Two pet peeves of mine

[turbodriven]

Sorry if I hit a nerve with any of these, it probably just means you're guilty. d

1. Launching without a stern line. - I can't count the number of people I see losing control of their launch because they only have a bow line attached. Just last weekend some 22ft houseboat looking thing banged into me on the adjacent dock because they were upwind and didn't have a stern line attached. They backed the boat into the water and the first thing that happened is the stern caught the wind and went away from the dock and into my boat. BANG! USE A STERN LINE PEOPLE! Thanks. Without a stern line it's like trying to ride a horse with one rein. Your only going to go in circles!

2. Recovering using the boat motor to "power up onto the bunks" - Especially in a current or in wind this is the best way to waste 45 minutes and erode a launch. Again last weekend I saw someone spend forever back and forth back and forth. Looked like a couple of monkeys up there. As a matter of fact... I rarely see anyone NOT recover this way. And I can't for the life of my figure out why? Anyway... after these monkeys finally got their 16ft fishing boat somewhat centered and pulled out of the water... I backed my trailer in a pre-determined amount, then my girlfriend (115lbs) gently moved the boat forward using the mooring lines (Fore and aft, see above), I hooked up the hand crank cable, and I easily hand cranked her onto the bunks. Took about 3 minutes and works perfect every time. This can be done without even getting wet most of the time.

Anyways... I see these things EVERYTIME I go out and I can't understand why? Maybe people just don't know any better? Feel free to comment or rant about your own pet peeve.

 

[BF]

Re: Two pet peeves of mine

well... I can't comment on #1, because the launches I use are wide and not busy, so the lack of stern lines has not caused any grief (for me).

As for #2, I think lack of skill is the problem, and that can be seen whether you use the motor or not. I usually use the motor when retrieving (either with my BIL for our outboard ski boat, or with my Dad for his I/O). Our routine is, I drop the vehicle driver on the dock... and then go float close by (not taking up the dock)... as they back down (which they are proficient at), I line up the boat, cheating to the upwind side if there is any wind... They know how far the trailer should be in (that's the skill part again), by the time they get out of the truck and have pulled a couple feet of slack out of the winch, I have the boat within their grasp. They clip on, do a few turns of the handle, and hop back into the truck....

When I'm getting the boat on, it's about at idle or just above, and I keep it in gear and trimmed up, and turned to the side enough to be able to counteract any side wind until they've got it sitting up higher on the trailer (not floating anymore). I've seen people do the big rev'ing macho power on thing, and to me it just seems they often don't really know what they're doing (not backing the trailer in deep enough is usually the problem I think).

When it's done right, it looks smooth and effortless, with no overt testosterone (IMHO). Like anything, if it's done really well, it looks easy.

Now my own pet peeves:

1) people driving unpredicably and too close on the lake... whether it be for skiing or tubing or whatever, sometimes you can't trust that they're not gonna cut you off, or drive in front of you just to have their skier fall or whatever...

2) when people use the calmest, windward part of the lake to zig zag a tube around (and make criss crossing rollers), when other boats are trying to ski or wakeboard (things that need relative calm). Tubing is often best done in the middle of the lake (away from everyone).

3) when boat drivers bring novice skiers too close to shore or a dock at the end of their ski... when skier gets hurt (which I've seen more than once), boat driver ought to be made to share the pain. Many of the ways that skiers can get hurt are caused by a poor driver. Whipping them into shore/dock is only one of them.

 

[Mischief Managed]

Re: Two pet peeves of mine

Turbodriven,

We always use two lines when launching for the reasons you stated.

I always drive the boat onto the trailer, but I don't use anything over idle power and I don't try to drive it to the bow stop, that's a job for the winch. Takes me one try and mere seconds. I find people who don't do this and have to walk to the boat onto the trailer generally take much more time at the ramp than I do.

That said, I find people who take too much time at the ramp, regardless of why, to be mildly irritating.

I appreciate folks who have an efficient system that works for them, like you do; and simple courtesy for others, like I bet you do. I like to think I exemplify this too. Whenever I see anyone do a nice job at the ramp, I compliment them and thank them.

 

[JB]

Re: Two pet peeves of mine

I only have one pet peeve.

Other people using my lake when I want to use it.:|

 

[JasonJ]

Re: Two pet peeves of mine

I usually launch/retrieve alone, so I have to use both lines, and I have to have the motor off when loading. I have found that I am almost always faster loading my boat with motor off than the guy next to me trying to power on. It's all in the experience. I make sure my trailer is in deep enough that I can simply walk it to within a few feet of the winch, then I can step off of the dock onto my truck bumper and walk out on the trailer and hook up. I can hook up the strap, winch it all the way on, hook up the safety strap, and haul it up to the staging area. This is all while the guy next to me is still screwing around with backing up and trying over and over. I can count on a couple of fingers how many times I have seen a good power load.

My biggest pet peeve is screwing around on the ramp loading crap on the boat that should have been loaded at home or in the staging area. Usually happens with the pleasure boaters. I can't say I have seen a fishing boat violate this rule, and I have been doing the boat thing for a long time.

Second pet peeve is people trying to get their boat started at the ramp, something that should have been done at home.

 

[troypolla]

Re: Two pet peeves of mine

I agree with JasonJ you should be ready to launch at the launch, and not be loading your crap into the boat. This should be done before you actually get to the slip. Just my op.

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: Two pet peeves of mine

i launch and retrieve alone, she won't back the trailer or drive the boat. i dock, leave engine idleing, get the trailer in the water, run to the boat, my trailer has guide on, that are very tight, i have 2 self centering roller rear and 2nd, i hit the roller 1 & 2 center, guide ons keep it in place. up i go. in the mean time she has gotten in the car, and will pull me out. it's a hassel, but it's the only way for me.

 

[RubberFrog]

Re: Two pet peeves of mine

I hate it when people fart in the boat.

 

[tommays]

Re: Two pet peeves of mine

Really BIG Wakes on a NO Wake Zone :devil:

People who anchor in a 20 ft wide channel and FISH then get pissed because its the intercostal waterway and there is a lot of boat traffic


Tommays

 

[troypolla]

Re: Two pet peeves of mine

Same as Tommays

 

[QC]

Re: Two pet peeves of mine

I launch and retrieve just like BF. The way we do it now, I can actually get the winch from inside the boat and finish cranking her up without leaving the bow . . .

When I launch and retrieve alone, two lines and fenders . . . already attached before I get to the ramp. I cannot stand idiots on the ramp, but they're sooo fun to watch if you are not trying to get in or out 8)

I'm with tommays, no wake is no wake. The only exceptions that make sense to me are:

1) extremely powerful and fast boats that cannot idle down to wakeless and

2) if it is blowing so hard that you need more throttle to be safe.

A 15 footer, that passes in the marina, while digging a hole, is a real pisser . . .

I hate it when people fart in the boat.

Is that you Mrs. Frogger?

 

[tommays]

Re: Two pet peeves of mine

Canals are fun when they should be closeing the locks but decide the bay needs a good flushing to help with the brown tide

Well sometimes it is nesssary in this shot my speedo is at 17 MPH and my GPS was at 3.5 MPH and the water police were yelling at everybody to slow down

Tommays

 

[QC]

Re: Two pet peeves of mine

. . . and 3) If the current is so strong you're moving backwards . . . 8)

 

[kenmyfam]

Re: Two pet peeves of mine

Stern line if needed is always used by my family.
Recovering to the trailer, personally I float it up using a bow line then winch it the last 6 inches. As regards to anyone else I dont care what they do as long as they are swift and efficient in what they are doing.

 

[Solittle]

Re: Two pet peeves of mine

One of my gripes is when a couple of boats are in the no wake channel heading back to the marina and the tail end charlie cuts out, guns it and jumps ahead of the rest. Grrrrrr!

 

[rjbpetrblt]

Re: Two pet peeves of mine

My favorite is going to the lake on Saturday and watching all the morons with there brand spankin new $30,000 boats trying to back their trailers. HILLARIOUS!!! of course it gets annoying after a while, but you can spot them a mile away. First they cut the wheel all the way one way then they cut it back all the way the other direction and so on and so on. It makes some of the strangest tracks!!!

Another pet peeve of mine is LACK OF COURTESY. This is not my lake. This is not your lake. This is OUR lake. SHARE IT!!!!

 

[Moguls Melt]

Re: Two pet peeves of mine

rjb:

Please re-read your two paragraphs. Do you notice any internal inconsistency?

By the way, welcome to the board.

 

[Frugal Floater]

Re: Two pet peeves of mine

I am a fan of efficient launching, but on the other side of the spectrum, launching a boat is not an Olympic event. We all pay good bucks to boat and being extra careful is important. It bothers me when folks waiting to launch get all frustrated waiting an extra 2 minutes and rush people (especially new boaters)...we were all at this level at one time...instead of putting on the heat, give them advice and help them out so next time they are pros.

If they take more than 10 minutes, pull their drain plug8)

 

[RubberFrog]

Re: Two pet peeves of mine

Kevin's wife hates it when he farts in the boat! :devil: :}

 

[Chinewalker]

Re: Two pet peeves of mine

It scares me when a passenger in a boat attempting to dock brings out the boat hook. Or even worse, when a boat "coasts" into the dock with all passengers leaning over the side to hold the boat off upon collision with the dock.

I have driven, and docked hundreds of different boats, everything from 12-foot tinnies to 38-foot twin engine cruisers, outboards, inboards, I/Os, low sides, high sides, calm water, rough water, no wind, high winds, and I have NEVER needed a boat hook to land the boat! It is the captain's job to park it - not the passengers'! If a passenger wants to help, they should have the fenders in place, stern line in hand and be ready to get on the dock once the captain properly lands the boat at the dock.

Beginning boaters should take the time to learn how to properly land their boat, from either side, in whatever conditions they're likely to see in their body of water. Learning how to dock your boat should be as much a required skill as parallel parking your car.

Here's a good way to learn how to dock - it's the way my Dad taught me how to land an inboard when I was a kid.... We had a floating dock that we could disconnect from its hooks, so we towed it out into our bay one morning while the River was still quiet. He had me practice for a couple hours while he sat and drank his coffee on shore, watching and encouraging me as I came at the dock from every conceivable angle. The floating dock, free of its attachments would move if I came too quickly and bumped it, or misjudged my approach. After a couple hours and dozens of approaches I got so that I could bring the boat up parallel to the dock without it moving at all (most of the time), no matter which side I came up on, no matter what angle of approach. Practice enough and it becomes natural to you.

And the best part about my Dad's method is that you MUST spend a few hours in the boat practicing! Certainly worse things you could be doing...

- Scott