Stupid Launching Mistakes

[Concordia..41]

Rather than hijack Blazy's thread, in response to the question on stupid launching mistakes:

It was Fourth of July weekend (1996 I think). I'd been a boat owner for a whopping two weeks. My proud charge was a 22' sail boat on a home-built trailer. :cool:

The two folks helping me with the official launch are good friends. One is very knowledgeable, teaches the safe boating course etc. The other understood the basic concept that boats float and that's about it. My knowledge level was way closer to the second than the first.

As we got into position at the ramp we stepped the mast without incident, (thanks to the practice drills in the privacy of the safe boating instructor's driveway). smile.gif

We were using his van and he backed down the ramp. And he backed down the ramp, and he backed down the ramp. And the boat's still sitting on the cradle. About like the picture in John's post, there's water coming into the back of the van and in my mind's eye I can still see friend #2 swimming around the boat because the water was over his head. And the boat's still sitting on the cradle.

Now I don't know much about boat launching, but from the crowd that's gathered and the advice being shouted, it's obvious this is not standard procedure. I don't know how we finally deduced the problem (they say even a blind squirrel can find an acorn), but the boat had sat for so long it had adhered itself to the cradle via its rubber padding – and whatever held the cradle to the frame, besides gravity, had long since given up. Boat and cradle had floated right off, but for all the world it looked like we were still on the trailer.

With the help of some of the onlookers we managed to position the floating collection back over the trailer and pulled forward and away from the spectator section and lashed the cradle to the trailer. It seems like it took us a couple more tries to rid ourselves of the galloping case of stupid. And since I don't remember what else went wrong, maybe age related memory loss has some advantages. :D

Cheers!

[John Bell]

Good idea! I'm going to dump my response in the other thread here where it's more appropriate.


I'd love to hear some stories about those that launched without the plug in. A couple friends I know did that more than once.
At the WBF SE campout in Tennessee last year, I witnessed a fun scene involving jetskis and drain plugs while waiting to launch my boat.

Making a long story short: There was a group of kids, all around 19 years old, trying to launch a pair of jetskis. They had a heck of a time backing the trailer down the ramp and getting the boats in the water. Finally to everyone's relief who was waiting to use the ramp, they got thier truck out of the way. The pontoon in front of me quickly launched and got underway.

All the while I had been watching the two jetskis in the water. They had managed to get them fired, but they wouldn't stay lit. I also noticed that they were getting lower and lower in the water. One of them got so bad, the novice jetskier aboard couldn't keep his balance and stay on the boat. They eventually stopped even firing up.

I asked another guy who was with this pair if they had remembered to put in the drain plugs.

"Jetskis got drain plugs?"

I nodded.

His eyes get real big and he runs down to inquire about the status of the drain plugs. A frantic dash to the truck ensues and they try to get the trailer back down the ramp.

Now, this crew couldn't back a trailer to save their lives, so tempers were getting short. I asked if they'd like some help getting the trailer down the ramp. They quickly agreed and let me get it in the water for them. We winch the now very heavy jetskis back aboard the trailer and haul them up on shore, each spouting a thick stream of water out of their transoms.

We opened up the engine compartments to find water over the top of the carbs. Just then an adult who appeared to a parent of at least one of this crew and also presumably owned the now dead jetskis shows up. Big frown. Lots of kids looking at their feet, waiting for the impending storm. I decided this was a good time to leave, and I did, quickly. We never did see those kids on the lake that day...

Another drainplug story: Last year we mistakenly wound up at Blockhouse Recreation area, a very busy boatramp on our home lake. We had to wait in a long line before we launched, so we used the time to get everything ready and loaded up so we could minimize our time on the ramp itself so others would not have to wait for us.

But there's always one in the crowd. This guy had waited until he got down the ramp before he did his prelaunch stuff. He gets out of the car, removes the tie downs and the motor support, loads up the cooler and water toys, rounds up his kids and gets them in life jackets. This process takes about ten minutes, with the guy totally oblivious to the twenty odd boaters waiting to use the three ramps, one of which he has blocked.

Finally he gets the boat backed in the water. But he still doesn't launch. Only then does he turn on the bilge fan for the requisite four minutes.

At long last he pulls off the the trailer and idles off, oblivious to the numerous angry stares from ashore. His wife pulls the trailer up the ramp to park the truck. A few minutes later, shen I'm getting my boat in the water, his wife comes back to the dock to be picked up. I notice the stern of his boat is getting pretty low in the water, and about this time so does he. He lets loose a few choice obscenities and screams for his wife to get the trailer back in the water Right Now. Not only did he not put the plug in, he can't find it!

Well, there was still about 20 cars waiting to launch. And some of them had witnessed his earlier lollygagging on the ramp. What do you think his wife's chances were of getting to break in in line? Zilch, nada, none.

Unfortunately, before we could see how it played out somebody felt sorry for this goon and tossed him a spare drain plug. Without any more water coming in, his bilge pump could get ahead of the flood before anything serious happened.

And yes, I too have launched on more than one occaision without a drain plug in place. Fortunately, I don't think anyone saw me, so it doesn't count. redface.gif :D

[Ken Hutchins]

A WORD OF CAUTION WHEN LAUNCHING A SAILBOAT.
My brother was taking his boat out a few years ago, it was a drizzly damp day. He got the boat loaded OK and pulled up the ramp, because many others were waiting to use the ramp.
My dad was watching to check clearance to an overhead power line. Plenty of room it appeared in fact about 6 feet. WRONG a flash of man-made lightning.
Because of the damp air and the wet boat, poof, an arc jumped to ground. Fried rigging, blown out @#$#@glass, etc. Boat a total loss, the neighborhood without power for 2 hours.
Thank the lord nobody got hurt, except for some soiled underwear.

[John Blazy]

Awesome stories folks. Sounds like Margo's boat got a "wedgie". Must have been a hilarious interrogation scene with those kids and the jetski owners. Experiences like these are what make people remember to put in the plug. I can't believe people are so inconsiderate to not prepare when they are in line making others wait. Those waiting sure got justice. :D

[wingnut]

This boating experience happened just this last summer.
we were fishing the columbia for steelhead and had finished for the day and came back to the launch (if you can call it that) this launch is pretty rough and fairly shallow and is really ment for a small skiff and jetsleds. as we approached the launch we see a man and his wife TRYING to launch there 22' bayliner in this has been of a launch. At the same time it was low tide so this compounds how dificult it is to launch. So we were more than content to put around near there and watch the launching (since there is now place to beach the boat, until they launch). I remember telling my father this is going to be interesting, and boy was it ever.
The Husband decided he was going to be in the boat while his wife backed down the trailer, this is where it gets interesting. As his wife starts backing down the boat he starts lowering the outdrive (big mistake) well you guessed it, he lowered it to much and ended up hitting the bottom of the concrete ramp, but this didn't seem to phase him to much (as my dad and i are both cringing) so he fires off the motor, lets it warm up for a little bit (now there are three boats waiting to take out, putting around watching this) so after he feels the engine is warm enough, he throws it into reverse and trys to back it off the trailer, but it won't come off....he's gives it more gas...now he really hammers on the throttle... but no go...by this time he had there suburban rocking and shaking so much it looked like it was 4-bying down some jeep trail...and the boat STILL wouldn't come off, this is when he realized they forgot to take the ty-downs off (now the guy is pretty embarassed and pissed) so he yells at his wife to pull forward..so she does what he tells her and starts to pull forward, and that is when we heard the unmistakable sound of...kaclunk....kaclunk....kaclunk...all the way up the concrete ramp, the outdrive hit every rib on the ramp, by the time she stopped they had broken off the bottom of the skeg on the outdrive and had mangeled the prop, i also forgot to mention that he forgot to shut the motor off...so now the boat is still on the trailer, broken skeg, bent prop, and still running, they actually let it run while he hopped out and undid the tie downs (of course this was in a mad panic) He then screamed at the wife to get the boat back in the water and once again we hear the familiar sound of...kaclunk...kaclunk...kaclunk, all the way back down the ramp. he finally got the boat off the trailer, and his wife went to park the rig. to add to the story my father went to get our rig and the lady was still trying to park the trailer, so he ended up parking it for her. Now wait, the story doesn't end here, we load our boat and go back to our campsite overlooking the river and what do we see, The Bayliner is now stuck on a sandbar. they didn't follow the channel marker on the way out of the cove and ran it aground. Lucky for them the tide was comming in so they only had to sit there for about an hour before the boat floated off.
For me that is one of the all time best/worst boat launching scene's i've ever witnessed. All i can say, is at least no one got hurt.

wingnut

[Paul Scheuer]

I'll have to confess - sometimes for entertainment I take a lawn chair and a cup of coffee over to the ramp and watch the show. I claim it's to watch and learn from the pros. The best ones are the husband/wife trailer backing teams as they develop their unique hand-signal communications that degenerate into loud verbal instructions. I've gotten pretty good at not looking too smug, knowing that my day may come.
From my observation, there is no way to hide the unmistakable sound of an outboard dragging up the ramp with the non-driving partner screaming "stop".

[Bill Dodson]

Watching the boat ramp sounds like watching other boats come into the anchorage :cool: Sort of like Eileen Quinn's song "The Anchoring Dance"

...the perfect little parking place is easy to find
all you really gotta do is read his mind
if what your honey wants is hard to tell
when the hand signals fail you can always yell
grind your teeth, shout till you're hoarse
there's always one more step, you can file for divorce
no better way to test a true romance
than to do, do, do, do, do
do the anchoring dance

ease to starboard, then hard to port
throttle down but you come up short
up on the foredeck, see them prance
when they do, do, do, do, do
do the anchoring dance...


Fun song... check out her music at EileenQuinn.com (http://www.eileenquinn.com/)

tongue.gif Bill

[Concordia..41]

Anchoring, docking and trailer backing - three things I highly recommend doing with your "intended" before you send the wedding invitations to the printer :rolleyes:

- M

[David Tabor (sailordave)]

Anchoring, docking and trailer backing - three things I highly recommend doing with your "intended" before you send the wedding invitations to the printer

Yeah, well Margo I was young, stupid (I know, redundant) and in love. We've made it 17+ years in spite of the fact she isn't cut out for the water.

[Bill Dodson]

Arlene had to shuck and eat a raw oyster to get my dad's acceptance :eek:

But after passing that test, we'll have 21 years on May first ;)

[Figment]

I can't resist....

A pair of my buddies went in together on a POS boat... one who knows a thing or two about boats, and the other who had money to throw around and wanted to learn.
Like any new boat owners, they slap some paint on the bottom, do a circuit test of the bilgepump, and hit the road for the launch ramp.

Fast-forward to the reloading of the boat onto the trailer....

For whatever reason, the engine is idling at something like 1800rpm, so even the quickest hand on the shifter moves the boat a minimum of 10'. I'll let you imagine 15 minutes of frustration that bred confusion, and then VROOM with the wheel cut the wrong way the 18' runabout is up on the floating dock in an instant like a dolphin at seaworld.

The same adrenalin that got me and co-owner #2 out of the way also allowed us to shove the beast back into the drink before the dockmaster noticed.

[Andrew]

First time, forgot the drain plug.

Second time, took off to soon the motor quit in tight quarters.

Third time, (next season) remembered the plug, remembered to let her warm up. Pulled away from the dock only to find the steering frozen.

[John Bell]

Yesterday, we launched my neighbor's PWCs for the first time this season. Yep, you guessed it! We forgot to put in the drain plugs! redface.gif :D

(Fortunately we realized it after about 2 minutes, so no damage done.)

[ 04-17-2003, 01:12 PM: Message edited by: John Bell ]

[Concordia..41]

Drain plug hints from Margo:

Use a tie wrap or a bit of wire and keep them on the chain with the boat key. If that's too much trouble, at least toss them about midship or where you'll be most likely to step on one of them when you get aboard DAMHIKT :rolleyes:

[ 04-17-2003, 03:57 PM: Message edited by: Concordia..41 ]

[John Bell]

My normal routine is to put the plugs in my boat before I leave the driveway.

FWIW, I've got another chance to make a stupid launching mistake tomorrow morning. Here's hoping the only stupidity I witness on the ramp is not my own. ;)

[Ken Hutchins]

My uncle, bought a Grady White hull and did all the finishing work, did a real nice job too, him being a cabinetmaker. Come launching day, in the water OK start motor OK, take off and oops redface.gif turn wheel to the right and boat goes left. He had the push-pull steering upside down. redface.gif

[Bilge pump]

Leaving the bungs in can be a problem too, saw a nice little G#&$$ fishing outfit a while back in a local Melbourne boatyard, bungs in nice and tight, boat three quarters full of rain water, over the top of batteries, electrics , unconnected fuel line was laying in it. The weight on the trailer had reversed the springs bent the frame and there were some interesting star shaped cracks around the rollers.

[John Blazy]

Thats not a happy boat. Never thought of the reverse misfortune. I guess thats the kind of thinking from the land downunder, kindof like the way water spirals counterclockwise down the drain down there, opposite from us.

[Dave R]

Bilge Pump, you have a good point. I knew a fellow though who bought a boat that had been sitting out by the road all summer with a "For sale" sign on it. He told me he liked her looks from the first time he saw her but the thing that finally clichhed it was that when he stopped to look at her, she was half full of water. There'd been no rain for about a month and he figured she must be water tight to still have that much water in her.

[Russ]

I had just launched and motored the boat around the dock to the non-ramp side and tied up. Ran over to the truck and pulled the trailer out and drove over to the area and parked (I singlehand). On my way back to the boat I notice this large pontoon boat looking like it was trying to line up to the dock. The wind was out of the north and was blowing the boat towards the ramp. The guy at the helm was yelling at the lady to climb over the railing with line in hand so that she could jump to the dock and tie off. She didn't look any too thrilled with the idea so I walked over to where they were headed and told her to throw me the line and I would tie them off. He starts yelling at me that she's fine and needs to learn how to do this. I was absolutely dumbstruck, so I looked at her and said again throw me the line so she didn't have to attempt this acrobatic feat. By this time he's really boiling and the boat is getting sideways so I back off figuring I didn't need to get into a fistfight with this moron.

Just as I cast off my boat and start backing away I see that he now has the pontoon exactly sideways between the docks blocking everybody and is now headed toward the concrete ramp. Several other people are offering help and he's having a complete meltdown. Yelling something about why did they ever buy this boat and how all of this was her fault. As I motored out I could hear people on the boats waiting to get in snickering and laughing at this guy. It was funny and sad at the same time. Never saw them again.

[Boyd]

From stories about tragedy to a story about tragedy narrowly averted:

Last year my wife and I wanted to rent a boat (as we are currently boatless) to attend a friends wedding at his waterfront property. I was dead set on going by boat but could not find anything in my price range to rent. My friend comes to the rescue with his immaculate 1969 Chris-Craft houseboat! This thing is wild. Old but in perfect condition, and very tastefully decorated in a retro fashion. The wedding went great. Two nights on the boat with no problems but a scary anchor dragging incident.

On the way home the wind picks up to about 15 knots. I call him on the cell to let him know I am on the way in. As we get into his harbor the wind picks up quite a bit and perpendicular to his (too narrow) slip at the end of the pier. I was shaking in my boots. Because of visibility I have to drive the thing from the roof nav station so I can't help wife land the beast. Wife and I have a long conversation as we approach, hoping to avoid an unpleasant scene. I look over to the pier and the owner is there and he is stretching his muscles! He must expect the worst. Wind is up even more now and it is perpendicular to the pier and there is no protection for the big beast. I made one approach to judge the situation and turned off at the last second. Wife understood the planned maneuver, but friend was looking worried. Second time in I drive in using only the twin props for steerage. I slid right in and wife tied her up like a pro! Wife and I spoke less then 10 words to each other during the whole thing. She gave me a big kiss afterward and friend shook my hand. We never even awoke our 8-month-old daughter asleep down below.

This may not seem like much to you folks, but it was a triumph for me. Perhaps next time I will tell you about docking my 25' sloop under sail, backward and in-between piers! There was another forumite onboard to back up this story. Too bad it was after midnight and nobody else at the marina saw it.

[Alan D. Hyde]

Good story, Boyd.

Such simple triumphs are gratifying.

Particularly when it's someone else's boat! :D

Alan

[ 04-21-2003, 05:24 PM: Message edited by: Alan D. Hyde ]

[rbgarr]

What are some general rules of launch ramp etiquette?

This past weekend, I saw people backing their trailers down into the water when the boats they were going to retrieve were nowhere near the ramp or dock. They just sat there waiting for their kids on the PWC's to decide to come in while others who were ready to launch or retrieve just had to wait. And then when they finally got the PWC's on the trailers they spent another long while unloading their s**t and tying them down rather than pulling up into the parking lot and out of the way while they did that.

There is a smooth, sandy beach right next to this ramp. You'd think kayakers would use that, but there was a whole bunch of them that pulled onto the launch ramp and started unloading, even though they were going to be putting their kayaks on roof racks.

Shouldn't launch ramps be used only by folks who have trailers, especially when other alternatives are available at hand to others?

[Ian McColgin]

Up here, people do seem to hit the ramp only when the boat is ready. Anyone dawdling is persuaded to move on.

The one summer I spent with Goblin on the dock was wonderful for watching the ramp across the little cove.

It's a bit steep, cramped, slippery, and the last few feet fell off so if you back down at low tide there's a good chance of dropping the trailor wheels over the edge.

Given that it's Cape Cod, the jumble of folk who are launching in the early morning are truely market and pot fishing. They are good with the hook but not necessarily brilliant trailor or boat handlers. The speak a variety of languages, mostly Portugese but plenty of Creol, Spanish, Hatian French, Canadian French, Cambodian, and Worcester-english.

Better than any TV sitcom.

Amazingly, for all the stange contrempts, raised voiscs and vigorous gesticulations, I never saw an actual fight.

[Figment]

My experience with those who commit such violations of "ramp etiquette" is that they're usually otherwise-considerate folks who just don't realize what they're doing. On the handful of occasions when I've been peeved enough to say something, I've managed to do it in a friendly manner, and the other party ususally snaps out of their haze, realizes that they don't own the ramp, gets a little embarrassed, and hustles out of the way.

But then there's the occasional pighead with no respect for anything..... I don't own a trailered boat anymore, and those folks are one reason for that.

I once used a ramp (Bristol RI or Laconia NH, can't remember which) that had a HUGE "Please observe the following rules of the ramp...." sign, which was a fairly comprehensive bullet-list of ramp etiquette and safety. I wish I had a photo of it. That list should be posted at every launch ramp in america, and in the trailer-lights aisle of every West Marine.

[Nora Lee]

Not quite launching but it happened on a launching ramp!
:D
Picture this...1973 Jon's 1st season sailing
(I sailed since I was 16)...didn't want to haul boat too soon.

Yacht Club in Hudson Valley, late October, Brr!
The club stores their pile driver on the boat ramp next to the walkway, our boat 'Delft Blew' was the only thing left in the marina.

The nearest ramp is 8 miles south in Newburgh,NY just below the Newburgh-Beacon Bridge. Hubby doesn't trust me to drive his new truck and trailer south, to the ramp, so he sends me with boat, and 8 yr old godson in tow, via the river.

Halfway there, in 55 degree weather with about 15-20 mph winds I motor on down, the pintle hook on the rudder lets go, I rescue the darned thing and steer with the engine, no problem, with whining, hungry kid below!

It is slack tide no real problem, until we arrive at the ramp.

The Shoreline trailer has a 4" groove ,into which you must insert the keel. At this point in time the tide starts to go out, (it and the river can run about 6 knots this time of year) the wind is blowing 20-25. I am steering with the engine, which is offset, of course, and the steerage is not that great. Six tries at trying to aim at the trailer, (let alone the 4" groove). I almost end up on the rocks, immediately south of ramp. Captain Lee is yelling orders from the shoreline, the boat is not cooperating, and neither is the kid aboard.

I dash to the bow to fend off of the rocks one more time, when the button on my jeans let go, down fall the jeans, it was not a pretty picture.

We were indeed the entertainment of the afternoon for the fishermen, who were witnessing this fiasco.

Finally get the blasted boat on the trailer, the tire is slashed by something on the ramp and, off runs the Capt for 3 hours to find a new tire, on a late Sunday afternoon, still have the kid to contend with and haven't had anything to eat since breakfast. Found some saltines and peanut butter to stop the hunger pangs while we wait for the Captain to return.

The trip home was a quiet one, kid was asleep and I didn't talk to Jon for 2 days.

Amazing that we are still together, and that we still are sailors.

Our latest boat 'Sea Fever' was supposed to be a no yelling zone...RIGHT! First docking maneuver wind against us, 38,000# of boat to put into the slip, and the Captains promise not to yell was violated.

I had things under control on the bow, big audience at the dock and he is barking orders.(I guess the view from the cockpit was a bit un nerving) I held my fingers firmly in my ears and yelled back, "I can't hear You!" and promptly took a bow after tying off without a bump!

We enjoyed a good laugh, when we all sat in the cockpit watching the sun set.

They only boaters, that don't have a tale or two, are the ones who do their boating in their recliner!

Ask me about draggin anchor sometime!

Regards,

Nora Lee

[ 01-05-2004, 07:07 PM: Message edited by: Nora Lee ]

[Gary E]

2 stories..
The forgotten drain plug Who has NOT done that?
But not a real problem, we just whittled a stick and fixed it.

Next was the fellow putting his very first twin screw less than a year old 34 Ft very fancy sportfish back in for summer #2...As most fellows do they remove the props and sends them for reconditioning, so after waxing everything, polishing and waxing the stainless railings, etc etc.. He puts the wheels back on.. Here comes the travel lift and picks it up, gently with all due care lower's this boat with nary a smudge or a scratch into the water. The engines are started, a brief warmup period elapses, and with engines ideling at probably closer to 1500 than 500 he shifts to go astern, oppps the boat lerches to the wall of the travel lift slip and dings the rail on the little walk out what ever they callit up there.. ok that didnt work musta put in Fwd, try reverse again.. wack.. did it again, this time it really did do a number on said bow rail and walkout plank... ahh crap sez the owner.. someone asked are ya sure you put it in REVERSE???... try again, WAM WACK yeah it was SPOSED to be reverse... well.. haul it up and check which wheel is on which shaft, and as suspected, the solution was to swap, putting them back the right way.

He learned all about counter rotating props that day..

G

[huisjen]

Never turn of the engine of a '71 Datsun pickup on the ramp. The fuel pump works when the engine is running, and when starting on level ground, but not real well when starting on a ramp.

Dan

[adampet]

We have some pretty good ramp-antics here on the Cape. Most people have the local rules down pretty well. Waiting your turn, being ready to back down when the boat is ready...etc.

One day when I was waiting to pull out my dory there was a man pulling out a sailboat for the season. I don't think that the trailer got a lot of use. It was mighty ugly. Well once the boat gets onto the trailer, one of its' tires goes flat. There's lots of head scratching and the number of people waiting to use the ramp starts to grow. I walk over and offer use of my mini-compressor, if he'll pull out of the way. So he pulls up and clears the ramp.Turns out he doesn't have a working cigarette lighter and I have to pull my truck close enough to fill the tire. He ties down and is soon on his way.

I get back in line and take my boat out, go through my tie-down routine and head for home.......About a mile from the ramp I pass the sailboat and owner by the side of the road. The wheel for the trailer was so rusted that it separated from the hub and became a two part wheel!
I'd done my Good Samaratin duty and there wasn't anything I could do. He looked like he wasn't having a good day
:(