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Memorial Day boat launching


Clutch-n-Throttle

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Ha!  This weekend will be a circus at the 2 landings on my lake.  It has been a cool Spring with late ice out.  Right now, maybe 5% of boats are on the lake - out of maybe 500 total?  This weekend the forecast is for 90+ degrees Friday thru Monday.  Everyone will be (trying to) launching their boat.  Cabin people launch/land their boats once per year so they're usually not the best at it and the ramp kinda sucks!  Combined with day trippers the landing will be a zoo!

I've got the Malibu and 2 WaveRunners in and am driving Thursday and Tuesday :)

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Thunderstorms Friday and Saturday slowed things down.  Alberto made today a washout.

Still got two trips in with the family.

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We went out saturday and it was pretty un eventful.  Big crowd at launch, with minor issues but all in all it was the best holiday weekend i can recall.  Too windy and busy for watersport, but we had a good meal at fletchers and anchored out and swam for a while in maxwell bay. 

 

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My favorite time was people pulling out during low tide on our slimy ramp. It wasn't a good ramp to start with, but free.

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Two minor annoyances on the lake over the weekend.  2 lane boat ramp.

1.  Coming back in on Saturday and there was a sailboat after launching getting completely set up (boom, sails etc) right in front of one of the ramps tied to the pier.  Had to be there for at least an hour closing down one lane.  They could have easily waded the boat to one of the public piers to do this.

2.  Launching at noon on Sunday, and there was a boat tied to the pier with a dead battery.  They had an extension cord ran from the restaurant to a battery charger and was charging (not jumping) while blocking one of the lanes.

:Doh:

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11 minutes ago, MadMan said:

These are the type of people that bother me, self=centered, rude, don't think about anyone but themselves.  The guy who is having trouble because he is inexperienced doesn't really bother me.

Completely agree

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Memorial day weekend ramp was as expected.  Boat ramp was in full bloom when we launched on Sunday at a single ramp.   Good thing I brought a truck load of patience.

We were still readying the boat for launch so I waved a group of ladies to go ahead of us in what looked like a new truck and new Yamaha boat.  My first indication that this was going to take awhile was that No one was in the boat.  The one gal was walking down beside the truck directing the driver how to back down....  After several attempts they made it to the water.  Once the boat had touched the water all stopped as they decided what to do next.  Idea! Tie a line to the bow.  Then proceeded to back down some more and stop.   Group of 5 including the driver started pushing the boat off the trailer.  Rinse and repeat,  Back down some more continue to push.  Finally the boat is floating on its own.  The gal on the ramp climbed up on the dock and started pulling the boat in.  Not sure if it scrapped bottom but it looked awfully close to the ramp. They pulled it a bit deeper just enough with bow pointing toward the shore of course.   Still not enough space for us to launch.  I continued to watch and talk to my wife who is sitting in our boat.  It was a nice day and we were not in any hurry.  The guy behind me was getting very upset.  

The driver proceeded back to the parking lot with the empty trailer proud of her accomplishment.  Found a space, parked and then walked 20 paces away turned to admire the park job for a minute then proceeded to the dock.  All the while the boat is still blocking the ramp...  I was a bit slow when it dawned on me the reason no one was in the boat is because the truck driver was also the boat driver.   Fun continues on the dock.  After they fiddled with getting the boat to the edge of the dock they realized the fenders were too high.  As waves washed ashore from passing boats the Yamaha boat took a pounding sooo.  Stop everything and adjust the fenders while still blocking the ramp.   The entire boat dock is empty BTW.  No reason to not move the boat.  

In an effort to help grumpy behind me I proceeded to try to give the ladies a hint and backed down the ramp getting my boat to the water all the time my wife in the boat ready.  They took the hint.  My wife said they freaked thinking I would hit them.  We were never closer than 20 feet from them.  They hurriedly moved the boat further from shore down the dock.    This was enough.  I angled the trailer to the left away from the dock,  dropped her in the water,  She started it right up and we were done.  Fearful still that as my wife backed the boat off the trailer they finally moved the their boat down the dock and eventually around the corner of the empty dock.  

I parked the rig, walked down while my wife was slowing bringing the boat into the far end of the dock for my pick up.  She made a perfect docking with out assistance while the other boat watched.  

As I walked passed their boat I overheard the talk from the ladies.  "Try that one." The blower came on.  Then the driver tried another button and the horn honked...  Silly laugh as the driver said "that was not it trying to find the start button"!  I quickly got on board  our boat and we left in the opposite direction from them! 

Another typical day at the boat ramp over Memorial day weekend.  

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11 minutes ago, ORMailbuboater said:

Memorial day weekend ramp was as expected.  Boat ramp was in full bloom when we launched on Sunday at a single ramp.   Good thing I brought a truck load of patience.

We were still readying the boat for launch so I waved a group of ladies to go ahead of us in what looked like a new truck and new Yamaha boat.  My first indication that this was going to take awhile was that No one was in the boat.  The one gal was walking down beside the truck directing the driver how to back down....  After several attempts they made it to the water.  Once the boat had touched the water all stopped as they decided what to do next.  Idea! Tie a line to the bow.  Then proceeded to back down some more and stop.   Group of 5 including the driver started pushing the boat off the trailer.  Rinse and repeat,  Back down some more continue to push.  Finally the boat is floating on its own.  The gal on the ramp climbed up on the dock and started pulling the boat in.  Not sure if it scrapped bottom but it looked awfully close to the ramp. They pulled it a bit deeper just enough with bow pointing toward the shore of course.   Still not enough space for us to launch.  I continued to watch and talk to my wife who is sitting in our boat.  It was a nice day and we were not in any hurry.  The guy behind me was getting very upset.  

The driver proceeded back to the parking lot with the empty trailer proud of her accomplishment.  Found a space, parked and then walked 20 paces away turned to admire the park job for a minute then proceeded to the dock.  All the while the boat is still blocking the ramp...  I was a bit slow when it dawned on me the reason no one was in the boat is because the truck driver was also the boat driver.   Fun continues on the dock.  After they fiddled with getting the boat to the edge of the dock they realized the fenders were too high.  As waves washed ashore from passing boats the Yamaha boat took a pounding sooo.  Stop everything and adjust the fenders while still blocking the ramp.   The entire boat dock is empty BTW.  No reason to not move the boat.  

In an effort to help grumpy behind me I proceeded to try to give the ladies a hint and backed down the ramp getting my boat to the water all the time my wife in the boat ready.  They took the hint.  My wife said they freaked thinking I would hit them.  We were never closer than 20 feet from them.  They hurriedly moved the boat further from shore down the dock.    This was enough.  I angled the trailer to the left away from the dock,  dropped her in the water,  She started it right up and we were done.  Fearful still that as my wife backed the boat off the trailer they finally moved the their boat down the dock and eventually around the corner of the empty dock.  

I parked the rig, walked down while my wife was slowing bringing the boat into the far end of the dock for my pick up.  She made a perfect docking with out assistance while the other boat watched.  

As I walked passed their boat I overheard the talk from the ladies.  "Try that one." The blower came on.  Then the driver tried another button and the horn honked...  Silly laugh as the driver said "that was not it trying to find the start button"!  I quickly got on board  our boat and we left in the opposite direction from them! 

Another typical day at the boat ramp over Memorial day weekend.  

Ugh, entertaining but also terrifying that folks like this are operating boats while I am on the water, likely with loved ones in the water and riding.  I am by no means perfect, but it sounds like that crew had little business being on the water on a busy holiday weekend. 

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Anyone else getting more and more inexperienced jet skiers? These new jet skis are coming with so much power and it seems like people who have no idea what they’re doing are taking over the lake. We have a long Island in the middle of the lake with a ski course on the inside, well the jet skis love to do laps around it... you’re probably getting the picture now, jet skis doing 50 plus going around a blind corner ignoring the signs right into the course just clueless. 

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54 minutes ago, Cole2001 said:

Anyone else getting more and more inexperienced jet skiers? These new jet skis are coming with so much power and it seems like people who have no idea what they’re doing are taking over the lake. We have a long Island in the middle of the lake with a ski course on the inside, well the jet skis love to do laps around it... you’re probably getting the picture now, jet skis doing 50 plus going around a blind corner ignoring the signs right into the course just clueless. 

This has always been a huge problem for me. My local lake is small so they have a area that is supposed to be for PWC and they can only be outside of it to go to their campsite or loading dock.

Only problem for us is our local LEO that are assigned to the lake are the school resource officers. So in short they don't get out of the A/C and don't know a damned thing about marine laws. 

They were out thick this weekend, but I believe it has more to do with two weeks ago 3 were killed when their john boat was ran over due to them not having lights on at night at a nearby lake.
So lake safety has been all over the local media. 

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If you are loading your boat full of sh*t after you skipped the prep area...  you can kick a can full of rocks up an icy mountain.  <end rant>

But seriously, if someone just doesn't trailer a boat often and is having troubles getting in and out... no big deal.  When people unnecessarily clog up boat ramps because they are not capable of thinking 30 seconds into the future I have a problem.  

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yea biggest issue i see is trailer is either too deep or not deep enough. Then they try to pull the boat on onto the trailer with the dock lines, usually one person waist high in the water. It gets real interesting to watch on the bigger boats and windy conditions. 

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It has always been my position that if someone is struggling while launching or loading their boat, I will offer help.  I remember when my wife and I first learned to launch and load our boat, the learning curve can be steep.  I will even backup someone's trailer if they need that much help.  The sooner they get out of the way, the sooner I can launch. 

With regards Memorial Day boating, we were out on Folsom Lake yesterday (Monday) and got a late start for me (we left just after noon).  My main ramp was closed due to a full parking lot (Folsom Point), so I had to go further out to launch (at Granite Bay).  The ramps were covered in debris due to a full lake and recent heavy rain (on Friday).  People were struggling all over the place due to large debris fields on the ramps and in the water.  I had to clear debris prior to loading my boat after a quick outing on the late.  As for our boating, the lake was full and there was much debris floating on the lake.  Needless to say, we were only out for a few hours due to the chaos.  I can't wait to launch on a weekday and enjoy the lake all to myself. 

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3 hours ago, P6Expert said:

It has always been my position that if someone is struggling while launching or loading their boat, I will offer help.  I remember when my wife and I first learned to launch and load our boat, the learning curve can be steep.  I will even backup someone's trailer if they need that much help.  The sooner they get out of the way, the sooner I can launch. 

With regards Memorial Day boating, we were out on Folsom Lake yesterday (Monday) and got a late start for me (we left just after noon).  My main ramp was closed due to a full parking lot (Folsom Point), so I had to go further out to launch (at Granite Bay).  The ramps were covered in debris due to a full lake and recent heavy rain (on Friday).  People were struggling all over the place due to large debris fields on the ramps and in the water.  I had to clear debris prior to loading my boat after a quick outing on the late.  As for our boating, the lake was full and there was much debris floating on the lake.  Needless to say, we were only out for a few hours due to the chaos.  I can't wait to launch on a weekday and enjoy the lake all to myself. 

I thought I saw you out there! :lol:

Folsom lake all to yourself?!?! Pics or it didn’t happen! :rofl:

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11 minutes ago, teamerickson said:

I thought I saw you out there! :lol:

Folsom lake all to yourself?!?! Pics or it didn’t happen! :rofl:

I wish would have taken pictures of the Granite Bay ramp debris as it was such a mess.  The amount of debris on the ramps was nuts.  This is the first time I am wishing for the lake levels to drops so some of the debris can cling to the edge and clear up from the lake.  

I have been on the lake on a Tuesday around 10:00AM and I tell you can go almost anywhere and have the whole lake to yourself.  If I get lucky this year and get to go out in the middle of the week, I will get and upload pictures of my personal nirvana.  

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It rained all weekend here and they called for on/off showers all day Monday but no lightning...so hell with it, we decided to go. My brother is a member of boat club so we decided to rent a Four Winns reverse drive so someone else could run fans to dry the wet boat for 2 days, lol....he picked me up at different launch so we could add 500lbs of lead (technically against the rules, wave actually wasn't half bad and was certainly surfable for someone who just wants to casually surf. We got out about 10am to a basically empty launch and surfed that boat till 12:30 when a friend who had just bought a brand new Nautique G25 came over to hang out, we anchored the Four Winns and surfed the G25 till 5pm. Light rain here and day thru-out day but hardly anyone at all on the lake and water conditions were great. Turned out to be one of the best Memorial Day boating experiences ever. Literally saw more cops on the water than boaters, was awesome. Got so much surfing in that I am still sore!

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