You’re Doing It Wrong: Boat Launch Edition

kingplanker · #1 08-31-2009, 10:05 AM

http://jalopnik.com/5349336/youre-do...launch-edition

kingplanker · #2 08-31-2009, 12:49 PM

Another one...

kingplanker · #3 08-31-2009, 12:59 PM

And another...

kingplanker · #4 08-31-2009, 01:01 PM

And making a very big splash!

kingplanker · #5 08-31-2009, 01:03 PM

Yellow makes it easier to find underwater...

kingplanker · #6 08-31-2009, 01:04 PM

White makes it easier to spot in the dark...

Lewisboats · #7 08-31-2009, 01:08 PM

Sorry to say this is mine...We were loading a boat into the back of the truck while it was idling at the base of the ramp. The wheels were a couple of feet from the edge of the water. I was up in the bed and my buddy was on the other side of the truck. The boat was his PW featherwind 16 ft loa. We had it almost in to the truck and I heard a clunk and felt the truck lurch (it was running, parking brake didn't work and the parking pawl slipped). I was out so fast that I never got wet but I watched the truck make for the mud. It rolled so far out we were able to haul out 4 boats over it before the divers got there to hook up and tow it out. That was Sunday afternoon and I had it running again by Friday. I got lucky in that the distributor was lower than the intake at the angle of the ramp. It was an old...old truck that I paid $100 for and got $100 for but the experience sucked.

Steve

Lewisboats · #8 08-31-2009, 01:10 PM

The finale

Hey... Sometimes you get a case of the DumbS"it"s and "It" happens

kingplanker · #9 08-31-2009, 01:13 PM

Frozen water is slippery...

kingplanker · #10 08-31-2009, 01:17 PM

A swim platform?

kingplanker · #11 08-31-2009, 01:22 PM

At least the boat floats...

Lewisboats · #12 08-31-2009, 01:23 PM

At least mine didn't cost any REAL money.

kingplanker · #13 08-31-2009, 01:29 PM

FORD: Floats On Ramp Day?

kingplanker · #14 08-31-2009, 01:30 PM

Oh no- not kayaks too!!

kingplanker · #15 08-31-2009, 01:33 PM

Old Fords don't float either...

Lewisboats · #16 08-31-2009, 01:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kingplanker

http://jalopnik.com/5349336/youre-do...launch-edition

I want to know what keeps that monstrosity in the background afloat and upright. Its as bad as Peter's two Ami's construct.

willmarsh3 · #17 08-31-2009, 01:41 PM

This is what these people should have used.

http://tinyurl.com/qg44w9

kingplanker · #18 08-31-2009, 01:50 PM

Maybe they should have called a water taxi...

johnw · #19 08-31-2009, 02:02 PM

I believe all of these vehicles were still eligible for the Cash for Clunkers program.

My folks on live on Vashon Island next to a park with a launching ramp. Every year, when the spring tides go out, the end of the ramp comes out of the water and somebody tries to launch in the mud beyond.

Once a fellow with a camper on the back of his pickup did this, naturally getting stuck. He tried to get out and of course, dug him in deeper. The tide was coming in. Finally, he called for the nearest tow truck. By this time, the back of truck was in the rising water. The truck was a small one, and tried mightily, but couldn't tow the pickup out. The water was rising into the camper shell, over enven the front wheels. At last they called for the biggest tow truck available, a WW II six-wheel-drive Dodge truck capable of perhaps 15 mph. It was over on Maury Island, connected to Vashon by a samll isthmus that at one time was covered at high tide. You could hear the slow progress of the Dodge as it ground its way around the harbor. Meanwhile, the tide was coming in apace, and the engine compartment of the pickup was going under. The horn shorted, and the pickup began its long, plaintive death wail. This lasted about 20 minutes. By the time the Dodge 6X6 arrived, the cab of the truck was almost immersed, as was most of the camper shell.

My father had gone down to the park to watch the activity. As it happened, he overheard a conversation between the shell-shocked owner of the pickup and his daughter. It seems the man's wife was in town getting her hair done.

"Now, don't tell mom a thing," the daughter advised.

kingplanker · #20 08-31-2009, 02:06 PM

Chevys don't float any better than Fords...

kingplanker · #21 08-31-2009, 02:07 PM

"Can you back up a little more?"

kingplanker · #22 08-31-2009, 02:09 PM

Sunrise or sunset?
At least the brake lights still work...

kingplanker · #23 08-31-2009, 02:27 PM

Was he making a pickup or delivery?

ron ll · #24 08-31-2009, 02:32 PM

I really wish I had pictures, but I don't so you'll just have to take my word for it.

In the late sixties, (before the attorneys made us all safe from ourselves), a local DJ sponsored a race called, Hardwick's Dinghy Derby. Not many rules, if any, and basically it was anything that would float. The course was from the Ballard Bridge to the old Golden Tides restaurant at Shilshole. Those of you familiar with Seattle geography know that this course went THRU THE LOCKS! There were usually about 300 or so rafts of all kinds, small ones with paddles and larger ones with outboards.

A local trucking company's raft consisted of a full-size dump truck from which they had removed the three axles and welded a framework containing a raft of 55 gallon drums. They did some of their homework in that there was plenty of floatation to carry the truck. They brought it to the 14th st. launching ramp on a lowboy and had a crane pick it off the trailer and set it into the water. They didn't do quite enough homework however. They had forgotten about righting moment. Sure enough, it floated, but as soon as they unhooked the crane it did a slow graceful 180 degree roll. It still floated just fine but the only thing you could see was the raft of 55 gallon drums, the entire truck still being firmly attached, but under water.

So as not to be a total waste of effort, they decided to go thru the race anyway. So the crew climbed aboard the oil-barrel raft with a few cases of beer and a couple of outboard motors and went thru the entire "race" course, including thru the locks, with a dumptruck upsidedown below them. The next day I went down to watch at the Shilshole ramp as a crane lifted the whole thing out of the water, upside-down truck and all. (BTW, this is the same ramp where the crane pulled out the upside down float plane a few days ago.)

Is anyone else around here old enough to remember Hardwick's Dinghy Derbies? Gawd I wish I had pictures.

kingplanker · #25 08-31-2009, 02:41 PM

With the high cost of fuel it is more economical to car pool...

rooster · #26 08-31-2009, 02:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kingplanker

http://jalopnik.com/5349336/youre-do...launch-edition

That's not really a problem.Just drive out another 20 ft. and the boat would float right off.

Thorne · #27 08-31-2009, 03:40 PM

Someone gave me some excellent advice recently, after a friend nearly sank his truck at the ramp at Big Lagoon.

"There is absolutely NO need for a tow vehicle to be in reverse on a ramp. Put it in neutral, or if a stickshift in first with the clutch in."

Captain Intrepid · #28 08-31-2009, 04:27 PM

Shoulda used a toyota.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lrk6vsb77xk

boylesboats · #29 08-31-2009, 05:45 PM

Hellva expensive truck wash...

Rich VanValkenburg · #30 08-31-2009, 05:46 PM

This was my Uncle Frank's mess. Note the vintage of the car and boat, stupidity isn't something new.

Bill R · #31 08-31-2009, 07:08 PM

Couple summers ago, one of the part summer couples here on the lake tried to haul a 26-28' f****glass boat out with their Volvo station wagon. Tongue weight had the back bumper a couple inches off the ground. They tried pulling up the ramp and the car made a bad grinding crunch sound and started rolling back down the ramp... Transmission let go. and the car rolled into the water about to the back of the front doors.

Fortunately, they were close enough for for me to back down the ramp with my truck and get a chain on the car and pull it and the boat out of the water and off the ramp.

Some people just don't think.

Bob Adams · #32 08-31-2009, 08:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rich VanValkenburg

This was my Uncle Frank's mess. Note the vintage of the car and boat, stupidity isn't something new.

I see those fins didn't hep the car swim

James McMullen · #33 09-01-2009, 12:04 AM

This is my favorite thread I've ever seen!

rbgarr · #34 09-01-2009, 05:31 AM

It's not just guys with powerboats: "And we forgot the fender too!"

PeterSibley · #35 09-01-2009, 06:05 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rbgarr

It's not just guys with powerboats: "And we forgot the fender too!"

!!

It's one thing to underestimate the weight of your boat but forgetting the mast ?

Larks · #36 09-01-2009, 08:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Captain Intrepid

Shoulda used a toyota.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lrk6vsb77xk

You are more correct than you realise - a true story from 1983 in Darwin, (where people do very strange things simply because it is Darwin). A couple of guys modified a toyota with the intent of driving accross - under Darwin Harbour. A distance of about 2 miles where you don't need to worry so much about the tiger sharks because they are generally scared off by the croc's.

There were some photos republished in the local paper in 2003, the 20th anniversary, though the only one that I have been able to get a hold of is a sponsorship photo from the web - not sure if it was pre or post attempt.

They didn't actually make it, not becaue of any problems with the toyota though, apparently visibility was almost zero and they navigated by a compass and the sound of a boat overhead somewhere that was keeping an eye out for them (or their Toyota's snorkle anyway). Anyway, they drove into a trench a little over halfway accross and got stuck so had to abandon the attempt. I think the vehicle was later lifted onto a barge (possibly even by the vehicle in the background.

kingplanker · #37 09-01-2009, 08:08 AM

Misjudging a parking space...

Prob not so hot at parallel parking either...

kingplanker · #38 09-01-2009, 08:09 AM

"I know a shortcut to the boat ramp!"

kingplanker · #39 09-01-2009, 08:11 AM

Low tide? What low tide...?

kingplanker · #40 09-01-2009, 08:13 AM

I guess they weren't kidding...

kingplanker · #41 09-01-2009, 08:15 AM

We almost got it this time...

Maybe we should be "starting over"...

Bill R · #42 09-01-2009, 09:07 AM

Have you noticed that the majority of boats in the above pictures are f****glass?

I'm wondering if there is a correlation...

Rich VanValkenburg · #43 09-01-2009, 10:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rbgarr

True story, (and don't tell her I told you) but the first time I took my girl (wife to be) sailing, she said to me "Can't we just take the sail down to go under the bridge?"

I might've should've ran the other way. No, I didn't listen to her and still don't.