More fun at the ramp

[TwoBallScrewBall]

This time it wasn't me...<br /><br />Pulled up to the dock after a day of fishing. Tied up and went to get the trailer, and just as I'm walking up the floating dock ramp these guys are backing down with a 22 or so footer on a roller trailer. I didn't think much of it until about 3/4 of the way down the boat rapidly left the trailer. Tide was low so ramp was very steep. Didn't hit the ramp, but when it hit the water the entire transom went completely under, boat took on a whole lot of water but bobbed back up. Now the boat is floating away, no bow line. One of the guys comes running down the dock and makes a miraculous flying leap onto the boat at the last second, just grabbed the railings and climbed in. Got it started, drained, and proceeded to load it back up. I found out that they had already loaded but it wasn't on the trailer perfect so they decided to put it back in and re-load it. Maybe next time they'll leave well enough alone.

 

[brother chris]

Re: More fun at the ramp

ouch!

 

[LubeDude]

Re: More fun at the ramp

A Video Cam moment lost forever!

 

[CoachHolland]

Re: More fun at the ramp

Better a boat running down the dock than running down the road plowing into the car behind it. <br /><br />Of course, seems like they would have connected the bow at least.

 

[cbnoodles]

Re: More fun at the ramp

Sounds like something my fishing buddies and I witnessed on the Susquehanna River near Harrisburg. Coming into the ramp we noticed a 17' inboard fiberglass (the Susquey is very shallow and nothing but boulders here) still on the trailer but listing badly to starboard. The transom was about 1/2 under already when we got there.<br /><br />The owner had just bought the boat and obviously never been in a boat or maybe near the water in his life. He took his wife and 2 sons out for a family outing, not anticipating the misery before them.<br /><br />He didn't know the first thing about boats or putting them in the water. I'm not an expert (despite my screen name) but I don't think it was such a good idea to tow his rig with a Suzuki Samurai first of all. I guess the rig probably weighed around 3000 LBS. When he came down the ramp, he got the right wheel off the apron and the boat slid over so that it came to rest on a large rock.<br /><br />The rock must have put a whole in the bottom so the boat started taking on lots of water immediately. This is when it got good. He then tried to winch the boat, water and all, back onto the trailer that is still 1/2 on and 1/2 off the apron. The cable snapped...duh!<br /><br />After scrambling around awhile he finds enough rope to tie off the boat to the trailer and then proceeds to try pulling the whole mess out with the Samurai. You could have smelled the clutch and tires burning as far away as the Chesapeake Bay!<br /><br />Along with several other bystanders, we did what we could to remove valuables and the picnic lunch from the boat for them but couldn't budge the boat. Before we left, he told us he had just purchased the boat from a friend who had had nothing but bad luck with it and wanted to be rid of it. It looked as if the boat must have been cursed because I can't imagine having a worse first time out with a new toy!

 

[skeezx01]

Re: More fun at the ramp

musthave had a banana on board in the picknic lunch.i hope you turned around thee times to the east and spit to counteract the curse.

 

[starrider_68]

Re: More fun at the ramp

heres one you wont belive... just today (was playing hookie from work) I was at the marina working on a friends boat and I saw a nice couple taking there bayliner out for a "last run of the year" thing, or that is how I understood it. the gentleman was backing down the ramp while wife was in boat to pilot the craft once free. well this relates to making sure that the trailer is "properly" hooked up and chains are attached. as the boat started to slide off the trailer the weight from the bow pushed on the last roller and "POP' there goes the coupler from the truck. <br />well wife tries to alert husband to the fact that he is not pulling trailer up ramp.... trailer is heading south... after husband sees that trailer is not attached.. he backs up.( guess he was thinking that if he backed up it would reattach it self) As he procedes after the trailer in reverse.. the truck slows then sputters.... finally it dies from water in tailpipe...( at this point it is hard to see from tears in eyes from laughter) now... situation is... trailer now getting caught in stream current... boat with wife tied to dock... husband in truck, dead in water, with wife asking WHY??? . well by the time I can get over to help / rescue the couple from thier problems... a second boater (in no wake zone) flys up and procedes to create a hole in his hull from trailer in water. ( IMO if he were doing no wake speed he would have seen trailer winch poking out of water and had time to manuver around it.) Well suffice to say... I had my hands full... so did the marina...there was about 7 of the staff and myself at the ramp at this time and we were able to beach the boat before it sank...lucky for him. I got my chains and winch to pull trailer out. the marina guys helped to get the husband / truck out of water. we get him started again and the owner of the marina then informs the couple that they need to have a "talk" with him and possibly the USCG Aux. that patrols that area. we then help them to load thier boat...and made sure the trailer was attached..then showed them where the marina office was. we also helped the other boater get his boat up and out of danger till he could get his truck from @8 miles up stream. all in all..it was a mirical no one was hurt in all this...I would hate to see thier insurance bill!

 

[demsvmejm]

Re: More fun at the ramp

Now boys and girls, can we all say "Safety Chains?" <br />Hopefully the schmuck in the speeding boat has to cover hte damage to his boat or claim it on his insurance. I don't think the couple should have to pay for his stupidity, even though it was their own that caused the hazard. But we live in a "It's NOT my fault!" society, so whoever has the better(read: higher-priced) attorney wins.<br />Justice is for those who can afford it.

 

[TwoBallScrewBall]

Re: More fun at the ramp

Come on, if that guy was close enough to the ramp to hit a submerged trailer, he deserves what he got for flying like that. Had to be 20-40 feet off the shore or less. Think about it.

 

[Seamus]

Re: More fun at the ramp

Hmm.... remember that post "submerged debris, what are my rights?" Anyway, I think that anytime someone hits anything submerged it is, by definition, the fault of the pilot. And anytime you hit anything hard enough to hole the hull in a no wake zone, it should be YOU having a talk with the USCG.<br /><br />The difference in the behaviour of the two 'idiots' is that the guy who forgot to hook the chain/fasten the hitch correctly was not acting in a willlfully negligent way. We can all relate to someone doing something forgetful and stupid. We do not all relate to someone willfullly acting with negligent disregard to all present. Hey... what's this thing I'm standing on and why does it have this weird Procter and Gamble symbol on it? Hey... what's happening.....

 

[starrider_68]

Re: More fun at the ramp

Recap on the "idiot" boater... found out today from the marina the uscg had "fun" writing out fines on the pilot of the boat that wrecked.. I dont know what they did exactly, but, I do know that he will be a LOT lighter in the wallet. He recived 5 or 6 fines.. no life jackets.. careless driving.. improper safety equip. .. speeding in a no wake zone and endangering other traffic. the couple that lost controll of the trailer got a fine for endangering waterway traffic.<br /><br />at least there alive to pay the fines....

 

[POINTER94]

Re: More fun at the ramp

Really cool story starrider-68, Nothing like a good "One day at the ramp" story to get your friday off to a humorous start.

 

[Seamus]

Re: More fun at the ramp

Originally posted by starrider_68:<br /> He recived 5 or 6 fines.. no life jackets.. careless driving.. improper safety equip. .. speeding in a no wake zone and endangering other traffic.

Ah, that's heartwarming. It really is. I should print that out and keep it in my wallet when I'm out on the water.