Boat Ramp stories – let’s hear them

One of my friends at Everts. No, I was not involved in this one.

From a Dan Larson post in ’05.

694 and East River Road. It’s still a mystery as to why the SUV is in the water first.

What annoys me is people who fish or swim at public boat ramp and then act like I’m a jerk because I expect them to move for a few minutes so that I can launch my boat.

Two years ago, I backed in ran over some guys basket of sunfish that he tied to the ramp-side of the dock. How was I supposed to know that was there?

I don’t care if people want to use the boat launch for fishing and/or swimming, but it’s a boat launch…get outta the way when a boat needs to use it!

BK – that 694 ramp is bad, but not THAT bad!

Ryan – I agree. I also hate it when people park cars in the trailer spots at one local lake to use the fishing pier. There are car parking spots 30 feet further away…

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When leaving the tongue wheel down…always latch the trailer on to the ball.

It’s not a good feeling watching the boat and trailer going down the ramp un attached.

Trust me on this.

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Best one I got was watching a family do this intentionally at the ramp with a runabout.

Umm…what makes you think I didn’t do it on purpose??

I like that story better then my first one. I’m sticking to it.

Several years ago, public ramp near Isle, MN a buddy and I were next in line to launch. While waiting for the truck to clear the ramp and before we could move into posistion a 16ft tiller pulled along the dock and one of the guys got out to retrieve his truck. At first I thought he would get the truck then get in line and wait his turn. Well, the guy still in the boat just sits there right over the ramp holding onto the dock. By now, we had backed down close to the water and I finally ask the guy if he could move so boats could continue launching.

He argues it is their turn, I reply his buddy should be getting into the back of the line and wait his turn and he should move the boat out of the way so other people can continue to unload, and that the boats already in the water were waiting their turn and he was jumping line ahead of them also. I get a few mumbles under his breath I could not hear and he pulls himself to the back corner of the dock and to my amazement steps off the BOW of the boat onto the dock. You know what happens next, the boat goes one way and after doing splits no man in his 60’s should do he ends up in the drink, nothing but his red man baseball cap visible!

I look in disbelief as he slowly surfaces looking PO’d beyond belief, I hop out of the boat and offer a hand, which he refuses. One of the other boats that were waiting their turn to put in, who these two butted in front of also, retrieved the boat that had drifted off and my buddy moved out of the way to allow these “TIMMY!’s” to get out and get the guy into a warm truck. “It was late Oct. water not too warm!”

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a 16ft tiller pulled along the dock and one of the guys got out to retrieve his truck. At first I thought he would get the truck then get in line and wait his turn. Well, the guy still in the boat just sits there right over the ramp holding onto the dock.

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Another classic move, I had a guy do that to me once while I was idling in front of the ramp with the boat and my friend was backing the truck down.

Is it ok to use names?

Prescott landing.

Chappy parks the truck for me while I wait from him in the boat idling around. He walks to the edge of the dock as I’m pulling up.

There was a strong back current which made me drift up stream and away from the dock. I said “Just a minute Chap” and hit reverse to get closer to the dock.

Unfortunately, Chappy didn’t hear me and leaped from the dock to the bow of my boat…that was no longer with in leaping distance.

The good thing was it was warm enough to dry him off before he landed his 11 pound walleye.

The best part is to this day, Chappy still thinks it was an accident!

Pictured below is one of the three invasive species he caught that night while fishing for flatheads. Joke was on me.

“If there’s no photos, it didn’t really happen”

This is one of those rare instances where that adage can be used to my advantage.

not really a boat ramp story as much as a test drive story, but a old buddy (Joe) wanted the biggest cabin cruiser on Okoboji, so ice just came off the lake and his salesperson has him over for a test drive. They go out on a bit of a cruise and are pulling into the slip with a bit of a cross wind, Joe sees they are getting blown off course so he gives it a bit of gas, well…too much gas. He bounces off the pier damaging the boat they were testing, sending the sales person overboard, while Joe was looking for the sales person (was thinking he got chewed up in the prop) the boat went into the neighbor’s cruiser and runs a huge anchor rub all the way down the side! Salesperson pops up under the docks (almost frozen). Joe felt so bad he had no choice but to buy the cruiser. Oh yeah, I’ve also tested the capacity of the rear trailer straps!!!!

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2. Saw a gentlemans boat roll off of his roller trailer onto the concrete of the boat ramp.

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I think I know that guy and here is his story;

I was putting boat in at one of the local reservoirs with a pretty long and steep ramp. Being the rookie boater I was I unhooked the safety chain from my boat and proceeded to back down the ramp. Halfway down I decided to come to a stop, but my boat didn’t. Winch gave out, and boat rolled off the trailer in quite the quick fashion.Luckily it didn’t come completely off the trailer, and I was able to crank it up pretty easily. Boat now has a nice indentation on the bottom, but it could have been worse. Since this is a electric motor only body of water, I had my gas motor trimmed up fully. I think there could have been much more damage done had it been down even halfway.Lesson learned; NEVER unhook my safety chain until trailer is in water.

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When I am an old man and have more time than anything else, I am going to spend my saturday afternoons drinking beer and watching people launch their boats. I could not think of a more entertaining time.

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Why wait until you get old? I think I’m going to pack up the cooler and grab a lawn chair and head down to the ramp for some fun. I’ll be sure to bring my megaphone so the comments from the peanut gallery can be heard by all.

I hate people who park in trailer spots when the lot is full or nearly full too. I don’t mind as much when it isn’t busy, obviously. But it doesn’t take a genius to figure out the lines in a launch ramp that are twice as long indicate a spot for a vehicle and trailer only.

Best story I have is when I was lauching on Bear Trap (wapogasset) one day with my buddy and the axle broke off on the driver side from the tire getting stuck in a crack in the concrete landing. Boat was above the water sitting on the tire and we had to get help to push it off into the water.

Had to park boat at a person’s dock, go home get a flat bed. Drive back up to Wapo, load the boat trailer and ripped off axle on flat bed. Drive to buddy’s dads shop to have him weld the axle back on. Then drive back up with empty boat trailer.

We get to the dock where we parked the boat, and it was sunk from the waves crashing up over the transom.

I always like the HUAT sitting in the boat channels, fishing, where they are in the only navigation path – it is not “no wake”. Rocks to the left and shore to the right.
You are between “the cans”

Then they get a PO’d at you when your run your boat by them, on plane, when they are in the way.

Amazing to me, every year on a 220,000,000 acre lake and they have to fish in the channel.

Like a kid playing on the Interstate.

Dog

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I hate people who park in trailer spots when the lot is full or nearly full too. I don’t mind as much when it isn’t busy, obviously. But it doesn’t take a genius to figure out the lines in a launch ramp that are twice as long indicate a spot for a vehicle and trailer only.

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I had a Dakota County parks guy take the last available trailer spot at the 494 access right in front of me a couple of years ago. I had the boat in the water and now no place to park the truck. He tried to blow me off like he was on official business (it was Memorial day weekend). I think he learned several new words and phrases that day. Anyway there was single car parking about 50 feet away so he really didn’t have any excuse.

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I always like the HUAT sitting in the boat channels, fishing, where they are in the only navigation path – it is not “no wake”.
Dog

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(w)HUAT?

I fondly remember the day I pulled up with my boat – to a Minneapolis City Ramp and a guy was parked in the ramp, looking at the lake….no trailer, facing the water.

I walk up and I politely ask him to move and he says ” I was here first ”

I just walked away – shaking my head.

HUA Team

The funniest thing Ive seen at a boat ramp was about two yrs ago up near a smaller bemidji lake, and an older man with Im assuming was his grandson pulled into a parking space with the boat and just sat there. About 5mins later they get out and the older man starts telling the kid how they need to go through their “pre-unloading routine”. After all the checking the older guy leans over the side and says to the kid. “Make sure you always let her get warm before you put her in. It helps with speeding things up at the ramp.” He then continues to climb into the boat and start the engine. He then lets it idle for 2min and backs it in. This was an older 40hp johnson…The amount of black smoke coming from that motor was quite the site. He did get the boat in the water and sped off like nothing was wrong

Thats funny. Have tried unloading mine a few times with the straps still on. Seem to happen at least once every summer. Most times I catch it right away. One early morning I must of backed in and out a half dozen times before figuring what was going on. Must not of had my coffee that morning.

I like the time I was running late for a tournament and we would normally just back in, let her float and jump into someone elses boat and they give you a ride over –

Well, nobody was left when I walked down – after parking my truck and trailer. Fun swim to start the day.

Round 2 – put her in – plug not in – had to jump into the water and screw the plug in as we were waiting for blast off. Another refreshing start.

Mike – no need for coffee after those donkey moves.

Dog

Did have the rope break on me one morning and sent the boat drifting out into the river. A quick down to the skivvies and in the water to go retrieve it. Being it was oct didnt make this real fun. Hanging out at the Lilydale ramp in your skivvies is not a good idea either.

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Hanging out at the Lilydale ramp in your WET skivvies is not a good idea either.

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It probably wasn’t a very fun experience for the other people at ramp, either.

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Not to be telling tales outta school, but I know first hand my 1890BT will float the trailer makes ya look around to see who’s watching. jerr

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Yep, perfect way to show why talking about other people’s head-up-buttski moves at the ramp is calling down a whole heap of bad ju-ju onto you-know-who.

Another forum member, KWP, and I were fishing a small metro-area lake with my boat. I backed in at the ramp and he floated the boat off no problem.

When I was pulling out, it felt like the trailer had dropped off that last concrete “step” and was hung up a little. You know what I mean.

So I gunned it just a little and the trailer came free so I started driving to the parking area. And KWP screams STOOOOOOOOOOOP!!!!!!!.

I stopped, got out, and the only thing that was behind my truck was 4 feet of the trailer tongue. The rest of the trailer was completely out of sight.

We just stood there in stunned silence. I mean, the freaking trailer was GONE. Broke right at the tilt pin and who knows how far toward the bottom of the lake it rolled before it stopped?

Then this 10 year old kid who was fishing off the dock come walking up, and he stands beside us and kind of assesses the situation. Then he looks at me and KWP, then looks back at the ramp where the bubbles are still rising from the great blue abyss where the majority of my trailer now resides.

Then he looks back at us, shakes his head, and says, “This isn’t good, guys.”

Screwing up at the ramp = bad.

Having a 10 year old that you don’t even know start punking you about it = priceless.

I thought we handled the situation pretty well, though. We gave the kid a huge snuggie and threw him off the dock.

Grouse

Top –

1.) Wife and Husband backing the boat into the water. Wife gets yelled at husband, parks the boat and tells guys what a A-Hole her man is.

2.) One Truck Trailer in two launch spots at a very busy ramp.

3.) Take off cover and straps in the access

4.) Tie boat or beach boat in the access, after it is off the trailer

5.) Can’t back trailer into access

6.) Drive off with a trailer full of AIS. ( Milfoil ) Smashed up under the boat and bunks – that was amazing one time.

7.) Launch boat, cant get it started and stay in landing for 45 mins – cranking the motor – I walk up and hook up kill switch for him.

8.) Wash boat in landing

9.) Back boat and trailer into water with small vehicle. Goes off fine – can’t get it out at the end of the day.

10.) Me – fishing in early November on Mille Lacs – put in at 40 degrees and windy. Had the old 2 – wheel drive F-150 and a Pro-V. Get back at 3 AM – boat ramp has had heavy spray and wave action all evening. Now 25 degrees. Too slippery.

Nightmare….

Dog

To anyone who wants to pull up a chair and watch, I HIGHLY recommend the grays bay ramp on Minnetonka on a nice summer day. The launch docks have signs that say do not tie up here, AND no tie up cleats AND there are very nice cleated bumper-ed tie up docks 50 feet away. And what do people do…..yep, tie up at the launch docks.

“you can’t tie up here”
“I’m just going to park my truck”