On the ramp with a flat tire

[jennis9]

Everyone says that you see the craziest things at the ramp. Man is that true!

Saturday at Edgewater ramp proved to be quite interesting. This ramp is set up with four docks - so each slip can handle two boats - one on each side of the dock.

Here comes a Tundra with a 27-28' Bayliner Cuddy - double axle trailer. Big fiberglass boat, slowly backing down the other ramp behind us. I am pulling our boat off the trailer. And then there's a loud metal clap. I look behind me and this guys trailer snapped from the tongue and is being held on the incline - not by chain - but cable!

Now there are only two guys - the guest obviously knows nothing about boating... he's confused and has no idea how to help on the ramp. Both of them are standing next to the cables trying to figure out what their next move is. My husband comes back from parking and I ask him if we threw the chucks in our vehicle. The man replies that he can't use them - that he has been riding on a flat tire! So he gets in the truck and loads the boat in the water.

NO bumpers or dock lines are ready on this boat. I think they thought one guy could just stand there and hold it to the dock.

Meanwhile a family was tied up on the dock beside them. That captain was getting the engine going and his fam wanted to stand around and chat about how crazy this was. I told them to load quickly and get out before something else stupid could happen once that boat hit the water.

It was like Laurel and Hardy - but not as funny. We didn't hang around to see the rest. I am sure we'll read about them in the news one day.

 

[NSBCraig]

Re: On the ramp with a flat tire

Nice thanks for offering to help but I was an idiot way before I got here!

Yeah that's the best advice, get clear of those guys.

 

[zach103]

Re: On the ramp with a flat tire

hahaa.. makes me wanna get a spare tire for mine just in case.

 

[kenmyfam]

Re: On the ramp with a flat tire

hahaa.. makes me wanna get a spare tire for mine just in case.

Never go anywhere without our spare !!!! I take 2 on long trips. We have a really good spare and a crappy get you somewhere spare. You never know !!!!!

 

[CATransplant]

Re: On the ramp with a flat tire

Never go anywhere without our spare !!!! I take 2 on long trips. We have a really good spare and a crappy get you somewhere spare. You never know !!!!!

Ditto that! Nothing like unhooking your trailer and driving somewhere to get a tire repaired or a new one. That'll ruin your day at the lake, for sure. There's a road near me that's heavily used by boaters. I've never gone up it on a weekend without seeing at least one boat trailer all alone on the road, with one side jacked up.

 

[Maclin]

Re: On the ramp with a flat tire

I am not sure why the chocks would not have worked, but evidently that guy was an expert....

 

[avenger79]

Re: On the ramp with a flat tire

he must have thought that flat tires roll so well you can't even stop them with a wheel chock. look how well they did getting the boat to the water.

 

[zach103]

Re: On the ramp with a flat tire

he only had one flat tire right? if i read that correctly... double axle = 4 tires. so .. 4 tires - 1flat = 3 tires.. now wouldnt he be able to put them under two still.. idn just doesnt make sense to me

 

[jennis9]

Re: On the ramp with a flat tire

Yep - one flat and three left - the chucks would have worked on the inflated ones... the guy was clueless on what to do.

Hey, crap happens and every time you go out - there's something else you need to adjust. But what turned me off was the fact that he had NO consideration for the boat that was next to him. He really could have caused some damage or injured someone with his stupidity. Glad those cables didn't snap.

The same day I saw a woman come in with a toddler - she was in a full neck brace from shoulders to ear. The toddler was strapped into the boat seat - in his car seat. No PFD on either of them. If anything were to happen - he would have been pulled under and strapped to that boat. She was so restricted in her movements, I have no idea how she could assist in an emergency.

I love boating, but some of the things I see are scary.

 

[gcboat]

Re: On the ramp with a flat tire

Everyone says that you see the craziest things at the ramp. Man is that true!


That is probably one of the truest statements in the world. I encourage all of my new customers to spend at least an hour or so just sitting around a launching facility and watching the circus unfold. The reason " don't be an idiot like that". For the most part all does go along pretty smooth, but the occasional jerk or unknown to boating person will just jamb up the gears.
And it's not just the rookies either. Some of the 'seasoned' vets will get their feathers up as well. It can really turn out to be quite a comedy of errors and mishaps. Oh yea, it's quite an adventure in its own right.

 

[kenmyfam]

Re: On the ramp with a flat tire

I have been towing sinci I was 17....reversing, manouvering etc.....But !!!!
Nothing looked worse than me trying to back the "trailer only" down a 300ft ramp at dusk for the first time with my newly aquired GMC Jimmy. It has the spare mounted to the back of the vehicle. I could not see the trailer at all and when I did see it in the door mirrors it was already too late to recover !!!
I had no tools to remove the spare and get some visibility as they were all at the campground about a mile away and darkness was coming fast.
Going in was no problem as I could see ther boat all the way down. Just something I did not think about the first time with the Jimmy.
Looked like I had never backed down a ramp before !!!!
Since then, spare removed and back to normal.

 

[Uraijit]

Re: On the ramp with a flat tire

I had a fun time backing a trailer into a driveway that is EXACTLY as wide as my boat trailer. There's a HUGE dip in the driveway, and if you don't hit it just right, you'll drag the hitch. Anyway, my douche bag friend decided it would be funny to start shooting at me with his full-auto airsoft gun (the real ones that shoot about 350FPS. Of course, he didn't start doing it, until I was strung out across the road...

Anyway, it was hell trying to do it with using only the side-view mirrors (rear-view is useless, because the boat sits higher than my Tahoe's back window), but it IS doable. Seriously considered giving my 'friend' a good swift kick to the nuts once I got her backed in there...

Of course, he's letting me store my boat there for free, so I couldn't really do anything too drastic.

 

[zaroba]

Re: On the ramp with a flat tire

It has the spare mounted to the back of the vehicle. I could not see the trailer at all and when I did see it in the door mirrors it was already too late to recover !!!

couldn't have just opened the back hatch?