Funny Story

[mmandley]

Haha yea Jester i was worried about the nose of my boat going to the shore i kept looking at the depth gauge the whole time. It was a fiasco that's for sure but one thing me and Claudia have noticed is we haven't meet any group of people as nice or helpful as the boating community.

Save for the old guy in his fishing boat who drove right up behind me in the docks while im backing up and yells for me to watch out and go around him. I yell back well i cant steer in reverse so don't pull in behind me lol.

[Scottys]

I hear you all!
Laura (my wife) drives the boat from the launch to our pier, I drive the thuck back to the cabin. There's a REAL tight turn onto our drive to clear some trees. I'm affraid she'd get the trailer hooked on a tree. (Note to self - need to drop a couple of them this fall.)

I too think it takes us all of 2 minutes to get launched and clear of the ramp and pier. She's sitting at the helm while I back the boat into the water. I get out of truck and give her to OK to start the engine. Once running, I unhook the winch and she backs off the trailer. Done.

Landing is just as easy and again take just a couple of minutes. She drives the boat to the landing. Meet her with the truck, back in and she drives on. I connect the winch and crank the last couple of feet. Pull out and get out out of the way for the next guy. Then Laura gets out of the boat and we cleanup and go.

What's sad is that these same amateurs at the ramp are also on the water, with the same amount of skill, piloting their watercraft as they use launching it. Under power WAY to close to skiers/boarders/tubers in the water, too close to shore, not understaning channel markers or other bouy markers, etc... Or, and this one is my BIG pet peve, under power during "No Wake Curfew". It's OK though because the're fishing and that rule doesn't apply to people fishing. Really????

[sandm]

some people make more of a production than launching a boat should be. I have no issues launching mine myself when going to snag a campsite. usually 2-3 minutes to dump the boat, tie it up and pull the truck out.
when launching with the wife, less than 1.5 minutes down the ramp, unhook the cable, power the boat off and out, then she drives the truck back up the ramp.
not rocket science.

[jester]

These people are what make it so i will drive an extra hour so i can get away from them. The bad thing is when your at the boat ramp and try to give some helpful advice or help them launch they get violant and try to fight with you. Other then these people the boating world is very helpful.

[04OUTBACK]

All of these are funny! Love the story Razz

My personal fave, and most regular.. is the first time out for the year crew..
With the second vehicle nosed down into the launch ramp with a pair of jumper cables connected to the boat turned around backwards to reach.. but it's not just the dead battery, but the old gas as well...
Ever think of cranking it at the house prior to the first trip>? Yeah, i did this a time or two with Dad growing up enough to know not to do it myself!

Last year TRIED to help a 30' deck boat with 8.1L engine and 2 dead batteries with my jump box.. whew..

BW

[montanamoomba]

Razz, awesome story!

For those of you who live in areas where folks have a longer season you should come to Montana where the season is short and most guys only get out a few times a summer! Now that is priceless..........I could win $10,000 on Americas Funnies Home Videos in a heartbeat. Especially of the guys with the jet skis!!!

It only takes 2 minutes tops if you are having a bad day!

[moombadaze]

Razz, great story, to bad you didnt have a camcorder going


Wife and myself, 30 seconds to launch and about 60 seconds to load, but we do all the prep work in the prep area.

[kaneboats]

Mrs. Kane who would barely ride in the boat a few years ago will now drive on the trailer, even when it's windy. She'll also go put the trailer away for me. She can't back up but she'll pull it out after we're launched and go park. We're not supersonic but getting 6 kids loaded and the boat launched in about 2 1/2 minutes puts us ahead of most of them out there.

[sandm]

maybe dealers should offer a "launch ettiquete" class prior to the owner taking delivery of a boat for new owners..
or a big yellow/orange pylon on the tower like the drivers training cars indicating a new owner

[kaneboats]

Instead of the orange hat saying "dunce" it could just say "Dumas".