Boat ramp etiquette

[KermieB]

Re: Boat ramp etiquette

I'm confused.... why would you rather sit at a boat ramp watching other people suffer, than.. oh, maybe, ....be on the water having fun?

 

[clarkbre]

Re: Boat ramp etiquette

More then once, I seen newbie getting yelled at at the ramp for having difficulty loading their boat onto their trailer. They were slow, but not because they prepping their boat at the launch, but simply trying to get the boat onto the trailer safely. Rarely someone actually offer to help...

100% Agreed.

I don't mind people taking their time when they're learning to launch/retrieve correctly. If they're struggling I'll cautiously offer some assistance, if they're being methodical I'll just wait and relax.

Like everyone else, I get annoyed at the people that think they own the ramp. Lately, I've been getting frustrated at the smaller, electric only lakes. I like to put in for an hour or two after work, relax, and fish. The launches at the smaller lakes are limited in space and this causes my two pet peeves:

1. Shore fisherman at the launch. I get a lot of pushback from these guys saying I?m screwing up their fishing when I put the boat in the water. God forbid I use the boat launch to launch my boat. There are docks at the park for fishing.

2. Inconsiderate parkers. Being a tight launch area, there is a no parking zone from the water line to about 50? into the parking area. This is intended for a trailer turn around and load/unload zone. The people with cartoppers are the biggest offenders of this area. Multiple times, they unload as they should, but then they leave their cars parked there. When left in the launch area, they block all boaters from launching or retrieving their boats. Totally inconsiderate!

 

[skargo]

Re: Boat ramp etiquette

I was starting to get mad today. Our usual ramp finally reopened after renovations, and I am not happy with the new config, but that's another story.

I come on after going through a squall and being drenched, and it was hot as hades. I started jockeying around because a minivan is making many attempts to back a dual jetski trailer down the ramp.
He finally gets them down, yep, straps still on. Instead of pulling them up the ramp, him and his kids go swimming to remove the straps. After struggling mightily to get them off the trailer, because he was nowhere near deep enough, he let the kids, approx. 9-12 years old tie them off as seen in the pic below.

Of course, they all have to go use the restrooms, and they go back to the minivan 4 or 5 times. I started waving my arms and yelling "HEY, ARE YOU GOING OUT TODAY, THIS IS A PUBLIC RAMP" Finally, the girls walk down and we ask if they could move them to the other side of the dock, they say they have to ask there dad, and instead of him moving them, he lets the kids struggle with it.
Finally, they are on the other side of the dock. I pull up, tie off, and get my truck. It's not easy loading there now due to the new configuration, but we are out of there in minutes.

By then, a DNR police officer is there asking the guy why he is letting kids under 16 operate jetskis, he said he had no idea that was the law because he was from PA.

Took 40 minutes from the time we pulled up, until we finally got out. I would have helped, but they had the whole dock tied up basically.

Sheesh!

 

[H20Rat]

Re: Boat ramp etiquette

looks deceiving, but it looks like there might be a lot of room behind them yet? I see something fairly common at my ramp, and the dock is maybe 25 feet long. If its a smaller fishing boat, I can maneuver and load if it is tied to the end.

 

[capt sam]

Re: Boat ramp etiquette

looks deceiving, but it looks like there might be a lot of room behind them yet? I see something fairly common at my ramp, and the dock is maybe 25 feet long. If its a smaller fishing boat, I can maneuver and load if it is tied to the end.

which brings up another point, some people claim ownership to ramps they use regularly, so much so they get all pissy if someone else uses it. I'm not saying in the above case that's true but I've seen it happen.

 

[LKW7113]

Re: Boat ramp etiquette

And another thing I see almost EVERYBODY do is power their boat on to the trailer. This is the wrong thing to do since your prop is washing the support out from under the cement ramp and it will eventually crack! The proper way is to nose your boat slowly up to your trailer and hook it to the strap, then crank it up snug.

 

[skargo]

Re: Boat ramp etiquette

looks deceiving, but it looks like there might be a lot of room behind them yet? I see something fairly common at my ramp, and the dock is maybe 25 feet long. If its a smaller fishing boat, I can maneuver and load if it is tied to the end.

Yep, it looks like there's room, but there wasn't.

 

[skargo]

Re: Boat ramp etiquette

which brings up another point, some people claim ownership to ramps they use regularly, so much so they get all pissy if someone else uses it. I'm not saying in the above case that's true but I've seen it happen.

Not the case at all, in fact, the clueless jetski owner thought HE owned the ramp. It took us 45 minutes to get off the water...

 

[SeanMcl]

Re: Boat ramp etiquette

There are 2 things I am terrified of doing. First is sinking the boat, for whatever reason. Second is having the boat come off the trailer on the ramp, for whatever reason. I have a chain from the bow eye to the winch, and I don't unhook it till the rear of the boat is floating. It goes on first thing when the boat is loaded, too. People look at me funny and it takes me an extra 60 seconds sometimes, wading in the water with a wrench just in case the link bolt is too tight, but I don't even care.

I have a bunk trailer, and I pull up the ramp s-l-o-w, but several times I have felt the boat slip an inch or 2 on the way up or down the ramp only to be caught by the chain. Etiquette or not, the chain stays.

 

[oldrenken79]

Re: Boat ramp etiquette

Etiquette? Where? No, really?

Last season I was waiting to put mine in at our community ramp to tie her to a maintenance dock and do some tinkering for a lake test.

Here's somebody with a 2wd S-10 pickup trying to haul a 24' Sea Ray out, and not having much luck at all. Mind you our ramp is about a 6 or 7% grade. Nice uphill haul. So, I figure being a nice guy and all I would offer to pull him up the hill with my Silverado.

Geeeze... you woulda thought I insulted his wife, his dog, his Mother, and two thirds of the residents of wherever in the woods this guy came from. There was only one thing I could do. I watched this class act slip and slide, spin the wheels and finally blow out the clutch before the entire rig went right in the lake.

And this cat was carrying on like I was the one that caused it all.

I gotta start carrying a camera.

 

[clarkbre]

Re: Boat ramp etiquette

Etiquette?

Here's somebody with a 2wd S-10 pickup trying to haul a 24' Sea Ray out, and not having much luck at all.

That guy should have done his research for a tow vehicle to not get to that point. And then there are the dumbasses that think it?s their duty to question your set up. It?s like if you don?t have a ?+ ton truck you?re an idiot for boating.

I drive a 2003 Subaru sedan and pull my 16? Lund on a weekly basis. You wanna talk about getting funny looks at the launch? I get questioned all the time if I need a truck to back the trailer in, if they should attach a retrieval rope now for the car, if that little car can actually do it?yadda, yadda, yadda.

It?s kind of offensive but it?s worth it when I prove them totally wrong. No wheel spin, no issues. The car?s AWD with a 2.5L engine, automatic transmission, and rated to pull 2000lbs (w/ brakes). Realistically, it?s a better tow vehicle than some of the smaller 2wd trucks. My boat, motor, trailer, and gear weigh about 900lbs. This is a very simple, lightweight set up. More often than not, my wife and I can launch or retrieve the boat in the time it takes those ?real tow rigs? to put in and take out.

I guess it all comes down to having a smooth operation and knowing your vehicle, vessel, and trailer.

 

[pinecrestwoods]

Re: Boat ramp etiquette

Well then, you've done your homework clarkbre. Good for you!

My '91 Explorer I had last year never let me down, but it was a bit on the light side. Never a problem pulling or retrieving, but sometimes coming to a stop at launch on a damp ramp would slide the front tires a little- yikes! (Even at a snail's pace!) Might have been an issue with the brakes.

E-brake didn't work on the vehicle, so I took a couple extra seconds to put a wheel chock in place. I had a rope tied to it, so when I would pull up the ramp, the chock would come with me. I figured this would take less time than calling a tow truck to pull my "rig" out of the water.

Different setup this year!

Most people at my lake are pretty good about staying away from the ramp until their vehicle gets there- dump off the driver and circle the boat around (if all docks are full) until retrieval vehicle is in place. Although some people seem to be oblivious to the process.

 

[md-lucky]

Re: Boat ramp etiquette

The small tow rigs out at the ramp never bother me. Take all the time you need to do it safe and do it right. I'll wait.

What drives me completely and utterly up the freaking wall is when folks with small tow rigs get about 50 people lined up behind them and will not pull over.

We have several grades going out to our lake. They are at minimum 9%, and I think the last pull is closer to 12%+.

I like to go the speed limit. I don't like to go 23 in a 45. If the tow vehicle isn't capable of doing the speed limit, please pull over before you start the grade. Please allow those of us that would like to go the speed limit the chance to head up before you. Please.

 

[jkust]

Re: Boat ramp etiquette

Ramp behavior is a funny thing. Not having a second person to help out with the trailer or a capable person to help out isn't the issue to me. It's how you act and the things you do when you are in that position to me that is the key. I have a family of 4 including two little kids and a wife. My wife won't drive the truck with the trailer anymore after she had a trailer collision at the ramp. It's just how it is. She also will not back the boat up and come back to get me. Open water she will hesitantly drive but not close quarters in shallow water where all of our ramps seem to be. We are all better off not having her in those situations. This is a bit of a stressor for me because it means more times than not we have to wait for the line to disappear to get off the water. I'd say most folks are pretty well behaved except the ones who do amazingly wait to prep at the ramp itself, not in line. What really gets me are the trailerless cars that will take up an entire trailer parking space. I assume they drove to the ramp to meat their boating friend and just parked. They don't even park in a line but several cars will take up several spaces. Even the DNR/non officers who sit all day reading a book and give you the invasive species talk will take up a full space. Of course the handycap trailer spaces are never full.

 

[Andy'sDelight]

Re: Boat ramp etiquette

I saw a couple guys launching a center console at my local ramp. You can always tell who is unfamiliar when they start to try walking the boat off the trailer with a long rope. By the time I got there they already had the boat off and it was continuously pounding into the concrete wall by the strong current and waves. Knowing the situation, I ran over with my boat pole extended out and helped them push the boat off the wall so he could walk it to the dock finally. I was prepping my boat in the prepping area and one of the guys was going back to their truck, turns out there boat won't start (reason #2 not to walk a boat off at this ramp). I offered to help them pull it back over to their trailer and keep it straight so it didn't take any more beating against the wall. Got quite wet doing it as well. Didn't get anything more my help, nor was I expecting it. They were clearly new to boating and launching and extremely gracious for my help. Turned out their kill switch was off, so I helped them re-launch correctly and they went off on their way to a nice evening of fishing. I could have gotten all pissy yelling and screaming, but I decided that it's better to help and hopefully teach than to yell and belittle.

For me, I got some good karma as I embarked on my first solo offshore night trip afterwards and landed some nice stripers for my effort on glass seas.

 

[korygrandy]

Re: Boat ramp etiquette

JKUST: I knew instantly you were from MN when you mentioned the DNR parking in the trailer spots and handicapped spaces. Here's my petpeeves at the launch:

What: Cars parked or even driving around the designated launch area.
Why: You know damn well you don't have a boat to launch so what the hell are you doing at the launch?

What: People loading gear after boat is launched.
Why: You know you were going on a boating outing, load the gear when you are prepping for launch PRIOR to the launch lane.

What: Power loading / unloading
Why: It's completely inconsiderate and a little unsafe. If you fly down the ramp in hopes of an easy launch you are creating a safety risk for everyone around the launch. If you powerload your goddamn boat next to me while I'm in the water cranking my winch you are gonna hear about it. It's unsafe, it creates wake while I'm trying to center my boat on the trailer, and it gets my otherwise dry rear tires wet from the wake.

What: People who don't back far enough in.
Why: You can't get a boat on the lake without it floating first. You're going to have an easier time winching if you're boat is floating just above the trailer.

What: People fishing on the launch dock.
Why: There in my damn way that's why it annoys me. Fish off the shore. It's not like there's better fishing where everyone is starting there combustible engines. (I'm not racist but it's always the hmongs and asians)

 

[mbgaski]

Re: Boat ramp etiquette

You can always tell who is unfamiliar when they start to try walking the boat off the trailer with a long rope.

Really depends on the size of the boat and water conditions. I've been unloading boats that way for over 20 years, but typically into rivers and typically boats in the 14' - 17' range (styles ranging from jon boats, crappie boats, bass boats, and a fish-and-ski). Driver backs down, I have the boat on the rope. I stop at the water, and the driver backs down until the boat drifts off the trailer. As they pull out I pull the boat back to shore, then hope in as I push it back out. Crank it pull around to the dock. Never had a major issue and have done it this way for hundreds of launches.

 

[korygrandy]

Re: Boat ramp etiquette

Really depends on the size of the boat and water conditions. I've been unloading boats that way for over 20 years, but typically into rivers and typically boats in the 14' - 17' range (styles ranging from jon boats, crappie boats, bass boats, and a fish-and-ski). Driver backs down, I have the boat on the rope. I stop at the water, and the driver backs down until the boat drifts off the trailer. As they pull out I pull the boat back to shore, then hope in as I push it back out. Crank it pull around to the dock. Never had a major issue and have done it this way for hundreds of launches.

What do you do after you've hopped in, pushed off, cranked and it doesn't crank? Get out the paddle? Swim? I make sure my boat starts AND idles before I even unhook the winch chain. It's an extra 20 seconds and anyone that would be annoyed by this procedure would be 10x as annoyed when I am drifting on the launch they're waiting for.

 

[Andy'sDelight]

Re: Boat ramp etiquette

Really depends on the size of the boat and water conditions. I've been unloading boats that way for over 20 years, but typically into rivers and typically boats in the 14' - 17' range (styles ranging from jon boats, crappie boats, bass boats, and a fish-and-ski). Driver backs down, I have the boat on the rope. I stop at the water, and the driver backs down until the boat drifts off the trailer. As they pull out I pull the boat back to shore, then hope in as I push it back out. Crank it pull around to the dock. Never had a major issue and have done it this way for hundreds of launches.

I should have been more clear, I meant when someone does this at the dock they were doing it at. When the dock and the ramp are about 70' apart and you have to walk the rope from the parking lot about 10' above the ramp and there is a concrete wall with a heavy current pushing the boat towards the wall, it would be very ill advised. This particular dock really doesn't allow for it. Even when I launch by myself I climb over the bow and power it over to the dock.

What do you do after you've hopped in, pushed off, cranked and it doesn't crank? Get out the paddle? Swim? I make sure my boat starts AND idles before I even unhook the winch chain. It's an extra 20 seconds and anyone that would be annoyed by this procedure would be 10x as annoyed when I am drifting on the launch they're waiting for.

This is reason #2.

 

[skargo]

Re: Boat ramp etiquette

Really depends on the size of the boat and water conditions. I've been unloading boats that way for over 20 years, but typically into rivers and typically boats in the 14' - 17' range (styles ranging from jon boats, crappie boats, bass boats, and a fish-and-ski). Driver backs down, I have the boat on the rope. I stop at the water, and the driver backs down until the boat drifts off the trailer. As they pull out I pull the boat back to shore, then hope in as I push it back out. Crank it pull around to the dock. Never had a major issue and have done it this way for hundreds of launches.

I start mine up at home and warm it up. I back my trailer in and either my wife has the bow line and stern line and ties it off, or if I am alone I have the bow line attached to the winch post. I tie it off, and start it up before I pull my trailer out of the water.
My boat is a 5K lb 21' boat.
Never have a probelm and am always faster than power loaders, there is nothing wrong with the way I do it, that I am sure of.

Sounds like some need to concentrate on learning proper maintenance, and should warm the boat up at home. For them, I can see the need to start it and drive it off the trailer.