Boat Ramp horror stories

[Jason B]

I saw a new one this evening... I'm pulled up to the top of the landing and was taking off the rear straps. I look up as a car drives by me and abruptly takes a sharp left and drives straight down the ramp, into the river. The lady never even hit the brakes until her front tires were in the drink. She came to a stop w/ the front of her hood under water and her door sill at the waterline. She tried to back up but the engine died and she rolled in farther. One onlooker pulled his truck up to pull her out. I launched my boat right next to her and she never looked away from her lap. I had a camera in the boat and everything and didn't get a picture. Damn.

Maybe she was following her Tom-Tom and it said "Turn Left Now".

???? Thelma and Louise.....without the commitment!? LOl

[goboatingfl]

One of the best for me was a couple years back at Racoon Lake in Indiana. The ramp was busy as it was a holiday weekend. I'd say there were 20 boats lined up to launch. A guy in a decent sized bow rider was behind my brother and I was behind him. My brother undid his straps and hook from the front. His wife got aboard and my brother backed down the ramp and launched his boat then pulled right out. All took maybe 30 seconds. So I saw this guy in front, who had 5-6 people with him get out before he did his U-turn to back down the ramp, and he undid his front hook. He then turned and started backing down the trailer. He got about 30' from the water line and did a small brake check......OOOPS!!! He had a ROLLER trailer and the boat took off and landed on the ramp at about a 45 degree angle, blocking over 2/3rd's of the ramp. Everyone was like...OH S*@%!!! And there were at least a hundred people or more there. Prob was no one would help him out and his boat, an I/O was not moving easily. I went ahead and launched and my brother and I unhooked our trailers and had to hook log chains to it and we finally (about 30 minutes later) got it back on the trailer. It didn't do as much damage as I would have guessed but he didn't boat that day.

I guess one shouldn't always do what the one before him does huh?

[dogbert]

I never unhook my bow until my boat's in the water, even if it's just a little bit...too many things can go wrong.

[mtnsmith]

We were all launched and ready to pull away from the dock when my buddy just says to everyone "watch this" and points to open water. There is a small cuddy sterndrive hauling through the no wake zone and towards the docks, not wanting to get in the guys way we stay put and watch as he gets closer and is not slowing. Then just like that the guy drives the boat right up onto the ramp at about planing speed and starts destroying his prop on the concrete and almost ejecting one of his passengers. Everyone is yelling at him to turn the motor off and a few of us run over to see if everyone is ok. Turns out his throttle lever jammed. It took about ten of us to push the boat back into the water which surprisingly was not damaged too badly. He started messing with it like he was going to fix it and go back out, but luckily his passengers convinced him it was a bad idea. We asked why he didn't cut the ignition close to the ramp and get a tow in, there were probably 25-30 boats there, he said he hadn't thought of that!

[hoopykat]

I never unhook my bow until my boat's in the water, even if it's just a little bit...too many things can go wrong.

x2.

-Mike

[maswind]

I never unhook my bow until my boat's in the water, even if it's just a little bit...too many things can go wrong.

X3 for sure. Why take any chances?

[Tequilasun]

X3 for sure. Why take any chances?

Cause the quick slide off when you back down sink the trailer, tap the breaks, and drive up the ramp manuver is cooler than the moonwalk.

[bfrank]

Had this one emailed to me!! I think he got it backwards!!!

[twinturbostroker]

Here are a few that I've come across posted upon other forums.