Failure to Prepare .................

[Augoose]

Re: Failure to Prepare .................

How do trailer boaters enjoy boating? It seems there are lots if threads around that discuss how bad other boaters are, how they create drama at the ramp, how they don't know what they are doing... Makes me glad I use a private ramp for the jet skis and the big boat is wet slipped.

You have to do what you have to do when you don't have a slip. I'm not looking forward to the ramp tomorrow but I'm going to try to get there early- get in quickly and efficiently, get out quickly and efficiently and open it up for the next guy.

 

[matt167]

Re: Failure to Prepare .................

Use ramps that nobody else uses... Like for instance, launching onto Cayuga lake, My Dad and I always use Deans Cove. It's a 2 ramp, small cove that is never busy. No other activities or even flushing toilets on site, but you can get the boat in and out quick.

 

[crabby captain john]

Re: Failure to Prepare .................

The local state ramps will be a treat to watch. Watch-- not be in line at. There are a few private ramps for small boats but people would rather wait in line 45 minutes to launch and at least that long to retrieve instead of paying $5 and leaving the public ramps to the bigger boats. Feeling sorry for the locals that work M-F that will have all the tourists in front of them. Some tourists will have towed the boat for hours and will turn the key for the 1st time since September.

Use ramps that nobody else uses... Like for instance, launching onto Cayuga lake, My Dad and I always use Deans Cove. It's a 2 ramp, small cove that is never busy. No other activities or even flushing toilets on site, but you can get the boat in and out quick.

 

[jwalterus]

Re: Failure to Prepare .................

Here's to hoping people actually acknowledge the "Boat Staging Area" and use that facility to prep, unload their trucks, etc. Unfortunately there will always be too many of "those guys" who drive right on by all the people doing the right thing only to block all three ramps while they unload in the wrong area.

I don't understand why people don't just load the gear into the boat before taking off, and make sure it's ready to go when they are at home.
The only things I have to do when I get to the lake are remove the transom strap, take off the transom saver, and put on the depth finder.

How do trailer boaters enjoy boating? It seems there are lots if threads around that discuss how bad other boaters are, how they create drama at the ramp, how they don't know what they are doing... Makes me glad I use a private ramp for the jet skis and the big boat is wet slipped.

Use ramps that nobody else uses... Like for instance, launching onto Cayuga lake, My Dad and I always use Deans Cove. It's a 2 ramp, small cove that is never busy. No other activities or even flushing toilets on site, but you can get the boat in and out quick.

I agree fully.
Luckily I have a tilt trailer in functional condition with a light boat and more truck than I need to haul it, I just find a decent piece of shoreline away from the ramps altogether if they are busy.

 

[Oshkosh1]

Re: Failure to Prepare .................

How do trailer boaters enjoy boating?

With Fava beans and a nice Chianti?

I agree Judge Smails...

I run into the same problems with those amatuer low time private pilots. All those pesky little lowbrow, knuckle dragging commoners out there dare to disturb my airspace with prop pulled(they're sooooooo last century...the horror!)gnats,lane: long winded(and not in a cool "pro" pilot voice) discussions with ATC, and abysmally slow approach speeds.

My APU can generate more thrust than their pitiful piston pounding Lycoming afterall!

I don't know how they do it...:facepalm::facepalm::facepalmdripping with sarcasm!)

 

[bonz_d]

Re: Failure to Prepare .................

Not a problem for me. I'm still in drydock! Been on vacation all week and haven't even been close to the water.
Fired the engine yesterday though to test a new tach if that counts?

 

[LippCJ7]

Re: Failure to Prepare .................

First holiday weekend coming up. I have to wonder how many boaters will drag the boat out of storage wash it off, go to the ramp and find the battery dead, or the engine won't start, or the motor/drive won't go down, or the engine overheats because the impeller is 15 years old, or the steering is froze up, or ___Fill in the blank___ .

Don't be one of those guys.

Simply starting it up on muffs and checking the systems in the driveway is all it takes to make sure everything works before you go to the ramp.

I can't say it any better then that, Well Stated!

 

[JASinIL2006]

Re: Failure to Prepare .................

Not an issue here this weekend... Rain and thunderstorms forecast all weekend. Stinks.

 

[funk6294]

Re: Failure to Prepare .................

I agree Judge Smails...

HEY! You scratched my anchor!

 

[IraRat]

Re: Failure to Prepare .................

It's weird having moved to South Florida from NYC 20 years ago. Our seasons are totally reversed.

Memorial Day only means remembering those who have served--it has nothing at all to do with the start of the summer season. Same thing for July 4th, and Labor Day, which typically means the END of the summer season. In other words, these holidays don't mark anything to do with recreation, and it's kind of the OPPOSITE:

Labor Day here means the start of NICER weather, especially better boating weather (less rain and hopefully a bit cooler).

 

[Geko45]

Re: Failure to Prepare .................

I run into the same problems with those amatuer low time private pilots. [...] I don't know how they do it...:facepalm::facepalm::facepalmdripping with sarcasm!)

As the amateur driver of a privately owned bug smasher, I fully enjoyed your sarcasm here!

:encouragement:

 

[CR CRUISER]

Re: Failure to Prepare .................

A few years ago, I had a guy call the shop at 4:50 in the afternoon on the Friday of the long weekend. He was all in a panic that he had trailered his boat 500 miles to here and found that the steering was siezed. He had checked everything over before he left home, charged the batteries, filled the fuel, run the outboards but never checked that one item. I told him that we close in 10 minutes and are not open on Saturday. None of the other shops would be open either. At that point, in desperation he said that he is offering $500 on top of the bill to get his boat working. That convenced me to work a little overtime.

A quick trip down to the marina and as I suspected the steering cable was siezed in the tilt tube. I had made a special tool to press cables out of the tube without damaging them. I then ran a 5/8" reamer through the tube to clean out the rust, lubed the tube and cable and he was ready to go in 15 minutes. He handed me $600 in cash but my concience wouldn't allow me to take it for the few minutes out of my weekend. We settled on $50 for the sevice call and $100 for the overtime. He was happy and so was I.

 

[spdracr39]

Re: Failure to Prepare .................

My crystal ball foresees more "Water in the oil" threads popping up...

Posted by smartphone over the weekend, or by regular computer on Tuesday...

Or the "I noticed a small leak in the bellows will it be ok till winter" question.

I will say that we went out this weekend and had no incidents at the ramp or on the lake. It was busy but everyone played nice and was very enjoyable. I guess all the crazies stayed home and watched the races.

 

[Geko45]

Re: Failure to Prepare .................

I guess all the crazies stayed home and watched the races.

I only saw a couple of things that bugged me and both were by constable boats. The first was the random safety checks. Not that they were doing them which I'm all for, but because where they chose to do them was problematic. The fuel docks are at the end of a long "no wake" offshoot of the lake. They could have easily set up shop at the buoys and checked people while they came and went, but instead they were right in the middle of everybody. Boats fueling, boats waiting to get in, boats trying to get out and there they are in the middle of all that checking safety equipment. While I was fueling, the constable boat and one of the checkee's drifted dangerously close to me before they finally looked up and realized the wind was carrying them towards the dock (and me).

The other was when I saw a constable boat make a pass through my home marina. I saw their SUV in the lot so apparently they had launched from there. Again, no problem as I fully support their efforts, but while still deep inside of the "no wake" zone the boat turns its lights on and goes to full WOT. The wake was enormous and I just sat there as I watched it roll past all of the docked boats and eventually reach me and mine. If it was a matter of life and death then that was fully warranted, but I sure hope they didn't do that for some routine call (I guess I’ll never know on that one).

 

[Home Cookin']

Re: Failure to Prepare .................

How do trailer boaters enjoy boating? It seems there are lots if threads around that discuss how bad other boaters are, how they create drama at the ramp, how they don't know what they are doing... Makes me glad I use a private ramp for the jet skis and the big boat is wet slipped.

I don't get it either--comes a point where it's simply counter-productive and the hassle and work outweighs the fun.
But some people stand in line 2 hours in hot sun with sweaty strangers for a 3 minute roller coaster ride.

Saturday we were cold and blowing, so I got some land-based boat work done ( and failed at eletrical repairs). Sunday/Monday were nice but I worked around the house and yard; the boat, cleaned and USCGAux inspected last weekend, is in the water and was mocking me. But there were lots of boats on the river, and one LEO inspecting them all--and everyone seemed well behaved. We don't have the ramp issues much (me, none at all, and I wouldn't do it). So no complaints, and I love seeing lots of boats out enjoying themselves.

And as for surprises at the ramps or on the water, don't be too quick to judge. I run my boats often and they can still have issues. That's just boats.