More Ramp Follies

[CATransplant]

So, the end of the fishing day comes, and I motor nicely in to the ramp. It's pretty busy, with boats getting retrieved, and late arrivals launching.<br /><br />So...I dock on the outside of the courtesy dock, which is empty, go for my truch and trailer, while the brother-in-law tends the boat.<br /><br />As I'm leaving, a guy's just backing his old i/o boat down the ramp, and it's clear that I'm going to get pulled out of there PDQ, so I run for the truck and get in line behind just one other truck and trailer.<br /><br />The i/o guy's dipping his boat in the water just fine, nice and smooth. The guy ahead of me pulls to the other side of the ramp, and the i/o guy pulls his trailer out of the water and heads for parking.<br /><br />Terrific! So I pull into line and start backing the trailer down to retrieve my boat. I/O guy comes trotting back, loads the wife and kid into the boat, and the brother-in-law gets ready to maneuver my boat around for retrieval.<br /><br />Sounds good so far. Nope! I/O guy turns the key. Nothing. Not even a click. Dead battery. Stone cold dead. <br /><br />Now...he's on the ramp side of the courtesy dock with a dead boat and my boat's on the far side. Three or four more boats are now waiting to launch, so we have to move the dumb-butt around to the far side so I can retrieve.<br /><br />I run down, drop the motor, fire up, and slowly back away, with b-i-l manning the 50' bow rope so he can pull me back to the dock. Maybe a five minute delay....<br /><br />Nope! I/O guy plants foot on gunwale...boat slides away from dock...guy does header into water.<br /><br />Finally guy gets back on dock and muscles boat around to far side of dock. B-I-L finally pulls me onto ramp side and two minutes later we're on the trailer and off the ramp.<br /><br />Poor I/O guy! Now there are like ten trailers lined up to launch or retrieve, and they're in no mood to wait while he gets his dead boat out of the water. I suspect he had to cool his heels for over an hour there.<br /><br />Dead battery! Could he not have checked that before going to the lake?

 

[NYMINUTE]

Re: More Ramp Follies

Check it? Why? It was working last weekend! Duh! I check mine before I leave and as I prep to launch (in the lot)

 

[RubberFrog]

Re: More Ramp Follies

I ALWAYS run mine in the drive way before I head to the water.

 

[rayjay]

Re: More Ramp Follies

Originally posted by NYMINUTE:<br /> Check it? Why? It was working last weekend! Duh!

More likely it was working the last time out....... last year.

 

[Winger Ed.]

Re: More Ramp Follies

Originally posted by CATransplant:<br /> Now there are like ten trailers lined up to launch or retrieve,

Maybe its just my imagination, but it seems as time goes on, there are a higher and higher percentage of 'stupid people' on our area lakes.<br /><br />I used to get in the lines at the ramp, from the early 80's until about '95. It got to where it sort of took the fun out of boating. Sure its a hoot to watch clowns overshoot the trailer & ram their cars & trucks with their boat, and similar stuff, but I finally had to give it up. <br /><br />For the last several years, I'd finagle a day off during the week to go, or go out at night. Launching a little before dark, most folks have already left, and the crowds are way down. Another crowd avoidence trick I use is to forgo weekend boating in the Summer. Here, from the end of May until the middle of Sept. 'something' draws all the crazy people to the lake.

 

[Triton II]

Re: More Ramp Follies

Yeah, I'm with Winger. Mid week and out of hours ramp use is the way to go here in Sydney where the ramps get overcrowded from 9am to about 6pm in the summer. Sometimes it can take 5 hours to get out, for instance New Years Eve on Sydney Harbour results in 2000+ trailer boats trying to get out via 9 (yes only nine) ramps after midnight. Last year we parked the car and trailer in the nearest spot to the ramp three days beforehand at $22 a day parking, yet it still took over an hour to get out due to boats clogging the ramp area without a trailer to take them away. STOOPIDDD!

 

[CATransplant]

Re: More Ramp Follies

I agree with the avoidance of weekend boating. Trouble was...the brother-in-law and my sister were only going to be here from Friday evening through Tuesday morning, so it was fish on Saturday or not at all (no way do I go out on the 4th.)<br /><br />We had a great time, though. Lake was crowded, but there was room for the fishermen. The most fun was threading the needle through a Hobie Cat regatta. You couldn't go around 'em since they used up the entire width of the lake. Still, a little caution and it all went OK and I didn't tick off any of the sailboat folks.

 

[BigPoppaG]

Re: More Ramp Follies

Originally posted by RubberFrog:<br /> I ALWAYS run mine in the drive way before I head to the water.

Ditto. Never dead in the water.

 

[deputydawg]

Re: More Ramp Follies

I know my battery is always full charge.....right now my truck battery is dead so until payday my boat battery is in the truck. When I launch I have to take battery from truck to boat, so battery is always charged up.<br />Payday is soon!

 

[sergioy]

Re: More Ramp Follies

Man, I never really gave it a thought to check my battery before I leave the house. Guess I should, cause more than just being embarassed, I hate to miss out on fishing.

 

[gspig]

Re: More Ramp Follies

Can't you just push start the boat? You know, get a tow rope and swim really fast, then have someone drop the shifter into forward.

 

[tomatolord]

Re: More Ramp Follies

I always check mine before leaving and then right before I launch I give a 2 second turn just to see if everything is ok to start - like no wires came loose during the ride and into the water I go.

 

[Capt Joe]

Re: More Ramp Follies

"Can't you just push start the boat? You know, get a tow rope and swim really fast, then have someone drop the shifter into forward"<br /><br />Too much like hard work. Tie the visitors to the boat, toss them overboard & tell them the crocs are coming. <br />But don't forget the hooks, in case the sharks get there first.

 

[spartanpele]

Re: More Ramp Follies

And here I thought I was being overly cautious when I'd check the battery the night before and the morning of taking it out. <br /><br />Man, thats the worse feeling in the world, having your boat not start and everyone staring out you...come on people...we've all been there before, right? <br /><br />The only worse feeling is having your boat die out in the lake and having to have someone tow you back!! I haven't been there yet, but I've had her rumble and die at the dock after coming back in after hitting a submerged.

 

[NYMINUTE]

Re: More Ramp Follies

Watched a guy forget to remove his transom straps. Wife pulls it back up, he hooks the bow winch, he gets drenched removing the transome straps, backs in again, he gives it the juice, backs out turns 45* with the winch strap rolling off.....all 25', What a hoot. They had a good day I bet.

 

[SS MAYFLOAT]

Re: More Ramp Follies

I got to the point of just leaving my at the dock during the season. Now I don't have to fight the ramp traffic, just have to fight for a parking spot for the dock.<br /><br />This past spring when it was time to head to the lake for the season. I did a final muff start up check. Good thing, the starter was dragging so bad it wouldn't start. After 6 hours of cleaning and redoing cable ends, and charging the onboard batteries that was surpose to have a full charge, it was ready. Problem was the jumper cables that I was using was bad. Pulled the starter 3 times and tried other starters I had. They seemed bad also, but it was the jumper cables. They are now in the copper scrap basket. <br /><br />Yes it is always part of my check list to do a startup prior to pulling out of the drive.

 

[JustMrWill]

Re: More Ramp Follies

This is why I have a spare battery onboard and put both of them on the charger the night before!<br /><br />I also have to raise the drive before trailering (I store with it down) so that is yet ANOTHER battery check.<br /><br />-JustMrWill

 

[sangerwaker]

Re: More Ramp Follies

I carry both a booster pack and an extra long set of jumper cables. If I need to use the booster pack, I just make sure to charge it up again and put it back in the boat. Nice thing about the booster pack is you can take it out of the boat in the winter and keep it in your car.

 

[rascal38]

Re: More Ramp Follies

I have a long run to the lake (5 hours) so I run the truck using the boat battery to make sure it's got a charge then swap out before I launch. I also put the spare truck battery in the boat just in case. So far, so good!