Fun at the boat launch

[High Bidder]

I took my boat to the local lake to test the new gimbal bearing and bellows. I had a great time especially at the launch. One guy forgot to unstrap the rear tie downs. His son kept trying to push the boat off and the dad kept backing in until the water almost came over the stern. Next the guy with the fancy bass boat fired it up with the engine tilted out of the water. That probably smoked the impeller when he revved the engine to back off the trailer. The coast guard said I should have been there yesterday when a guy unstrapped his new first time boat and slid it off on the ramp. He said it took 10 guys to push it into the water. The fire co. showed up for a little gas line leak( electric fuel pump had quite a few gallons in the bilge). Luckily for that owner the Coast Guard auxiliary was doing voluntary safety inspections and smelled the gasoline. All this happened in the ten minutes waiting it took to launch my boat and the fifteen minutes waiting it took to load my boat. And it was a colder than normal holiday with a lot fewer boats. My boat ran well and I am ready to head to the Real Lake.

 

High Bidder

[Kuba]

LoL, youtube moments:)

[GAMBLER]

They should put bleechers and sell tickets for the show at every public boat launch. 

[Adk1]

I know what you are saying. I dunked my boat for the first time this season today. Being Memorial Day and being a nice one at that after a crappy few days the boaters were out in full force. Probably the most amusing thing for me to watch today are folks trying to back down the ramp. Then not hitting the dock..I pulled into the ramp today and I love it when boats are at the ready to launch area and they have their wives or girlfriends unloading stuff from a second car into the boat parked right in the way of traffic. Maybe they didn't see me with my Dodge Durango and the 23' Islander in tow..haha. I find it funny that I can back my 23' islander down the ramp, unload it off the trailer and be parked before some folks trailer tires get wet. You get some pretty funny looks from some of them..like "how in the hell did yeah..."

[Legacy]

[tannero]

I launched out of sandy yesterday and I kept thinking. Boy I hope someone doesnt smash my truck or break in. Miss the days of going to the marina, jumping in and gone. Maybe next year.

Sandy launch was un-eventful except for about 15 dock fisherman. One would think you would move a little when a boat is coming in or at least stand up. Nope. Not even reel up their rods.

[Sk8man]

Or how about the folks that pull their boat out of the water to a few feet into  the middle of the ramp and then start putting away their canvas, and unloading their equipment into their tow vehicle. putting on their tie-downs emptying their cooler water etc. all the while there is a long line of folks waiting to back their boats in and folks circling in the water waiting to get in to the docks....welcome to the Canandaigua launch ramp in the summer! 

[bandrus1]

I will say I have been guilty of pulling a rather long distance away without putting the plug in

[Sk8man]

Our last time out on Canandaigua we were part way out the channel heading for the lake and a guy we had talked with briefly before he left was coming full blast back in the channel toward the launch and his bow was way up in the air.....forgot to put the plug in....back of boat full of water Guess we have all had our moments with boating....

Edited May 28, 2013 by Sk8man

[momay4000]

They should put bleechers and sell tickets for the show at every public boat launch. 

I moor my boat at Mayers Marina in I-Bay and up until this year I had a front row seat on D-dock and I would watch all the follies at the County launch on the west side. I've seen everything from the Sheriff Dept. sink their SUV to a boat sinking (brand new beauty sunk last year) to fist fights to axles ripped off on the tow vehicle to multiple arrests in handcuffs. Even Mayers gets a little testy from time to time - especially when booze is involved!

 

On somedays the entertainment is just as good as the fishing!

[GAMBLER]

Over the years at that launch, I watched a couple people rip the axels off their trailers, back the trailer on the dock, hit vehicles, fights and all sorts of other things.  The best was the fist fight between a pleasure boater and a jetskier.  The jetskier cut in line taking out his jetski.  He left the keys on the dock and the pleasure boater kicked them into the water.  The brawl was really intersting.  The police where ther in seconds.   

[Adk1]

Sucks to say that all public launches should be manned. I know I know, more tax dollars to pay for a person to be there.

[Trophy2152]

Wilson isn't toooo bad. The only thing that'll get us a little p.o.'d, is when we pull into the state park, just before sun-up, we ALWAYS pull off on the little side road to ready the boat for launch - (you know, at the top of the hill, by the trailer parking area). Anyhow, as we're doing this, as a courtesy to others, we always get people go balls to the wall to get down to the launch ramp. It wouldn't be bad, if they were ready to launch immediately, but NOOOOooooooo! They gotta block the road and start getting ready THERE, (you know, where you CAN'T GET AROUND THEM)..... Well, I have noticed that in their haste, many seem to forget to put in the plug, or take the stern straps off, etc.... It's kinda comical sometimes, but really, why not just ready the boat up top? Noone rushes you up there, and maybe some of these guys wouldn't mess up their equipment, and it would allow those of us who are ready to launch, get out of the way......

[Sk8man]

One of the best that I witnessed back in the eighties should have been a video commercial for JEEP. A guy was pulling about a 25-27 ft. boat out with an Astro van at Sodus Point. As he got the boat on the trailer and started pulling out his van lost traction on the ramp from the algae and moss on it and he lost control  and spun the tires etc. all the while sliding down the ramp into the water. The whole back part of his vehicle was in the water and the boat stared to float off the trailer. A guy with a Jeep Laredo hooked up a chain to the front of the van and pulled both the van and the boat out of the water....pretty impressive!

[blueghost1]

I work in Canandaigua . There is nothing more entertaining than having lunch on a hot summer day at the boat ramp when a thunderstorm rolls in and watching amateur hour begin! The best was an escalade with a brand new ski boat and son is reading the owners manual to dad on how to load on trailer

[Adk1]

Which brings up the point of this proposed Boaters Safety Course that NYS is working on for EVERYONE no matter the age. I really hope that the course also incorporates some hands on training when it comes to trailering your boat and launching it etc. I love these guys who buy a brand new $50k boat that is more than they can handle as new boaters and try to navigate..

[muskiedreams]

One that comes to mind with me is when a guy drove a jet ski onto the trailer and said ok to the driver.  He pulled the trailer out slowly and after it was out of the water, he gunned it and pulled the trailer right out from under the jet ski.

[lakebound88]

Money buys the boat, not the brains....

I think every one has a story or two, maybe even a hundred....

[Xxx]

Boy, have I got a boat ramp story for you!!! We were up in Canada fishing on White Fish lake, where we stayed in cabins for a week, this lake was to have small mouth yellow perch and of course Walleye, well after the first day of catching 4" perch and 6" smallies and no walleye, the lake wasn't that big we knew we've been taken by the French once again  So we decided to see if we could get on the Gatineau river that's supposed to be good for walleye, we found a ramp to the river, but it went down hard and was full of sand, we had 3 trucks/trailer/boats, 2 trucks were 4wheel drive 1 wasn't. I locked my truck in 4wd and of course go first, no problem 2nd 4wd my buddy backs down no problem, but we both slid a little, so I said to my uncle, lets unload my boat and trailer and I'll back your boat down, well his fishing buddy, stubborn old dutch man said to me so nasty   (we don't got to go through all that horse sh\t I'll guide you back just get it down here) he says this to my uncle, and he was leery of doing it also, so down they come Clark giving Dave hand signs left/right when all of a sudden the whole shi//en works take off down the hill gaining speed backwards Dave just can't control the whole rig and Clark 80 some years old can't get out of the way fast enough gets pinned between the concrete wall, which was on the left and the boat and trailer, truck, trailer is jack knifed in the middle of the ramp, a piece of angle iron is through Clarks leg and the boat, transom corner is in his chest, and he can't breath, bleeding like hell, Dave can't move the truck away from the wall to get Clark out. So I unhook my trailer and hook on Dave's  truck and slowly pull the whole mess away and the guys grab Clark and tie a tourniquet around his leg, and take him to the nearest hospital 50 miles away, around 1oclock in the morning they return with Clark. No broken bones, just stitches were the angle went threw and bruised chest bones, hand full of pain pills and we fished the rest of the week. What a trip    

[LongLine]

A guy & 2 gals launch a jet ski at the river.  2 gals on board, guy jumps on from dock & flips it over.  All 3 in the brink. 

 

A guy with a Jeep Laredo hooked up a chain to the front of the van and pulled both the van and the boat out of the water....pretty impressive

Almost thought you were going to say: "pulled his front bummper right off."

 

pap - Ouch...

 

Tom B.

(LongLine)

[DJ 17]

I was pulling the boat out of the launch, and in another lane was a grandfather and grandson arguing about how to get their boat out. I went and got my truck and had loaded up and was starting to pull up the ramp( alone). When I started to go grandma came up to my window and asked if would help them. I said I would, but before we even stopped talking grandpa guns the truck and pulls the boat up the ramp dragging the outdrive, sparks flying for 75 yds with the grandson screaming for him to stop. He starts yelling at the kid (about 10 yrs old). I get my rig out of the way and walk over to them with grandma, and he starts yelling at her saying he doesn't need any F$%^#in help.  SO I start to walk away and grandma pleads with me to come back and help.  So I did because grandpa is still yelling at the kid, saying he broke the damn boat etc...,etc...

 

NO lie... I walk over to the boat and trim up the motor with the switch on the throttle, I walked back to grandma, shook her hand and walked away. Crazy A$$ grandpa never said a word, he was red as an apple!

[Trap Jaw]

One of the best that I witnessed back in the eighties should have been a video commercial for JEEP. A guy was pulling about a 25-27 ft. boat out with an Astro van at Sodus Point. As he got the boat on the trailer and started pulling out his van lost traction on the ramp from the algae and moss on it and he lost control  and spun the tires etc. all the while sliding down the ramp into the water. The whole back part of his vehicle was in the water and the boat stared to float off the trailer. A guy with a Jeep Laredo hooked up a chain to the front of the van and pulled both the van and the boat out of the water....pretty impressive!

 

Gotta love it when a Jeep puts the big boys to shame.  I pulled that duck hunting.  My buddy was pulling his 16' fiberglass(full of dekes and a layout) out of the ramp with his F150 and lost his 4wheel drive(icy/dirt ramp).  I threw a chain on him and pulled his truck and boat up the ramp with my Cherokee.  Never slipped a tire.

 

I've always said the first thing you should do when you by a boat and take it out for the first time is three things.  Forget the plug, loose your anchor(just take it out and toss it over the side if need be) and run it out of gas.  Just get it out of the way on the first trip, 'cause it'll happen eventually.

Edited June 1, 2013 by Trap Jaw

[Misty IV]

The state launch at Mexico Point has had its share of doozies over the years. Funniest I've seen up close and personal was a father/son outing, where dad had backed the trailer into the water to retrieve the boat. The young son, probably about 10 years old, was helping to pull the boat up to the trailer. Once the boat was within the bunks of the trailer, the son let go of the line, before dad had a hold of the boat. Unfortunately, there was a nice little breeze, which proceeded to push the boat away from the trailer and the boat started to drift back out into the Little Salmon River. Dad, of course, starts yelling, "What did you do that for?" The little boy starts crying, while dad just stands there, yelling, as their boat is drifting away. I ran into the water and grabbed the line, and brought the boat back to the trailer, helped them get it onto the trailer and made sure dad had the winch cable secured before I let go. He thanked me and off I went to drive back to the house in soaked shorts, sneakers and shirt.

 

And, then there are always the ******* who drive past everyone patiently waiting in line to launch and drive right to the ramp, back halfway down, and then gets out to prep their boat. Last year, I was 3rd in line, when someone decided to do just that. The first guy in line waiting got out of his truck and starts yelling at this moron, who proceeds to start yelling back. The second guy in line gets out of his truck and it is now a 2 on 1 shouting match. I started to get out of my truck, but decided to sit still and watch the entertainment. By the end of it all, there was an entire family from the 1st in line out yelling, including the wife, who was louder than the husband!! Never a dull moment...

[Sk8man]

Yeah ....wouldn't "Life at the Launch Ramp" make a great reality show?

Edited June 1, 2013 by Sk8man

[alacy]

I always felt Mayer's should have charged more for thier launch based on the entertainment value I got waiting to pull the boat after a morning of fishing.  Some of the funniest stuff I have ever seen.