Boat launching is easy

[Jim in ICT]

Used to bassfish with my wife a lot before we started having kids. We'd ready the boat up in the parking lot - rods & reels, life jackets, boat tie downs (except the bow), prime the motor, etc. Wife would jump in the boat and we'd back down the ramp in one pass. By the time I could get out of the truck, she'd have the boat motor running, I'd unhook the bow of the Champion, back her in until it floated away, then pull up the ramp. We'd be idling out of the cove headed towards the fish before some folks could get Grandma piled out of their car.

 

[groundcover]

They say more divorces start on boat ramps than anyplace else!

 

[Diamondpilot]

They say more divorces start on boat ramps than anyplace else!

That is true.

Chris

 

[Diamondpilot]

Used to bassfish with my wife a lot before we started having kids. We'd ready the boat up in the parking lot - rods & reels, life jackets, boat tie downs (except the bow), prime the motor, etc. Wife would jump in the boat and we'd back down the ramp in one pass. By the time I could get out of the truck, she'd have the boat motor running, I'd unhook the bow of the Champion, back her in until it floated away, then pull up the ramp. We'd be idling out of the cove headed towards the fish before some folks could get Grandma piled out of their car.

Me and my misses are the same way. She can back down our boat, 35' on a tri axle at 15,600#, quicker and easier than most can a 17 ski boat. We get everything read in the lot and never spend more than 3 minutes on the ramp.

Chris

 

[BillP603]

One of the scariest things I ever saw was at a boat ramp. If anyone knows Hilton Park in Dover NH, it can have real strong currents, between the river coming down and the tidal forces of Great Bay it can be a challenge to line up a boat with a trailer. I was just sitting on a picnic table near by, a wife had backed the empty trailer into the water, husband was still in boat. They we not in sync with what each other were doing at all, he took a couple of runs onto the trailer and was at real bad angles, he came in one more time halfway onto the trailer, the wife stood on the front of the trailer with the winch line and reached to connect it to the bow as he gunned it to come fully on the trailer and she was between the winch post and the bow. Somehow she twisted out of the way and ended up in the water but she was almost crushed in that spot.

 

[FredH]

My Wife and I use to have a 17' river sled that was a float off / drive on with a Mercury 150 jet on the back . We were camping one weekend at a mountain lake east of here , Every one headed for the store and restroom but me , so I back it down the ramp past a SHERIFF'S pick-up parked on the side with 2 deputies inside . Dropped it down into the water till I seen the back of boat float up , stopped , set brakes , jumped out and walked back towards the front of boat . " Whats That Noise ? " OH CR** ! Jumped back into pick-up and yanked it back out of the water . Took a couple of minutes for the BILGE PUMP to pump out all the water that had came in the Drain hole since I did not put the plug in . Deputies Never said a Word , Just sat there and watched as the bilge pump was blowing the water back out onto the ramp . Wish I would of been a fly inside their cab to of heard that Conversation .:ashamed:

Fred H.

 

[Skyco]

They say more divorces start on boat ramps than anyplace else!

When the wife and I were buying a pair of touring kayaks a few years back , we were told the two person kayaks were great for starting divorces too!

Current was mentioned, I watched in great amusement on a nearby river when a guy had a nice tandem aluminum trailer. Every time he got it in the water deep enough to get his boat loaded the trailer would turn sideways down stream. Apparently the tandem tires flotation combined with the light trailer lifted it enough the current would push it sideways. Didn't stay long enough to see what the outcome was...

 

[brin]

Used to bassfish with my wife a lot before we started having kids. We'd ready the boat up in the parking lot - rods & reels, life jackets, boat tie downs (except the bow), prime the motor, etc. Wife would jump in the boat and we'd back down the ramp in one pass. By the time I could get out of the truck, she'd have the boat motor running, I'd unhook the bow of the Champion, back her in until it floated away, then pull up the ramp. We'd be idling out of the cove headed towards the fish before some folks could get Grandma piled out of their car.

Very funny....Ditto, my wife and I did it the same way...We had a 21 ft. Crestliner I/O and we would go fishing and water skiing...we had the identical system - Worked great and off we would go. Same thing taking the boat out...we would be all prepped before going to the ramp & the Mrs. would drop me off at the dock , I would go get the jeep....back the tailor in and she would bring the boat up...and we would be up and out of there before anyone even knew it...

 

[PoorMansCat]

Keep thinking one day that my wife will be able to back the trailer... She can't seem to run our little 17ft. Tracker, so her coming on and off the water ISNT going to work. I have now resorted to tying off at the dock, walking up and getting the truck, backing it down the ramp and splashing the trailer, then we pass each other between the dock and ramp, I put the boat on the trailer and hook the bow line, and she pulls me up out of the water.... in other words.. a bunch of dang work for me!

 

[JESSE1]

We used to call them Weekend Wallies. They only came to the lake for three holiday weekends, Memorial Day, July 4 and Labor Day. They typically back down the ramp, using the whole ramp and then decide to move things from the truck to the boat. They always have trouble starting the engine. It would be funny to watch if they weren't holding up everyone else from using the ramp. We've been out of water skiing for 5 years now but we never had any problems with our rigs. We would stop in a clear area close to the ramp and transfer everything we needed into the boat. Then I would back down the ramp, my sister would handle the boat, took only a few minutes to unload or load.

 

[Lloyd_E]

Another way to do it...

 

[bcp]

And there is at least one person riding it down, in the rear.

Bruce

 

[Otto Syracuse]

Story I have heard, I was not there!

A newbie is getting his boat ready right at the ramp, moving gear, coolers, etc. He's really taking his sweet time. So the next guy politely asks, " say, do you mind pulling ahead so I can can put my boat in while you're getting yours ready. The newbie replies sarcastically, " in twenty minutes the ramp is all yours". So they wait.
Finally the newbie launches the boat and pulls the truck and trailer back up to the parking lot. The second guy pulls his into the launch area while the newbie makes his way to his boat on the dock. Seems he forgot one important item: NO PLUG! He yells, "quick move out of the way my boat is going to sink!!!!". And what do you think that response was?

"In twenty minutes, the ramp is all yours!"

 

[RobertN]

Looks like an arm from a second person, holding on, just below the mor evisible person in the upper left. Kind of by the loose fender.

And there is at least one person riding it down, in the rear.

Bruce

 

[Lloyd_E]

LOMAO - love it!

 

[PoorMansCat]

We used to call them Weekend Wallies. They only came to the lake for three holiday weekends, Memorial Day, July 4 and Labor Day. They typically back down the ramp, using the whole ramp and then decide to move things from the truck to the boat. They always have trouble starting the engine. It would be funny to watch if they weren't holding up everyone else from using the ramp. We've been out of water skiing for 5 years now but we never had any problems with our rigs. We would stop in a clear area close to the ramp and transfer everything we needed into the boat. Then I would back down the ramp, my sister would handle the boat, took only a few minutes to unload or load.

Thats one good thing about Alley Creek at Lake o the Pines.... mainly fishing rigs putting in.... I almost never see a pleasure boat there... As inefficient as me and the wife are since she cant back a trailer or drive a boat, since we plan and make sure we are completely ready to actually splash the boat, we arent any slower than everyone else. I jsut have to a bunch of walking!!!.

 

[Mace Canute]

I've posted this before in another thread so here's a C&P of it.

Years ago, a friend told me this story. There was an older man in town and these two locals glommed onto him and would hang out with him everywhere. Apparently the old fart, who didn't have many friends, was a bit of a loner and so tolerated these two guys ...whom the locals called BDM and Beetle Bag Bailey. BDM thought they called him that because he drove the local school bus...Bus Driver Mike, eh, but everyone else knew it really meant Big Dumb Mike. Beetle Bag Bailey's nick was one of those things whose origin was lost in antiquity. Anyways, one fine summer weekend, the three of them decided to go boating so they hooked up the old fart's boat and trailer behind the old fart's station wagon and headed to the lake. Once there they got to the boat ramp and unstrapped the boat tie downs so when they backed it into the water, it would float free. Now BDM figured he should be the one to back the boat down the ramp since the old fart was hesitant about backing it up so he jumped into the car and got it straightened up and started to back up to the ramp...but he got a little vain and just had to show off his prowess at backing up a vehicle with a trailer attached so he was giving it good! He had that thing flying and of course the old fart was scared he would jack knife it and total it all off so he started waving and shouting at BDM to STOP!!! and Beetle Bag Bailey did too once he saw the old fart doing it. BDM saw both of them hooting and hollering and waving at him frantically and panicked and hit the brakes as hard as he could, sliding the station wagon and trailer to a stop. The boat though...the boat kept going and shot off the trailer and landed on the ground a good thirty feet from the water, smashing the prop and leg on the motor in the process. Turns out Beetle Bag Bailey had decided that he should unhook the winch line also.