Ramp accidents have you had one?

[Lee]

As a new boat owner 20 yrs ago, I learned a valuable lesson. Keep the boat secure to the front of the trailer until safely in the water.

I have always had to load / unload the boat alone. Wife not willing/afraid, kids at the time to young. Any way I was backing the boat down the ramp (grade not very steep) with the all securing straps removed off the boat to "save time". The trailer was one of those with rollers which the boat sat on. As you can guess I was backing down slower than the boat was . Realizing what was happening I instinctively stepped on the gas pedal. The boat re-loaded it self on the trailer rather abruptly. When I hit the water I was going about 10 MPH in reverse. I stopped only to have the boat launch itself well into the lake. I had to swim out to retrieve it.

The near tragedy that almost occurred was my young son who had wondered dangerously close to the boat as I was backing down. I still relive that dreadful day every time I see a boat at the ramp. Thinking of what could have happed makes me physically ill feeling.

Live, learn and teach.

Keep the boat attached---Never be in a hurry--If you are waiting, be patient and provide assistance to your fellow boater if needed---Have some one watch the back of the boat as you are back up to prevent mishaps.

[peachman]

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.

When I was a kid my folks would take us to Sekui salmon fishing each year. We were taking our boat (21 ft. Apollo) over to the launch. There was a guy with a brand new twin I/O 28 - 30 ft cabin cruiser on a triple axes trailer launching in front of us. He backed down the steep ramp just about two boat lengths before the water, set the parking brake and got out. Unhooked the rear straps and the bow strap. (at this point my Dad yelled to the guy, "Hey, you are going to loose that boat if you don't keep the bow strap on it" The guy looked at him and said no worries, I do it all the time... He got in the truck, popped the parking break off and sent the boat off the trailer. It hit the ground and slide till the lower units were just in the water. Needless to say, he didn't go fishing that day or week. It busted both the lower units up really bad and trashed the fiberglass. They had to bring a small crane down to get it back on the trailer.

I watched a guy do the same thing with a new boat over on Banks lake a few years ago. Man did his wife chew him a new one! At this time, the boat bounced into the water and he had the lower unit up enough that it didn't do any major damage. It took a nasty chunk out of the transom though.

JT

[hyperlitenerd]

Dad has been unhooking before launching recently, makes me nervous, but the boat has not even budged when its on the trailer unhooked. after putting it back on the trailer, we do the bow strap to back up the hill.

[Cbrown]

A buddy of mine had an 05 X-2 that slid off of the trailer while backing down the ramp. It could have been a lot worse if the driver did not have the presence of mind to speed up in reverse as the boat began to slide. We never remove the strap while launching until the boat is in the water and running.

[BillFooter]

The launch ramps that I usually use are not very steep. So I am one of 'those people' that unhooks the strap before backing in. My boat has never slid an inch while I did this. I try to be careful not to make sudden starts or stops.

Also I strongly suggest that all of you married guys have the wife learn to back the trailer, or drive the boat. I always wonder when I watch a dad that has to back the trailer in, launch the boat, dock the boat, park the truck, then return to the docked boat to drive, what would happen if he was injured or unable to do all of that when they are ready to pull out. Plus they are blocking the ramp and dock longer than necessary. My wife can do either as well as me. Both are easy to learn if they just go slow. If they are having problems learning, maybe they need a better teacher!

[Faceplant409]

The launch ramps that I usually use are not very steep. So I am one of 'those people' that unhooks the strap before backing in. My boat has never slid an inch while I did this. I try to be careful not to make sudden starts or stops.

Also I strongly suggest that all of you married guys have the wife learn to back the trailer, or drive the boat. I always wonder when I watch a dad that has to back the trailer in, launch the boat, dock the boat, park the truck, then return to the docked boat to drive, what would happen if he was injured or unable to do all of that when they are ready to pull out. Plus they are blocking the ramp and dock longer than necessary. My wife can do either as well as me. Both are easy to learn if they just go slow. If they are having problems learning, maybe they need a better teacher!

Here, Here! We have a winner!

My wife as made a HUGE effort to get proficient @ launch/retrevial. Used to be when I asked her to drive boat or back down it was like asking her to sacrafice her first born! Last weekend she drove the boat onto the trailer and did a GREAT job. (it was a VERY nice day -no wind- and no one at the ramp = no pressure)

She said she'd decided thet driving the boat on is easier than backing down. (yeah, maybe on a perfect day....) I think she'll change her tune on a windy or choppy day with a crowd watching.

I DO applaud her efforts though!!!

Pat

Rule #1: If SHE ain't happy... YOU ain't happy.

[crice96vlx]

this, along with people who do not use the transom straps at all completely blows my mind.

Is 30 seconds of your time really worth risking your 20k-50k dollar boat ?

[electricjohn]

We have a real steep ramp on the bay in the town I grew up in. It is a must to keep the strap on when using that ramp. One time my friend was launching his boat, gets it backed in, then tries to push the boat off the trailer into the water. Alot of times we would lift up on the bow and push to get more leverage. One time he forgot to unhook the strap as we lifted and pushed. What this did was lift the trailer and boat together taking the wieght off the rear tires of his truck causing the tires to start slideing down the slimey steep ramp. It was low tide which is why the ramp was slimey. Anyway, he ended up with his boat and truck in the water. Luckily his motor stayed above the water so he was able to get his truck restarted and get it out, but the inside of his truck filled halfway up with salt water. He didn't keep the truck long after that.

[Slider]

At the ramp that we use 90% of the time I unhook everything. At the rest of the ramps, unless they are almost flat I leave the bow strap on. I have a friend who has me back the trailer in, he loads the boat, holds the throttle open to keep the boat tight, and has me drive back up to the parking lot. (I don't have the guts to try this with our boat) I have however tried to launch my truck before. (I guess I should have strapped it to a tree or something)

Joe

[chathamsolutions]

Dad has been unhooking before launching recently, makes me nervous, but the boat has not even budged when its on the trailer unhooked. after putting it back on the trailer, we do the bow strap to back up the hill.

Chris:

Anderson is a steep and long ramp.

You need to get your dad on the computer and have him read this thread. It'll take him 15 minutes, but it could save him thousands of dollars.

There really is no reason, other than habit, to unhook the bow strap prior to putting it in the water. Really, no reason. It sounds like you're strapping it when you load the boat, which is good. The boat AND the trailer bunks are wet, and I can totally see a boat sliding down that steep ramp

Can anyone name a good reason why you'd unhook prior to putting in the water?

[hyperlitenerd]

Dad has been unhooking before launching recently, makes me nervous, but the boat has not even budged when its on the trailer unhooked. after putting it back on the trailer, we do the bow strap to back up the hill.

Chris:

Anderson is a steep and long ramp.

You need to get your dad on the computer and have him read this thread. It'll take him 15 minutes, but it could save him thousands of dollars.

There really is no reason, other than habit, to unhook the bow strap prior to putting it in the water. Really, no reason. It sounds like you're strapping it when you load the boat, which is good. The boat AND the trailer bunks are wet, and I can totally see a boat sliding down that steep ramp

Can anyone name a good reason why you'd unhook prior to putting in the water?

When we put the boat in the water, dad drives all the way down, turns around right at the water, and puts the boat in. I start it, he puts us all the way in and off we go.

Andy, Dad is always on the computer. I can tell him to get a log in on here so he can post questions. He is much better with his words than I am.

[wilma]

About 12 years ago, a friend of mine borrowed an outboard J-craft for a weekend while his was in the shop. We were going to a family reunion - to a lake that we did not know that well. there was no boat launch at this lake, so we planned on beach launching. Our normal practice was to undo the belt, back in and back off. Well, this particular trailer was NOT a bunk trailer - it was roller trailer. Needless to say, with him backing up the truck and me in the boat, suddenly, as we were backing down the beach, the boat rolls off the trailer and drops onto the sand. Perhaps one had to be there, but i still laugh when i recall the look on our faces and then the hours of laughter that followed.

In the end , we winched the boat back on and carried on with our day of skiing with no damage to the boat.

wilma

[RoverOn]

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

Me too...except for that one time

Dave

[mikea]

several years ago (with the 89' skier) I was at a state park that had a flat ramp-then very steep,

It was to the point where the truck would be level, with the trailer at an angle (kinda hard to explain, but anyway) I thought it would be best if i Put 1 foot of slack in the winch strap so as the stern of the boat floated it would not bind at the bow. The boat slid and broke the winch strap, the boat hit the water and floated so there was no boat damage. I was able to tie a knot in the strap to get the boat out that day, then replaced the strap.

now I do not disconnect the winch strap unitl the boat is in the water and the motor running.

[Slurpee]

I've seen fishing tournaments start up out at Toledo Bend and those guys are down and out in 30 seconds each. Everything is undone and they even use the momentum of backing down and a sudden stop to launch them out into the water while starting the engine. Not very safe, but then again the boats are flatter, lighter, and they never hog the ramp.

[Baddog]

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

Me too...except for that one time

Dave

So why is it that it is that that one time is what everyone (read: CFO) always remembers, rather than the hundreds of timnes you do it just perfectly?

[gonorth]

My uncle had a mishap once. First he is a very experienced boater and at launching. His boat, a 34' hand made, plywood side raceing sail boat. It sits on one of those 4 wheel trailers on top of 6 posts. The boat is so big it takes a crane to lift it out onto that trailer rig each fall but with care he saved the crane fee in spring by carefully launching it at a really good public ramp for years. As you can imagine there was an extra long tounge on that setup to get the trailer back into 6 plus feet of water before the boat would float off. All went well for years until one year with very low water levels he backs up and has to go farther back on the ramp than usual. Unknown to him the city had put a 'curb' across the deep end of the ramp to prevent nuckle heads from running their trailers off the end of the ramp and into the river mud. Well, he is going very slow but his trailer wheels hit that curb, the trailer stops but the boat keeps going. Two of those support posts go thru the hull. It takes a huge crane to lift the boat half full of water off the the trailer. He fixed it up himself but always used a crane to launch after that.

[trace]

i only unhook before backing down the ramp if it's not steep at all, and i have a good driver to work with. it's a good feeling to watch all the ramp idiots for a few minutes, and then you & your spouse launch or load in a matter of seconds. i also have a Boat Buddy, but never pull out of the water without attaching the winch strap. i don't trust the BB enough to do that.

i also highly suggest taking time to teach your spouse the whole boat ramp process. my wife backs the trailer and drives the boat better than just about everyone we see at the ramp.

those curbs are pretty common around here, and have scared the hell out of me a couple times. i might have to add "and the lake isn't low" to my pre-unhooking criteria.

[Slurpee]

i only unhook before backing down the ramp if it's not steep at all, and i have a good driver to work with. it's a good feeling to watch all the ramp idiots for a few minutes, and then you & your spouse launch or load in a matter of seconds. i also have a Boat Buddy, but never pull out of the water without attaching the winch strap. i don't trust the BB enough to do that.

i also highly suggest taking time to teach your spouse the whole boat ramp process. my wife backs the trailer and drives the boat better than just about everyone we see at the ramp.

those curbs are pretty common around here, and have scared the hell out of me a couple times. i might have to add "and the lake isn't low" to my pre-unhooking criteria.

WIFE. WTH Trace!!! when did you get promoted from bf? And more importantly why didn't I get an invite to the bachelor party!

[gonorth]

I thought the curb at the bottom end of the ramp was stupid when my uncle hit it. Why not just let people run off the end if they need to? With my old Rinker on it's low hung trailer if I had my lower unit somewhat down I'd take it out hiting a curb like that unless the back end was floating some by the time it was over the curb. In fact, even the trailer frame would hit it even if the lower unit missed. I'm surprised you guys in Texas don't run into problems with them if they are common there.

In my uncles case the city ended up paying for the crane to lift him out. My uncle did the repairs himself so that wasn't a big expense. The city also took the curb out after that.

[Malibudude]

i only unhook before backing down the ramp if it's not steep at all, and i have a good driver to work with. it's a good feeling to watch all the ramp idiots for a few minutes, and then you & your spouse launch or load in a matter of seconds. i also have a Boat Buddy, but never pull out of the water without attaching the winch strap. i don't trust the BB enough to do that.

i also highly suggest taking time to teach your spouse the whole boat ramp process. my wife backs the trailer and drives the boat better than just about everyone we see at the ramp.

those curbs are pretty common around here, and have scared the hell out of me a couple times. i might have to add "and the lake isn't low" to my pre-unhooking criteria.

WIFE. WTH Trace!!! when did you get promoted from bf? And more importantly why didn't I get an invite to the bachelor party!

What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas

[GoldschlagerVT]

What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas

No, what happens in Vegas is told to an entire group of people, after a few beers, by your buddy who was there one night after the trip.

Edited May 25, 2006 by GoldschlagerVT

[KTC]

The ramp is one of the reasons I am not more in to boating. I am not experienced enough to just start and put the boat in reverse off the trailer. I still use ropes with the kids in the boat and my wife and I backing the boat back with the ropes, tie off then I have to park the truck and trailer. Same set up with loading and me getting the truck. I can "feel" the tension of others at the ramp? I even let people know that I am knew at this... which generally does not ease the situation. Big relief when I am loaded up and off the ramp! KC

[bobofthenorth]

The ramp is one of the reasons I am not more in to boating.

You aren't the only person with ramp jitters. Here's what works for us:

- stop before we get to the ramp and get ready (tarp off, straps off, plug in, PP wheel in, etc)

- back down the ramp and stop when the trailer wheels get to the water

- undo the bow strap and give wife the bow line

- keep backing steadily until the boat floats then stop abruptly

- the boat will gently float free with wife still holding the line to control it

- drive away once the boat is clear of the guides

Coming in:

- leave wife out of the way at the dock with the boat while I get the trailer

- back the trailer in until the bunks are almost completely submerged

- wife gets in truck; I get in the boat

- drive boat onto trailer and snap bow strap

- wife drives out with me still in the boat

This system requires no yelling, no running around and very little time. If my kids are around then one of them drives the boat and idles out of the way until my turn comes up on the ramp at which point he drives the boat onto the trailer and I never get out of the truck. If your kids are small I'd suggest putting them on a bench somewhere within sight of the ramp and telling them to stay there. The alternative is putting them in the boat before getting on the ramp. "Small kids" is a relative term though - by the age of eight my oldest son was more than capable of handling the bow line in the above scenario.

[RoverOn]

The ramp is one of the reasons I am not more in to boating. I am not experienced enough to just start and put the boat in reverse off the trailer. I still use ropes with the kids in the boat and my wife and I backing the boat back with the ropes, tie off then I have to park the truck and trailer. Same set up with loading and me getting the truck. I can "feel" the tension of others at the ramp? I even let people know that I am knew at this... which generally does not ease the situation. Big relief when I am loaded up and off the ramp! KC

The solution is to teach your wife to drive the boat on and off the trailer. I know this is a big step for some people...actually letting a woman drive a boat!!!

If you trust her to pull a car into a garage (which I would hope you do), she can learn to drive the boat. Plus on the boat you have trailer guides to help....don't have those on the garage.

Here is the scenario:

1 - Load up boat with wife/kids/stuff AWAY from the ramp.

2 - Back boat down ramp.

3 - Wife starts boat

4 - Unhook boat

5 - Wife back boat off and hang out in the lake/river away from the ramp.

6 - Park truck

7 - Wife picks you up at the dock (we use a swim-platform to the end of the dock manuver that you can pull off even if both sides of the dock are full...)

Reverse above for the end of the day....

By the end of our first summer owning a boat, my wife could come up to a dock and spin a 180 and put the swim platform within 6 inches of the dock

Dave