Headlines

Stupid Boat Ramp Stories

About 3 or 4 years ago we were eating breakfast at a ramp side restaraunt watching 2 guys try their best to get a fairly nice 28'ish twin engine fishing boat off their F250's trailer. By the time we got to the end of the meal these assclowns still hadn't gotten the thing launched so I offered to lend a hand being the philanthropist that I am.

They pulled it back up the ramp so we could ensure there weren't any tie down straps left on and it was at this point I noticed that nice fresh bottom paint they had applied. Well evidently the fumes had impaired their judgement because these scholars had lowered the boat back down onto the carpeted bunks while the paint was still wet - and you guessed it the boat and the trailer was stuck together like a tubesock in a teenage boys' dresser.

I'll skip all of the iterations of removal methods we tried and get down to what finally worked. They backed the truck down as far as we could get it. I tied two long lines stretching from the rear of the boat about 50 feet down the dock on both sides. I told one of the guys to hop up in the boat, put it in reverse, and floor it, and at the same time the guy in the truck put the truck in gear and floored it. After the ropes pulled tight and after some encouragement from the crowd, some tire spinning, and an almost audible tearing sound the boat came loose pulling nearly all of the bunk carpet off as it did so. They seemed greatful for the help, unconcerned about the boat, and we all went our seperate ways....

Unbelievable to be there.
 
OldSchool said:
Me too!!



Me too!!:sifone: I kept thing WTF, let me just back it down again and slam on the brakes. Didn't work!:leaving:
Click to expand...

I've been guilty of this one.
But, I've never forgotten the plug (knock on my head - er, wood)....

PARADOX said:
OK.. Good title.

Now that a few shared ramp stories.. Here's one more. Mine this time.
AS an experienced boater/trailer user. (don't comment on that)...
back in 1985 or so. New 21' boat. taking it to the ramp first time. Not familiar with ther ramp, getting the boat in .. no problems. Tied it up, ready to get the tandem trailer out. Chevy K-5 4WD. A tank in it's days.
No go. car, trailer not budging. Parking brackes? nop it's off. In drive.. yup ..ok in 4 WD,, nothing, Engines moawns and growns but nothing coming out of the lake. After a few minutes and several attempts to crawl under the car see what's going on. I backed in a bit. No problem. Great. Forward we go 1 foot and stop.
The damn ramp had a 2' drop, the water washed away the end of the ramp and I had to go over a 2' concrete footing, with the trailer tire firmly stuck againts it. It's like pulling the trailer through a block wall. Not gonna happen.
The wheels are behind the footing, can't get them to role over.
OK what do I do. Being a great engineer, tied ropes around the trailer, lifted the trailer up with some help and once the tires got above the fotting of ther amp, out we went. AFTER about an hour of f''' king around. Great lesson. Now I always check where the ramp ends. Bacame a habbit.
I helped others in the same way. After a few minutes and one can't get out. I know the problem. Get the ropes, lift, out they. go. I'm the local ramp expert now. :26:
Click to expand...

Peter,
Couldn't you tie the rope to the bow eye from the trailer, reverse boat to lift trailer while slowly pulling forward with the truck?? Kind of tug-o-war to raise the trailer instead of muscling it?? Us skinny guys have to think about chit like this:biggrinjester:
 
Had a buddy with a 24' Cobia walk-around clamp-on that he kept at Meinke's on Erie.
It was mid November, and anyone from west end of Erie knows what happens to water levels in mid November.
I had moved to Pittsburgh a few months earlier.
His truck was in the shop, and the boat HAD to come out this weekend, so I hauled out with my dually from the 'burgh.
Water was low, and I backed the trailer in to the end of the ramp, not even close enough to load the boat - but the boat had to come out.
So he gets a running start, and aims for the trailer.
I thought he was gonna wind up in the bed of my truck, but it stopped at the bow stop. Tilted on the trailer about 30 degrees to starboard.
Well, we can't haul it 25 miles to his house like this.
Wound up scavenging around the lot for available supplies.
Luckily I had a floor jack in the bed of the truck.
Jacked the boat up, and used railroad ties to lever the trailer across the lot until we could set the boat down on it properly.
I was surprised we actually pulled it off.
 
fund razor said:
I have never forgotten a drain plug. I have attempted to leave the dock with one stern line still tied once. Nothing you can do in that situation but announce:

"Ok... looks like she is shifting fine now... let's cast off that last line and head out." :D
Click to expand...


Smooooooth, very smooth :)
 
Peter,
Couldn't you tie the rope to the bow eye from the trailer, reverse boat to lift trailer while slowly pulling forward with the truck?? Kind of tug-o-war to raise the trailer instead of muscling it?? Us skinny guys have to think about chit like this:biggrinjester:[/QUOTE]
I wasn't skinny back then. :rofl: Besides, I had a couple of "ramp grounts" around to do most of the lifting.
 
:biggrinjester:2 stupid ramp stories among many. New 22' all red Crownline ski boat. Second or third time launching it. Very cool looking small boat with 350mag motor and thru hull exhaust, tinted winscreen. Lots of people on dock of small northern lake. We were all prepared, straps off, kids loaded, ready to roll. Back down, drop it in like a pro. I am cool. Park the truck run down to the dock, go to start it and nothing. Mentally go thru the checklist, wiggle the battery cables, etc. Still nothing. Dead Battery? Run up, get the truck, pull it nose down as far as it will go blocking the ramps to make the cables reach, hook up the cables, still nothing, while I am bent over in the engine compartment, my wife comes over with a red cable and asks "what's this thing do?" The kids had pulled out the kill switch tether. 1st boat I had with one.

1st time I changed the props on my Fountain and found out the spin in not out like my other boats. Thank goodness I was easing it away from the dock. Took a couple of tries back and forth on the sticks to realize it.

I have only left the plugs out once.
 
gerritm said:
:biggrinjester:2 stupid ramp stories among many. New 22' all red Crownline ski boat. Second or third time launching it. Very cool looking small boat with 350mag motor and thru hull exhaust, tinted winscreen. Lots of people on dock of small northern lake. We were all prepared, straps off, kids loaded, ready to roll. Back down, drop it in like a pro. I am cool. Park the truck run down to the dock, go to start it and nothing. Mentally go thru the checklist, wiggle the battery cables, etc. Still nothing. Dead Battery? Run up, get the truck, pull it nose down as far as it will go blocking the ramps to make the cables reach, hook up the cables, still nothing, while I am bent over in the engine compartment, my wife comes over with a red cable and asks "what's this thing do?" The kids had pulled out the kill switch tether. 1st boat I had with one.

1st time I changed the props on my Fountain and found out the spin in not out like my other boats. Thank goodness I was easing it away from the dock. Took a couple of tries back and forth on the sticks to realize it.

I have only left the plugs out once.
Click to expand...

Don't feel bad - Last summer I took it down to the ramp for the first launch of the season. The boat just plain wouldn't start. Went up and got two new batteries, still wouldn't start. Decided I'd drive over to a buddy's house to get some fuel to poor down the carbs. On the way I look back and one of the rims had sheered the lug nuts off because being the idiot I am, I had put a little bit of oil on the lugs and they had worked their way off in short order. Managed to get the spare put on and decided to abort the project and head home. Backed the trailer up and sheered 2 tires off the rims because they were under inflated. Was SOME how able to knock on the door of a house we stopped in front of and use their air compressor and get the tires to rebead through a careful process of jacking up the axle until they mostly held air. Took the boat home and spent about an hour in the bilge trying to figure out what the hell the problem was - it was at that point that I remembered I had removed the life jackets so they wouldn't age poorly during the winter, and that they had the kill switches attached. I felt like a retard.

Now I ALWAYS check air pressure in the tires before my 5 mile trip to the ramp.....
 
My stupid ramp story
Wife is in truck about to back boat/trailer down ramp for the first time.
I tell her sternly " I'll either say "stop or go". "Go" meaning back down further.
I position on the side dock with a line attached to the boat.
So she begins backing down the ramp and is just about where the boat will float off the trailer and I say "Whoa !"
Which to her sounds like "go"

I won't get into what happened or the discussion that followed. The crow pie was good.

ed
 
I worked a ramp over the summer in high school.
We would lunch about 60 a day on weekends 100+ on holidays.. I cannot remember all the silly things I saw. Boats on the ramp. Cars backed until the bumper was in the water, girls falling in the water with t-shirts on. The panic of realizing they forgot the plug. On and On ....
 
Seafordguy said:
Well evidently the fumes had impaired their judgement because these scholars had lowered the boat back down onto the carpeted bunks while the paint was still wet - and you guessed it the boat and the trailer was stuck together like a tubesock in a teenage boys' dresser.
Click to expand...
Too funny...
 
ok, not exactly a ramp launch story but I think y'all find it funny enough. My first boat was a 91 24' chris craft bowrider. i took delivery of it in Feb in Atlanta, so I had a lot of quiet times at the Dry Stack Marina I kept it at. I would "practice" and be back by the last minute of service so it wouldn't be in over night. I am back one day a little early and pulling up (bow first) to the dock. Get up close, put the drive in neutral and go to the bow to grab the dock. I lean out over the water to grab the dock and I am trying to pull the boat to the dock, and it almost feels like it is trying to pull away. You probably guessed by now the boat wasn't in neutral but reverse, and now I am holding the dock with one hand and the boat is pulling away and I am too far out of the boat to get in and I end up in the water, with the boat pulling away from the slip, and no one around. I am not on the dock, or the boat. By the Grace of God, the wheel was turned enough that the boat was making a big turn in reverse, slowly, and it came back around, I grabbed the swim ladder, and pulled myself back into the boat. No Harm, No Foul, No Witnesses..........:rolleyes:
 
Marinaguy said:
ok, not exactly a ramp launch story but I think y'all find it funny enough. My first boat was a 91 24' chris craft bowrider. i took delivery of it in Feb in Atlanta, so I had a lot of quiet times at the Dry Stack Marina I kept it at. I would "practice" and be back by the last minute of service so it wouldn't be in over night. I am back one day a little early and pulling up (bow first) to the dock. Get up close, put the drive in neutral and go to the bow to grab the dock. I lean out over the water to grab the dock and I am trying to pull the boat to the dock, and it almost feels like it is trying to pull away. You probably guessed by now the boat wasn't in neutral but reverse, and now I am holding the dock with one hand and the boat is pulling away and I am too far out of the boat to get in and I end up in the water, with the boat pulling away from the slip, and no one around. I am not on the dock, or the boat. By the Grace of God, the wheel was turned enough that the boat was making a big turn in reverse, slowly, and it came back around, I grabbed the swim ladder, and pulled myself back into the boat. No Harm, No Foul, No Witnesses..........:rolleyes:
Click to expand...


But now we all know!!!!!!!! Ojoj6.gifOjoj6.gif
 
Marinaguy said:
ok, not exactly a ramp launch story but I think y'all find it funny enough. My first boat was a 91 24' chris craft bowrider. i took delivery of it in Feb in Atlanta, so I had a lot of quiet times at the Dry Stack Marina I kept it at. I would "practice" and be back by the last minute of service so it wouldn't be in over night. I am back one day a little early and pulling up (bow first) to the dock. Get up close, put the drive in neutral and go to the bow to grab the dock. I lean out over the water to grab the dock and I am trying to pull the boat to the dock, and it almost feels like it is trying to pull away. You probably guessed by now the boat wasn't in neutral but reverse, and now I am holding the dock with one hand and the boat is pulling away and I am too far out of the boat to get in and I end up in the water, with the boat pulling away from the slip, and no one around. I am not on the dock, or the boat. By the Grace of God, the wheel was turned enough that the boat was making a big turn in reverse, slowly, and it came back around, I grabbed the swim ladder, and pulled myself back into the boat. No Harm, No Foul, No Witnesses..........:rolleyes:
Click to expand...


Climbed on with the prop turning. Braver then me. I would of watched it hit something first
 
True story, I figured if I stayed to the outside where the ladder was I would be clear of prop......and the speed was not very fast, just far enough to be in gear......reverse gear...
 
PARADOX said:
OK.. Good title.

Now that a few shared ramp stories.. Here's one more. Mine this time.
AS an experienced boater/trailer user. (don't comment on that)...
back in 1985 or so. New 21' boat. taking it to the ramp first time. Not familiar with ther ramp, getting the boat in .. no problems. Tied it up, ready to get the tandem trailer out. Chevy K-5 4WD. A tank in it's days.
No go. car, trailer not budging. Parking brackes? nop it's off. In drive.. yup ..ok in 4 WD,, nothing, Engines moawns and growns but nothing coming out of the lake. After a few minutes and several attempts to crawl under the car see what's going on. I backed in a bit. No problem. Great. Forward we go 1 foot and stop.
The damn ramp had a 2' drop, the water washed away the end of the ramp and I had to go over a 2' concrete footing, with the trailer tire firmly stuck againts it. It's like pulling the trailer through a block wall. Not gonna happen.
The wheels are behind the footing, can't get them to role over.
OK what do I do. Being a great engineer, tied ropes around the trailer, lifted the trailer up with some help and once the tires got above the fotting of ther amp, out we went. AFTER about an hour of f''' king around. Great lesson. Now I always check where the ramp ends. Bacame a habbit.
I helped others in the same way. After a few minutes and one can't get out. I know the problem. Get the ropes, lift, out they. go. I'm the local ramp expert now. :26:
Click to expand...


For some reason, my triple axle, which weights a ton on land, floats under my boat. It's aluminum with some huge bunks. The flowing tide will pull it to the side if I wait to long. Glad I rarely use it.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

Ratickle
Boat Ramp Follies!
Replies
1
Views
1K
Ratickle
Ratickle
Back
Top