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.