On Sat, 6 Dec 2003 20:45:01 -0500, "Gary Warner"
wrote:





10 minutes later, we hear a sickening crunch from the launch ramp. Someone
had backed a chunky Four Winns cuddy down the ramp with the winch cable and
safety chain unsecured (why do people do that?) The Winns slid 1/3 of the
way off the trailer about 10 feet from the water's edge, crunching the
outdrive. With muscle power and the winch we put it back on the trailer
enough for them to get it on the water (I think they were just going to
reposition it on the trailer, not launch it, since we could not get it all
the way forward on the trailer by hand.) I guess sometimes you can back
down the ramp with the boat totally unsecured... and sometimes you can't.


Actually, that explains it. I think most people know that you can
only back a boat down the ramp unsecured if the bunks are perfectly
dry, and even then it's questionable. If you've already launched the
boat that day, be careful!