Your embarrassing ramp moments

[Jason B]

only left the transom straps on once, that's my only real embarassing "ramp" story....knock on wood

If you wanna talk about docking now there I have plenty, most involving my wifes driving.

[dougpaper]

ramp stories

When i am pressed for time the kids and i launch our boat on the river a little south of Pittsburgh( This area does have running water and electricity and i believe some sort of educational system)every time we encounter a wait while some guy is either yelling obcenities at his young kids or his wife whiles he is trying to load his boat(Never His Fault), after getting the boat on the trailer in a single only launch area, they will take 15 minutes to wipe boat down and check everything out, cant do that at the top of the launch ( Giant Parking lot with lots of open space) Have almost gotten into fist fights everytrip down. This area is where legends Joe Montana, Fred Cox, Stan Musial , Ken Griffy sr. You wont find any boating greats from this area

[gman]

Many moons ago (30+ years)when we got our first boat (I/O)about the second or third time out took it lake Piru (mud hole). After lauching I parked the car and trailer and jumped into the boat. Wife was driving the boat and I reached down to get a drink and noticed water on the floor and realized that I forgot to put in the plug. So I told her to keep movivng the boat forward and drop me off and then go back out and keep driving it so as to suck some of the water out. Got the plug, she came back to pick me up and as I jumping from the shore on the boat I let the plug go out of my hand and it rolled across the bow and into the water. Ran back , got the trailer and loaded the boat on the trailer with water comming out of the drain hole and from the bilge pump. Never been back to that lake!

[MoneyPity]

My worst one is occurred when I was in my mid twenties and my dad had just bought a used 23 foot Sea-ray, It was in cherry condition and for what he wanted to use it four the 5.0L carberated motor was fine.

My dad cannot for the life of him in those days could not back a trailer without many passes at the ramp.

Just after the original owners dropped the boat off at my dad's, he had a class II frame hitch put on his Oldsmobile land land yacht.

Since it was fall both dad and mom wanted to launch at starved rock and go downstream to view the leaves turn. The launch we used had a significant grade to it and this was my vary first time launching this boat on an EZ Loader trailer. In fact it was the first trailer that had tandem wheels and rollers not bunks.

When I was a couple of feet from the waters edge I removed the rear tie-down, un known to me my dad disconnected the winch and idiot chain. Me I am anticipating an easy launch with those rollers that once I got her in the water I would disconnect the front winch strap.

I started backing up real slow and cautious and the next thing I hear from another boater is that our boat was rolling off the trailer in 3 inches of water. If I pulled forward that would drop the boat in a couple of inches of water, I decide quickly to stay in reverse and accelerate trying to get the boat in deeper water. I did get it in deeper but now I have a boat that looks like it is a cruise missile ready to launch.

The boat was on the last bunk of rollers. I decided (actually had no choice) to winch the boat back on the trailer. Thank goodness I was still in good shape coming out of the Marines. I hand cranked the boat to the point where I couldn't get it up the last 3-4 feet of roller bunks so I locked the winch and used the rear tie downs to also keep it from rolling off again. I pulled the boat very slow until we could look at the lower unit and the transom. Since the lower unit was in full up mode it was undamaged. When we inspected the transom we could not find any damage what so ever.

Since I could not go any further up the ramp for fear of dropping the boat I decided to back it in further until the transom was free floating. I had my dad get in boat and hand me 2 lines and to turn on blower and bilge just in case.I tied off the stern as far back on the dock that I could and did the same for the bow. I then backed up another foot or two and the boat was off the trailer.

When I got back to the boat and lowered the i/o drive and started her up I was literaly shaking from the near disaster my dad helped cause.

Bottom line after going upstream and downstream for 1/2 mile where we could still see the ramps we checked for a leak and that no water was entering the boat and going to the bilge. We decided to head down he Illinois River for a few miles and put the boat back on the trailer. I pulled the boat out with no more mishaps.

When we inspected the hull for damage we could not find a scratch. As the saying goes we dodged a bullet that day and that SeaRay build one heck of a boat in those years.

Dad kept that boat for 20 years before he sold her. The family that bought had young children and were looking for a clean older boat with high gunwales. Two interiors and 25 years that SeaRay still looks great when she is clean and polished,

[scoot18]

These are great stories: Esp the wrong trailer loading.

I haven't had to many my self, a few drain plug mishaps, once with the tige', close call but it just had slid off the trailer when the bildge pump came on, drove it right back up the trailer, winched it up a bit, pulled back up the ramp, drained, installed plug, back in the water, and away we went.

2nd was with my first boat an I/O before the tige'. We were launching at a very busy ramp for the Chesapeake bay launching, dropped the boat in and went & parked the rig. The parking lot is kind of long, I noticed the stream of water comimg out of the bildge port as I was walking back to the ramp & "Oh s%$#" - coming back with the trailer wasn't an option because of the launching traffic after me, I sprinted to the dock, hollered for someone to get the spare plug out of the tool box quickly, got in the boat, shirt off and in the water I went with the plug in my hand. I got it in, but I must say it is a difficult task to do in the water when your heart is racing and your mind is frantically freaking out!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[scoot18]

Here is another one, not from me though, not even a boat mishap.

One weekday last summer we launched at our normal spot, only a few rigs in the parking lot. I was walking to the dock & passed a Tahoe with empty trailer, the windows were down and the engine was running. I looked around for someone, the place was a ghost town, no one was around. After a pretty good search of the area I couldn't find anyone. I thought about reaching in and turning the engine off, but with the crazy litigous sue happy minds out there now adays, I opted not to.

Once on the water I would wave down boats and ask them if they had that Tahoe parked where I launched. About 2 hrs on the water I encounered a couple in a nice Searay with their small children & I asked if they had that Tahoe, yeap they did. Well guess what, you left it running with the windows down at the ramp. They had been out on the water for several hours, couldn't believe they had done that, they were quite humiliated.

[TJRiver]

Six, count em, six go arounds to get the boat on the trailer straight at Elsinore here in So. Cal. In my defense, there was a 20 knot on-shore wind blowing and everyone was having some issues......

[evil0ne]

Once on the water I would wave down boats and ask them if they had that Tahoe parked where I launched. About 2 hrs on the water I encounered a couple in a nice Searay with their small children & I asked if they had that Tahoe, yeap they did. Well guess what, you left it running with the windows down at the ramp. They had been out on the water for several hours, couldn't believe they had done that, they were quite humiliated.

How do you forget you left your truck on the launch ramp when you can see it as you leave the marina.

[Jason B]

only left the transom straps on once, that's my only real embarassing "ramp" story....knock on wood.

DAM you Karma!! Launched without the plug yesterday.
....should have known better than to say anything!! I was with a new crew and out of my routine and just never thought about it until I parked the truck and saw it sitting in my cupholder.

[da.bell]

DAM you Karma!! Launched without the plug yesterday.
....should have known better than to say anything!! I was with a new crew and out of my routine and just never thought about it until I parked the truck and saw it sitting in my cupholder.

Well, at least you noticed it before something bad happen. I haven't forgot my boat plug since Memorial Day

[Timmy!]

Now. I realize I am holding my car battery and my breath. I don't want to let go of the car battery because I need it to get home. If I don't let go I will drown. I wonder which is worse? I reluctantly decide to let go of the car battery now turned anchor. I pop up and see my wife and son explaining to each other what happened. I was trying to figure out what had just happened?

Wow! Hopefully you never have a moment to compete with that one!

[Matt Garcia]

Wow this thread is hilarious!

[Guest]

These are great stories and Dogberts keys story reminded me of one. A few years ago my buddy and I launched at the Pace Bend ramp on Lake Travis. For those that don't know it is essentially a one lane ramp cut into a cliff without any docks or easy access to the boat by the driver. The driver has to either swim out to the boat or balance on a rocky shore and jump in the nose of the boat. Well my buddy had his keys in his hand and when he put his hands on the bow he dropped his keys in the water. The drop off is really steep so after swimming around for an hour trying to find them they were lost. My buddy had to call AAA and they setup a locksmith to come out in a few hours. We went ahead and boarded while waiting and then I dropped my buddy off while he waited another two hours while the guy get into his truck and made him another key. I just pulled back out on the lake and floated while listening to tunes, swimming and drinking beers while they worked. Cost my buddy about $200 but did not ruin our day on the lake.

[philwsailz]

For me, a holiday weekend was the time... My Stingray I/O was new to me; a coworker buddy and his daghter had been over the previous evening to admire the new boat.

Fast forward to the next day. Again, it was a holiday weekend.... We are backing down the ramp. It is a buddy/boat mechanic driving my truck; we can be on the ramp, loaded or unloaded, and off of the ramp, typically in less than a minute. I hear the trailer tires splash, and I know I can start the motor, with the low-water pickup on the nose cone of the drive. We are that good.....

But, the boat will not start. Brand new boat. Will not start. Long line, people waiting... We bail on the attempt. Up the ramp out of the way, under the "hood"...

Well, that visit of the previous evening... My coworker's daughter had flipped the switch that the safety lanyard was connected to... hah hah hah...

It only took about 2 hot hours of trouble-shooting at my camper until we found it....

Add that to your checklist, right after turning on the bilge blower....

[Timmy!]

Add that to your checklist, right after turning on the bilge blower....

Good call on that one!