Dock Ramp Ediquitte

Back to Dock Ramp Ediquitte :smt101 or you can start a new topic about how you missed each other :huh:
 
We love to end our weekend days on the lake floating safely outside the war zone watching folks load up or off at the boat ramp. It's hours of entertainment.:grin:

When we use to trailer our boats, we had no choice but to power load. There were always so many nuts racing around the ramp making wakes it was impossible to float on. I am so very glad I have not had to trailer a boat in several years but I love to watch the show.

If anyone is on Allatoona, go by the blockhouse ramp and watch the fireworks. You'll see anything from the completely helpless, to actual fistfights. It's an amazing comedy of errors.:lol:
 
All I can think when I see power loading is one small slip, one wrong judgement, one horsefly bite on the captains arm and you crash your $20,000 (+++++) boat into your $20,000 (++++) vehicle -
 
This is a great list!
And it is very true how easy loading and unloading is, yet some people just can't seem to figure it out.
At the ramp I use there is only room for two boats at time to launch at a time. What always happens is the Captain is also the only person in the group that can drive the truck and the boat so they tie the boat off in the middle of ramp and their group just sits in the boat. I can't stand it.
 
210SRnick said:
This is a great list!
And it is very true how easy loading and unloading is, yet some people just can't seem to figure it out.
At the ramp I use there is only room for two boats at time to launch at a time. What always happens is the Captain is also the only person in the group that can drive the truck and the boat so they tie the boat off in the middle of ramp and their group just sits in the boat. I can't stand it.
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That's why i always like to boat with someone who can either drive the truck or drive the boat.

Drop whoever is driving the truck off at the dock and head back out leaving enough room to let others do what they need to do until my truck is ready.
 
210SRnick said:
Thank god someone else realizes how simple it is too. It amazes me how many fellow boats cant seem to figure it out.
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While I appreciate that you have people who can do that, my truck is a standard and I just dont have many people i can trust with a standard on a ramp, let alone flat ground. From the time I tie off to the time Im on the trailer is 5 minutes, way less than most people seem to use to stow their gear and wait for their families to waddle down and jump on the boat. Do I hurry? Yes. Do I feel bad that no one can drive my truck? No, thats just how it is.
 
mvoellinger said:
While I appreciate that you have people who can do that, my truck is a standard and I just dont have many people i can trust with a standard on a ramp, let alone flat ground. From the time I tie off to the time Im on the trailer is 5 minutes, way less than most people seem to use to stow their gear and wait for their families to waddle down and jump on the boat. Do I hurry? Yes. Do I feel bad that no one can drive my truck? No, thats just how it is.
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I would say that it depends on the launch as well. The local one i use all the time has the parking lot across a busy street. 20+ years ago this area was "up north" to most metro detroiters so traffic wasn't an issue. Now its a freakin nightmare. :smt013 You've got to dodge cars running across the street then you've got to fight traffic and hope someone being nice stops and lets you cross the street with your truck and trailer. It takes like 10/15 minutes to get across the street and backed into the water. With only two ramps it gets really agravating when you don't have 2 people who know what their doing.

It all depends on the launch and how quickly you can get to your truck then back to the ramp.

Worse case senario it would be a good idea for you to teach someone how to use your boat in case of an emergency. If you get hurt and can't drive to shore it will help you out greatly.


EDIT: The fun ones are when we have to float boat hoist's to customers houses. That's a good way to burn up a 20/30 minutes at the ramp and really piss people off. But hey, you gotta do what you gotta do lol.
 
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I am amazed that the carpet covered wooden guides on the side of the trailer are not that popular (see attatchment) (why is my picture sooooooo small???)

I sympathise with people that do not have these attatchments, been there done that. And I love the carpet covered planks vs the rollers. Some landings have enough room for 4 trucks but only 2 go at a time because there is a single dock in the middle. 4 boats could easilly get launched at a time instead of 2.

When there is a line I inform driver number 1 and 2 in line that i don't need the dock. With the boat loaded with everyone and gear, I then pull infront of everyone and back down the edge without any docks. back down the ramp and stop with the boat 1/2 in the water the driver unhooks the boat. backs down some more and then I start her up. back up a little more and boat floats off the trailer and get out of everyone's way. as the truck driver finishes parking and is walking down the ramp i'm beginning my approach to the end of the dock nose first, he steps into the boat and we back out of there. Usually before the other two hooking up get finished.

On the way in i unload the truck driver the same way. pull ahead of everyone and hug the side backing down, while i'm on final approach in the boat the trailer is just about in the water. i get a kick out of timing when the trailer is in far enough the boat is about to land on the trailer just as the truck stops. as soon as the boat comes to a stop on the trailer i give her a little boost with the throttle and the boat is easy to hook. engine off, click goes the hook and a few cranks later boat is secured and we pull out and a good distance from the ramp and we unload. The trailer is in the water for about 30 seconds loading and unloading.

basically no-one has to wait for us to launch or unlaunch, we are never in anyones way. Since we aren't in anyone's way when we are on the ramp we always help the person next to us when they are struggling with their boat and trailer, before we pull our trailer out of the water.

Sometimes it may be frustrating to see someone not allowing the flow of traffic to move smoothly, but i'm sure they are not knowingly being in anyone's way and I don't get irritated, i just drive around them and wave and say "have a good day" I have to launch my boat 20 to 30 times a year to enjoy the water and nothing is worth getting that frustrated that often.

But that is in Middle of nowhere ND. We have an enormous ramp that is practically unused. Will prob be a little different now that we live in minneapolis. Where I came from 2 cars at a 4way stop was a traffic jam :) If there was 2 boats launching at the same time we had to wait FOREVER!!!! haha! it's all relative to where you live! ha!

All you guys have beatiful pictures of nice boats, sand landings????? asphalt landings???? WTF!!!!!

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I was just out yesterday and waited 30 min to use the one boat at a time launch at one of the local lakes here.
Saw a great fight in the process as a husband was yelling at his wife but it is amazing how many people can't put a boat on their trailer. I think calming down is needed for a lot of people around this area.
 
How about "If your boat won't start, either pull it back out of the water or unload it and move it to a spot that's out of the way on the dock to work on it". Had this one this past weekend, but the guy did move, just took him about 5 - 10 minutes to do so.
 
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