Boat ramp Etiquette

[fishingman]

Just a reminder to everyone and anyone that doesnt do this - turn off your headlights when you are backed down a multiple lane ramp when dark out!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! good god I tried to back down last nite in the mo river and two vehicles takign forever with their headlights shining brightly blinding this old goat. UUUUGGHHHHH Man that is frustrating!!

I feel a little better now!

[OldBaldGuy]

But, Doug, without the lights shining under water, how will the tow truck operator know where to look?

[waleygator]

Originally Posted by OldBaldGuy

But, Doug, without the lights shining under water, how will the tow truck operator know where to look?

I always felt the lights were useful in "tracking" the vehicle and trailer as the current carried it towards Missouri...easier to see from the rescue chopper.

[fishingman]

you guys aren't much help

[waleygator]

Best entertainment around is sitting around a boat ramp watching everyone try and not goof up...cause everyone's watching them!

[RedefiningFate]

I understand your point, Doug. However, and am not trying to start a fight, I can not turn my headlights on my truck off. I have DTRL's. They are on all the time.

[Harold]

Originally Posted by fishingman

Just a reminder to everyone and anyone that doesnt do this - turn off your headlights when you are backed down a multiple lane ramp when dark out!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! good god I tried to back down last nite in the mo river and two vehicles takign forever with their headlights shining brightly blinding this old goat. UUUUGGHHHHH Man that is frustrating!!

I feel a little better now!

Believe it or not, Fishingman, those Polarized sunglasses help ALOT under those "headlight" conditions!

Harold F.

[Sandbilly]

Originally Posted by OldBaldGuy

But, Doug, without the lights shining under water, how will the tow truck operator know where to look?

Roll down tow truck window. Listen for screaming wife.Trust me.

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Thanksgiving weekend few years ago, my brother in-laws and I found the Wet Spot at Merritt for a friend's birthday party. After the party we decided to check ice at Beeds boat ramp.

I nosed the suburban down the ramp for a peek. Sure enough, a skim of ice had formed next to shore. As we philosophized about the upcoming ice season, I hit reverse and gave it the gas. Reaction time was a little slow. Instead of going backward, the suburban plunged through skim ice and into Merritt half way up the front tires.

I tried reverse again, but we were now up to the running boards. The other out-laws on board thought I was pulling their leg when I told them the transmission was out of the suburban, so one of them gave her a try. By now the fan was submerged, emitting a fine mist around the suburban, and water was trying to come in both front doors.

Things became quite clear at this point. 1:30am MST, no cell service, 22 degree temp, can't run the engine so no heat, and there certainly wasn't going to be anyone driving highway 97 at that hour.

We made a plan. One would walk 4 miles back to the Trading Post and call home.(We sent the only person in the vehicle without a wife at the other end to make the call)

Two of us would check out the pay loader we noticed parked a mile back, and the other 2 would look around and see what we could find to help the situation.

Making a long story short, we hot wired the pay loader, drove it to the Trading Post, picking up "ONE WHO SHOULD MAKE THE CALL", made the call home, found a short chunk of chain and took it off the dock, drove the loader back and pulled out the suburban with the chain at about the same time two of the wives showed up.

It gets fuzzy after that. (My wife was one of the two). From what I was told, we returned the pay loader and reattached the chain to a dock, in the time it took for my wife to explain the errors of my ways.

The suburban could be drove home, it just had no reverse.


My apologies to your thread fishingman.

dc

[Fish Recycler]

Hahha. Awesome story, dc.

[waleygator]

Now that's funny...

[fishingman]

wow that's a good story. ramps stories are very entertaining.

you used the word fuzzy there towards the end. was that a reference to the feeling your wife gave you when she showed or a reference to somehting else? I am sure you guys had nothing to drink that nite other that a Dr pepper or sprite, right?

Originally Posted by Sandbilly

Roll down tow truck window. Listen for screaming wife.Trust me.

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Thanksgiving weekend few years ago, my brother in-laws and I found the Wet Spot at Merritt for a friend's birthday party. After the party we decided to check ice at Beads boat ramp.

I nosed the suburban down the ramp for a peek. Sure enough, a skim of ice had formed next to shore. As we philosophized about the upcoming ice season, I hit reverse and gave it the gas. Reaction time was a little slow. Instead of going backward, the suburban plunged through skim ice and into Merritt half way up the front tires.

I tried reverse again, but we were now up to the running boards. The other out-laws on board thought I was pulling their leg when I told them the transmission was out of the suburban, so one of them gave her a try. By now the fan was submerged, emitting a fine mist around the suburban, and water was trying to come in both front doors.

Things became quite clear at this point. 1:30am MST, no cell service, 22 degree temp, can't run the engine so no heat, and there certainly wasn't going to be anyone driving highway 97 at that hour.

We made a plan. One would walk 4 miles back to the Trading Post and call home.(We sent the only person in the vehicle without a wife at the other end to make the call)

Two of us would check out the pay loader we noticed parked a mile back, and the other 2 would look around and see what we could find to help the situation.

Making a long story short, we hot wired the pay loader, drove it to the Trading Post, picking up "ONE WHO SHOULD MAKE THE CALL", made the call home, found a short chunk of chain and took it off the dock, drove the loader back and pulled out the suburban with the chain at about the same time two of the wives showed up.

It gets fuzzy after that. (My wife was one of the two). From what I was told, we returned the pay loader and reattached the chain to a dock, in the time it took for my wife to explain the errors of my ways.

The suburban could be drove home, it just had no reverse.


My apologies to your thread fishingman.

dc

[Hookem]

[quote=Sandbilly;142735]Roll down tow truck window. Listen for screaming wife.Trust me.

LOL!! Crazy darn story but I know its not funny!!!

Yea best entertianment watching everone at ramp for sure!! And sometimes ourselves!! This summer took guy fishing with me and I backed truck down ramp, slid boat off trailer and told him to drive truck up and park it. After 20 minutes he still wasn't back....eventually showed up and I asked what in the he** took so long! He said never had backed a trailer into parking before and finally someone came along and did it for him!!

But I can't talk.........pulled some good ones myself! Worst was at Harlan many, many , many years ago when pulled trailer with 4 cycl. car and was taking boat out around 2:00 in morning and loaded boat on trailer and took off up ramp....but not in first gear. He** couldn't find first gear and slipping backwards and back tires under water, trailer beginning to float with boat and I scrambling goosing that old engine in every gear possible finally getting it out in third gear with buddy pulling on front of car! Needless to say we parked and went to tent and never said a word to each other!!!!!! Blue smoke everywhere from goosing that old 4 cyl.!! No one around though thankfully !!

Last summer had small grandchild at Sherman and backing boat off trailer and darn thing would't slip off so kept giving it full throttle in reverse and engine screaming and couldn't move and grandchild started crying lke never before!! He started yelling and hollering as first time in boat for him! Then guy on dock at ramp said....."How about taking off your back tie downs...." So this ole mature grandpa who thought he knew it all had to suck it up in front of grandson and everyone else that afternoon....no I didn't even look up to see who all were laughing!!

Ramps can be a funny place alright!! Humbles us all at times




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[Alex T.]

I understand your point, Doug. However, and am not trying to start a fight, I can not turn my headlights on my truck off. I have DTRL's. They are on all the time.

Ya mean ya can't turn your vehicle off while loading your boat?? Or,ya must go thru truck batteries fairly quickly if they don't turn off when the vehicle is off too. Do ya have to put a battery charger on at nite to keep the battery charged while your'e sleeping?I bet the neighbors hate to see your house/driveway lit up all the time.

Alex

[gspointer]

Originally Posted by RedefiningFate

I understand your point, Doug. However, and am not trying to start a fight, I can not turn my headlights on my truck off. I have DTRL's. They are on all the time.

I can shut mine off by depressing the parking brake a bit.

[bassnbaseball]

[fisheyes]

I had my worst boat ramp experiece last year, it was the first time out with my new boat, a lund 1850 tyee, on a Roller trailer at Gavins point, my previous setup was an old bass boat that was on a bunk trailer. Well i had the bad habit of unhooking all the straps before backing down the boat ramp, No big deal for the bass boat, but not so good for the lund. I was backing down the ramp on the NE side of the river when i seen the bow of my boat raise into the air and the boat go sliding off the trailer onto the concrete boat ramp. It to the 4 people i was with and the help of a couple of strangers to winch that thing back up onto the trailer the river was packed, some of you may have even witnessed this

[bassnbaseball]

Originally Posted by fisheyes

I had my worst boat ramp experiece last year, it was the first time out with my new boat, a lund 1850 tyee, on a Roller trailer at Gavins point, my previous setup was an old bass boat that was on a bunk trailer. Well i had the bad habit of unhooking all the straps before backing down the boat ramp, No big deal for the bass boat, but not so good for the lund. I was backing down the ramp on the NE side of the river when i seen the bow of my boat raise into the air and the boat go sliding off the trailer onto the concrete boat ramp. It to the 4 people i was with and the help of a couple of strangers to winch that thing back up onto the trailer the river was packed, some of you may have even witnessed this

Ouch.

[Alex T.]

If I would seen that....after I stopped laughing,I woulda helped. Watched a guy put his jon boat in at Wehspann one day without a plug. Took everything that guy's truck had to pull out a water filled boat. Thing drained for a good 20minutes. Things like that don't bother me,it's the little things that can be done ahead of time or while unloading/loading that really bug me.

Alex

[CanoeGuru]

Well, I don't own a boat that requires trailering, but I've gotten some interesting looks from others when I've carried my canoe down to the water, climbed in, and paddled away. I only do that in places where there's no shoreline conducive to launching my canoe, and yes, I wait 'til the coast is clear so I don't get in the way. And I hold my great big, smug smile until I'm clear of onlookers.

[Sandbilly]

Originally Posted by fishingman

you used the word fuzzy there towards the end. was that a reference to the feeling your wife gave you when she showed or a reference to somehting else? I am sure you guys had nothing to drink that nite other that a Dr pepper or sprite, right?

In my wife's defence, she is a very nice person, but in 20 years of marriage this butt chewing would still make the highlight film. Of course there is more to the story including the party was from 4-7pm, but hey, college buddies only turn 35 once.

We laugh about it now. 130,000 miles on a new trany, and the family truckster is still alive.

dc