launching and loading acciedents

[Alaska Gray]

I was wondering if it's me. I have noticed over the summer and this past weekend two acciedents while trying to launch and load the boat. Is it me or dose this actually happen allot. None of them were serious or caused damaged but two boats just bumped into each other.

 

[plankton]

See it...

See it...

Happens a lot. To many guys in a hurry at the ramp. I live in Seward and have seen a dozen minor dings/bumps. All of them could of been prevented by one bouy and someone on the boat paying attention.

 

[Alaska Gray]

I agree. I have had a couple of boats jump by me, while I was waiting for a spot on the ramp to open up. the went in and nosed there way in.

 

[Crumm]

It is called RUDE people. I had a guy about take the door off my truck a few weeks ago at the Pro Music launch here in Fairbanks. He backed in so fast that water came over the back of his boat then he parked his truck in the way, jumped in the boat and ran down river 300 yards and threw out the anchor right in the middle of the main channel. Good thing there are still some good folks out there

 

[Snowwolfe]

If you are done fishing and want some entertainment just pull up a chair to the boat launch at Homer and drink a beer. Lots of cussing, dinged boats, people dragging there motors, etc. Kinda comical to be honest.
Me, I made a checklist that I follow and since then have had zero mishaps.

 

[.338 mag.]

Ahhh ! The Boat Ramp

Ahhh ! The Boat Ramp

When I back down the boat ramp I have some one watch me so I do not run some one over. I stop when my rear wheels are about 10' from the edge of the water and give some one a bow and stern line and unhook the cable and chain. Then I back up and hit the brakes and off goes the boat. Some one I trust lowers and starts the engines while the trailer is parked. Then we leave the dock. All the prep work for the boat is done prior to this. I was at the old Seward dock this weekend. Yeehaw ! I wish I would have started filming the boat ramp years ago. What a goat rope. Why most boaters do not make a check list and have everything done prior to backing down the ramp is beyond me. I know that being tired and in a hurry usually leads to problems. So far I have left the boat plugs out ONCE and my buddy and son-in-law found the spares and put them in. They think I am an idiot for trying to sink my own boat. I almost fell of the dock ONCE. Everyone really liked that and would like to see it again. My best dumb move was walking out of the cabin with the engines running. My beautiful 4 yr. old grand daughter gave it full throttle, my bow and stern line held the boat just fine and everyone at the boat ramp was aware of my stupidity. That dumb move of mine could have hurt some one and damaged boats. Hey, that is not to bad of a 30 yr. boating record. Anyway I do my prep work learn in a hurry from my mistakes and try to stay away from inept boat launchers. When I can't I bite my tounge, smile and try to help them. I also try to avoid rush hour at the boat ramp. It probably is not to late to start filming the boat ramp.

 

[Bankers Hours]

Laminated "drill cards" for me all the way.

 

[griff]

I saw a brand new bayliner come off of the trailer and land on the boat ramp at in Whittier last summer. The guy was a total jerk. He was yelling and screaming at everybody, complaining that he had to launch his boat on the side close to the rocks. He had some problems so he gunned his truck up the ramp and the boat slid off the trailer...I bet that cost a lot of money to fix.

 

[Contender]

I left this great state for about 5 years back in the mid 80s and relocated to the low country of South Carolina. My brother and I operated a 31 foot pontoon boat which we were able to load and unload at the lake in a matter of minutes. It was a real hoot watching inexperienced boaters launch and load their boats. I was a tractor trailer driver for years so I could easily back the pontoon boat right into the lake the first try and my brother would be on the boat and would fire up the outboard as it entered the water. He would back out as I would go park the rig and then he would nose in and pick me up and away we would go.

The real fiasco would be when a thunder storm blew up and everyone would try to get off the lake for self preservation. Many boats got swamped right at the launch waiting to get off the lake.

 

[Chris_Stout]

Hmmm.

Hmmm.

Well,
A lot of this nonsence could be avoided if all prep work was done before entering the water, and once in the water have someone get the truck out of the way and the boat driver move off the loading ramp dock and go to a transient or open space to wait for the truck driver and passengers to get their game together, then come back to the dock and pick them up and drive off. I have been that "jerk" that noses his boat in because people want to sit and idle and wait for people. In valdez I needed to unload a lot of gear and make a 40 mile trip to get the other people I left at camp. There was a lot of "hanging out" on the loading dock, I just used my engines to stick the nose of my boat between two other boats and hold it there while the two people unloaded all of the gear. One guy got so pissed that once his wife got there (he didn't say a word) he just turned as hard as he could and used my boat to help him turn away from the dock. He bounced off my sponson pretty good, but no damage to either. The ramp is a loading and unloading zone, treat it as such and these problems will be reduced. I just smiled and waived at him. (And I do give leeway to those who are going by themselves or are with kids too young to handle vehicles, but this is rarely the case in a full boat ramp)
Chris

 

[Jimw]

Sounds like most of you are in the salt with deep vee's and lower units. Which I have ran for years. Now with a jet boat the rules have changed. No lower unit for a rudder. Working with just the thrust of a jet at low rpm's can be a real challange and takes some real getting used to. Loading was, and at times still is a nerve racking ordeal. I have had some folks "bump" into me at some of the more popular launch areas. and i'm guilty of doing it this past weekend. I can sympathise with most of them because Im new to it and still under the learning curve. Yelling a pitching a big baby fit isnt going to make it any easier, and it just makes the person doing all the yelling look like an even bigger jerk. Have a coke and smile and it will all work it self out.

 

[Gambler]

Top this . . . .

Top this . . . .

Four or Five years ago; Homer boat launch.

Busy, busy day out on the water. Like everyone else, had a fun day fishing; seemed like everyone who was out decided to return to the harbor together. Man oh man, what a circus. luckily, we were in and done before the real 'circus' began. Loaded the boat on the trailer and pulled up out of the way and into the loading/staging area overlooking the ramp.

Oh, did I say it was busy?? While we were unloading all of our fish and gear (away from the ramp) we were able to watch this one yahoo cut in front of everyone. Start telling everyone around him "how to properly use a boat ramp". He went up to get his truck, backed it down like a pro, loaded his boat onto the trailer and proceed to pull up the middle section of the ramp so the next guy could back down next to the dock. Well, in his hurry, this "pro" must have forgotten to lock his hitch down AND forgotten to use his safety chains, because just as he was cresting the top with his pickup, the trailer popped off of his hitch and went barrelling down the ramp. He jumped out of his truck and started yelling for people to "get out of the way!" The only victim of this runaway boat was one of the old pickups used by "Coal Point" to pickup fish for shipping and processing. The 24' fiberglass hit the truck like a a wrecking ball. It pushed it out 10-15 feet into the water. That truck sunk faster than you would have believed. The boat was kind of floating there in the middle of the the two docks until someone held onto it while the "pro" backed down and hooked up to it again.

LUCKILY there weren't any people or especially kids in the way.

So, keep in mind .. .. .. no matter how much of a hurry you are in OR how much of a "pro" you are keep your cool and do things right!

-- Gambler

 

[AKmud]

Boat was ok but.....

Boat was ok but.....

When I was about 15 years old we were coming in from a long day of halibut fishing in a friends 27' Glassply. I had been up in the berth sleeping all the way back when I heard my dad yell down to come up and help catch off the boat. I stumbled my way to the stern as we pulled up to the fuel dock. When the dock was in range, I stepped off and to my surprise I was about 4' short of the end of the dock! I went completely under and came up spitting and sputtering. My dad thought I was a goner and the little cutie at the fuel dock had nothing but sympathy for me because she had done the same thing about a week earlier. Must have been a sight to watch a guy willingly step off into the water!

Man that water is cold!

 

[Alaska Gray]

I will be in Homer this weekend so I should bring my video camera and film people launching there boats..

 

[GOT TOYS]

Launch/land

Launch/land

It takes my wife and I about 1 minute on the ramp to launch our 25' boat, most of that time due to the craters in the ramp at Whittier. I back down to where the winch is even to the water line, loosen the winch and safety chain, wife grabs bow and stern line, and I back it down to float it off.
Landing, I back the trailer in to where I can get at the winch without getting wet, jump out of the truck and into the boat and drive the boat on, winch the last few inches, and get out of the way. 2 minutes max on the ramp, again most of the time due to poor ramp. Homer it goes much faster. If you can't do this, practice at home out of consideration for others. A busy boat ramp is a bad place to practice backing a trailer.

 

[skydiver]

3 things

3 things

I think it comes down to three things...

1) Common courtesy
2) Common sense
3) Experience

Not having (or exhibiting) the first two is inexcusable. The third one will come with time (but yes, do practice backing up the trailer in an empty parking lot before heading to the ramp).

 

[AKBighorn]

It takes my wife and I about 1 minute on the ramp to launch our 25' boat, most of that time due to the craters in the ramp at Whittier. I back down to where the winch is even to the water line, loosen the winch and safety chain, wife grabs bow and stern line, and I back it down to float it off.
Landing, I back the trailer in to where I can get at the winch without getting wet, jump out of the truck and into the boat and drive the boat on, winch the last few inches, and get out of the way. 2 minutes max on the ramp, again most of the time due to poor ramp. Homer it goes much faster. If you can't do this, practice at home out of consideration for others. A busy boat ramp is a bad place to practice backing a trailer.

This sounds like a normal day at the launch for me. Thank God I have a wife that can back up the boat with the motorhome. I couldn't ask for a better partner at the launch. Its funny to listen to the compliments she gets. On another note, does anyone know if they plan on doing anything at all with the launches/docks in Whittier. I can't beleive that the launch is in such poor shape and their is no dock space. There should be a small shuttle to get people to and from their vehicles more quickly to reduce all the waiting at the docks. Its always a zoo, especially at low tide.

 

[Alaska Gray]

I wished there was a shuttle. Two weeks ago I had to park way in the back. IT was raining and it was a long walk. If I had to rate the docks in order best to worse
1. Homer
2. Seward
3. Whitter.

 

[skydiver]

Ramp repair

Ramp repair

I launched out of Whittier last weekend. It was at low tide, so I could see a good part of the ramp. They've "fixed" the part where the rebar stuck up in that big pothole. They pour concrete in a strip that's about 2 or so feet wide and runs perpendicular to the ramp. The rest of the ramp is how it used be.

 

[sayak]

Bunks v. rollers

Bunks v. rollers

I lived out in Dilllingham for years and had a succession of trailers with the carpeted bunks. The routine was to unhook the boat entirely from the winch, then back down the ramp at a little speed until I reached the water, and the boat would glide off the trailer virtually by itself. There was always someone to grab the bow painter or in the boat ready to start the motor as soon as the boat was floating. Worked slick.
Then I moved to Homer and was boatless in boat paradise for a winter. In the spring I bought an old beater fiberglas boat and an equally beat up old trailer. I spent a month totally rebuilding both boat and trailer and the day came to launch the reborn boat. She was spiffed and shiny, and I was proud.
So I did my old routine, unhooking the boat from the winch for a quick getaway(my son was in the boat ready to start the motor), and began my backing down the ramp, and managed to get halfway down when-you guessed it- the boat rolled right off the trailer and onto the ramp. Boy did I feel stupid! Luckily, not too much damage was done to the boat that a little paint and glassing couldn't fix later. People were actually sympathetic and helped me dry-load the boat back onto the trailer. We even had a fairly good day out on the water!