Showed my a** at the ramp this weekend

[Bennie]

Here is my story from this weekend.

If you have not already guessed it, this father and son team is my boy and I. Clearly this is one of my worst launches ever, fortunately there was nobody waiting to launch behind me nor in the process of recovering their boat, if there was I believe that I would have cleared the ramp a lot sooner. My point is things like this happen even to those with lots of experience and it is a good reminder, for me anyway, to keep cool when it happens whether too me or someone in front of me at the ramp.

"Here you go son - 1 'Get Out of Jail Free' card.... my bad"

 

[MattFX4]

Here is my story from this weekend.

A guy and his kid pull up to the ramp, prep in the prep area, they look like they have launching down to a science with the kid holding both lines as dad backs the boat and trailer into the water at the ramp. Dad stops short initially, so the boat doesn't drift off the trailer. He backs the trailer in further, still no movement, after snapping at his kid, dad gets out to try and push the boat off the trailer which does not work either. Dad backs the trailer further in to the point where water is just an inch or so below the rear hatch on the his SUV tow vehicle. Again no movement, again dad gets out to push on the bow manually. This all takes place over a period of less than two minutes and with a small audience on the dock. Finally dad relents and pulls the boat and trailer out of the water to the top of the ramp. Low and behold, one of the transom straps is still attached. After it is detached the father son team launch the boat and clear the ramp in less than 30 seconds.

If you have not already guessed it, this father and son team is my boy and I. Clearly this is one of my worst launches ever, fortunately there was nobody waiting to launch behind me nor in the process of recovering their boat, if there was I believe that I would have cleared the ramp a lot sooner. My point is things like this happen even to those with lots of experience and it is a good reminder, for me anyway, to keep cool when it happens whether too me or someone in front of me at the ramp.

Ronnie, do you mind going more in to detail about your launching method. Curious to what you mean by your son holding both lines when you back boat in to water. Do you dump boat in water and drive off while your son holds boat with lines from shore?

 

[Ronnie]

@MattFX4 , it is pretty much as you described. That is, part of the prep is to attach the fenders and lines to the dock side of the boat. I usually use two of each at the forward and midship cleats. As I back into the ramp my wife or son holds the lines and walks along side the boat on the dock. When the boat floats off the trailer I pull the trailer out of the ramp to park it with the tow vehicle. My wife and son determine whether they want to tie off and wait for me to get back to the boat or just hold the rope until I get back. If they know ahead of time that they won't be thing off we don't even out out fenders. Sometimes we can do a hot launch where I drive the boat of the trailer and someone else drives the two vehicle. In this instances we don't put any lines or fenders out.

 

[BigN8]

@MattFX4 , Sometimes we can do a hot launch .

I do a hot launch every morning before work!

 

[MattFX4]

@MattFX4 , it is pretty much as you described. That is, part of the prep is to attach the fenders and lines to the dock side of the boat. I usually use two of each at the forward and midship cleats. As I back into the ramp my wife or son holds the lines and walks along side the boat on the dock. When the boat floats off the trailer I pull the trailer out of the ramp to park it with the tow vehicle. My wife and son determine whether they want to tie off and wait for me to get back to the boat or just hold the rope until I get back. If they know ahead of time that they won't be thing off we don't even out out fenders. Sometimes we can do a hot launch where I drive the boat of the trailer and someone else drives the two vehicle. In this instances we don't put any lines or fenders out.

ok thanks. I usually back our boat down the ramp as far as possible without boat floating off trailer, then me and my 19 month old son hop in boat and my wife backs up the next several feet to get the boat off the trailer. Then she parks the truck and trailer while I drive over to dock. This only works at boat ramps with pull through parking because she can't back worth a flip (already jackknifed the trailer once and bent the winch handle). Just trying to come up with new ways to launch, especially if I ever attempt to launch the boat by myself.

 

[Bennie]

@Ronnie are you envious that @BigN8 takes Metamucil?

 

[Ronnie]

If I launch alone I simply tie the lines off as far back as possible on the dock after I get the trailer just far enough in that the boat won't float off of it. Afterwards I float the boat and let it stay tied off while I park the trailer and tow vehicle.

 

[Ronnie]

@Ronnie are you envious that @BigN8 takes Metamucil?

What, I thought he had a job or a routine which has him boating every morning?

 

[mark_m]

ok thanks. I usually back our boat down the ramp as far as possible without boat floating off trailer, then me and my 19 month old son hop in boat and my wife backs up the next several feet to get the boat off the trailer. Then she parks the truck and trailer while I drive over to dock. This only works at boat ramps with pull through parking because she can't back worth a flip (already jackknifed the trailer once and bent the winch handle). Just trying to come up with new ways to launch, especially if I ever attempt to launch the boat by myself.

Solo launch - similar to @Ronnie technique:

1. Pull slack on the winch but not unhook from bow. 2. Back it in until she floats.
3. Tie off line amidships and stern
4. Walk the boat to end of ramp
5. Tie off
6. Park truck/ trailer
7. Untie and go

Only do this when solo / non busy time at the ramps. Weekday, etc.

 

[Bennie]

@Ronnie - I don't know if he's boating but I'm positive he's dropping the kids off at the pool.

LMAO!!

 

[BigN8]

What, I thought he had a job or a routine which has him boating every morning?

My buddies and I are always coming up with metaphors to describe the dirty deed.......you know, release the hounds, take the kids to the pool, go see a man about a horse, launch the bouy, now thanks to Ronnie I have added another! (I.e. "I feel much better after the hot launch I just executed"!

 

[Bennie]

Taking the Browns to the Super Bowl! Pinching a loaf! Filing the paperwork!

-- sorry I digress

 

[justason]

FUN STUFF !! the ramp never disappoints. We have 3 launches at our ramp. One was being used this past Saturday.....One empty, couldnt see the other...So i walked forward of my truck to start directing traffic only to find a boat...nose up a the 3rd ramp....by nose up I mean 24" sticking out of the water....about a 10' fiberglass john boat....engine keeping it in the hole where the bass boats power on.....O BOY...HERE WE GO

I'm standing at the top of the ramp with about 4 other folks when some lady (of walmart appearance) walked up and started chewing ME/US out for watching and not helping.....I simply stated...."based on the amount of GAS I smell, and bubba over there fishing with a Virginia slim in his jowel...I'm good right here.......

I'll be damned if they didn't get this thing upright and black on the trailer....seems the plug "fell out"......

good times, good times....sorry no picture....too much GAS

 

[Ronnie]

My buddies and I are always coming up with metaphors to describe the dirty deed.......you know, release the hounds, take the kids to the pool, go see a man about a horse, launch the bouy, now thanks to Ronnie I have added another! (I.e. "I feel much better after the hot launch I just executed"!

I totally understand now. My turn to digress, here is link to one of the more recent poo porri commercials out of the UK, they have plenty more that don't get televised here in the u.s. Lots to laugh at if you have that kind of sense of humor, I do. My wife actually ordered someone it works as advertised. " when you are ready to down load a brown load into the bowl, spray three times before you go and know one will know.

 

[BigN8]

The "deuce on deck" is one of the more utilized terms!!!

 

[Boat Crazy]

I agree, ramp etiquette bothers me too.

1) no fishing from the dock while people are loading /unloading
2) when returning, do not drop off your buddy to get truck then back out from dock. Now one know you are in line. (must be a bass boat thing)
3) do not add bumpers, remove transom latches, put plug in boat while loading. Do that in the parking lot.
4) do not butt in line when returning to dock or launching, use common courtesy
5) once you unloaded your boat, move it, so the next boat can launch.
6) when a storm is coming, the boater on the water should have the right-away to ramp access (safety first). Jet skier launching at 5PM when the sky is black need to wait.

Not sure I agree with your #2. If you only have 1 ramp and 1 dock, I always get dropped off to get trailer, than wife backs away to allow others to do the same. The trailer in the water, determines who loads next.

 

[Zeus2013]

@MattFX4 , it is pretty much as you described. That is, part of the prep is to attach the fenders and lines to the dock side of the boat. I usually use two of each at the forward and midship cleats. As I back into the ramp my wife or son holds the lines and walks along side the boat on the dock. When the boat floats off the trailer I pull the trailer out of the ramp to park it with the tow vehicle. My wife and son determine whether they want to tie off and wait for me to get back to the boat or just hold the rope until I get back. If they know ahead of time that they won't be thing off we don't even out out fenders. Sometimes we can do a hot launch where I drive the boat of the trailer and someone else drives the two vehicle. In this instances we don't put any lines or fenders out.

This is exactly as my wife and I launch. By the time I jog back to the ramp, the boat is running and my mom and kids are in and waiting on me, my wife and I get in at the same time and we are off and running.

 

[Tranio]

/\----not sure if serious.

Unfortunately very serious

 

[Bennie]

Unfortunately very serious

Come on @Tranio - you gotta tell us the story now!! Great pic and no story... what a tease.
"You're killing me Smalls"

 

[Tom V]

I'm going to vent, because ramp courtesy is one of my biggest pet peeves!! So our marina has 4 ramps (if people know how to back). A single ramp on the left, a dock, a double ramp in the middle ( which most D-bags think is just a giant single ramp for their personal use) another dock, and then a single ramp on the right. To the right and left of these are multiple docks and wet slips. I can't figure out why people insist on tying there damn boats up to the docks in the middle of the ramps. So like I do every time, I park my boat at one of the docks or empty slips ten feet down from the ramps and pack up what I can for the day. My wife stays with the boat while I go get the truck and get in line for the ramps. Finally I get the trailer backed in, and walk the 10 feet over and get the boat which my wife already has running and ready to step in and go. We are working on teaching her how to back and load, but I have enough courtesy to know Memorial Day weekend is not the time or place for giving lessons (which others apparently did not!) So I pull around and start to line up with the trailer and find some kid with 2 jet skis tied up behind my trailer. To the left of that is someone's 24'searay with no owner in sight tied to the other dock. And I loose it!! I lay on the horn for a few seconds and shout at the kid "An entire marina worth of parking and you have to tie up in front of the ramp"! You could tell he was embarrassed and started to try and pull the skis against the dock but one would float back out as soon as he let go to grab the other. I was able to ease around him, but it made my approach crooked and had to spend extra time getting straight on the trailer. The guy next to me, since I gave enough room to put 2 vehicles on the double ramp, was irritated too since his wife was having to weave around the abandoned sea Ray to get on the trailer. My wife was already in the truck, and pulled out into the parking lot as soon as the bow strap was secured and I gave the signal. From the time my trailer hits the water to leaving the water is 3 or 4 minutes. I look for that to shorten as soon as I get her backing comfortably. Since I'm venting, why do people insist on fishing infront of the ramps and then giving me dirty looks like I'm in your way. Again, you have an entire marina or river for that matter to fish in!!! Ok I'll step off my soap box.

I thought this was my local boat ramp, then I saw its in Alabama, Your living my life at the ramp to the tee, You know you have had a good day at the ramp when your 8 yr old son tells you he didn't learn any new words this weekend. Im done dealing with the Jack Ass's, its high and dry for me now. No one cares about boat ramp etiquette anymore or is it most people don't have common sense, people can be idiots.