Boat Ramp Tales. Options

[Fed]

I'm becoming a bit of a boat ramp perv on a Sunday morning lately and I have to share this with everyone.

Picture a near new 5 metre tinny with a 90HP Yamahaha, only 8 hours on it but not used for nearly a year.

The boat gets launched and the driver is beside the ramp at right angles to it, he fires it up and throws it into gear at the same time he tries to turn the wheel to head out from shore.

That's when the fun started, his steering was seized, in a panic he throws it into reverse and guns it straight back onto the ramp.

Crunch, crunch, crunch goes the prop/skeg onto the concrete.

Back into forward to crunch his way back off the ramp then carried on drifting to the other side of the river to get stuck in the bullrushes.

He finally gets towed back and pulls his boat out but the surprising thing is that there didn't appear to be any huge damage done, maybe up close would have been a different story.

About a third of the boats launched while I was there had a problem, you'd think people would do some basic maintenance over Winter or at least a few simple checks at the start of their boating season.

Always entertaining for a Sunday morning, this was at the Flower Power ramp which attracts the best funniest home video candidates.

[kkw]

And here I was, hoping that no-one had seen me launching at such an out of the way ramp. I want his 90hp Yammie.

[poly]

I'm becoming a bit of a boat ramp perv on a Sunday morning lately and I have to share this with everyone.

Picture a near new 5 metre tinny with a 90HP Yamahaha, only 8 hours on it but not used for nearly a year.

The boat gets launched and the driver is beside the ramp at right angles to it, he fires it up and throws it into gear at the same time he tries to turn the wheel to head out from shore.

That's when the fun started, his steering was seized, in a panic he throws it into reverse and guns it straight back onto the ramp.

Crunch, crunch, crunch goes the prop/skeg onto the concrete.

Back into forward to crunch his way back off the ramp then carried on drifting to the other side of the river to get stuck in the bullrushes.

He finally gets towed back and pulls his boat out but the surprising thing is that there didn't appear to be any huge damage done, maybe up close would have been a different story.

About a third of the boats launched while I was there had a problem, you'd think people would do some basic maintenance over Winter or at least a few simple checks at the start of their boating season.

Always entertaining for a Sunday morning, this was at the Flower Power ramp which attracts the best funniest home video candidates.

hmmmm there's one born every day

like how hard is it to do a proper check over the boat before leaving home.

Paul

[quintrex101]

i find it hard to believe someone couldnt check a few things !

they wouldnt have even turned the motor when they trimmed it ! gessee some people..

i check things everything even if the boat was only used yesterday !

[Bees Knees]

I have a beauty.. Bafoo may still have the photos... i have to take my son to soccer, i'll do it later

[Jumpus GooDarus]

I'm becoming a bit of a boat ramp perv on a Sunday morning lately

I used 2 du that once upon a time just to get my weekly laughs whilst taking the Boofy Woofys 4 a swim @ the same time

Seen it all but I'd have to rate wun particular incident the classic of the lot.

There's a bit of a simple art when it comes to driving a boat onto a trailer,
1st rule is not to have your trailer submersed in to deep else ewe'll lose your guidance system & the boatwill swing off to easy if wind is about
2nd rule is to motor up as slow as possible

Well wun day this twit ignored both those rules came in @ 100 mph & trailer was no where to be seen above water, this twit even put a tail rope onto the back bollard & got his mate to try & hold the arse of the goat straight.

Took them about 20 minutes & they ended up having to winch 1/2 way up, guess they were velly embarrsed & in a big hully to leave the ramp cause they took off @ 100mph up the ramp as well.

Skipper was still in the goat on the way up & remember that tail rope I'd mentioned ?????????

Well it was dragging behing the goat & on the way up the ramp this tailrope which was about 40 meters long & 1/2" thick caught on the trailer using the next ramp, only wee small trailer this was.

Anyways this wee small trailer that was started getting dragged up the ramp till it ended up jackknifing into it's own parked tow vehicle.

Had 2 have been there twas a classic

[bafoo]

I have a beauty.. Bafoo may still have the photos... i have to take my son to soccer, i'll do it later

[size="3"][/size]bEES , I DO NOT HAVE THE IMAGES ANY LONGER SO YOU CAN use your descriptive memory to recount what we saw that night.

I will add anything later if you happen to forget sumthing.




Bafoo

This post has been edited by bafoo: Nov 30 2009, 03:29 AM

[Spudly]

Funniest thing I ever seen (apart form watching IDIOTS trying to reverse trailers) was the faces on a crowd of people at murrays beach boat ramp when my little brother who was 12 at the time reversed the boat and trailer into the water and then took it up and parked while i got the boat started and ready to go...

He has been driving since he was 8 and driving manual 4x4's around the farm since he was 10 so it was nothing to him, but the shock on peoples faces, especially the idiots who couldnt reverse trailers themselves was priceless...

Funnily enough, a minute after he parked the cops pulled up.. lucky they had to stop and pick up their dounuts before coming to the ramp ;) ;) ;)

Also seen a few boats come of trailers that havnt been strapped on properly!!

[kkw]

Was waiting to launch at the "Hole in the Wall' ramp on weekday, and there was a glitzy garage ornament being launched. The driver used up both lanes of the ramp and had the trailer well submerged as he was transferring gear from the car to the boat, as his lady was holding the boat. He finally drove up to park his car and trailer, and I noticed that the boat was getting lower and lower in the water. I asked if he had put the bungs in. NO!! He raced back to the car, as he couldn't budge the boat. Got it hooked up and tried to winch it on. No go. Tilted the trailer and managed to get about a third of the boat on. Trying to tilt the trailer back and lock it in, was wishfull thinking. The rocking up and down made the water inside surge back and forwards, until on one forward surge, the trailer locked in and as the water surged back, the cable snapped and the boat slid off, crunching on the ramp and trailer. He got the bungs in and had to bail as much water out as he could. We moved the boat to one side of the ramp and the waiting crowd all launched and went about their day on the water. Don't know how damaged boat was removed, but it was entertaining.

Saw another one at the Kurnell ramp, mid tide. I was 2nd in line to retrieve the boat, and the guy in front was waiting for his mate to reverse the trailer down the ramp. He would reverse a few feet and the trailer would be going off to the side. Go forward and try again. This happened about half a dozen times, so I asked if he wanted me to do it for him. He said, no. On the last attempt, the trailer coming down the ramp, the car was at 45 degrees and when he straightened the car, the trailer speared off the side of the ramp. This ramp is built up a bit and has a 1m drop off the side, with big boulders. The trailer wheels wouldn't come back onto the ramp and it was dragged sideways up to the top and brute forced back onto the road. Damaged shackles, springs and whatever else. I told the guy holding the boat, that I was going next and to wait until no-one else was waiting to launch or retrieve before they tried again. I must be getting old, as I didn't find it entertaining - it was annoying. Would have been funny if I wasn't standing in the water holding the boat for 15 mins, while this idiot declined help and made a fool of himself.

[Spudly]

There should be a ticket you have to pass for trailer reversing before your allowed to tow a trailer!! Some people just have NO idea!!

[Christos]

Entertaining stories thou.

I have no problems launching a boat. Simple reason I do not own a boat.