I start to back down and I look back to see the guy holding the boat on his cell phone, mind you there is another boat on the other side of the tiny dock waiting for something.. I think they were leaving. So there we are waiting for a couple of mooseknuckles to get the heck out of the way.. I get out to tell my friends to chill and we can just wait for these pinheads.. my friend says to me, did you hear what I said? I said no, my friend tells me that he said to the guy to get off his cell phone and move the boat out of the way, you were in such a big hurry to go around us now you are just sitting there holding everyone up. I look over and this guy is still on his phone and is pulling the boat around the end of the dock, as he does it starts drifting into the other boat that is tied up on the other side. This mooseknuckle never gets off his cell phone and is proceeding to push the boat with his foot to keep it off the dock and you can see the boat pivoting around the end of the dock.. I say to my friend, look that boat is going to bash into the other boat. My friend says to me, let’s go. So I back my boat down the ramp, my friend starts the motors as I back it into the water and then give it a bit of a shove and we are off the ramp in about 60 seconds, then I go park the truck.

When I’m walking back down I can see even more boats in and around the launch ramp and the tiny dock.. so I walk over onto the slip docks so my friend can come over and pick me up. About this time I notice that this mooseknuckle is in the boat by himself, I wonder where the other guy is? So I get picked up and we start to motor out of the marina area, and just as we are leaving I see the boat owner come walking down the hill from the parking area, this had to be at least 12-15 mins since he drove up there and it is a 2 min walk back down the hill..

This is one of the main reasons I don’t go to the lake on the weekends.. People suck.

 

[Julian]

I've always thought people pulling out alternate with people putting in, regardless of how long the line is to put in. I maybe wrong, but it makes no sense for the guy pulling out to block the dock so people can't put in.

 

[HangOutdoors]

When I am pulling out I tie the boat to the dock and the admiral and usually 1 kid hold it there till I run to go get the trailer. She can't drive it around the docks and maneuver. We have tried and she is unable to get the hang of it and gets very stressed out. She is also cannot back trailer in. Maybe someday, but it is just one of those things she cannot do. On our launches, mostly, there is no place to tie your boat and the docks are not long. So you basically tie up the dock. But I am basically running to get the trailer so as not to hold it up more than necessary. Bio breaks, unloading, chit chat is all saved for when we get to the Tie Down area, or if we are launching, when we are underway.

I have strict, don't let me see you on a cell phone or texting while we are going or coming out. Everyone pitches is and we do it smoothly as possible.

Launching takes us about 1 -2 minutes. We stage everything before I make the approach to the ramp. All that needs done is to put lines on the cleats, once we determine which ramp and side we are taking, unhook safety chain and winch strap once it is going into the water.

Pulling out we have it down to a science. Today, on 6 ramps taking boats out we were the last to approach the dock from the water and the first one out and to the tie up area. We have practiced it to a tee, even in the drive with the kids. Everyone has a job and we can do it without even talking to each other. Took us some practice to get there.

If there is a line of boats coming in and we are getting ready to come off the lake, I just kind of wait and spin in circles of have a water and just relax. Sometimes someone will waive me in before they launch, but I find that waiting a bit till it unclogs, makes it less stressful and easier.

 

[Ronnie]

I launched out of discovery bay marina yesterday and eventually boated to orwood marina for lunch less than 3 miles away. Both have great launch facilities and an attendant who takes people, usually the tow vehicle driver, to and from the ramp and parking lot in a golf cart. While at orwood we saw an suv pull up with a Waverunner in tow. The driver got out and dumped a few vests on the ground at the top of the ramp and proceed to talk with his guest for a good five minutes not giving a shit that he was taking up that ramp with people lining up to use it and leaving only two ramps for everyone else. This would never happen at discovery bay, their attendants would be all over that foolishness.

Discovery bay has two ramps and an area between them where they can launch and recover boats with a forklift which are stored in a dry stack near by.
$20 launch fee, gates close at 9. Always multiple deck hands available to help.


Orwood has three ramps. With the far one used as a recovery ramp only on busy weekends. $15 launch fee and there is no gate to close. No help whatsoever on the dock except on really busy weekends when they have someone directing traffic at the ramps.


One of my guests asked which I prefer and why. My response, When I have experienced people on board or when i feel confident enough in my solo skills, orwood. Since the ramps are in view of the restaurant and convenience store patios you are almost sure to have an audience. Once upon a time they had bleachers set up near by and people would hold up cards rating you from 1 to 10. Talk about pressure. I use Discovery Bay Marina when I’m with less experienced people and / or I’m just not feeling like being on display as I launch or recover. It costs $5 more at discovery bay and it’s a longer walk to the parking lot but well worth it on most days. I think the extra fee and the fact that you have to recover your boat before the gate closes keeps some of cheap asshats and those that want to stay out later away.

I will close with this, trailer boaters are a different breed of boaters, they’ve got to be tougher, have more skills and definitely need to learn to be more / have more opportunities to be patient.

 

[HangOutdoors]

@Ronnie WOW those ramps and docks look awesome, not to mention the palm trees. Here on LSC the dock is about 30-35' long, wooden, too high or low depending on water height since they are on wooden posts and creaky. Also today I had to Navigate mountains of goose shit all over the dock and ramp so as not to drag it into the truck or into the boat.

 

[FSH 210 Sport]

@Ronnie WOW those ramps and docks look awesome, not to mention the palm trees. Here on LSC the dock is about 30-35' long, wooden, too high or low depending on water height since they are on wooden posts and creaky. Also today I had to Navigate mountains of goose shit all over the dock and ramp so as not to drag it into the truck or into the boat.

I had to laugh when mentioned the mountains of goose shit…. I deal with that as well. Usually I take out my 5 gallon bucket and wash it all off.

 

[FSH 210 Sport]

I launched out of discovery bay marina yesterday and eventually boated to orwood marina for lunch less than 3 miles away. Both have great launch facilities and an attendant who takes people, usually the tow vehicle driver, to and from the ramp and parking lot in a golf cart. While at orwood we say an suv pull up with a Waverunner in tow. The driver got out and dumped a few vests on the ground at the tip of the ramp and proceed to be with his guest for a good five minutes no giving a shit that he was taking up that ramp with people lining up to use now just the remains two. This would never happen at discovery bay, their attendants woudl

Discovery bay has two ramps and an area between them where they can launch and recover boats with a forklift which are stored in a dry stack near by.
$20 launch fee, gates close at 9. Always multiple deck hands available to help.
View attachment 157394
View attachment 157397
Orwood has three ramps. With the far one used as a recovery ramp only on busy weekends. $15 launch fee and there is no gate to close. No help whatsoever on the dock except on really busy weekends when they have someone directing traffic at the ramps.
View attachment 157395
View attachment 157396
One of my guests asked which I prefer and why. My response, When I have experienced people on board or when i feel confident enough in my solo skills, orwood. Since the ramps are in view of the restaurant and convenience store patios you are almost sure to have an audience. Once upon a time they had bleachers set up near by and people would hold up cards rating you from 1 to 10. Talk about pressure. I use Discovery Bay Marina when I’m with less experienced people and / or I’m just not feeling like being on display as I launch or recover. It costs $5 more at discovery bay and it’s a longer walk to the parking lot but we’ll worth it on most days. I think the extra fee and the fact that you have to recover your boat before the gate closes keeps some of cheap asshats and those that want to stay out later away.

I will close with this, trailers boaters are a different breed of boaters, they’ve got to be tougher, have more skills and definitely need to learn to be more / have more opportunities to be patient.

Awesome looking facility @Ronnie ! Sounds like the $20 is well spent at Discovery… asshat repellent. I like to call it the 2% rule, roughly 2% of the people are just no good, the other 98% have varying degrees of goodness in them. It still just amazes me how people like the guy you described will do stuff like that. I used to give people like that the benefit of doubt but as my life experience has increased I have come to the inescapable conclusion that majority of people who do stuff like that are, well, just a POS and don’t care about anyone else. When confronted in a respectful manner they usually respond with an acute defensive reaction… Karma takes care of people like that, it always does.

There is an old guy that summers at the north ramp of my closest lake and he usually is orchestrating the flow of boats in and out of the small ramp. He does a great job and it flows smoothly.. unfortunately yesterday I think he was taking a break as I was the only one there when I got there. Upon leaving he came over to my truck an we chatted it up a bit and was saying how busy it was.

Still a great day on the water!

One thing I left out of my post from yesterday was that a thunderstorm had blown in during the afternoon, a usual happening here. Anyway, we had timed it right, as we were retrieving there must have been 30 boats all heading for the marina, by that time it was way too late to get away from that storm if you were still on the water. I learned that lesson last year and now always carry good rain gear, and I know of several small coves to go and hide in until it passes which is usually about an hour.

 

[JetMania]

When I am pulling out I tie the boat to the dock and the admiral and usually 1 kid hold it there till I run to go get the trailer. She can't drive it around the docks and maneuver. We have tried and she is unable to get the hang of it and gets very stressed out. She is also cannot back trailer in. Maybe someday, but it is just one of those things she cannot do. On our launches, mostly, there is no place to tie your boat and the docks are not long. So you basically tie up the dock. But I am basically running to get the trailer so as not to hold it up more than necessary. Bio breaks, unloading, chit chat is all saved for when we get to the Tie Down area, or if we are launching, when we are underway.

I have strict, don't let me see you on a cell phone or texting while we are going or coming out. Everyone pitches is and we do it smoothly as possible.

Launching takes us about 1 -2 minutes. We stage everything before I make the approach to the ramp. All that needs done is to put lines on the cleats, once we determine which ramp and side we are taking, unhook safety chain and winch strap once it is going into the water.

Pulling out we have it down to a science. Today, on 6 ramps taking boats out we were the last to approach the dock from the water and the first one out and to the tie up area. We have practiced it to a tee, even in the drive with the kids. Everyone has a job and we can do it without even talking to each other. Took us some practice to get there.

If there is a line of boats coming in and we are getting ready to come off the lake, I just kind of wait and spin in circles of have a water and just relax. Sometimes someone will waive me in before they launch, but I find that waiting a bit till it unclogs, makes it less stressful and easier.

Our home lake has two different ramp locations, but we usually avoid the one at the marina as it busier, in general. Ours has one ramp wide enough for two boats. I don’t mind if someone ties ho to the side off the dock opposite where the ramp is. This way the the ramp is still clear for two lanes. If a guy is by himself or has a situation like yours, it’s not a huge deal if they hustle to get their vehicle as it down to one lane. In fact, besides peak times, it’s rarely an issue anyway.

My wife is a bulldog and insisted on learning to drive, dock, trailer and back the boat. It was frustrating for me over the past 8 years of boating, but now it gives us great flexibility. We just came back from a week long trip at Table Rock Lake. We had a slip, but it was on the opposite side of the pennislula. The resort was big with 5 docks.

She backed it down and it was a rough ramp (not busy, it was a private ramp on the resort) and took the trailer around, backed the trailer into a spot to store and detached and chocked the trailer. I got her into the slip and all tied up nicely.

When we left, rain was coming and she backed her down and I got it onto the trailer in about 60 seconds. We got it loaded and covered fast as the rain was starting.

When it’s super busy, my wife and kids/friends get in the boat. I can back it straight in as fast as I need to go. We always are prepared before we hit the ramp, so I just stop to unhook the chain just before the trailer hits the water. I back confidently at about 4-5 mph and just lock the brakes when the wheel wells go under. The pushes the boat off the trailer and through the guides. She takes it from there and I immediately pull out and park. We do this so fast I’ve rarely seen others do it as fast and often people marvel in amazement.

 

[HangOutdoors]

@JetMania I wish she could get the hang of it. Just not in her wheelhouse. But I always have hope. We are very fast and efficient and do fine. It is just once in a while it would be great depending on the day if she could.

 

[josh195]

@JetMania I wish she could get the hang of it. Just not in her wheelhouse. But I always have hope. We are very fast and efficient and do fine. It is just once in a while it would be great depending on the day if she could.

I will back the truck down close to the water and jump out and unhook the chain and get in the boat and my wife will back the last little bit to get me in the water and then park the truck. When we load up I will have her steer the boat towards the dock and I will jump off and push her back. She will then motor around until I get the trailer backed in and she then drives the boat up on the trailer. She's still working on getting that part down but each time is a little better.

 

[HangOutdoors]

I will back the truck down close to the water and jump out and unhook the chain and get in the boat and my wife will back the last little bit to get me in the water and then park the truck. When we load up I will have her steer the boat towards the dock and I will jump off and push her back. She will then motor around until I get the trailer backed in and she then drives the boat up on the trailer. She's still working on getting that part down but each time is a little better.

We started doing the same thing where I would line it up and then have her back it in. But the parking around here is real tight and she gets nervous about hitting someone else's trailer and such.

 

[2kwik4u]

We started doing the same thing where I would line it up and then have her back it in. But the parking around here is real tight and she gets nervous about hitting someone else's trailer and such.

We've always done wife in the boat, me in the truck. She drives/docks the boat, arguably, better than I do. This whole ."off load, then stand there with the line and the boat waiting" is completely odd to me. I back in, get the boat off the trailer in the water, then drive away. She motors off away from the docks and floats and waits on my return. Once I'm back on the dock, she'll pilot over and pick me up, we turn around and we're off. ALL loading/prepping/etc is taken care of in the parking lot AWAY from the ramp madness. Our time on the ramp is measured in seconds, and the time at the dock even less.

Might just be our setup as well. The ramp is well away from the courtesy docks. Helps separate the action of getting the boat off the trailer, and the action of getting people back on the boat. Here's our local setup. Even on super busy holiday weekends, it's never more than 10-15min wait to get the trailer in the water.

 

[FSH 210 Sport]

Good on all you guys for having a focused plan with alacritous execution! Love it!

I think I‘m going to test out my Ulterra to try and mimick the MinnKota add about dropping ones boat and then deploying the Ulterra, driving the boat away from the dock, and then use spot lock while you go and park the truck, then drive the boat back to you all the while using the remote. I need to test this out in a real world situ with my friend at the helm of the boat before I try this for real… it would be great to have this in the tool box for when the ramp is super busy and I’m by myself.

@2kwik4u … like you, if I have my friend with me, we are only on the ramp for a matter of seconds, both launching and retrieving.

Too bad this guy with the bass boat looks like he is angry.

 

[HangOutdoors]

@FSH 210 Sport I wan't to try it out as well, just haven't had the opportunity really, it makes me nervous. Let me know how it goes

 

[Murf'n'surf]

Good on all you guys for having a focused plan with alacritous execution! Love it!

I think I‘m going to test out my Ulterra to try and mimick the MinnKota add about dropping ones boat and then deploying the Ulterra, driving the boat away from the dock, and then use spot lock while you go and park the truck, then drive the boat back to you all the while using the remote. I need to test this out in a real world situ with my friend at the helm of the boat before I try this for real… it would be great to have this in the tool box for when the ramp is super busy and I’m by myself.

@2kwik4u … like you, if I have my friend with me, we are only on the ramp for a matter of seconds, both launching and retrieving.

Too bad this guy with the bass boat looks like he is angry.

Always loved that commercial! Don't forget to switch on the batteries before launch or you'll be swimming!!