Dumbass things I've done and learned ...
 

Ok, so I'm new to boating and I've got an 18 foot boat with which to get my
feet wet. Here's the first couple of dumbass things I've done with or to my
new boat. Let's hope that I start learning from other people's mistakes and
don't make the same one's twice. In fact, I wish that for everyone!

Did you know that when you raft up with a friends taller boat that someone's
fender is going to rub the decal off your boat? No worries, it's a small
blemish (I'm sure it's not the last).

Did you know that the Sherriff doesn't like it when you create a wake in the
no wake zone? Oops; seriously, it was a definition glitch (a wake is not
defined by the presence or absence of white water - a wake is a wake is a
wake). I got off with a warning, but had to suffer a prolonged discussion
as I was used as training material.

Did you know that when you tie your boat up alongside the open water side of
the dock, and you tie it tight to the dock, that even with fenders, your
protective rubber trim will get knocked out of its track? In defense of my
boating buddy, he told me not to tie it tight to the dock. The problem was,
from a distance, it sounded like he told me to tie it tight to the dock.
Sigh. I did learn that those orange pfd's make great fenders.

Not last and not least, did you know that you should put the prop into
trailer mode the second you tie up to the launch dock? No damage on pulling
up the ramp, but plenty of embarrassment.

Now for the piece de resistance. A writer I'm not, but I'll try to convey
the scene for you boat ramp sadists. We pull up to the dock and squeeze in
behind a boat that was just launched. The boat in front is ready to go, but
the boss went to park his trailer and the rest of us are stuck (at least
those of us that aren't quite ready for the delicate task of driving the
boat onto the trailer) waiting for his boat to move out of the way. Well, I
had a great parking space so I was ready to back the trailer down as soon as
the just launched boat found it's owner so it could pull away and let us
move our boat forward. My wife, an impatient woman, god love her, decides
she isn't going to wait for the boat to move, unties our boat, jumps in the
water with the boat and walks it to the middle of the ramp. The first thing
I know about this is when I look back (remember, still waiting for an absent
owner to move his boat) and see my wife chest deep in water not even holding
a dock line as the boat begins to turn sideways. Yeah, this is where I
start yelling at her 'cause I'm an ass and don't know what else to do. Now
I have to back down (remember, I'm new to backing trailers) to the middle of
the ramp (sorry folks, I know I'm taking up two spaces, but .... To make
matters worse, we can't agree on whether the boat is on the trailer
correctly (I'm worried about is to far to one side or the other and hitting
the wheel well. Enough is enough and I pull the damn boat out of the water
and out of the way only to have my kids run up and tell me the boat ain't
right. Ah crap! It probably wasn't as bad as it seemed, but it was
cockeyed on the trailer. I didn't realize that lined up means nothing if
the blasted thing is still floating when you start yanking it out of the
water. It gets even better. For some crazy reason (it's 5pm on a Sunday
night), there's a line a block long waiting to launch (someone's got to
explain this to me). I figure I'm not going anywhere until I reload my
boat, but the next guy in line with the sea doos, says hell no get in line.
And so on. Anyway, we got the boat reloaded, correctly this time, but we're
not speaking to each other for awhile (at least not anything nice - I'm
dying from the embarrassment of a wife who won't do what I tell her to do
and a hundred witnesses to that and to me not knowing what the hell I'm
doing with the boat. Maybe you can picture this; maybe not. It was
actually the next trip where I figured out why the boat didn't stay where I
thought I had put it.

Hey, I'm sure there's more to follow, but I hope not!

Marty

ROTFLMAO. Sounds like my wife and I when we got our first boat. You'll get
better at it in no time.... :) Roller trailer or bunks? With rollers,
you're better off walking it on anyway, and you don't have to pull nearly so
far into the water. Just be sure the crank is locked AND you put the safety
chain on before you yank it out- saw some poor guy dump his $30,000 cruiser
on the ramp 'cuz he forgot to put the safety chain on. Wife wife was....
well, you get the picture.

Me and the wife had a helluva public yelling match the first time we ever
took the boat out and I tried to drive it onto the roller trailer....ooops.
Then backed into the steel ramp support with my stainless prop idling
backwards...ooops. (minor nick- no big deal)

Then there was the time we took a few friends out for a lake cruise and were
just about ready to leave the courtesy dock...."gee, boat's sittin' kinda
low, isn't it? ARRRGH! Forgot the F'n plug!" Ran over to jam my finger in
the drain hole from outside (I/O) , had someone turn bilge pump on (engine
running, water past the oil pan about 12 inches deep in the bilge) and get
me the drain plug and a wrench from the toolbox....working blind underwater
by feel to install the plug... Of course, now our Lab thinks it's time to
play fetch in the water with Dad, so here she comes licking me and jumping
out of the boat....Pumped the bilge for 15 minutes before it
emptied...(while we idled out of the no wake zone) Guests looking at me
warily for awhile...wife looking at me angrily for awhile.......

Then there was the time my 7 yr old niece, who is deathly afraid of big
water (bigger than a small pool) finally agreed to ride the big flat
2-person tube.... no adults volunteering to take her....ok, big sister (16)
can take you, just be sure to pull up on the front of the tube so it doesn't
submarine when I take off.....I take off...the tube submarines completely
underwater....she refuses to go near the tube again....

One April 1st weekend this year it was unseasonably warm here (got up to
about 79) so we took the boat out for an early shakedown cruise on the
lake...pulled into a cove for lunch...water is still about 50 degrees...2
mallards (a male and a female) fly in and land 20 feet from the
boat....Yellow Labrador Retriever stands at full attention...dog launches
herself out and starts swimming after them...female flies to the right, male
flies about 10 yards toward the main lake and lands...dog starts to catch
him...he flies about 10 more yards and lands... dog isn't listening to
anyone except the duck... dog starts to catch him, etc, etc, about 10 times
until the duck leads the dog out into the main lake about 1/4 mi away and
around the bend and out of sight... wife is now insisting that I 'DO
SOMETHING'...I'm laughing..."she'll come back"...she doesnt come back for a
couple of minutes, so we pull anchor and idle out...here comes the dog
swimming back (no duck, but she doesn't look any fatter) ...makes a beeline
for the muddier shore...runs back to where we were...we turn around and go
back...the dog finds a large dead sunfish floating at the
shoreline...crunches him down in 3 or 4 chomps- head, bones, tail and all...
hops back up onto the swim platform and into the boat....shakes cold fishy
water everywhere.

Ever throw the anchor out and realize that you didn't tie the line off until
you see the end of it follow the anchor to the bottom of the 25 foot lake? I
have... Wife saw me do that, too. Ever jump in with your prescription
sunglasses on and realize that they don't float just as they sink and
disappear from view? Yep, she saw that one as well.... Ever get caught
almost hitting a "no wake" bouy because you were checking out hot chick in
the red bikini on the houseboat nearby? ...Nahhh, she didn't see that one-
she was busy checking out bikini girl's husband...

and so on....

Boats love water. Boats hate solid stuff.


"Genius? Not!" wrote in message
. ..
Ok, so I'm new to boating and I've got an 18 foot boat with which to get
my feet wet. Here's the first couple of dumbass things I've done with or
to my new boat. Let's hope that I start learning from other people's
mistakes and don't make the same one's twice. In fact, I wish that for
everyone!

Did you know that when you raft up with a friends taller boat that
someone's fender is going to rub the decal off your boat? No worries,
it's a small blemish (I'm sure it's not the last).

Did you know that the Sherriff doesn't like it when you create a wake in
the no wake zone? Oops; seriously, it was a definition glitch (a wake is
not defined by the presence or absence of white water - a wake is a wake
is a wake). I got off with a warning, but had to suffer a prolonged
discussion as I was used as training material.

Did you know that when you tie your boat up alongside the open water side
of the dock, and you tie it tight to the dock, that even with fenders,
your protective rubber trim will get knocked out of its track? In defense
of my boating buddy, he told me not to tie it tight to the dock. The
problem was, from a distance, it sounded like he told me to tie it tight
to the dock. Sigh. I did learn that those orange pfd's make great
fenders.

Not last and not least, did you know that you should put the prop into
trailer mode the second you tie up to the launch dock? No damage on
pulling up the ramp, but plenty of embarrassment.

Now for the piece de resistance. A writer I'm not, but I'll try to convey
the scene for you boat ramp sadists. We pull up to the dock and squeeze
in behind a boat that was just launched. The boat in front is ready to
go, but the boss went to park his trailer and the rest of us are stuck (at
least those of us that aren't quite ready for the delicate task of driving
the boat onto the trailer) waiting for his boat to move out of the way.
Well, I had a great parking space so I was ready to back the trailer down
as soon as the just launched boat found it's owner so it could pull away
and let us move our boat forward. My wife, an impatient woman, god love
her, decides she isn't going to wait for the boat to move, unties our
boat, jumps in the water with the boat and walks it to the middle of the
ramp. The first thing I know about this is when I look back (remember,
still waiting for an absent owner to move his boat) and see my wife chest
deep in water not even holding a dock line as the boat begins to turn
sideways. Yeah, this is where I start yelling at her 'cause I'm an ass
and don't know what else to do. Now I have to back down (remember, I'm
new to backing trailers) to the middle of the ramp (sorry folks, I know
I'm taking up two spaces, but .... To make matters worse, we can't agree
on whether the boat is on the trailer correctly (I'm worried about is to
far to one side or the other and hitting the wheel well. Enough is enough
and I pull the damn boat out of the water and out of the way only to have
my kids run up and tell me the boat ain't right. Ah crap! It probably
wasn't as bad as it seemed, but it was cockeyed on the trailer. I didn't
realize that lined up means nothing if the blasted thing is still floating
when you start yanking it out of the water. It gets even better. For some
crazy reason (it's 5pm on a Sunday night), there's a line a block long
waiting to launch (someone's got to explain this to me). I figure I'm not
going anywhere until I reload my boat, but the next guy in line with the
sea doos, says hell no get in line. And so on. Anyway, we got the boat
reloaded, correctly this time, but we're not speaking to each other for
awhile (at least not anything nice - I'm dying from the embarrassment of a
wife who won't do what I tell her to do and a hundred witnesses to that
and to me not knowing what the hell I'm doing with the boat. Maybe you
can picture this; maybe not. It was actually the next trip where I
figured out why the boat didn't stay where I thought I had put it.

Hey, I'm sure there's more to follow, but I hope not!

Marty

We've all had bad days and embarrassing experiences at the launch ramp. You
can't really apologize for another's actions and it never makes sense to
raise your voice at your wife!
I learned that if I leave about the top 3" of my trailer tires showing above
the surface of the water, my boat will get within 2"-6" of the winch stop
and center itself on the bunks. I can give it a little power, but usually
use the winch for those last couple of inches.

"Genius? Not!" wrote in message
. ..
Ok, so I'm new to boating and I've got an 18 foot boat with which to get
my feet wet. Here's the first couple of dumbass things I've done with or
to my new boat. Let's hope that I start learning from other people's
mistakes and don't make the same one's twice. In fact, I wish that for
everyone!

Did you know that when you raft up with a friends taller boat that
someone's fender is going to rub the decal off your boat? No worries,
it's a small blemish (I'm sure it's not the last).

Did you know that the Sherriff doesn't like it when you create a wake in
the no wake zone? Oops; seriously, it was a definition glitch (a wake is
not defined by the presence or absence of white water - a wake is a wake
is a wake). I got off with a warning, but had to suffer a prolonged
discussion as I was used as training material.

Did you know that when you tie your boat up alongside the open water side
of the dock, and you tie it tight to the dock, that even with fenders,
your protective rubber trim will get knocked out of its track? In defense
of my boating buddy, he told me not to tie it tight to the dock. The
problem was, from a distance, it sounded like he told me to tie it tight
to the dock. Sigh. I did learn that those orange pfd's make great
fenders.

Not last and not least, did you know that you should put the prop into
trailer mode the second you tie up to the launch dock? No damage on
pulling up the ramp, but plenty of embarrassment.

Now for the piece de resistance. A writer I'm not, but I'll try to convey
the scene for you boat ramp sadists. We pull up to the dock and squeeze
in behind a boat that was just launched. The boat in front is ready to
go, but the boss went to park his trailer and the rest of us are stuck (at
least those of us that aren't quite ready for the delicate task of driving
the boat onto the trailer) waiting for his boat to move out of the way.
Well, I had a great parking space so I was ready to back the trailer down
as soon as the just launched boat found it's owner so it could pull away
and let us move our boat forward. My wife, an impatient woman, god love
her, decides she isn't going to wait for the boat to move, unties our
boat, jumps in the water with the boat and walks it to the middle of the
ramp. The first thing I know about this is when I look back (remember,
still waiting for an absent owner to move his boat) and see my wife chest
deep in water not even holding a dock line as the boat begins to turn
sideways. Yeah, this is where I start yelling at her 'cause I'm an ass
and don't know what else to do. Now I have to back down (remember, I'm
new to backing trailers) to the middle of the ramp (sorry folks, I know
I'm taking up two spaces, but .... To make matters worse, we can't agree
on whether the boat is on the trailer correctly (I'm worried about is to
far to one side or the other and hitting the wheel well. Enough is enough
and I pull the damn boat out of the water and out of the way only to have
my kids run up and tell me the boat ain't right. Ah crap! It probably
wasn't as bad as it seemed, but it was cockeyed on the trailer. I didn't
realize that lined up means nothing if the blasted thing is still floating
when you start yanking it out of the water. It gets even better. For some
crazy reason (it's 5pm on a Sunday night), there's a line a block long
waiting to launch (someone's got to explain this to me). I figure I'm not
going anywhere until I reload my boat, but the next guy in line with the
sea doos, says hell no get in line. And so on. Anyway, we got the boat
reloaded, correctly this time, but we're not speaking to each other for
awhile (at least not anything nice - I'm dying from the embarrassment of a
wife who won't do what I tell her to do and a hundred witnesses to that
and to me not knowing what the hell I'm doing with the boat. Maybe you
can picture this; maybe not. It was actually the next trip where I
figured out why the boat didn't stay where I thought I had put it.

Hey, I'm sure there's more to follow, but I hope not!

Marty

"Genius? Not!" wrote in message
. ..

Dude! - I can *so* relate!! I got a new Bayliner 175 Capri, and
struggled with almost all of the items you mentined. However, I
had the help of a experienced boater with me for the first few
outings, but I'm on my own now, so yeah, I can relate fully!
(and your piece is written pretty cool too!)

So that covers a lot of "logistics", but how about your actual
outting itself? Waves, dodging people, other boats etc?
So have you hit a wave yet and come down and landed so
hard that it knocked you senseless? I recently did this, and
don't know if I caused any damage, or if this is semi-normal,
or just how much of a slam landing a boat like this can take.

That whole backing up of the trailer *sucks*, and thats all
there is to it. (there is no sugar coating it). Might have to
do with the truck, and trailer design, but all I know is that
my 1996 F-150 4x4 w/ short box makes backing my boat
in a straight line very difficult (short wheel base on F-150
small box). Anyways, I found what helps is to take the
boat to the local school (school's out), and keep practicing
until you either go mad, puke, go silly, the tranny drops out,
or you get so fustrated that you back the thing thru the fence,
and on to the 4-lane highway, and a Mach truck takes it out
(in which case its game over). Being new to it, I make it a
point to go to the school before every outing, and again
on the way home from the outing before I get back home
so that I don't embarass myself in front of the neighbors.
Even then, I still sometimes handing up putting the thing
on the neighbors lawn. (but I'm getting better) The
challange for ME is that fricking gas meter upside the
house. I got 1 foot (max) between house/gas meter, and
the edge of the gravel RV pad and the neighbor's lawn
(and this really sharp concrete scallops lawn edging).
Taking out that gas meter really *WOULD* be "game over"...


Ok, so I'm new to boating and I've got an 18 foot boat with which to get
my
feet wet. Here's the first couple of dumbass things I've done with or to
my
new boat. Let's hope that I start learning from other people's mistakes
and
don't make the same one's twice. In fact, I wish that for everyone!

Did you know that when you raft up with a friends taller boat that
someone's
fender is going to rub the decal off your boat? No worries, it's a small
blemish (I'm sure it's not the last).

Did you know that the Sherriff doesn't like it when you create a wake in
the
no wake zone? Oops; seriously, it was a definition glitch (a wake is not
defined by the presence or absence of white water - a wake is a wake is a
wake). I got off with a warning, but had to suffer a prolonged discussion
as I was used as training material.

Did you know that when you tie your boat up alongside the open water side
of
the dock, and you tie it tight to the dock, that even with fenders, your
protective rubber trim will get knocked out of its track? In defense of
my
boating buddy, he told me not to tie it tight to the dock. The problem
was,
from a distance, it sounded like he told me to tie it tight to the dock.
Sigh. I did learn that those orange pfd's make great fenders.

Not last and not least, did you know that you should put the prop into
trailer mode the second you tie up to the launch dock? No damage on
pulling
up the ramp, but plenty of embarrassment.

Now for the piece de resistance. A writer I'm not, but I'll try to convey
the scene for you boat ramp sadists. We pull up to the dock and squeeze
in
behind a boat that was just launched. The boat in front is ready to go,
but
the boss went to park his trailer and the rest of us are stuck (at least
those of us that aren't quite ready for the delicate task of driving the
boat onto the trailer) waiting for his boat to move out of the way. Well,
I
had a great parking space so I was ready to back the trailer down as soon
as
the just launched boat found it's owner so it could pull away and let us
move our boat forward. My wife, an impatient woman, god love her, decides
she isn't going to wait for the boat to move, unties our boat, jumps in
the
water with the boat and walks it to the middle of the ramp. The first
thing
I know about this is when I look back (remember, still waiting for an
absent
owner to move his boat) and see my wife chest deep in water not even
holding
a dock line as the boat begins to turn sideways. Yeah, this is where I
start yelling at her 'cause I'm an ass and don't know what else to do.
Now
I have to back down (remember, I'm new to backing trailers) to the middle
of
the ramp (sorry folks, I know I'm taking up two spaces, but .... To make
matters worse, we can't agree on whether the boat is on the trailer
correctly (I'm worried about is to far to one side or the other and
hitting
the wheel well. Enough is enough and I pull the damn boat out of the
water
and out of the way only to have my kids run up and tell me the boat ain't
right. Ah crap! It probably wasn't as bad as it seemed, but it was
cockeyed on the trailer. I didn't realize that lined up means nothing if
the blasted thing is still floating when you start yanking it out of the
water. It gets even better. For some crazy reason (it's 5pm on a Sunday
night), there's a line a block long waiting to launch (someone's got to
explain this to me). I figure I'm not going anywhere until I reload my
boat, but the next guy in line with the sea doos, says hell no get in
line.
And so on. Anyway, we got the boat reloaded, correctly this time, but
we're
not speaking to each other for awhile (at least not anything nice - I'm
dying from the embarrassment of a wife who won't do what I tell her to do
and a hundred witnesses to that and to me not knowing what the hell I'm
doing with the boat. Maybe you can picture this; maybe not. It was
actually the next trip where I figured out why the boat didn't stay where
I
thought I had put it.

Hey, I'm sure there's more to follow, but I hope not!

Marty

"Stanley Barthfarkle" wrote in message
. ..
ROTFLMAO. Sounds like my wife and I when we got our first boat. You'll get
better at it in no time.... :) Roller trailer or bunks? With rollers,
you're better off walking it on anyway, and you don't have to pull nearly
so far into the water. Just be sure the crank is locked AND you put the
safety chain on before you yank it out- saw some poor guy dump his $30,000
cruiser on the ramp 'cuz he forgot to put the safety chain on. Wife wife
was.... well, you get the picture.

Bunks. Safety chain? What safety chain? Just kidding.


Me and the wife had a helluva public yelling match the first time we ever
took the boat out and I tried to drive it onto the roller
trailer....ooops. Then backed into the steel ramp support with my
stainless prop idling backwards...ooops. (minor nick- no big deal)

That musta hurt; the ego.

Hey, I love the dimension the dog adds to your boating!

Thanks for the shared ancecdotes.

Marty

"William Andersen" wrote in message
news:w5kFe.21620$HV1.4751@fed1read07...
We've all had bad days and embarrassing experiences at the launch ramp.
You can't really apologize for another's actions and it never makes sense
to raise your voice at your wife!

Boy you got that right.


I learned that if I leave about the top 3" of my trailer tires showing
above the surface of the water, my boat will get within 2"-6" of the winch
stop and center itself on the bunks. I can give it a little power, but
usually use the winch for those last couple of inches.

Yeah, I need more practice and I need to pay attention to some details.
Someday I want to be able to launch and unlaunch this boat by myself.

"Mr Wizzard" wrote in message
...

"Genius? Not!" wrote in message
. ..

Dude! - I can *so* relate!! I got a new Bayliner 175 Capri, and
struggled with almost all of the items you mentined. However, I
had the help of a experienced boater with me for the first few
outings, but I'm on my own now, so yeah, I can relate fully!
(and your piece is written pretty cool too!)

Thanks for understanding. :)


So that covers a lot of "logistics", but how about your actual
outting itself? Waves, dodging people, other boats etc?
So have you hit a wave yet and come down and landed so
hard that it knocked you senseless? I recently did this, and
don't know if I caused any damage, or if this is semi-normal,
or just how much of a slam landing a boat like this can take.

I've got a couple of lakes I can go to, and have, so I'm starting to develop
a preference. The nearby lake is too crowded after lunch and I feel like
I'm mostly just praying I avoid a collision. The 2 hour drive gets me to a
warm big lake with no crowds, but it's two hours north.
That slamming does worry me.

That whole backing up of the trailer *sucks*, and thats all
there is to it. (there is no sugar coating it). Might have to
do with the truck, and trailer design, but all I know is that
my 1996 F-150 4x4 w/ short box makes backing my boat
in a straight line very difficult (short wheel base on F-150

I've got the 5.5 foot box, so that might explain why its a little squirrely
when I'm backing. I'm getting better at the backing. The trick for me was
to finally give in and use the bottom of the steering wheel to direct the
trailer.

Enjoy!

Yeah, the dog is a blast on the boat. She's a real water dog at heart, so
saying "wanna go on the boat?" is like saying "wanna go for a (car) ride?"
times 10.


"Genius? Not!" wrote in message
. ..

"Stanley Barthfarkle" wrote in message
. ..
ROTFLMAO. Sounds like my wife and I when we got our first boat. You'll
get better at it in no time.... :) Roller trailer or bunks? With
rollers, you're better off walking it on anyway, and you don't have to
pull nearly so far into the water. Just be sure the crank is locked AND
you put the safety chain on before you yank it out- saw some poor guy
dump his $30,000 cruiser on the ramp 'cuz he forgot to put the safety
chain on. Wife wife was.... well, you get the picture.

Bunks. Safety chain? What safety chain? Just kidding.


Me and the wife had a helluva public yelling match the first time we ever
took the boat out and I tried to drive it onto the roller
trailer....ooops. Then backed into the steel ramp support with my
stainless prop idling backwards...ooops. (minor nick- no big deal)

That musta hurt; the ego.

Hey, I love the dimension the dog adds to your boating!

Thanks for the shared ancecdotes.

Marty

Oh yes! This adventure from a few years ago when I owned a 25' Bayliner and
kept it on a lift:

3-28-99



Yesterday afternoon upon arriving at the dock from fishing on the Sacramento
River, I was just finishing up the chores of docking and raising the boat on
it's boat lift. I do these chores after every cruise, there's nothing to
it!



A boat lift is a fine device when operated properly. It acts much like a
submarine. Pump out the air by filling the tanks with water through valves
and it submerses down on guides so that the boat may be guided in above it.
You then pump out the water with air and the boat lift raises, bringing the
boat high and dry out of the water....just like the picture shows!



My boat happens to weigh in at about 6,000 lbs or so. In the process of
lifting the boat out of the water, the bow comes up first, probably at about
35 degrees, and the dock lines at each side of the boat hold it in place on
the bunk while on such an angle. The stern is then raised until it reaches
the same elevation as the bow.



I discovered today that it takes BOTH lines to hold this boat in place while
on the steep angle!



Because the delta canvas was still in place around the cockpit (back) of the
boat, I placed the line under the canvas to attach to the cleat, but somehow
forgot the last part....the "attach" part.



Of course, by this time the outdrive is raised, the cabin door is locked and
my briefcase, cell phone, etc. are setting on the dock waiting to go home.
Upon reaching the 35 degree angle, with only a single dock line in place,
the four year old tired, frayed dock line snapped in two with a loud SNAP
followed by another POP as the shore power cord parted company with the dock
plug!



Now then, things move pretty fast at a time like this. The boat began a
sudden, unannounced launch at 35 degrees into the river! At this point, one
must gather his senses pretty quickly and decide among these options:



A) WHAT THE HELL!!

B) WHAT THE HELL!!

C) Let the dang thing go, I'll swim in after it....

D) This boat ain't stopping no matter what I do and I damn sure better get
on as she slips gracefully down the ways!!!



I chose D. Within two or three seconds of "SNAP!...POP!" I was aboard a
moving boat with........ 1) The engine off, 2) the outdrive up, 3) the cabin
door locked, 4)no telephone to call for help, and 5) a thoroughly confused
skipper now in need of fresh underwear! Also, the cockpit was surrounded by
canvas, the bow hatch was locked tight and so were the windows.



Fortunately, no one was near the dock to witness this fine boat handling
moment! (I Hope.)



It was truly amazing how quickly one can unbutton a section of canvas at a
time like this! I unlocked the door quicker than humanly possible, then
lowered the outdrive and started the engine so fast that the engine computer
still hasn't caught up!



After all was said and done, nothing was damaged but the dock line and the
shore power cord receptacle. My pride was not damaged, of course, because I
had just come home from a fishing trip, utterly skunked, and with no pride
left!

-Dale Gillespie 3-28-99






--
Dale Gillespie

My Homepage: www.FishWisher.com
My RV Site: http://groups.msn.com/CoachpotatosRV..._whatsnew.msnw
"Genius? Not!" wrote in message
. ..

Using the bottom of the steering wheel while backing is the key! Hold the
bottom of the steering wheel and move it in the direction you want the boat
to go. Don't try to figure out if the front wheels point here, the back
wheels point there, so the trailer will go that direction.
The second thing you'll learn is that a steady speed helps when backing: too
slow and it takes forever to see any change in direction, too fast and
you'll be zig zagging.

"Genius? Not!" wrote in message
. ..

"Mr Wizzard" wrote in message
...

"Genius? Not!" wrote in message
. ..

Dude! - I can *so* relate!! I got a new Bayliner 175 Capri, and
struggled with almost all of the items you mentined. However, I
had the help of a experienced boater with me for the first few
outings, but I'm on my own now, so yeah, I can relate fully!
(and your piece is written pretty cool too!)

Thanks for understanding. :)


So that covers a lot of "logistics", but how about your actual
outting itself? Waves, dodging people, other boats etc?
So have you hit a wave yet and come down and landed so
hard that it knocked you senseless? I recently did this, and
don't know if I caused any damage, or if this is semi-normal,
or just how much of a slam landing a boat like this can take.

I've got a couple of lakes I can go to, and have, so I'm starting to
develop a preference. The nearby lake is too crowded after lunch and I
feel like I'm mostly just praying I avoid a collision. The 2 hour drive
gets me to a warm big lake with no crowds, but it's two hours north.
That slamming does worry me.

That whole backing up of the trailer *sucks*, and thats all
there is to it. (there is no sugar coating it). Might have to
do with the truck, and trailer design, but all I know is that
my 1996 F-150 4x4 w/ short box makes backing my boat
in a straight line very difficult (short wheel base on F-150

I've got the 5.5 foot box, so that might explain why its a little
squirrely when I'm backing. I'm getting better at the backing. The trick
for me was to finally give in and use the bottom of the steering wheel to
direct the trailer.

Enjoy!

I hope it gets better for you! Great stories though.
Curtis

"Genius? Not!" wrote in message
. ..
Ok, so I'm new to boating and I've got an 18 foot boat with which to get
my feet wet. Here's the first couple of dumbass things I've done with or
to my new boat. Let's hope that I start learning from other people's
mistakes and don't make the same one's twice. In fact, I wish that for
everyone!

Did you know that when you raft up with a friends taller boat that
someone's fender is going to rub the decal off your boat? No worries,
it's a small blemish (I'm sure it's not the last).

Did you know that the Sherriff doesn't like it when you create a wake in
the no wake zone? Oops; seriously, it was a definition glitch (a wake is
not defined by the presence or absence of white water - a wake is a wake
is a wake). I got off with a warning, but had to suffer a prolonged
discussion as I was used as training material.

Did you know that when you tie your boat up alongside the open water side
of the dock, and you tie it tight to the dock, that even with fenders,
your protective rubber trim will get knocked out of its track? In defense
of my boating buddy, he told me not to tie it tight to the dock. The
problem was, from a distance, it sounded like he told me to tie it tight
to the dock. Sigh. I did learn that those orange pfd's make great
fenders.

Not last and not least, did you know that you should put the prop into
trailer mode the second you tie up to the launch dock? No damage on
pulling up the ramp, but plenty of embarrassment.

Now for the piece de resistance. A writer I'm not, but I'll try to convey
the scene for you boat ramp sadists. We pull up to the dock and squeeze
in behind a boat that was just launched. The boat in front is ready to
go, but the boss went to park his trailer and the rest of us are stuck (at
least those of us that aren't quite ready for the delicate task of driving
the boat onto the trailer) waiting for his boat to move out of the way.
Well, I had a great parking space so I was ready to back the trailer down
as soon as the just launched boat found it's owner so it could pull away
and let us move our boat forward. My wife, an impatient woman, god love
her, decides she isn't going to wait for the boat to move, unties our
boat, jumps in the water with the boat and walks it to the middle of the
ramp. The first thing I know about this is when I look back (remember,
still waiting for an absent owner to move his boat) and see my wife chest
deep in water not even holding a dock line as the boat begins to turn
sideways. Yeah, this is where I start yelling at her 'cause I'm an ass
and don't know what else to do. Now I have to back down (remember, I'm
new to backing trailers) to the middle of the ramp (sorry folks, I know
I'm taking up two spaces, but .... To make matters worse, we can't agree
on whether the boat is on the trailer correctly (I'm worried about is to
far to one side or the other and hitting the wheel well. Enough is enough
and I pull the damn boat out of the water and out of the way only to have
my kids run up and tell me the boat ain't right. Ah crap! It probably
wasn't as bad as it seemed, but it was cockeyed on the trailer. I didn't
realize that lined up means nothing if the blasted thing is still floating
when you start yanking it out of the water. It gets even better. For some
crazy reason (it's 5pm on a Sunday night), there's a line a block long
waiting to launch (someone's got to explain this to me). I figure I'm not
going anywhere until I reload my boat, but the next guy in line with the
sea doos, says hell no get in line. And so on. Anyway, we got the boat
reloaded, correctly this time, but we're not speaking to each other for
awhile (at least not anything nice - I'm dying from the embarrassment of a
wife who won't do what I tell her to do and a hundred witnesses to that
and to me not knowing what the hell I'm doing with the boat. Maybe you
can picture this; maybe not. It was actually the next trip where I
figured out why the boat didn't stay where I thought I had put it.

Hey, I'm sure there's more to follow, but I hope not!

Marty

On Tue, 26 Jul 2005 04:28:47 GMT, "Genius? Not!"
wrote:

~~ snippage ~~

Hey, I'm sure there's more to follow, but I hope not!

Great tales and instructive.

It's funny, in all the years I've trailered boats, I've had exactly
one incident offloading a boat when it got away from me and had to be
retrieved by a friendly boater.

I've been very lucky.

Don't forget to forget to leave your drain plug out at least once when you
launch. That's always a barrel of laughs.

Around 7/25/2005 9:28 PM, Genius? Not! wrote:

Ok, so I'm new to boating and I've got an 18 foot boat with which to get my
feet wet. Here's the first couple of dumbass things I've done with or to my
new boat. Let's hope that I start learning from other people's mistakes and
don't make the same one's twice. In fact, I wish that for everyone!

Did you know that when you raft up with a friends taller boat that someone's
fender is going to rub the decal off your boat? No worries, it's a small
blemish (I'm sure it's not the last).

Decals? Who uses decals on boats? ;)


Did you know that the Sherriff doesn't like it when you create a wake in the
no wake zone? Oops; seriously, it was a definition glitch (a wake is not
defined by the presence or absence of white water - a wake is a wake is a
wake). I got off with a warning, but had to suffer a prolonged discussion
as I was used as training material.

I did in fact know that.


Did you know that when you tie your boat up alongside the open water side of
the dock, and you tie it tight to the dock, that even with fenders, your
protective rubber trim will get knocked out of its track?

Yep! It'll do that as long as it's still reasonably pliable. Funny; I
didn't have that problem with my 38-year-old hard-as-a-rock trim.

In defense of my
boating buddy, he told me not to tie it tight to the dock. The problem was,
from a distance, it sounded like he told me to tie it tight to the dock.
Sigh. I did learn that those orange pfd's make great fenders.

Temporary ones, though - they don't tend to last long in fender duty.


Not last and not least, did you know that you should put the prop into
trailer mode the second you tie up to the launch dock? No damage on pulling
up the ramp, but plenty of embarrassment.

Yep.


Now for the piece de resistance. A writer I'm not, but I'll try to convey
the scene for you boat ramp sadists. We pull up to the dock and squeeze in
behind a boat that was just launched. The boat in front is ready to go, but
the boss went to park his trailer and the rest of us are stuck (at least
those of us that aren't quite ready for the delicate task of driving the
boat onto the trailer) waiting for his boat to move out of the way. Well, I
had a great parking space so I was ready to back the trailer down as soon as
the just launched boat found it's owner so it could pull away and let us
move our boat forward. My wife, an impatient woman, god love her, decides
she isn't going to wait for the boat to move, unties our boat, jumps in the
water with the boat and walks it to the middle of the ramp. The first thing
I know about this is when I look back (remember, still waiting for an absent
owner to move his boat) and see my wife chest deep in water not even holding
a dock line as the boat begins to turn sideways. Yeah, this is where I
start yelling at her 'cause I'm an ass and don't know what else to do. Now
I have to back down (remember, I'm new to backing trailers) to the middle of
the ramp (sorry folks, I know I'm taking up two spaces, but .... To make
matters worse, we can't agree on whether the boat is on the trailer
correctly (I'm worried about is to far to one side or the other and hitting
the wheel well. Enough is enough and I pull the damn boat out of the water
and out of the way only to have my kids run up and tell me the boat ain't
right. Ah crap! It probably wasn't as bad as it seemed, but it was
cockeyed on the trailer. I didn't realize that lined up means nothing if
the blasted thing is still floating when you start yanking it out of the
water. It gets even better. For some crazy reason (it's 5pm on a Sunday
night), there's a line a block long waiting to launch (someone's got to
explain this to me). I figure I'm not going anywhere until I reload my
boat, but the next guy in line with the sea doos, says hell no get in line.
And so on. Anyway, we got the boat reloaded, correctly this time, but we're
not speaking to each other for awhile (at least not anything nice - I'm
dying from the embarrassment of a wife who won't do what I tell her to do
and a hundred witnesses to that and to me not knowing what the hell I'm
doing with the boat. Maybe you can picture this; maybe not.

Picture it, heck: I've seen situations like that more times than I can
count.


It was
actually the next trip where I figured out why the boat didn't stay where I
thought I had put it.

You might try not backing the trailer in so deep. Depending on the
trailer, even a little bit more out of the water might help the boat to
self-center itself.


Hey, I'm sure there's more to follow, but I hope not!

I hope so! It makes for a refreshing change from the usual wrecked.boats
fare. :)

--
~/Garth - 1966 Glastron V-142 Skiflite: "Blue-Boat"
"There is nothing - absolutely nothing - half so much worth doing
as simply messing about in boats."
-Kenneth Grahame, The Wind in the Willows

for providing good free entertainment at the local launch ramp. Last
trip to the beach (4th of July week) we actually went and parked next to
the ramp while we ate lunch (a couple of short spaces are reserved just
for spectators :) ). Geez, you could charge admission.

Swampings, boats drifting off, rammings, dunkings, all in an hour's time.

To start off, some guy with the whole family and grandma too parked his
behomoth pickup right at the dock, blocking the swing-in path for those
loading and unloading, just so the family could fish from the dock and
have a cooler handy in the pickup bed. I was amazed that no one
complained to the guy - it resulted in all sorts of crazy gyrations and
wild backing from those trying to get in and out.

It went downhill from there...

We've got the routine down pretty well after 20 years of trailering, but
we still make the boneheaded move now and again. That very 4th of July
week I got home (only a few miles) after an outing and realized I hadn't
put the tie down strap on the back. Fortunately the boat didn't go
airborne going over the bump leaving the parking lot (well, I don't
think it did ;) ).

So I'd like to say it gets easier with experience, but...

Lars

"FishWisher" wrote in message
...
Oh yes! This adventure from a few years ago when I owned a 25' Bayliner
and kept it on a lift:

3-28-99



Yesterday afternoon upon arriving at the dock from fishing on the
Sacramento River, I was just finishing up the chores of docking and
raising the boat on it's boat lift. I do these chores after every cruise,
there's nothing to it!



A boat lift is a fine device when operated properly.

Great story!

"Garth Almgren" wrote in message
...
Around 7/25/2005 9:28 PM, Genius? Not! wrote:

It was actually the next trip where I figured out why the boat didn't
stay where I thought I had put it.

You might try not backing the trailer in so deep. Depending on the
trailer, even a little bit more out of the water might help the boat to
self-center itself.


Hey, I'm sure there's more to follow, but I hope not!

I hope so! It makes for a refreshing change from the usual wrecked.boats
fare. :)

I'm glad you appreciated the contribution to the ng. And thanks for the
tip.

Someone mentioned somewhere that I should back in enough to get the bunks
wet, then pull forward until ...; it's the until that I haven't figured out
yet.

"lars" wrote in message
. com...

We've got the routine down pretty well after 20 years of trailering, but
we still make the boneheaded move now and again. That very 4th of July
week I got home (only a few miles) after an outing and realized I hadn't
put the tie down strap on the back. Fortunately the boat didn't go
airborne going over the bump leaving the parking lot (well, I don't think
it did ;) ).

So I'd like to say it gets easier with experience, but...

Lars

It is getting easier each time we go out; at least the things I've screwed
up haven't been repeated yet. ;)

Genius? Not! wrote:

I've got the 5.5 foot box, so that might explain why its a little squirrely
when I'm backing. I'm getting better at the backing. The trick for me was
to finally give in and use the bottom of the steering wheel to direct the
trailer.

No shame in that.

The trailer tongue length, actually the distance between the hitch and
the axle, has more to do with it than your tow vehicle wheelbase. I'm
betting you can back your truck pretty straight without a trailer. I
used to have a little utility trailer that was a real pain to back
straight. The boat is a piece of cake in comparison. I tend to do better
with my head turned around looking backwards than using the mirrors.

Keep at it and you'll have it down in no time.

-rick-

Does anyone still have all those fine old ramp stories circulating on here
about a year or two back?
The best was the one about Bubba and his 300 HP racing merc OB and how he
pulled the tow vehicle into the lake with it!
Fredo

"Mr Wizzard" wrote in message
...

"Genius? Not!" wrote in message
. ..

Dude! - I can *so* relate!! I got a new Bayliner 175 Capri, and
struggled with almost all of the items you mentined. However, I
had the help of a experienced boater with me for the first few
outings, but I'm on my own now, so yeah, I can relate fully!
(and your piece is written pretty cool too!)

So that covers a lot of "logistics", but how about your actual
outting itself? Waves, dodging people, other boats etc?
So have you hit a wave yet and come down and landed so
hard that it knocked you senseless? I recently did this, and
don't know if I caused any damage, or if this is semi-normal,
or just how much of a slam landing a boat like this can take.

That whole backing up of the trailer *sucks*, and thats all
there is to it. (there is no sugar coating it). Might have to
do with the truck, and trailer design, but all I know is that
my 1996 F-150 4x4 w/ short box makes backing my boat
in a straight line very difficult (short wheel base on F-150
small box). Anyways, I found what helps is to take the
boat to the local school (school's out), and keep practicing
until you either go mad, puke, go silly, the tranny drops out,
or you get so fustrated that you back the thing thru the fence,
and on to the 4-lane highway, and a Mach truck takes it out
(in which case its game over). Being new to it, I make it a
point to go to the school before every outing, and again
on the way home from the outing before I get back home
so that I don't embarass myself in front of the neighbors.
Even then, I still sometimes handing up putting the thing
on the neighbors lawn. (but I'm getting better) The
challange for ME is that fricking gas meter upside the
house. I got 1 foot (max) between house/gas meter, and
the edge of the gravel RV pad and the neighbor's lawn
(and this really sharp concrete scallops lawn edging).
Taking out that gas meter really *WOULD* be "game over"...


Ok, so I'm new to boating and I've got an 18 foot boat with which to get
my
feet wet. Here's the first couple of dumbass things I've done with or to
my
new boat. Let's hope that I start learning from other people's mistakes
and
don't make the same one's twice. In fact, I wish that for everyone!

Did you know that when you raft up with a friends taller boat that
someone's
fender is going to rub the decal off your boat? No worries, it's a small
blemish (I'm sure it's not the last).

Did you know that the Sherriff doesn't like it when you create a wake in
the
no wake zone? Oops; seriously, it was a definition glitch (a wake is not
defined by the presence or absence of white water - a wake is a wake is a
wake). I got off with a warning, but had to suffer a prolonged
discussion
as I was used as training material.

Did you know that when you tie your boat up alongside the open water side
of
the dock, and you tie it tight to the dock, that even with fenders, your
protective rubber trim will get knocked out of its track? In defense of
my
boating buddy, he told me not to tie it tight to the dock. The problem
was,
from a distance, it sounded like he told me to tie it tight to the dock.
Sigh. I did learn that those orange pfd's make great fenders.

Not last and not least, did you know that you should put the prop into
trailer mode the second you tie up to the launch dock? No damage on
pulling
up the ramp, but plenty of embarrassment.

Now for the piece de resistance. A writer I'm not, but I'll try to
convey
the scene for you boat ramp sadists. We pull up to the dock and squeeze
in
behind a boat that was just launched. The boat in front is ready to go,
but
the boss went to park his trailer and the rest of us are stuck (at least
those of us that aren't quite ready for the delicate task of driving the
boat onto the trailer) waiting for his boat to move out of the way.
Well,
I
had a great parking space so I was ready to back the trailer down as soon
as
the just launched boat found it's owner so it could pull away and let us
move our boat forward. My wife, an impatient woman, god love her,
decides
she isn't going to wait for the boat to move, unties our boat, jumps in
the
water with the boat and walks it to the middle of the ramp. The first
thing
I know about this is when I look back (remember, still waiting for an
absent
owner to move his boat) and see my wife chest deep in water not even
holding
a dock line as the boat begins to turn sideways. Yeah, this is where I
start yelling at her 'cause I'm an ass and don't know what else to do.
Now
I have to back down (remember, I'm new to backing trailers) to the middle
of
the ramp (sorry folks, I know I'm taking up two spaces, but .... To make
matters worse, we can't agree on whether the boat is on the trailer
correctly (I'm worried about is to far to one side or the other and
hitting
the wheel well. Enough is enough and I pull the damn boat out of the
water
and out of the way only to have my kids run up and tell me the boat ain't
right. Ah crap! It probably wasn't as bad as it seemed, but it was
cockeyed on the trailer. I didn't realize that lined up means nothing if
the blasted thing is still floating when you start yanking it out of the
water. It gets even better. For some crazy reason (it's 5pm on a Sunday
night), there's a line a block long waiting to launch (someone's got to
explain this to me). I figure I'm not going anywhere until I reload my
boat, but the next guy in line with the sea doos, says hell no get in
line.
And so on. Anyway, we got the boat reloaded, correctly this time, but
we're
not speaking to each other for awhile (at least not anything nice - I'm
dying from the embarrassment of a wife who won't do what I tell her to do
and a hundred witnesses to that and to me not knowing what the hell I'm
doing with the boat. Maybe you can picture this; maybe not. It was
actually the next trip where I figured out why the boat didn't stay where
I
thought I had put it.

Hey, I'm sure there's more to follow, but I hope not!

Marty

"Genius? Not!" wrote in message
...

Someone mentioned somewhere that I should back in enough to get the bunks
wet, then pull forward until ...; it's the until that I haven't figured
out yet.


It's different with every boat/trailer combination, as well as the slant of
the ramp and the shape of the hull. My boat's small, and the hull's not a
deep V. On a steep ramp, if I put too much trailer in the water, the boat
doesn't contact the bunks until it's 90% on the trailer, at which point it's
probably not sitting straight relative to the trailer, due to wind or
whatever. The boat's light enough that I after I pull away from the ramp, I
can shove the boat into position just by lifting it, but that's just so
un-stylish. :-)

Then, there are the ramp demons. I'll launch & pull out 50 times in a row,
getting everything perfect. And then, the 51st time, on a day with no wind,
no rush to get out of the next guy's way, no beer in the captain, same ramp
as always, and everything turns to crap and it's like I'm a blind man trying
to steer the truck with one toe while being shot at AND swarmed by bees.
Ramp demons are the only explanation.

"Genius? Not!" wrote in message
...

"lars" wrote in message
. com...

We've got the routine down pretty well after 20 years of trailering, but
we still make the boneheaded move now and again. That very 4th of July
week I got home (only a few miles) after an outing and realized I hadn't
put the tie down strap on the back. Fortunately the boat didn't go
airborne going over the bump leaving the parking lot (well, I don't think
it did ;) ).

So I'd like to say it gets easier with experience, but...

Lars

It is getting easier each time we go out; at least the things I've screwed
up haven't been repeated yet. ;)


Some perspective: When I was around 12 or 13, my parents had a 47 foot
Concord (IIRC). They apparently didn't compare their visions of how boating
would be. My dad, who spent time on an aircraft carrier in WWII, thought
nothing of taking us through some scary water in an area defined by Montauk
to the west and Nantucket to the east. I guess he handled it well because
I'm still alive. My mother, on the other hand, thought it would be nice to
have real dishes on the boat instead of plastic ones. Not fancy stuff, but
probably the first wave of inexpensive Japanese ceramics from companies like
Mikasa (when it was cheap).

Anyway....one day, my dad was trying gracefully manage a combination of a
wave and a wake and ended up making the boat roll a bit too much and too
quickly. We discovered that the cabinet locks in the galley were not
designed to deal with stacks of heavy dishes. My sisters and I thought this
was funny until we noticed how quickly icicles can form on a boat in the
middle of summer. :-) Interesting parental dynamics for a few hours after
that.

On Wed, 27 Jul 2005 14:23:21 GMT, "Doug Kanter"
wrote:

~~ snippage ~~

Anyway....one day, my dad was trying gracefully manage a combination of a
wave and a wake and ended up making the boat roll a bit too much and too
quickly. We discovered that the cabinet locks in the galley were not
designed to deal with stacks of heavy dishes. My sisters and I thought this
was funny until we noticed how quickly icicles can form on a boat in the
middle of summer. :-) Interesting parental dynamics for a few hours after
that.

You guys and your trailer stories. I never, except for once when I
was much younger that I am now, have launching or recovery problems
like others have.

Ever.

Then again, I am a superior human being - it's a burden, but I try to
deal with being perfect.

"Shortwave Sportfishing" wrote in message
...
On Wed, 27 Jul 2005 14:23:21 GMT, "Doug Kanter"
wrote:

~~ snippage ~~

Anyway....one day, my dad was trying gracefully manage a combination of a
wave and a wake and ended up making the boat roll a bit too much and too
quickly. We discovered that the cabinet locks in the galley were not
designed to deal with stacks of heavy dishes. My sisters and I thought
this
was funny until we noticed how quickly icicles can form on a boat in the
middle of summer. :-) Interesting parental dynamics for a few hours after
that.

You guys and your trailer stories. I never, except for once when I
was much younger that I am now, have launching or recovery problems
like others have.

Ever.

Then again, I am a superior human being - it's a burden, but I try to
deal with being perfect.

I know, and that's why I never ask how you've achieved this state of grace.
I know I just would not understand, Tom. :-) Maybe in the next life....

On Wed, 27 Jul 2005 15:53:28 GMT, "Doug Kanter"
wrote:


"Shortwave Sportfishing" wrote in message
.. .
On Wed, 27 Jul 2005 14:23:21 GMT, "Doug Kanter"
wrote:

~~ snippage ~~

Anyway....one day, my dad was trying gracefully manage a combination of a
wave and a wake and ended up making the boat roll a bit too much and too
quickly. We discovered that the cabinet locks in the galley were not
designed to deal with stacks of heavy dishes. My sisters and I thought
this
was funny until we noticed how quickly icicles can form on a boat in the
middle of summer. :-) Interesting parental dynamics for a few hours after
that.

You guys and your trailer stories. I never, except for once when I
was much younger that I am now, have launching or recovery problems
like others have.

Ever.

Then again, I am a superior human being - it's a burden, but I try to
deal with being perfect.

I know, and that's why I never ask how you've achieved this state of grace.
I know I just would not understand, Tom. :-) Maybe in the next life....

It's all in the reflexes (gratuitous cultural reference).

"Shortwave Sportfishing" wrote in message
...
On Wed, 27 Jul 2005 15:53:28 GMT, "Doug Kanter"
wrote:


"Shortwave Sportfishing" wrote in message
. ..
On Wed, 27 Jul 2005 14:23:21 GMT, "Doug Kanter"
wrote:

~~ snippage ~~

Anyway....one day, my dad was trying gracefully manage a combination of
a
wave and a wake and ended up making the boat roll a bit too much and too
quickly. We discovered that the cabinet locks in the galley were not
designed to deal with stacks of heavy dishes. My sisters and I thought
this
was funny until we noticed how quickly icicles can form on a boat in the
middle of summer. :-) Interesting parental dynamics for a few hours
after
that.

You guys and your trailer stories. I never, except for once when I
was much younger that I am now, have launching or recovery problems
like others have.

Ever.

Then again, I am a superior human being - it's a burden, but I try to
deal with being perfect.

I know, and that's why I never ask how you've achieved this state of
grace.
I know I just would not understand, Tom. :-) Maybe in the next life....

It's all in the reflexes (gratuitous cultural reference).

So, you're saying I'm old? :-)

I think it may also have to do with my adding a tonneau cover to my pickup.
Before that, simply lowering the tailgate made life easier.

"FREDO" wrote in message
.. .
Does anyone still have all those fine old ramp stories circulating on here
about a year or two back?
The best was the one about Bubba and his 300 HP racing merc OB and how he
pulled the tow vehicle into the lake with it!
Fredo

Fredo,
It took only two sentences to give me a great laugh! The imagery is
excellent.
Thanks

"Doug Kanter" wrote in message
...
"Genius? Not!" wrote in message
...

Someone mentioned somewhere that I should back in enough to get the bunks
wet, then pull forward until ...; it's the until that I haven't figured
out yet.


It's different with every boat/trailer combination, as well as the slant
of the ramp and the shape of the hull. My boat's small, and the hull's not
a deep V. On a steep ramp, if I put too much trailer in the water, the
boat doesn't contact the bunks until it's 90% on the trailer, at which
point it's probably not sitting straight relative to the trailer, due to
wind or whatever. The boat's light enough that I after I pull away from
the ramp, I can shove the boat into position just by lifting it, but
that's just so un-stylish. :-)

Then, there are the ramp demons. I'll launch & pull out 50 times in a row,
getting everything perfect. And then, the 51st time, on a day with no
wind, no rush to get out of the next guy's way, no beer in the captain,
same ramp as always, and everything turns to crap and it's like I'm a
blind man trying to steer the truck with one toe while being shot at AND
swarmed by bees. Ramp demons are the only explanation.


I thought ramp demons were the unsupervised kids that walk right in front of
or right behind the truck or boat where they can't be seen until it becomes
a close call.

"Genius? Not!" wrote in message
m...

"Doug Kanter" wrote in message
...
"Genius? Not!" wrote in message
...

Someone mentioned somewhere that I should back in enough to get the
bunks wet, then pull forward until ...; it's the until that I haven't
figured out yet.


It's different with every boat/trailer combination, as well as the slant
of the ramp and the shape of the hull. My boat's small, and the hull's
not a deep V. On a steep ramp, if I put too much trailer in the water,
the boat doesn't contact the bunks until it's 90% on the trailer, at
which point it's probably not sitting straight relative to the trailer,
due to wind or whatever. The boat's light enough that I after I pull away
from the ramp, I can shove the boat into position just by lifting it, but
that's just so un-stylish. :-)

Then, there are the ramp demons. I'll launch & pull out 50 times in a
row, getting everything perfect. And then, the 51st time, on a day with
no wind, no rush to get out of the next guy's way, no beer in the
captain, same ramp as always, and everything turns to crap and it's like
I'm a blind man trying to steer the truck with one toe while being shot
at AND swarmed by bees. Ramp demons are the only explanation.


I thought ramp demons were the unsupervised kids that walk right in front
of or right behind the truck or boat where they can't be seen until it
becomes a close call.

Oh yeah...them, too. And their parents, 50 feet behind, feeding pickles and
french fries to the ducks. One of the ramps I use a lot has a serious design
flaw: 3 burger & ice cream joints a half a block away. Lots of pedestrians
who come to slurp an ice cream cone and pretend they don't notice the
trailers. My son and I initiated a new thing last week - we trying to see if
tapping the horn can make anyone drop their ice cream cone. :-)

"HarryKrause" wrote in message
...
Doug Kanter wrote:
"Genius? Not!" wrote in message
m...
"Doug Kanter" wrote in message
...
"Genius? Not!" wrote in message
...

Someone mentioned somewhere that I should back in enough to get the
bunks wet, then pull forward until ...; it's the until that I haven't
figured out yet.

It's different with every boat/trailer combination, as well as the
slant of the ramp and the shape of the hull. My boat's small, and the
hull's not a deep V. On a steep ramp, if I put too much trailer in the
water, the boat doesn't contact the bunks until it's 90% on the
trailer, at which point it's probably not sitting straight relative to
the trailer, due to wind or whatever. The boat's light enough that I
after I pull away from the ramp, I can shove the boat into position
just by lifting it, but that's just so un-stylish. :-)

Then, there are the ramp demons. I'll launch & pull out 50 times in a
row, getting everything perfect. And then, the 51st time, on a day with
no wind, no rush to get out of the next guy's way, no beer in the
captain, same ramp as always, and everything turns to crap and it's
like I'm a blind man trying to steer the truck with one toe while being
shot at AND swarmed by bees. Ramp demons are the only explanation.

I thought ramp demons were the unsupervised kids that walk right in
front of or right behind the truck or boat where they can't be seen
until it becomes a close call.

Oh yeah...them, too. And their parents, 50 feet behind, feeding pickles
and french fries to the ducks. One of the ramps I use a lot has a serious
design flaw: 3 burger & ice cream joints a half a block away. Lots of
pedestrians who come to slurp an ice cream cone and pretend they don't
notice the trailers. My son and I initiated a new thing last week - we
trying to see if tapping the horn can make anyone drop their ice cream
cone. :-)


At the Beach Boulevard public ramp in Jacksonville, FL, if you're really
lucky, after you've made sure the ramp is clear and you start backing down
your rig, some yahoo in a jetski will pull right into the base of the ramp
on his boat so he can chat with the three jetskiers chatting at the base
of the adjacent ramp. There's a really good chance you'll be able to prong
one of his earrings with your lower unit or, if the gods are really with
you, push that lower unit right through the jetski.

Note, please, that up here in the mid-Atlantic, jetskis aren't much of a
bother, but in NE Florida, they're worse than no-see-ums.

Some communities here in the Finger Lakes are really grinding their heels
into the jet ski nonsense. The local news two weeks back included an
interview with the sheriff, who said they're going to be pulling people over
(mostly jet skis, but also boats) and "advising" them that the 200 foot
no-wake rule should be interpreted to mean 500 to 1000 feet, especially
around anchored boats, since it's absolutely no inconvenience to allow the
extra space. I think the county's trying to change the law, but I missed the
first 20 seconds of that news story.

I see boats all the time without tie down straps in the rear here in FL.
I guess some people just don't know they should have them. I once saw
a smaller boat shift when it hit a small bump at highway speeds.

Mine came without them so I trailered it directly to Outdoor World (1-2
miles) and picked up a pair. The total bill was well over $500.00 but
it was a *new* boat.

Dan

lars wrote:
for providing good free entertainment at the local launch ramp. Last
trip to the beach (4th of July week) we actually went and parked next to
the ramp while we ate lunch (a couple of short spaces are reserved just
for spectators :) ). Geez, you could charge admission.

Swampings, boats drifting off, rammings, dunkings, all in an hour's time.

To start off, some guy with the whole family and grandma too parked his
behomoth pickup right at the dock, blocking the swing-in path for those
loading and unloading, just so the family could fish from the dock and
have a cooler handy in the pickup bed. I was amazed that no one
complained to the guy - it resulted in all sorts of crazy gyrations and
wild backing from those trying to get in and out.

It went downhill from there...

We've got the routine down pretty well after 20 years of trailering, but
we still make the boneheaded move now and again. That very 4th of July
week I got home (only a few miles) after an outing and realized I hadn't
put the tie down strap on the back. Fortunately the boat didn't go
airborne going over the bump leaving the parking lot (well, I don't
think it did ;) ).

So I'd like to say it gets easier with experience, but...

Lars

On Fri, 29 Jul 2005 00:06:48 +0000, Dan Krueger wrote:

I see boats all the time without tie down straps in the rear here in FL.
I guess some people just don't know they should have them. I once saw
a smaller boat shift when it hit a small bump at highway speeds.

I was saw a relatively large, for a trailer boat, sitting in the middle of
an intersection in downtown Miami. I don't know the specifics, but
someone had a Big Ouch Day.

I haven't noticed, but most trailers here are solid bunks.

Dan

HarryKrause wrote:

thunder wrote:

On Fri, 29 Jul 2005 00:06:48 +0000, Dan Krueger wrote:

I see boats all the time without tie down straps in the rear here in FL.
I guess some people just don't know they should have them. I once saw
a smaller boat shift when it hit a small bump at highway speeds.


I was saw a relatively large, for a trailer boat, sitting in the
middle of
an intersection in downtown Miami. I don't know the specifics, but
someone had a Big Ouch Day.


I'd bet 99% of these are boats on roller bunk trailers.