solar7647
Lieutenant Junior Grade
- Joined
- Apr 23, 2009
- Messages
- 1,218
So like many of you did I took the family out for some fun filled boating for the extended holiday weekend (so I thought)........
Well it started Sunday night, the wife and I went out on the Maumee River for a nice (kid Free) ride. Everything was great, the water was smooth as glass, no wind at all and the old 470 was running great, too good to be true in fact. The ride lasted about an hour and half and we decided to head in, by the time we got back to the local ramp it was about 10:30pm, dark but the ramp is well lit so no worries, we tie off to the dock and I go get the truck.
Now mind you it?s only a five min round trip to get the truck and back to the ramp, but in that time the wind picked up from 0-2mph to 15-20mph!!!!
Now the fun began, the wind was blowing directly across the ramp and my 22ft Four Winns is now a kite! I back the trailer in nice a straight and as close to the dock as possible so that we didn?t have to fight the wind that was putting the boat darn near on top of the dock!! I jump down and wench the boat up, it went easy considering the conditions, jumped up and got in the truck to pull the boat out. Well as I came out, as soon as i hit the point where the boat was just barley floating still the wind would push off and onto the tire well of the trailer!!! Not Good. So after about 30 min (thank GOD no one was waiting) and nothing i was doing was helping going slow or fast I decided to have the wife pull it out while i try to fight the wind.
I jump in the boat still in the water but attached to the trailer attached a line to driver side cleat and went across both ramps to the other ramp dock, strung the line around a pylon to gain some leverage to pull the boat straight. Finally got It!! She pulled it up and out... It wasn?t perfect but it was on and safe enough to tow home till tomorrow when we headed back out.....
So, Monday we went out with both kids, my brother and his girlfriend. This time I brought some one that could help!! Right? Well same story everything was great. This time out to Lake Erie, the river was too crowded. SO we go blasting out into the lake!! Just enough chop to have some fun and a light 10mph wind...NOT FOR long!!! We get about three miles into the like and boy it got crazy!!! In good old Great Lake fashion the wind stirs up to a good 25-30mph!!! Now our light chop is 4-5ft swells.....!
So at this point I decide it?s just too bad to have the kids out and we head in, now i am playing the throttle to keep the boat as smooth as possible, so I don?t scare the kids into never wanting to go out again, but it just was too rough to keep the boat from bouncing around and pretty hard to. Well my boy 2ys old is sitting with my wife, and suddenly we hear a blood curdling scream, now everyone but me jumps up to see what is wrong, now I am in 4-5ft swells with 3 adults and a child (80% of my weight) on the one side of the boat.. REALLY NOT GOOD! So after some quick throttle adjustments and steering changes to keep us up right I began the Altamont butt chewing for every one moving like that in those conditions while we were under way, we found that my son had bit his lip from the bouncing..I felt so bad!
Once we got back on the river and it calmed down we regrouped and continued the ride with no more problems...even got it on the trailer fine!!! I guess it could have went a lot worse, but still wasn?t the smooth injury free outing I was hoping for!!
How about you guys anything that crazy?
Well it started Sunday night, the wife and I went out on the Maumee River for a nice (kid Free) ride. Everything was great, the water was smooth as glass, no wind at all and the old 470 was running great, too good to be true in fact. The ride lasted about an hour and half and we decided to head in, by the time we got back to the local ramp it was about 10:30pm, dark but the ramp is well lit so no worries, we tie off to the dock and I go get the truck.
Now mind you it?s only a five min round trip to get the truck and back to the ramp, but in that time the wind picked up from 0-2mph to 15-20mph!!!!
Now the fun began, the wind was blowing directly across the ramp and my 22ft Four Winns is now a kite! I back the trailer in nice a straight and as close to the dock as possible so that we didn?t have to fight the wind that was putting the boat darn near on top of the dock!! I jump down and wench the boat up, it went easy considering the conditions, jumped up and got in the truck to pull the boat out. Well as I came out, as soon as i hit the point where the boat was just barley floating still the wind would push off and onto the tire well of the trailer!!! Not Good. So after about 30 min (thank GOD no one was waiting) and nothing i was doing was helping going slow or fast I decided to have the wife pull it out while i try to fight the wind.
I jump in the boat still in the water but attached to the trailer attached a line to driver side cleat and went across both ramps to the other ramp dock, strung the line around a pylon to gain some leverage to pull the boat straight. Finally got It!! She pulled it up and out... It wasn?t perfect but it was on and safe enough to tow home till tomorrow when we headed back out.....So, Monday we went out with both kids, my brother and his girlfriend. This time I brought some one that could help!! Right? Well same story everything was great. This time out to Lake Erie, the river was too crowded. SO we go blasting out into the lake!! Just enough chop to have some fun and a light 10mph wind...NOT FOR long!!! We get about three miles into the like and boy it got crazy!!! In good old Great Lake fashion the wind stirs up to a good 25-30mph!!! Now our light chop is 4-5ft swells.....
!So at this point I decide it?s just too bad to have the kids out and we head in, now i am playing the throttle to keep the boat as smooth as possible, so I don?t scare the kids into never wanting to go out again, but it just was too rough to keep the boat from bouncing around and pretty hard to. Well my boy 2ys old is sitting with my wife, and suddenly we hear a blood curdling scream, now everyone but me jumps up to see what is wrong, now I am in 4-5ft swells with 3 adults and a child (80% of my weight) on the one side of the boat.. REALLY NOT GOOD!
So after some quick throttle adjustments and steering changes to keep us up right I began the Altamont butt chewing for every one moving like that in those conditions while we were under way, we found that my son had bit his lip from the bouncing..I felt so bad!Once we got back on the river and it calmed down we regrouped and continued the ride with no more problems...even got it on the trailer fine!!! I guess it could have went a lot worse, but still wasn?t the smooth injury free outing I was hoping for!!
How about you guys anything that crazy?
