Your trailer is in line, not your boat!

[Expidia]

Re: Your trailer is in line, not your boat!

That's funny Navy . . . I was just about to post the same thing on how professional the Bass guys are.

I do a lot of boating on Lake Champlain and it's a lake that hosts many bass tournaments. They also get there a few days early to fish and mark out the the good fish holes, so when you pull into a state launch early there might be 50-100 parked trailers in the lot and no boats around. And this goes on for 3 days.

So we go out for the day and when we come back many times there are 25 bass boats mulling around the launch waiting for their turn.

10 minutes later, all the boats are off the water and there are no more trailers in the lot . . . It's like watching a Ballet. These guys are good and all very courteous too!

As to the original posters question . . . I'd advise patience and avoid any altercations. Might cost you a few minutes more to get your boat out, but most of these inexperienced "Yahoos" are just itching for a battle. Most have been drinking all day in the hot sun yet and it's not worth getting into a fight with jerks.

I always try and hit the launches early around 8-9am especially if it's a weekend. Most of these drunks don't roll out of bed till 11am. Any launch at 12 pm on a weekend is a very dangerous place to be.

I'll make a pass coming back to port and if there's traffic at the launch, I'll just take a 10 min. spin and usually the launch will be empty when we come back.

I get nervous floating around the launch with who knows behind the wheel. Many times they drop the driver off to get the car and it's the drunk wife or girlfriend behind the wheel going back and forth with the gear shift and throttle

These situations always remind me of the old people that go into the Drugstore and when the get back into the car they put it in forward instead of reverse and drive right into the drugstore, so I tend to stay away from other boaters around the launches.

 

[jtexas]

Re: Your trailer is in line, not your boat!

Ever seen a tournament launch? One after another, they back down, tap the brakes and let the unoccupied boat float out into the no wake zone. Every 6th boat or so, 5 or 6 guys step onto the deck for a lift out to their ride.

General rule, fishing boats will be more efficient at launching & loading cause A: we do it more often, B: time on the water is more important, C: we don't have the whole family there. So a time & place with more fishermen than wakeboarders will generally be a better choice, all else being equal.

I'm just happy to be in an area where everybody understands the "trailers in line" theory.

But no matter what -- prep for launch *and* for the ride home in a designated area *off* the ramp. Take as much time as you need on the ramp -- no more, no less. Rushing leads to mistakes, daudling is just plain rude.

 

[fishmen111]

Re: Your trailer is in line, not your boat!

. We were going to the ramp for a crappiethon.

Sounds a little messy!!!

 

[moach1]

Re: Your trailer is in line, not your boat!

where i go in so cal (Blythe ca) it is trailer in line. it would be a nightmare if it went by boat in line. it would be a traffic jam trying to get trailers down the ramp. we really don't have courtesy docks. you park your boat next to the ramp. there is beach that can hold about 20 boats. pull up there, go get the truck, when it is your turn to back down, you do it. if you have some one that can drive the boat on the trailer, great. if not go get your boat and be on your way. every now and again there will be an idiot with there boat or pwc in the way of the launch, and they usually get a earful pretty quick.

 

[iBrent]

Re: Your trailer is in line, not your boat!

From the Massachusetts Boating License Laws and Safety Guide:

"When retrieving, do not pull your vessel into a launch lane until the towing vehicle is at the ramp. The line is formed by vehicles with trailers, not by vessels in the water. Drop off the vehicle driver and wait off shore and clear of the ramp until he or she arrives with the trailer."

http://www.boat-ed.com/ma/handbook/trailering.htm

 

[Mark42]

Re: Your trailer is in line, not your boat!

Where I boat, probably only 1 in 10 launches do I come in contact with another boater coming or going. We sort of play it by ear, If I'm just returned and tied up to the dock, and someone else wants to launch, OK by me because by the time I walk to the car and come back they will probably be out.

One time I did run into some comercial fishermen at the dock. Biggest a-holes I ever met. Do have to admit they pulled the boat out in less than 1 minute.

 

[isudoc03]

Re: Your trailer is in line, not your boat!

From the Massachusetts Boating License Laws and Safety Guide:

"When retrieving, do not pull your vessel into a launch lane until the towing vehicle is at the ramp. The line is formed by vehicles with trailers, not by vessels in the water. Drop off the vehicle driver and wait off shore and clear of the ramp until he or she arrives with the trailer."

http://www.boat-ed.com/ma/handbook/trailering.htm

What if you are by yourself?

 

[ThePostMan]

Re: Your trailer is in line, not your boat!

I also have the situation where the wife doesn't drive the boat or the vehicle, but I think we're just as fast as most 2-driver teams. Prepare away from the ramp, I back the boat off while she holds mooring lines, and I can park the truck and be in the boat 60 seconds later. If anybody has a problem with waiting 60 seconds for that spot on the dock to open up, maybe they're in the wrong recreational activity.

The key to it all is to CHILL! If you see a new boater struggling at the ramp, sure, you could sit there and steam and get mad at them as they hold up traffic. . .or you could go help them out, teach them a few things, and help speed up the process for everyone.

The only time I won't go help someone who is flailing is if it's a husband-wife team who are screaming at each other. I don't want any part of the Jerry Springer Show!

 

[kamby]

Re: Your trailer is in line, not your boat!

One time i was off waiting in line and getting my boat ready, Plugged straps removed, etc, this guy comes whipping past me and proceeds to put his boat in the water, had a heck of a time backing up, finally got it in despite taking the whole 2 trailer launch pad, gets out and then proceeds to undstrap his boat off the trailer. He got wet up to mid chest. So me not being in a hurry started to laugh.

When it came time to come in these 2 guys were in the front of the dock, the dock curves inward is not a straight line, i had my trailer in the water waiting to load and these 2 guys were in the proccess of wiring there boat up to the batteries and hooking it ignition right at the first spot to hook up to. Didnt speak english so i was kinda able to get them to understand that i needed to get my boat around them so i can get it on the trailer.

Since my boat has to warm up to operating temp before it will go anywhere i go to the very last part of the dock to hook up assuming no one is fishing off of it.

Im still fairly new to boating, im not 100% with my skills and backing the trailer

 

[rightcoastrob]

Re: Your trailer is in line, not your boat!

I to am the truck driver and the boat driver.i dont like to hold ppl up at the ramp or anywhere for that matter.i take my 22 footer out bye myself alot of the times.thats a pretty big boat for a newbie to handle.but yet i manage to dump it in the water park the truck and fire up 2 inline 6,s within a few mins and im on my way.we have 6 ramps at our marina.and its like a 3 ring circus on the weekends.

 

[KeyWestBoater]

Re: Your trailer is in line, not your boat!

I think the trailer is always in line not the boat whether loading or unloading. I can see though that it can get difficult if you're by yourself when it's busy and:
1) you unload the boat but the dock's full so now your trailer's stuck at the ramp while you're waiting for space at the dock.

2) you're getting ready to load the boat, you dock and go for the truck but the ramp line is long so now your boats tying up the dock while you're in line at the ramp.

I guess you have to try to time it when both the dock and ramp aren't too busy...if that's even possible??

Lot's of variables. If you communicate with other's at the ramp maybe you can work it out in those cases.

 

[109jb]

Re: Your trailer is in line, not your boat!

It may be my trailer that is in line, but my boat is gonna be at the dock until the trailer gets there. When I'm alone there isn't any other option. When I'm with my family I am the only one that can drive the boat or back the trailer in. My wife is getting better with both, but still not good enough to do either by herself. Sorry, but that's the way it is. Now I will say that if possible I don't block the ramp, but I have been to some launches where that isn't possible. In my case it isn't being inconsiderate, its a case of nothing else I can do about it. Could this be a case of not being considerate of the plight of others in my situation or a simiar situation?? What makes all of you think that you have more right to load and unload than anyone else? I wasn't going to post on this as it strikes a nerve because a real jerk chewed my wife out when I left her and my 2 kids at the dock with the boat while I got the trailer. This *** had her almost in tears. When I asked her what happened I was ready to beat the crap out of this jerk and she was the only thing that stopped me. I did give him a piece of my mind and he apparantly as no problem with women, but when confronted by me he seemed like pretty much a wimp. I can only suppose because his boat was worth probably 30 times what mine is that he thought he should have priority. If you definately need to be off the water by a certain time then plan ahead. Failure to plan on your part does not constitute an emergency on my part.

 

[jtexas]

Re: Your trailer is in line, not your boat!

whew, glad ya got that off your chest, 109jb -- it's what we're here for!

 

[redfury]

Re: Your trailer is in line, not your boat!

109jb makes me think about a situation that probably makes this debate more of a problem then it should be....we want to be out on the water soooo bad, and we don't want to come off of it either, thus the hurry and irritation.

Like he said, bad planning doesn't constitute and emergency on his part. Agreed, it's not his fault. Some boats take longer to launch and retrieve than others. Some folks have to launch and retrieve their boats in ways that are not optimal. Lets help those folks out when we can to keep the lines moving when they form.

 

[KeyWestBoater]

Re: Your trailer is in line, not your boat!

It may be my trailer that is in line, but my boat is gonna be at the dock until the trailer gets there. When I'm alone there isn't any other option.

What makes all of you think that you have more right to load and unload than anyone else?

Whoa! I'm not disagreeing with you at all. In fact I have at least 1/2 the problem you do. While when loading I'm the only one (for now, wife's getting better) who can back up the trailer, at least she can pull the trailer from the ramp and park while I'm docking or waiting for the dock. Sorry if you thought I was being critical, as I was not at all.

 

[109jb]

Re: Your trailer is in line, not your boat!

KeyWestBoater, I wasn't replying specifically to you but rather to the thread in general. I too am sorry if you misunderstood.

 

[reelfishin]

Re: Your trailer is in line, not your boat!

I had a similar problem just the other day, I came into the dock with only one other boat at the ramp, but there was about 10 waiting to launch. The docks have room for about 6 boats, mine sits low so I have to stick to the lower part of the dock or risk the boat dipping under the metal floating docks. The two docks are about 20 feet apart with loading on the right side of both docks and both sides of the right dock.
There's room for a smaller boat to launch and be under way in the middle if your good.

I motored in, tied up the boat, went to get my truck and trailer, when I came back, (the next guy let me go right in since mine was only a small aluminum boat that would load quickly), I see my boat has been moved to the other side of the dock and some @#$%^& * has his high dollar boat in its place waiting for his buddy to back in his trailer. When I asked him if he moved the boat, he denied it, but there was no one else around. The other guy at the other dock hollered over and said he had just watched him do it, and that he tried to get him to move first. Then the @#$%^&* wanted me to pull out and wait for his buddy to load his boat first, who was last in line. My response to that wasn't at all suited for this forum. All I can say it that after a short swim to retrieve his boat and some help getting in after it, I think he saw things my way.
I loaded my boat, (it takes all of about 40 seconds on the ramp), pulled up and proceeded to tie it down and pull the plug. His buddy never moved from his truck. The guy in the other boat was shouting a few choice words at the guy as he tried to climb into his boat as it drifted away. The rest of the crowd was jumping around and laughing at him. The next guy in line walked by me and said he'd have pulled the plug and tossed it in before setting his boat adrift.
I'm not sure what he thought he was doing, but chances are he'd gotten away with it before. I was in shock that someone would have the balls to move another boat and then demand that you get out of his way. I'm sorry but that just wasn't going to happen, no way, no how. I guess he thought stupid and arrogant would get him loaded faster. He's probably the same type of driver that cuts you off and steals the parking place you've been waiting for for 10 minutes and laughs when you jam on your horn.

I intentionally waited around to see what he'd do, but he just sat out there and wouldn't come back into the dock as long as I was there. His buddy went around and got in the back of the now very long line hoping I'd be gone when he came around again. I made a point of driving by nice and slow to give him a chance to speak up, neither one ever did.

I normally wouldn't react like that, but after seeing the boat moved, then his denying it, then his comment "I suggest you get your truck and trailer out from in front of my boat" comment, I just did what needed to be done.

 

[jtexas]

Re: Your trailer is in line, not your boat!

LOL @ "...after a short swim to retrieve his boat..."

One evening on a 3-lane ramp at a local lake things moving along pretty smoothly, considering. Not a real long line, but a line nonetheless.

Three guys launch some kind of hydroplane hull with a big, loud car engine -- one guy standing beside the truck still parked on the ramp while the other two moved out the no wake zone and took a short ride. Pretty sure they were lake-testing a repair of some sort. I'm loading on one side, I said something like "you're not really gonna keep block the ramp with people waiting, are you?" He says, "it's not my boat or my truck, I don't even have the keys." From the look on his face, I believed him. Other people were throwing more colorful language and gestures in his direction.

It was pretty clear to me that he hadn't known what to expect, his buddies really put him on the spot leaving him there like that.

 

[jerdogg1]

Re: Your trailer is in line, not your boat!

When it comes to the boat ramps, I believe in karma. There are times when I'm launching alone and know that it takes a bit longer and there's going to be a few minutes when nobody is tending to my boat, so it's nice to have a fellow boater keep an eye on it.

Last week I'm launching the boat with my wife and my totally inexperienced friend. We get the boat in, and I go park the trailer. While this is happening a solo boater pulls up, and asks if I can keep an eye on his boat while he parks the trailer... "no problem" I say. This guy ends up taking (NO JOKE!!!) 5 MINUTES from the time he pulls his trailer out of the water until he comes back to his boat.

Finally I'm about to jump on our boat and shove off when the guy says "Thanks!" I'm not about to cause a ruckus over this, so I just say no problem, and jump on the boat. As we are pulling away, and I have no idea why he did this, he says "Anything I can do to help you out?"

My wife (ever willing to confront a stranger) yells out "YEAH... BRING A FRIEND NEXT TIME!!!"

 

[fishmen111]

Re: Your trailer is in line, not your boat!

It may be my trailer that is in line, but my boat is gonna be at the dock until the trailer gets there. When I'm alone there isn't any other option.

I agree fully. I tried to express this at the beginning of this thread without sounding arrogant. Most times, I go with my wife or by myself and I am the only one available. For medical reasons, my wife is not a viable candidate. My boat will sit until I retrieve it. Even those waiting realize that more harm would be caused by me leaving my truck in line to move my boat. In a perfect world, we would all use the same method...but it is far from a perfect world. In my area, single occupant boats are quite common and most are considerate and helpful with the different launch/load methods. The real anger causers here are the clueless in line who are not ready to launch or load.