I was the boat ramp idiot

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moloch16

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Location
Cary, North Carolina
Great boat ramp story - yes I was the boat ramp idiot yesterday here's my story.

Keep in mind this my brand new boat and trailer, about the 5th time I'm putting it in the water.

Took the day off of work to go fishing. Beautiful warm winter day for fishing, light winds. Excited! I get to the ramp and prep the boat as usual, back her down the first time and find I left the tieoff rope in the bow and I can't get it without getting me feet wet, so I pull up to get the rope, no problem. Pull up, get the rope and set it in the truck bed so I can reach it, back the boat back down. Strange the boat isn't coming off the trailer like it usually does, no problem I'll get out and pull it off using the rope. Huh, it's not coming off by pulling either what's up with this? OH! I forgot to undo the rear tiedowns! Duh! Not use to those, figured I'd forget eventually. Let me just tied this rope to the dock cleat and pull up to get the tie downs off.

Here's where it get's fun. I get in the truck and start pulling forward and WHAM the boat jerks off the trailer hard to the left. What??? Get out to see what happened and oh - I tied the bow of the boat to the dock cleat. Holy crap I have my boat at a 90 degree angle off the trailer half way up the boat ramp and things are seriously FUBAR at this point. I'm in full freak out mode cuz this my BRAND NEW BOAT and TRAILER :(

So back down to relieve the tension on the bow rope, nearly rip my bicep lifting the bow of the boat over and back on the trailer sorta (best I could, enough to get it back in the water at least). Anyhow get it in the water and ready to fish but I'm not in a good state of mind for fishing now :(

Damage done: Ripped off some plastic bunk slicks, bent the hell out of a bunk guide (had to bend it back at the ramp), and one of the bunk guides was hanging on by a thread, will need to be reinforced. I did some damage control in the parking lot, have some repairs left to do, and felt sick the rest of the day for messing up my new stuff!

Don't do that.
 
I'm like a boating newbie every time I'm at the launch either putting in or pulling it out...same checklist each time:

Launching 1->5 Retrieving 5->1

1. Drain Plug
2. Transom Saver
3. Tie down Strap
4. Bow crank
5. Battery circuit breaker (trolling motor)

Basically I'm like a crazy person talking to myself, "1, 2, 3, 4, 5" on the way in "5, 4, 3, 2, 1" on the way out.

Too easy to get distracted by everything else going on around you not to make this as simple a routine as possible. Hope your repairs are simple enough.
 
Yeah I'm going to have to make a checklist like the airplane pilots use before each flight. Getting older and my memory ain't what it use to be.
 
I am getting my FIRST trailer'd boat ever, and sure hope I don't screw it up launching. I can back a trailer OK, thankful I don't have to learn that, but I know nothing of launching a boat. My first few times at the ramp is going to be interesting.

There's a huge reservoir nearby with a ramp 20 minutes from my house. I figure on going there every day until I got the process down.

Guess I'll go to youtube and watch some boat launching videos. I don't want to make an *** out of myself. Any more than usual, I mean! 8)
 
I want to go fishing with onthewater.
The older I get the more I have to think about everything.
Try to relax and be deliberate in your motions.
Don't worry about the other people. Try to launch your boat a few times with no one around.
Recruit some of your kids of friends to help you.
 
Having a shop to park my boat in the past year has been so awesome just for the fact that I can leave the plug 24/7. Remembering to plug my trailer lights up to the truck is another story.
 
I still leave the bow eye hooked up about 1/3 of the time. When I launch single handed I hold the bow line in my left hand out the driver's side window as I back into the water. Couple week ago I ran over it. Fortunately I noticed something was wrong before any damage was done.

We have all been there. I think most guys at the ramp recognize that and are happy to lend a hand if someone is having a problem. Those guys who live to "critique" aren't worth worrying about. I only get testy when folks unnecessarily block the ramp. Things like loading or unloading or wiping down the boat shouldn't be done on the ramp. Fortunately that doesn't happen often, though I avoid going on weekends during warm weather so I'm generally not dealing with too many of the lake lice crowd. Haha
 
Ouch. I managed to offload my first boat onto the ramp. I pulled up forgetting that I had unhooked it and bam. But it was such a small boat that it and the motor were fine. I looked around and yelled "WHO PUT ALL THIS ASPHALT IN THE WAY".
 
strange to say,but that's why i like fishing with my wife.we each have our own separate tasks with launching/retrieving the boat and dealing with the camper,so we don't get overwhelmed.i did lose an anchor this past summer because i forgot to pull it in with the deckmate,that was a $150 oops.i'm used to pulling it in by hand.also trashed an anchor buddy doing the same thing $65 oops.now i carry a spare.anchor buddy,not wife.
 
I laughed when I read your post but I’m laughing with ya. I have forgot the plug and sank a boat in the Mississippi River. I have forgot straps, backed off the edge of the ramp, run a boat up the trailer on enough of an angle to gouge the bow on the winch stand, dinged up a prop while driving into the trailer. I even had to go swimming to chase one once. I have had people compliment my launching and loading out but I assure you I learned at the school of hard knocks. If you haven’t messed up at the boat ramp at least once, you haven’t been boating long enough. I always offer a hand if I see someone struggling. Or holler if I see them about to mess up. Don’t feel rained on brother, you’re not alone.


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Hey moloch, sorry to hear things didn't go smooth, gotta have a routine I guess. What lake were you on? I took new to me boat out for first time last Saturday, went to Harris cause had heard Jordan's ramps were still closed. I had more trouble getting to lake ( went through four work zones) than getting on the lake. Things went smooth and had a great mid morning boat ride. Hope things go better on your next trip out.
 
Yeah I've offered many a helping hand. Had an older gentleman that drove his boat off the bunks trying to power load. Could tell he was in a bind cuz he was older and didn't know what to do. Couldn't go forward, couldn't go backwards, and couldn't get out the boat due to his age. I just waded in and managed to get his boat on right, he was very grateful. Got wet but was worth it.
 
DenisD said:
Hey moloch, sorry to hear things didn't go smooth, gotta have a routine I guess. What lake were you on? I took new to me boat out for first time last Saturday, went to Harris cause had heard Jordan's ramps were still closed. I had more trouble getting to lake ( went through four work zones) than getting on the lake. Things went smooth and had a great mid morning boat ride. Hope things go better on your next trip out.

I was on Harris at the dam ramp. I was scared you were going to say you saw me rip my boat off the trailer, glad you weren't there for that!
 
i watched a guy try and back his empty trailer down the ramp several times a couple years ago.i finally told him to stop and i pulled his trailer straight for him.did that three times before he made it into the water.i think i would have been there a while if i didn't lend a hand.it happens.
 
Yea, glad I wasn't there too, wouldn't want to see it but wouldn't be able to look away :D
 
moloch16 said:
Yeah I'm going to have to make a checklist like the airplane pilots use before each flight. Getting older and my memory ain't what it use to be.

I have made a checklist. I have one for the items to take before I leave the house, one for getting the boat ready to launch and one for items to take in the boat after launching the boat. I do that for other things also. I have a hurricane plan checklist that is way too much for me to remember off the top of my head especially in the stressful time due to the threat of a hurricane. I also have a book "If Something Happens to Me" for my family to reference for pertinent information(financial and procedural) if I am not around anymore to help them get through it.
 
i made a checklist, laminated it and taped it w clear packing tape tp the bowstop. i look right at it and forget stuff. did hear the lake filling up the boat once when i forgot the plug. boat was still on trailer. no problem.i will share one of my secrets. go to walmart and pick up some high rubber boots. i use them in the cooler months to launch. dont get wet and i can take em off easy. have helped out way too many folks to count. helped out a couple of DNR guys who had a strange boat that wouldnt go on trailer right .'im surprised i dont see em more often on people in the cooler months.
 
I think we all have to make each of the mistakes at least once. I try to remember all the steps but I've left out the drain plug, left the tiedowns on, forget to hook up the trailer wiring, left the trailer jack down, had the bow line come off as I was swinging the boat around to load (got a little wet chasing the boat) and this year, I was at the ramp mixing the 2 stroke with a fresh tank of gas when someone else pulled up. I told them to go ahead and he said it would take him at least 10 minutes to do everything so I hurried up. I forgot to put the gas cap back on and as I was backing down the ramp I could smell gas. Too late, probably a half gallon in the bilge already! I put both boats away for the winter about 5 weeks ago so they should be safe for a while. :mrgreen:
 

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