Public Boat Ramps

spfortjohn

spfortjohn

New Member
Jul 31, 2011
640
Orange Beach, AL
Boat Info
2014 219FS Keywest CC
Engines
F200 Yamaha Outboard
Well I took the Searay back to the beach for the season. Had to launch at the public ramp as my dad had our parking space at our condo ramp. Well I pulled into the line for one of the 4 ramps got lined up to launch and a boat is sitting at the dock preventing me from launching. I ask them if they are about to pull away so I can launch they said that they are waiting on someone who is running late. I gave them the WTF look and moved over to another lane. Well went to back in and another boat was tied up at that ramp. They were looking for their CAT. I said what they said the cat jumped out of the boat and took off across the parking lot. Who takes a cat on a boat? I thought they did not like water.

I almost lost it but cooler heads prevailed and i moved over to another lane and launched and had a great day.

The boat is safe in the dry stack for the season. No more public ramps for me for a while..
 
What morons!! Sorry you had to deal with "stupid" when launching. That is one reason why I couldn't own a trailerable boat. I couldn't keep cool as you did my friend. Kudos to you!!
 
We sometimes anchor near the ramp for entertainment.
 
Yeah you definitely see all kinds at the ramp. I try to get there as early as possible and sometimes load at dusk or later if its just a day trip to avoid the crazies at all costs. Last year, a guy and his brand new Grady was backing in and got the rig so sideways that he blocked all three lanes and then just screamed at his wife because i guess it was all her fault. I love those guys.
 
People give the same consideration and courtesy to one another at boat ramps as they do on the highways.............driving 10/20 miles over the speedlimit and tailgating has become the accepted way to dirve! I've seen many people bring their boats to the ramp to do maintenance and testing...never getting them off the trailer.
 
This is the very reason I rack store and avoid MOST of the drama of people putting their boats in....most of us who rack store know that once they put your boat in the water, you should have everyting set to put on the boat so you can free up the dock. And of course the same should apply when backing in to have your boat pulled. There are the idiots who think they should have all the time in the world......like no one else matters. Same goes for people who launch their boats....inconsiderate.....and if you were to do that they'd be the first to complain.
 
Hey, Hey, Take it easy with the CAT comments, I LOVE cats, .....I just can't eat a whole one by myself!!!! jsut take comfort in knowing that while they were mucking things up at the ramp, you were out on your boat, and it's still MARCH!!!! Go enjoy.
 
I remember waiting 30 minutes for somebody that threw keys and missed there buddy. Never did find them.
 
When putting my trailer in the water a guy shored his jet ski on the back of my empty trailer while he was talking to his buddy putting in his boat on the next ramp.while this was all going on I look out at wife wife who has a big grin on her face because she is slowly coming up behind him with are 21 ft. Baja.about the time she was going to touch him with the bow I told him he might went to move.when he give me the mind your own business look my wife bumped him and then he fell off the jet ski.he seemed to be mad that I was laughing at him .
 
dvx216 said:
When putting my trailer in the water a guy shored his jet ski on the back of my empty trailer while he was talking to his buddy putting in his boat on the next ramp.while this was all going on I look out at wife wife who has a big grin on her face because she is slowly coming up behind him with are 21 ft. Baja.about the time she was going to touch him with the bow I told him he might went to move.when he give me the mind your own business look my wife bumped him and then he fell off the jet ski.he seemed to be mad that I was laughing at him .
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Oh...I could have had so much more fun with that!
 
We have two types of public boat ramps around here. Freshwater and Saltwater. The freshwater ramps are packed full of the rookies and sprinkled with the experienced. I trailer our boat all the time so we use the boat around 125 hours a year and normally are at the boat launch every weekend between April 15th and Oct 15th, then it's every other weekend or maybe every 3 (except this past winter, 0). Anyway what we find in the 2-3 times we go to a freshwater ramp are those that are just out to play on the lake for the day and they don't seem to have a clue to the normal etiquette of the ramp. Pull off the to side or prepare at home with your cooler, sun umbrellas, noodles, lifevests, etc and be ready to go at the ramp. If you're waiting for friends, get out of the way.
I am much more patient and helpful now at the freshwater ramps and try to educate rather than scold to show them how it's suppose to go.

The saltwater ramps seem to have more experienced boaters that have their stuff together, know how to get prepped either before or while waiting in the ramp line. There are the occasional Clampett's that are hauling all sorts of stuff from the truck to the boat, after they've launched and while it's sitting on the ramp dock. I'm not as patient with them as there is limited space and a line of boats waiting to get. I'll usually let them know, "hey next time, have all of that gear in the boat before you launch, because all of us behind you are waiting to get in".

Ramps can be entertaining for sure, and it seems none are them same. It's like going to a grocery store or shopping center parking lot sometimes. You'll see all kinds.
 
Nehalennia said:
We have two types of public boat ramps around here. Freshwater and Saltwater. The freshwater ramps are packed full of the rookies and sprinkled with the experienced. I trailer our boat all the time so we use the boat around 125 hours a year and normally are at the boat launch every weekend between April 15th and Oct 15th, then it's every other weekend or maybe every 3 (except this past winter, 0). Anyway what we find in the 2-3 times we go to a freshwater ramp are those that are just out to play on the lake for the day and they don't seem to have a clue to the normal etiquette of the ramp. Pull off the to side or prepare at home with your cooler, sun umbrellas, noodles, lifevests, etc and be ready to go at the ramp. If you're waiting for friends, get out of the way.
I am much more patient and helpful now at the freshwater ramps and try to educate rather than scold to show them how it's suppose to go.

The saltwater ramps seem to have more experienced boaters that have their stuff together, know how to get prepped either before or while waiting in the ramp line. There are the occasional Clampett's that are hauling all sorts of stuff from the truck to the boat, after they've launched and while it's sitting on the ramp dock. I'm not as patient with them as there is limited space and a line of boats waiting to get. I'll usually let them know, "hey next time, have all of that gear in the boat before you launch, because all of us behind you are waiting to get in".

Ramps can be entertaining for sure, and it seems none are them same. It's like going to a grocery store or shopping center parking lot sometimes. You'll see all kinds.
Click to expand...

Same here. Our "public" salt ramps are very fast paced. With me and the Admiral, we can pull up, back in, off load, me park truck and hustle back to boat and pull off faster than it takes some to just back down!
 
floriduramax1 said:
same here. Our "public" salt ramps are very fast paced. With me and the admiral, we can pull up, back in, off load, me park truck and hustle back to boat and pull off faster than it takes some to just back down!
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SHOW-OFF :smt043


The ramp can be fun some days. In some folks defence, (me) we rarely launch at the same launch and only launched the 270 five times last year with no duplicates. We NEVER do the discourteous stuff but are not as fast as if we just went to the same place as we have to learn the best strategy for each ramp. Further difficulty is caused by the incredible variance in ramp design and features offered for tying off.
 
We have our launches down to an art and are quick. We prep in top of the parking lot out of the way where you are supposed to and then get the boat in the water. I have asked some people why they are holding up everyone on the ramp. They are not sure how to respond when asked how come they are doing this here and not at where they are supposed too. Some are embarrased and do better, some are idiots and will never change.
 
After 25 years with big boats, I just bought another trailer boat to use in Tennessee (what was I thinking!). We went to the lake last Saturday to run it and never made it to the water. I'm glad I'm retired since we decided that we don't need to be at the public ramps on a Corp of Engineer's lake on the weekend. It looked very much like those "Walmartian" photos folks email around........except there was a tot al absence of common sense.
 
I avoid the ramp on the weekends. If I do go on a weekend I get there before 7 AM and return around 3 or 4 PM. I also bring patience. I am usually alone so I have to tie up to park but instead of docking next to the ramp I tie up at the end of the dock. When I go to park another trailer can back in without waiting for me to get back to the boat. When I have someone with me to park the truck I am in and out within 1 minute.

Ramps frequented by anglers are often move much better than ramps frequented by Bayliner owners.
 
Last year I saw three boats launch including myself while some jackass in the other lane was loading all the crap from his truck onto the boat - Strapping the cooler to the swim platform as I motored away - What a dink. :(

LK
 
Boat ramps are cheap entertainment. Some beer and chips and I sit and watch the idiots from my bridge! It's great and a growing sport as now there are 4 boats that sit and watch.

'Life's hard. It's even harder when you're stupid!--John Wayne
 
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