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Best Boat Ramp Stories


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I know most of us have heard, seen, and told some great ramp stories. Here is my personal favorite.

Two years ago Tracie and I were coming into load the boat for the night. As She dropped me off at the dock we noticed a shiny new MC just easing into its new trailer, behind a new lifted Dodge Crew 4x4. The young man driving the boat appeared to be having a tough time of it. Any how, I went up to the lot to bring the truck and trailer down. As I was backing in the other crew was still working on the loading of their new boat. (Getting more loud and angry by the minute) Now its a race! I back up, Tracie drives the boat on, I hook it up, and we drive away. As we are pulling out the 20ish boat driver is now POed and embarrassed, the last thing I hear is "F---! you'd think I was a rookie or something!"

It must be tough the first time you butt is kicked by a 5'3" girl. For myself I am pretty comfortable with it by now. :)

Let's hear your best.

Joe

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Our first time with the new 'bu and the ramp is, of course, crowded. We had to pull around some folks to line up to put her in and in the course of doing so had to back up hill.

Of course the surge brakes activated on the trailer, locking up the wheels. :Doh: The brake lockout insert did not come with the trailer and we were stuck until we found a small rock that we were able to wedge in its place. That solved the ramp problem and got us launched.

Later I found out that the reverse light relay was not installed in the truck with the factory tow package. They had nicely included it, however, in some miscellaneous stuff that I hadn't paid any attention to. Installed that and the problem is solved. Of course I also carry a washer that can be used as a brake lockout just in case....

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Nah, that was while we were waiting for you to put your ski on! Tongue.gif

I do have to commend you on your rock-finding skills however. Man I hope nothing like that happens again...

I remember that!  I think we missed the glass because of it...

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So...when I lived in RI, we frequented a shallow lake. In years with less than optimal rain or snow, the level of the lake would drop a few feet. The boat ramp was still operable if you had an aluminum skiff...however, for those with anything heavier and a passion for skiing, they'd end up driving about 500 ft out into the lake with their tow vehicle where there was a ledge, drop the boat, and get out of there before anyone said something...

Pretty funny...it might be one of those "had to be there things".

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The area I grew up in has experienced a HUGE surge in the Hmong population in the past 10 years. Anyways, we're idling back into this marina that's lined with these folks on both sides fishing. You literally would be hard-pressed to find a spot on shore to cast in a line. As I approach the ramp (it's a double ramp with 1 dock up the middle) I see this large group of them (probably around 12 in all) trying to launch this old yellow tri-hull POS with a 65 HP Evinrude of about 1971 or so vintage. I can see this from quite a ways off. Anyways, I hear the starter engage and see some smoke coming out of the exhaust ports, followed by a WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!! The operator ended up returning the "warm up lever" to normal position, only to have the engine croak on him. This was repeated about 5 or 6 times. Each time he would start the boat, he would let it rev way past where it should (there's no rev limiter on an old motor like that). Finally I think he got frustrated and didn't try to idle it down. This was as we were getting REAL close to the other side of the dock.

So, here's the picture. 12 Hmongs in a ratty old boat designed for 7 people that's sitting at the dock in neutral with the motor screaming. It ran for about 20 seconds like that before the catastrophic engine failure happened. I can't even begin to describe the horrible sounds that thing made. All I can figure is he seized a piston hard enough to snap the connecting rod cause there was a lot of clanging, grinding, popping, and snapping followed by a lot of shouting in a language I will never understand. Everyone in my boat was doing one of those stifled "through the nose" type of laughs the whole time we were loading up. When we got in the Suburban, we all lost it. :lol:

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We're finished w/ our day on the lake and come back to the ramp. A guy in an old beatup pu is attemping to backdown a two lane ramp, with little success might I add. After about 15 minutes of blocking the entire ramp and w/ his boat attached to the dock (by himself) he got the trailer into the water about as far away from the dock as he could. He then proceeds to fire up the old trihull boat(fisherman), an by this time I've just moved way out and stopped the engine to watch this, he trolls to his trailer and is moving all over like a fish out of water but somewhat manages to get it on. He then starts to drive up the ramp and realizes his boat is listing heavily to one side, so he tries to rock the boat to no avail. Back in the water to line it up, then pulls out again and it's still cockeyed. After 4 attemps he gets it the best or what he'll live w/. I might add he was a buttheadand didn't want anyhelp. He drove up the ramp speeding away on the sandy access (water was low) and gets stuck in the sand.....He surveys the trailer and then gets back into the truck and just floors it sand everywhere all over his boat like a jet rooster tail and evertually gets loose and gets away. Interesting to say the least.

Oh and Joe we're the opposite I do the boat and she backs up the truck. She can back up the trailer better than most and we've had the same contest as you did and won of course!!

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Then there was the time we were launching our boat and this other group of local yokels from northern WI was kneeboarding right from the dock at the boat launch. Yeah, they were using a Bayliner. Anyways, we've got the trailer backed in and I'm just getting into the boat, when this boat makes an arcing whip turn real close to the dock. They were trying to whip their kneeboarder like you would a tuber. Well, this guy on the kneeboard had hair JUST like Joe Dirt, only a little shorter. The driver and passengers in the boat were all yelling "Woo HOO" and each was holding a can of Budweiser (yeah, they passed that close). The guy almost sprayed the back of my boat, but I was laughing too damn hard to be pissed. 4 yokels in an old Force-powered Bayliner, drinking beer, shouting at their mullet-headed kneeboarder who was probably doing about 45 MPH at the end of a 75 foot rope and barely touching the surface of the water. How he didn't crash, I have no idea. The mullet must've had a stabilizing effect. :)

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Disclaimer - this is my buddies story.

I have a friend who spends a few days a week on Lake Cultus. The old ramp at this lake is very steep and very angled to one side. Anyway my friend and His brother in law are sitting on the dock watching the afternoons idiots. (a fairly common pass time for this type of ramp) Anyway a new boat and snotty driver show up and even after being told of a notorious rock 3 boat lengths back and 1 away from the dock, backed right into it. He then had the nerve to cuss at my friends for a mere finger pointing and laughing fit. Who'd of guessed?

Joe

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And then there was the guy that took his boat back to the dealer complaining of poor performance.

Dealer told him he should unstrap it from the trailer for better performance.

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So...when I lived in RI, we frequented a shallow lake.  In years with less than optimal rain or snow, the level of the lake would drop a few feet.  The boat ramp was still operable if you had an aluminum skiff...however, for those with anything heavier and a passion for skiing, they'd end up driving about 500 ft out into the lake with their tow vehicle where there was a ledge, drop the boat, and get out of there before anyone said something...

Pretty funny...it might be one of those "had to be there things".

skicrazy...where did you live in RI? what lake was this? i live/ski on the narrow river...

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OK, here goes...

We went on Spring Break to Havasu back in 1990. It was a long cold/wet week. A few of us brought jet skis and one guy brought a tournament boat.

Long story short, we launched at Black Meadow Landing (our campsite) and went to Copper Canyon. There most of us partaked on some Margaritas Cheers.gif .

At the end of the day we all cruised back. My one buddy told me to get his Toyota, cuz i was the only sober one in the group. he wanted us to back his trcuk down so we could put his jet ski in the back of his truck. So my other buddy, Chuck, and I handled the task. I grabbed the Toyota and noticed it was in 4 wheel drive. I backed it down the ramp while my buddy Chuck guided me. I dipped the gated in the water, but we would have still had to lift the ske into the truck. Chuck told to me back soen further, heck its a 4X4. So I did. What I didn't know was that a section of the ramp was missing. So, when I backed in further my rear wheel went of the ramp and dropped. Big problem. i threw it into first only to find that the front wheels were not spinning. Chuck's yelling at me, "put it into 4 wheel drive" and I'm yelling back, "it is". In the meantime the bed is filling with more water and the truck is slowly sinking. It got to the point where I was sitting in the cab and the water was up to my knees. At this point I turned off the engine and all the electronics. I then started to open the door so I could get the heck out. Just as I'm esiting the vehicle I see a big Ford 4x4 coming down the ramp and antoher running wth a tow strap. They latched it on and tugged the Toyota out before it was completely submerged. :blush:

The whole time this is happening the owner of the truck is in my other buddies boat yelling at us, what the &%$%^&*#@#$%^&* *&^%$#$ *&$^% are you guys doing to my truck!

So we get the truck towed back to the campsite. The owner is fuming. Finally, his girlfriend hands him a bottle of Tequila and tells him to go chill.

In the meantime, Chuck and I start stripping the truck. Out cam the seats, the radio, the cassettes, a Marlin Lever action, etc.

We pulled the covers off the seats and used three hair dryers to start drying them out. The same went for the radio, the fuse blocks, and anything else electrical. it was quite the sight.

Later on my now ex-buddy comes up and says "so what happened"? I explained how it was in 4 wheel drive when I got in the truck, but yet the fron wheels weren't turning. This is when I find out, the guy had been driving with the 4X4 engaged, but never locked his front hubs! Now, I was ready to kick his butt.

Long story short, we got the truck running and dried out. We all left the same day without a problem.

After we got home, my wife called him and offered to replace the CD's which got destroyed. We never heard from the since.

For those going to McClure you'll meet my buddy Chuck, and he can re-hash the story for you ;)

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That trip was commonly referred to as the "trip from hell".

I didn't even mention how we were tent camping for the entire week. It was freezing cold and raining the whole time. By Wed, all of the girls wanted to go home. But as mucho guys said, "we didn't drive all the way down here to let a little rain ruin our fun". Little did I know what was going to happen on that Friday. Blowup.gif

In fact, one day we took a trip to town, only to comeback and find that a flash flood had gone through our campsite.

You can ask Kim about it at Oroville. She'll definitley make you laugh, or just cry Cry.gif

Edited by stewart
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And then there was the guy that took his boat back to the dealer complaining of poor performance.

Dealer told him he should unstrap it from the trailer for better performance.

DId you see this on Mythbusters?? It was awesome - and it was CONFIRMED! It really happened!

JZ Shocking.gif

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