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Ramp accidents have you had one?


JustinOSU

Do you unhook you boat Y or N?  

409 members have voted

  1. 1. Do you unhook your boat before using the ramp?

    • Always
      53
    • Only if I am Familiar with the ramp
      70
    • Sometimes
      36
    • Never
      250


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I am wondering how many people keep their boats hooked to the trailer all of the way down the ramp. I would also like to hear about any related accidents you have seen on the ramp.

Edited by JustinOSU
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When my dad was in college, he had a buddy with a bass boat. They guy always unhooked the boat before backing down the ramp. They were at Lake Texoma at a rather steep ramp. About 1/2 way down, the guy noticed the boat was sliding off of the trailer. In a panic he slamed on the brakes and slid the boat right off of the trailer onto the ramp about 5 feet from the water. Luckily the boat was a small, light boat and it only took about 6 people to get the boat the rest of the way down the ramp to the water.

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I know someone that let the boat slide down the trailer with the winch engaged, spinning the handle at about 10k rpm and caught the handle in the face.

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I know I have posted it before, this is last year at the ramp, no strap going up the ramp with someone sitting on the jetski at the time it fell off the trailer.

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I unhook the transom straps before I put it in the water. Biggrin.gif

Bow strap stays on. I used Liquid Rollers on the bunks and the boat slides wwaaaayyyy too easily now. Shocking.gif

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If I am launching alone, I loosen the winch but keep it attached till I have the engine running. If someone is backing me in it is detached unless I am on a really steep ramp. Beer.gif

Never had an accident though. Beer.gif

Edited by gooddog
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I never unhook the boat from the trailer until it is in the water. Last summer I saw 19" Bayliner slide off the trailer and land on the ramp. Not pretty, day ender for sure. :(

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I know someone that let the boat slide down the trailer with the winch engaged, spinning the handle at about 10k rpm and caught the handle in the face.
I'm betting that hurt. Crazy.gif
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I remove my transom tie downs at the staging part of the ramp (along with all other "prep work") so I don't hold up anyone. When I start backing my boat down and it's close to the water, I'll get out and put about 1.5' to 2' of slack in the winch strap, lock it back out, and then have my better half slowly back the boat in the rest of the way with me in it. There is no dock at my lake where I put my boat in, a state park. This method is fast but offers some protection if something should go wrong

Edited by skistud1
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Always loosen slightly (< 6") and leave attached until the boat is in and running. I generally back in until the boat floats off the bunks and is caught by the strap to know I'm in deep enough. I've seen enough problems getting the boats started at the ramp and I don't want to have to winch my boat too far up onto the trailer.

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I know someone that let the boat slide down the trailer with the winch engaged, spinning the handle at about 10k rpm and caught the handle in the face.
I'm betting that hurt. Crazy.gif

From the look of his face, I would say that is a correct assumption. It was a good lesson for me though. I think of that guy everytime I launch the boat or my kids go near the winch.

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I always leave the bow strap on until she's in the water running. At that point, I just go up, lean over the bow and unhook it.

WAY too paranoid to unhook it first. I would not want to have to explain that one to the CFO.

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at the private ski lake, i always unhook before backing down that ramp. but it's definitely not very steep.

at the public lakes/rivers, i always keep the bow strap hooked up until the boat is in the water.

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Better to be safe than sorry. I have been witness to a big I/O sliding off several years ago.

I am guessing that ski/wakeboard boats are less likely to slide due to the hull design being flatter than an I/O. The flatter hull should provide more grip/friction on the bunk boards.

So far no stories of ski/wakeboard boats falling off.

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I don't take any chances. I just leave the trailer on the boat when it's in the water. Call me lazy but it sure provides the extra ballast I need for wakeboarding. No fat sacks to fill and don't have to worry about steering the boat onto the trailer.

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I am wondering how many people keep their boats hooked to the trailer all of the way down the ramp. I was also like to hear about any related accidents you have seen on the ramp.

I would never ever do that!

Heard too many horrible stories & saw too many sad pics about boats sliding off the bunks.

Here's one...

post-334-1148056397_thumb.jpg

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I am wondering how many people keep their boats hooked to the trailer all of the way down the ramp. I was also like to hear about any related accidents you have seen on the ramp.

I would never ever do that!

Heard too many horrible stories & saw too many sad pics about boats sliding off the bunks.

Here's one...

post-334-1148056397_thumb.jpg

That one just brings tears.

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I am wondering how many people keep their boats hooked to the trailer all of the way down the ramp. I was also like to hear about any related accidents you have seen on the ramp.

I would never ever do that!

Heard too many horrible stories & saw too many sad pics about boats sliding off the bunks.

Here's one...

post-334-1148056397_thumb.jpg

That one just brings tears.

But he could of been pulling out with the hook un-attached instead of backing in with it un-attached.

Edited by JustinOSU
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I am wondering how many people keep their boats hooked to the trailer all of the way down the ramp. I was also like to hear about any related accidents you have seen on the ramp.

I would never ever do that!

Heard too many horrible stories & saw too many sad pics about boats sliding off the bunks.

Here's one...

post-334-1148056397_thumb.jpg

Hard to tell which direction he was going. The ramp is dry but the picture could of been taken later. It looks like there is a lip in the concrete which if he was backing to fast and then hit it, could have caused his accident.

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I am guessing that ski/wakeboard boats are less likely to slide due to the hull design being flatter than an I/O. The flatter hull should provide more grip/friction on the bunk boards.

So far no stories of ski/wakeboard boats falling off.

I'm not sure if that's because tournament boat owners are generally more experienced at loading/launching than a lot of run-about first timers or if it's because tournament boat owners are less likely to admit that they did it. :lol:

Not sure I buy the "I/O's are more likely to slide off" theory. I would think a heavier boat would be less likely to slide and I guaranty you that the average I/O is much heavier than a tournament ski boat.

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I am guessing that ski/wakeboard boats are less likely to slide due to the hull design being flatter than an I/O. The flatter hull should provide more grip/friction on the bunk boards.

So far no stories of ski/wakeboard boats falling off.

I'm not sure if that's because tournament boat owners are generally more experienced at loading/launching than a lot of run-about first timers or if it's because tournament boat owners are less likely to admit that they did it. :lol:

Not sure I buy the "I/O's are more likely to slide off" theory. I would think a heavier boat would be less likely to slide and I guaranty you that the average I/O is much heavier than a tournament ski boat.

Not really. We have a 21ft Bayliner open bow and the new Malibu SLXi that we just bought. The Malibu is 6 inches longer, but is also almost 800 pounds heavier. Even the Response is heavier than our Bayliner. The boat ramp in our neighborhood is horrible, it's at an angle and very shallow, and we have a very hard time launching the malibu off it, but our bayliner would just about fall off the trailer when we'd back it in. (That's why we kept the strap on it until the tires were wet. The deep V hull that most I/O's have makes it want to slide off the trailer. Remember, I/O's also typically sit on 2 bunkboards, while Inboards it on more, so more friction.

And I'd say the experience is also a huge difference. You beginer boater is more likely to get a 20 thousand boat than a 50 thousand boat.

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This could be an urban legend, I just remembered reading it several years ago so I googled it. I am not the one reporting, dont know the man reporting, but I thought it was hilarious:

About 10 years ago we were headed to the launch ramp to get in a day of skiing.

On the way we stopped at a convenience. I was almost run down and my boat almost

hit by somebody driving a full sized Chevy blazer pulling a large Mastercraft.

Both vehicles were painted to match and just sparkled. I was ready to thrash the

idiot but was prevented from doing so by my wife.

We left the store, and on the way to the ramp (narrow 2 lane road, lots of

traffic) guess who passes me. If I hadn't hit the brakes hard I would

have been run off the road, or he would have hit oncoming traffic head on. This

time I had to restrain my wife from catching up and thrashing the

idiot.

At the launch ramp, guess who is in front of us. The launch consisted

of two ramps with a concrete walk to a dock in the middle. After Mr.

Idiot has his rig ready to go, he uses the left ramp. As he backs his

rig towards the water, (which I commented on at the time as being

cockedly fast) he opens the driver door to get a better view. Well, the

driver door being on the side of the walk catches on a post. The door

just about tears off, the driver hits the brakes hard, and the boat

(which has already been unfastened) flies off the trailer and lands a

couple feet short of the water.

Poetic justice.

The door on the truck is sprung, propeller destroyed, the transom

cracked, and who knows what other damage. In the ensuing screaming that

followed it came out that the whole rigged was borrowed.

Sorry for the long post, but when I think of the story it brings a

smile to my face. :-)

Also, after that I never unfasten my boat before backing down the ramp.

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