Launching a Personal Watercraft: FAQ
- Thread starter Buck
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DK35vince
Super Member
I see he using an SUV.
Submersible Utility Vehicle/w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif
Submersible Utility Vehicle/w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif
Jeff396
Veteran Member
That's priceless!!!!/w3tcompact/icons/laugh.gif Does insurance cover that??
I watched a guy once who had a pretty interesting technique for unloading his boat from its trailer. What he would do is back up to the ramp and unfasten the boat from the trailer. Then he would start back pretty fast and once the boat was in the water he would slam it into drive and viola the boat is a float. Unfortunately, the time I saw him do it he was a little off line. With each attempt to loosen the boat he was smashing it harder and harder into the dock. He did this about four times with his daughter, who was standing on the dock, yelling at him to stop. Truly makes a day on the water complete./w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif
Jeff
I watched a guy once who had a pretty interesting technique for unloading his boat from its trailer. What he would do is back up to the ramp and unfasten the boat from the trailer. Then he would start back pretty fast and once the boat was in the water he would slam it into drive and viola the boat is a float. Unfortunately, the time I saw him do it he was a little off line. With each attempt to loosen the boat he was smashing it harder and harder into the dock. He did this about four times with his daughter, who was standing on the dock, yelling at him to stop. Truly makes a day on the water complete./w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif
Jeff
rdln
Veteran Member
Ouch, That looks like salt water too.
Ha! /w3tcompact/icons/laugh.gif
I've seen some pretty stupid things at the boat ramp myself. Some of the ramps I've launched at are admittedly pretty slick, and it's always funny to watch some the 2wd pickups try and pull a boat out after a day of fun. Usually winds up with all the passengers having to get in the bed/on the rear bumper to try and add weight for traction. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. 'Course after spinning my wheels a few times myself, I've gotten in the habit of shifting in to 4wd when pulling the boat out. (Never slipped since.)
I've seen some pretty stupid things at the boat ramp myself. Some of the ramps I've launched at are admittedly pretty slick, and it's always funny to watch some the 2wd pickups try and pull a boat out after a day of fun. Usually winds up with all the passengers having to get in the bed/on the rear bumper to try and add weight for traction. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. 'Course after spinning my wheels a few times myself, I've gotten in the habit of shifting in to 4wd when pulling the boat out. (Never slipped since.)
Bird
Epic Contributor
I've had the "privilege?" of watching one pickup truck that rolled on out and completely submerged in salt water at Port Aransas, TX. The guy backed in, his boat floated off the trailer and when he saw it floating away, he jumped out of the truck without using the park brake, ran after the boat, even took off swimming after the boat and didn't notice where the truck and trailer were going until it was too late./w3tcompact/icons/laugh.gif And another time, at a local fresh water lake, I watched a guy who had just launched a small boat from a trailer behind a Ford Escort station wagon. When he went to pull out, he gunned the engine, killed the engine, rolled back while he was restarting it and after doing that 3 or 4 times, he had rolled back enough that the water was over the driver's seat by the time my brothers and I could get to him; manual transmission and he had never realized that he had it in the highest gear. We pulled him out and he got it started again; don't know how well it did after the interior dried out./w3tcompact/icons/laugh.gif
hazmat
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Good one Buck/w3tcompact/icons/grin.gif
Boat ramps are always entertaining when you've got time to watch. The incompetence gets a bit frustrating when you're trying to get in / out in a hurry.
When we were kids, my mom would drive us down to the boat ramp & launch the boat, and then go about her errands waiting for us to call her to pick us up when we were done water skiing.
Always a kick to see her back down the ramp better than most men. And we all know that male chauvinism is alive and well in boating/sailing. My grandpa raised her right!
Boat ramps are always entertaining when you've got time to watch. The incompetence gets a bit frustrating when you're trying to get in / out in a hurry.
When we were kids, my mom would drive us down to the boat ramp & launch the boat, and then go about her errands waiting for us to call her to pick us up when we were done water skiing.
Always a kick to see her back down the ramp better than most men. And we all know that male chauvinism is alive and well in boating/sailing. My grandpa raised her right!
fishman
Veteran Member
Reminds me of an episode about a year ago. I was at a remote boat ramp waiting for my buddy to show up so we could go duck hunting that evening. A small truck drove down the ramp and a guy quickly hopped out extending his hand in greeting. At the same time, his truck, not in park and with no parking brake began to roll down the ramp toward me. I stepped up to push against it to try and stop it, but quickly realized the futility. He frantically ran alongside grabbing at the door handle while the truck made the 30 foot journey into the lake. It floated a good distance out into the lake before sinking. I was able to rescue his sneakers, a gas tank, and his spare, then let him call his buddies using my cell phone. When we got back that evening, the flatbed truck was just pulling away with in on the back, still dripping.
Pretty funny, but not to the guy that it happened to./w3tcompact/icons/frown.gif
Pretty funny, but not to the guy that it happened to./w3tcompact/icons/frown.gif
njrqs
Veteran Member
Wow that even got around on email here a week ro 2 back.
I enjoy boat ramps (besides the obvious fact that I can go boating from them)
I often pull up at one on my travels and just sit and watch the dramas.
Always good fun.
I heard on the news recently a new problem being called "ramp rage" due to some punchups etc.
Good stuff !!!
I enjoy boat ramps (besides the obvious fact that I can go boating from them)
I often pull up at one on my travels and just sit and watch the dramas.
Always good fun.
I heard on the news recently a new problem being called "ramp rage" due to some punchups etc.
Good stuff !!!
cstocks
Platinum Member
A couple of years ago my wife and I returned to the ramp at dusk after afternoon of bay fishing. We saw folks standing around and an ice chest floating in the water. As we eased on up to the ramp we noticed a row of spotlights sticking up out of the water. The spotlights were attached to the roof of a small pickup, which was totally submerged. We pulled up to the other side of the ramp and got our boat on the trailer and got out of the way. As we were tending to our business we watched as the owner of the submerged truck attempted to tend to his business. He was diving in the November water trying to tie a rope to his truck. He and his buddy were so p.o.ed that we were afraid to ask what happened. After all, it was prety obvious what happened./w3tcompact/icons/laugh.gif It's always funnier when it is the other guy in distress!/w3tcompact/icons/eyes.gif