Ramp Etiquette

[AbunDiga909]

For those who don't lauch and pull their boats once a season, and for those who use a public ramp regularly, I'd like to know how it works where you guys are, and what procedure everyone follows--what everyone does to keep the boats safe and owners happy.

At a ramp with enouch room for 3 ski boats easily, I was pulling our boat. Next to me, there was a truck w/ trailer in the water AT LEAST 10 feet over. Long story short--our boat was basically on the trailer (more than half in front of guides.) The guy next to us is about in same position, but not centered at all. This guy, a grandpa who was with his two 8 year old grandsons, nails his fishing I/O in reverse, and for some reason wished he was in a Nautique b/c his boat pulled to his left 100%, and his stern smacked ours on the port side stern, and knocked our boat off the trailer, out of the trailer guides, almost hitting rocks.

Damage is minimal, but we did get nice two white scratches of about .25" width right smack in the middle of the blue gelcoat--very visible. They don't seem deep, and I doubt the dealer would have any problem buffing them right out--I think this was caused by only his rock-hard rubrail hitting it. Thus, what gets me more is what old gramps said afterward. I knew if we all left and said nothing as if nothing happened, I couldn't live with myself and would regret it for a long time. Right before we leave, I nicely go up to the guy..

Me: Hey, uhh... what happened there at the ramp?
Old Gramps: (angrily) Well I was pulling and he (my dad) came right up in my blindside and if he waited a freakin' minute I would have been out of his way.
Me: OK... I'm sorry...

I'm not good w/ confrontations... :|

~Austin

[bkhallpass]

RE: Ramp Etiquette

If the ramp is wide enought for three trailers, then it should be ok for three boats to be pulling in
simultaneously. That's the theory.

The reality, in my observation, most boat owners can't control their boats on the water or around the dock much less on the launch ramp. So, unfortunately, I always feel compelled to watch what others are doing very carefully.

We have one launch ramp in the area that was notoriously difficult to pull out. But, it was
cheap so lots of folks used it. They had bleachers set up so that observers/hecklers could watch the spectacle. Unfortunately, or fortunately, depending upon your view, they rebuilt the ramps a couple of years ago and removed the bleachers. Too bad, made for good fun on a Sunday afternoon. BKH

[Hydrofoilmaniac]

RE: Ramp Etiquette

Another one that I love is when they pull the boat out just enough to get it out of the water, get out and then start rigging it for the road. Good grief, it's not going to fall off the trailer if you move ahead 75' to the side. I see this all the time. To top it off, the guy will be talking on his cell phone.

Ah, my favorite classics are the husband/wife combos where the wife is trying to trailer the boat with boat full of rug-rats and the husband is yelling at her. The kids are moving around in the boat, the husband is in the water.....and the wife is about ready to kill her husband.

A while back a husband/wife combo was trying to trailer their malibu. The wife was driving the boat but couldn't get it up on the trailer. The husband was yelling at her (cursing). After 10 minutes, I finally idled over and suggested that he pull his trailer deeper in the water. The rear trailer wheel was only about 1/2 in the water. He did not like me giving him such a silly suggestion but he ended up doing it...., she drove the boat right up.....and then she tore him up. The 20 minute wait was worth the show.

[AbunDiga909]

RE: Ramp Etiquette

haha... I think I've got one that can top that, hydrofoil...

Last Fathers' Day.. I was at a different ramp, probably the world's worst boat ramp. It is shallow, narrow, and filled with rocks. (I saw all of them this winter that claimed a prop of ours.) The ramp TECHNICALLY is supposed to be for 2, but over the years, the jacka***s flooring it up the trailer have caused there to be a very shallow "hump." On one side is the bottom of a cement dock, on the other is an unpredictable mud bar, and a plethora of rocks in between, with whipped cream and a cherry on top.

My fam. has launching down to a science here. We wait in line, launch, boat drives out to get out of the way of others and comes back in 5 min after the car is parked to pick up the other guy at the shallow cement dock. So, I am launched, as I drive out while my dad goes to park the car, this bum-fu*k in his shi% I/O decides to ask me: "HEY! ARE YOU GOING OUT OR NOT!?!?" Since I don't feel like explaining my launching science to him, I don't know what to say, the answer was neither. I say, "What? I'm just getting out of the way to pick up my dad." "YEAH BUT ARE YOU LEAVING OR NOT!?" As the two dads get angry and fight on their day, I watch. I forget exactly what was said, but it ended somehow with him saying "TEACH YOUR FU**ING SON HOW TO DRIVE A BOAT." maybe...

As we drive out of the cove, we see him try to throttle up onto his drailer, and are pleased to see no boat movement, but just the displacement of mud.. :grin: He got his big-*** I/O stuck in the mud bar, we all laughed, and I said happy fathers day to him... karma... 8-)

[convo]

I am always amazed at the inconsiderate/selfish and downright rude behavior of so many people at a boat ramp. I live near a very small lake with a public (free) ramp that easily has room for 2 people to launch or pick up at the same time. I can not count the number of times I have showed up to go and had to sit waiting for someone who is parked right in the middle of the ramp cleaning out their boat, preparing to go out, or something else. They block the ramp and act as though they are the only people there. They are doing things that could and should be done before/after they are off the ramp. And they can certainly see that I, or anyone else for that matter, am waiting- It is not as though I am parked at a distance and they are unaware that someone might be waiting. Then there are those that "park" their boats at the launch dock, therefore preventing anyone else from utilizing it to get in or out. Again, I have spent tons of time cruising the lake -ready/needing to leave, but unable to go because there is a boat tied up at the launch dock and nowhere for me to park in order to proceed with my departure. I agree completely that most boat owners seems to have little control over their vehicles or boats at the ramp- It is almost comical some of the things I have observed as far as someone trying to back a trailer down a ramp or trying over and over and over... to get a boat back on a trailer. I realize some people are new/inexperienced but the problem is far greater than that could account for in my experience. In my opinion, you should be prepared and ready and get on/off the ramp in a safe and efficient manner. Sorry for the rant but, for me, this is one of the most irritating and annoying parts of boating. 8-)

[Hydrofoilmaniac]

RE: Ramp Etiquette

That's a good one. I always like a good laugh when I run across knuckle heads like that.

I can't speak for the newer Nautiques, but it only takes about 20 seconds to trailer my old boat. If the whole thing takes us 2 minutes, I'd be surprised. I love doing that when the guy with the I/O has been fighting his for a 1/2 hr.

[AbunDiga909]

RE: Ramp Etiquette

It is much simpler to get my uncle's 2001 on his '89 (I think) CC trailer. When we got our '04, it took a little while getting used to the change. It took us forever to find out where to have the trailer. And we prob. looked like newbs at first. But now that we've found the key, its quick, esp. since we dont need to attach the bow eye to the trailer to pull up--3300 lbs isn't going anywhere at 5 mph on a trailer... neither did 2200...

[Hydrofoilmaniac]

RE: Ramp Etiquette

Convo,
I'm perferctly ok with someone jumping out quickly to make sure their boat is centered, etc. It's the "install tie-downs, wipe down, tarping, etc" that I can do without. Inexperience is one thing, being inconsiderate is another.

Another classic one is when someone parks their boat on the center dock between two ramps. This fall, a guy actually parked perpendicular to the ramp on the end of the dock. I waited for a few minutes but the guy parking the car was BS'ing on the phone. They started picking up the pace when my boat platform touched the water. A guy hates to be that way but it's hard enough getting out on a weekday to foil. I was polite but I was going to foil......

[AbunDiga909]

Re: RE: Ramp Etiquette

A guy hates to be that way but it's hard enough getting out on a weekday to foil. I was polite but I was going to foil......

Thats true.. no one ever get in the way of a motivated foiler... Today god threw me some thunder and rain and 65 degrees at me, but I was going to foil......

[surroundsound64]

RE: Re: RE: Ramp Etiquette

I saw one couple last summer successfully launch with the trailer at a 90 degree angle from the truck and ramp. I was truely impressed. lol.

Yesterday my school had a lake party, I volunteered to bring my boat (they paid for gas). Late in the day I knew I was about to run out of gas so I told everyone to get out I needed to go park it. Where we were and where the truck was were on opposite sides of the lake, and it was busy. I let my driver out as I waited by the dock. The people infront of us took FOREVER! 2 jet skiies. Who knows why it took so long to load 2 of those. But as my truck was coming down the ramp, I ran out of gas. I got my ore out and loaded quicker with just a paddle than the people infront of me did. The next guy in line even complimented me on how quickly I loaded without being able to use the engine. hehe.

[jon4pres]

RE: Re: RE: Ramp Etiquette

At my lake people who have no access to a boat come up and hang out on the docks that are supposed to be for loading and unloading boats. One day last summer someone had their whole family swimming at the ramp and had their grill on one of the docks. You know I wouldnt even care that much if they would get out of the way of the boats and let people walk down the dock to get on their boats.

[redelf75]

I actually was going to paint white lines on the ramp to indicate three lanes, but chickened out... :???:

[surroundsound64]

I actually was going to paint white lines on the ramp to indicate three lanes, but chickened out... :???:

Make them red so people might get the message to STAY IN THEIR LANE. And ONLY in one lane for that matter. Yellow_Flash_Colorz:

[skiswm]

Where I launch it's "private," you have to wait your turn one boat at a time. Most of us have it down one boat driver one vehicle driver and on big wknds they have a "helper" from the assoc there as well. But, what ALWAYS gets me mad is either the mini van drivin down the ramp to load up rather than carry there items back to the car. Or the person who decides to swim right around the ramp. Our boat launch doesn't have a dock to walk your boat down, so you really end up needing two to make it work correctly. The only real drawback is the facility rents row boats and such, which they just happen to launch right where the boats come down the ramp. So on the larger wknds it can be quite a comedy routine watching people launch, swimmers playing, and rentals going out. Yellow_Flash_Colorz: Over the many years we've learned to live with it, and usually help each other out to make things move faster. I think the key is always be prepared have the ropes ready, the blowers going, lights undone etc. I really get mad when you get to the ramp and someone is fiddling with all their equipment that should have already been ready before the turn to enter the ramp.

[M3Fan]

My wife drives the boat on to the trailer and is pretty darn good at it. One of the funnier times at the ramp involved an old man, grandpa-style, with the captain's hat and everything, watching us load the boat. First, he mentioned aloud that women shouldn't be driving the boat. I told him to just watch... she pulled it on the trailer in about 30 seconds (in a narrow channel with current). Once she got it on the trailer he was sure to remind us to "Make sure the drive is trimmed all the way up". Duh.... thanks gramps. Get a real boat buddy.