Boat ramp mishap

[ibbo]

Yesterday we launched our boat at a brisbane boat ramp and whilst standing with boat in the water after lauching i heard a big thump and scrapeing noise - turned around and saw a 6-6.5m center console half off its trailer on the ramp held up only by its motor which was down :-?

They had unhooked it whilst getting everything else ready for their trip so it was just sitting on its rollers and when they backed it down the ramp it slid off the trailer :(

Apparantly the bloke not driving the vehicle should have had hold of it by its rope - now im no einstien but would he have held it on the trailer even if he did have hold of the rope?

They had to unplug their battery in the boat to power the electric winch, then myself and 3 other blokes held up the back of the boat while the driver (who by the way was still p!!sed off with his mate for not holding he rope)winched her back up on the trailer.

Now that could have been a lot worse than it was. So i wondered what other stories does anyone have of mishaps or idiots on boat ramps.

We ended up drifting the river and picked up a nice feed of good size whiting in the end.

Cheers

IBBO

[TheSaint]

Remember seeing in Trailer boat a cat on it's belly halfway up the Tweed ramp because of the same thing..

[bidkev]

Mmmmmmmmm??? ;D Deja vus thread.

I vaguely remember a thread once regarding boaties being too slow in their ramp preparation. ::) It was suggested that time could be gained if the chain was removed before backing down. Someone ::) ;) argued that this was an unsafe method and could lead to the results shown here as the winch alone may not be able to hold the rig if for some reason the brakes had to be applied sharply.......led to a fair old bunfight and I got some cream on my face ;D

Seen this happen a few times and I don't care how many frustrated boaties are waiting, the winch and chain on my rig stay on till it's in the water..........unfortunately, sometimes, so do the rear straps ;D

Good on yer Ibbo for lending a hand, but with regards to the other bloke.....Good on him for not holding on to the rope.........a 6.5 could've fair dragged him down the ramp. I'm surprised at the "mistake" that prevented the boat from going further? :o ::) What the hell is the prop doing down anyway? :o

kev

[Great_White]

Can't be happy with that :(

Peter.

[-spiro-]

i think most of my deckies think i am mad putting the safty chain on or undoing it once ive backed my trailer in. For the couple of seconds i think it is worth while doing it that way. 8-) the fella you spoke of would have to be a twit in the first place for undoing the winch ::)

[Spaniard_King]

I would be mighty pissed if someone had asked me to hang onto the rope.. I would be ;D ;D ;D ;D at him ::)

For this very reason I have added an extra chain with an "S" hook which is on the boat till it hits the water. saves time and makes launching a safe and quick proceeduer

cheers

Garry

[blaze]

seen one of those stainless s hooks unfold on a ramp one day Garry, wasnt pretty. Never used to but these days I leave safety chain and winch both attached until the boat is ready to go.
cheers
blaze

[choppa]

;D ;D ;D ;D

hate to say this ,,,,,,,,but yep,,, been there

and no grog to blame,,,,,,,

late night,, no moon,,, choppa driving,, father in law throwing directions,,,

run the boat of the trailer mate,,,,,,,,,i did

%$@,,,,,,,,,

we didn't have the leg down


but the ramp was closed until next high tide ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D

[The_Walrus]

I've only got a 4M tinny and never undo the safety chains/winch cable untill I've backed down the ramp.

The way the safety chains are set up, I've got to push the boat back about 20 cms to get enough slack to remove them.

No way I'd be hanging on to a rope to hold a boat on it's trailer while it's being backed down the ramp.

Luc

[Hornblower]

Common sense aint that common any more eh?? ;) ;)

[Feral]

Why would you take off the chain? must save less than 30 seconds!

Holding onto the rope is easy enough, you just take a couple of turns around the winch stand, but you still run the risk if the boat tralier stops suddenly or what ever, of the holder either falling over or letting go of the rope (ramps can be awfully slippery) for the same result!

[MyEscape]

Well I've got only a 4.15 metre tinny, however I always keep the chain on until the trailer is backed into the water. I keep the chain "d" bolt tightened with some pliers while travelling on the road, however I lways loosen the d bolt prior to backing down the ramp, so it's a matter of undoing by hand once the boat is ready to launch.

Takes no time at all to undo, and certainly quicker than letting the boat slip off and onto the ramp.

Gee, it might be an upainted tinny, but it's mine so I like to look after it.

Steve

[StevenM]

Yikes, lucky it was a blowwy day and there would not have been too mant at the ramp

[jim_farrell]

OLd mate behind the wheel blew up at his mate because he couldn't admit he was wrong. :( Even funnier would've been if his mate was holding the rope, leg was up and he proceeded to get dragged head first across the trailor. );D ;D ;D
Now I know it would be obvious to let go of the rope, but how many times in different situations have you held a rope longer than you should. I can't be the only one who has got wet a couple of times, trodden on oysters or the best, formed a human arch between a marina and a large boat after the wind gets a hold of it.

[major-defect]

I keep the chain on now.The winch let go and dupped my 4.3m boat on the ramp.

[Spaniard_King]

seen one of those stainless s hooks unfold on a ramp one day Garry, wasnt pretty. Never used to but these days I leave safety chain and winch both attached until the boat is ready to go.
cheers
blaze


Hi Blaze, I am using 12mm of "S" hook so should be OK. havent tested it out yet ::) hopefully never will

cheers

Garry

[SunnyCoastMark]

Hey Guys,
I would say - looking at the photo - that the old boys aren't able to push the boat off the trailer themselves. So they resort to the dangerous practise of using inertia to launch the boat. ( ie; back down the ramp really quick - slam on the brakes) Hence old mate holding the rope.

Common sense would dictate if that were so - they have a safety chain that allows the boat to move back 2 or 3 feet, because as every one knows - once the boat moves a bit - it's easy.

But... as Hornblower said "commonsense aint to common no more"

Mark

[Smailesy]

the chain is always loosend but always atached 20 more seconds in peoples way can stop a bad accident

[bidkev]

Hey Guys,
I would say - looking at the photo - that the old boys aren't able to push the boat off the trailer themselves. So they resort to the dangerous practise of using inertia to launch the boat. ( ie; back down the ramp really quick - slam on the brakes) Hence old mate holding the rope.

Common sense would dictate if that were so - they have a safety chain that allows the boat to move back 2 or 3 feet, because as every one knows - once the boat moves a bit - it's easy.

But... as Hornblower said "commonsense aint to common no more"

Mark


Too true Mark........you only have to look at teenagers ;D

I have a 6.5 sea legend weighing in at over 2 ton and my deckie can launch it on her own so those blokes should be able to manage that. That said, whenever we are at ramps and see some strange setups and practices we must bear in mind that even irrespective of age, some of us aren't as able (physically or mentally) as others.

I get some strange looks when the deckie backs down, gets out of the 4by and unhooks the rig and pushes it off with me holding the (very long) painter, which has a few turns round the winch pole. Occasionaly, depending on the ramp, I have to drive off, but I don't like this practice as I've caught my skeg in the past when it's dropped off at a steep ramp........too steep an angle tends to drop the stern into the water too much. I have to admit that if it weren't for the deckie double checking and being so able (tomboy) ;D I would come to grief more often..........the old grey matter doesn't work as well as it once did ::) ;D

kev

[Fafnir]

How embarressing. I actually feel a bit sorry for them. Sure trying to get your mate to hold the weight of the boat by the rope is stupid, but boat ramps can be daunting, given the lack of patience shown by some people. There can be a lot of pressure when ramps are busy, so if you're not the worlds best at reversing a trailer, I can understand that some people might develope some bad habits to try and speed things up, in order to avoid coping a mouthful.

[Murks]

whats it take to undo the chain when your in the water...5-10 seconds...sounds too me thats not a lot of time to give when safety is the ULTIMATE concern
I NEVER take my chain off untill I'm ready to push the boat off, and if I take that extra bit longer and someone wants to whinge at me then thats fine by me
Safe Boating
Murks

[hot_spottie]

held up only by its motor which was down :-?

OH NO!!!!!! how much damage was it?
maximus 8-)

[S_Bend]

I agree - leave the chain on. Only takes a few seconds. I've got a 6m Sea Jay and would hate to see it on its belly like that.

[blaze]

Hi Gary
the bugger that straighened out was either 10 or 12 mm, 20 foot glass boat.
cheers
blaze

[MJR71]

I reckon the bloke who was driving had no one to blame but himself. If it's his rig he is responsible for it. What's the point of getting up his mate when he should know better than to put him in that situation in the first place. I have a 5.5 mtr fibreglass 1/2 cab weighing plenty and I dont take off the winch or safety chains untill the handbrake is on in the car and we are ready to launch.
Makes sense to me

Mark

[familyman]

I agree with mjr ,my winch cable and safety chain stay on till the sterns in the drink.The only thing is I always just crack off the shacke pin when prepping the boat in the car park.Nothing worse than running around trying to find pliers or something to loosen the pin while traffic builds up :-[
Also who uses a turnbuckle to hold the bow instead of winch tension?
cheers jon

[flatstrap]

Everyone should work out their launch and recovery procedure that applies to their boat. Once that process has been decided, do not digress. Make sure that the skipper is in charge and delegates duties to people that know the process. If necessary, brief the crew beforehand. Do not allow pressure from other ramp users to shortcut your procedure. If you are taking too long to launch, you might have to refine your launch procedure.

On inertia launching. I launch my 7m cat that way. Here's my system. I prep the boat as for a normal launch. The chain is left on and a long painter is attached from the bow roller to the back end of the trailer. The excess is coiled neatly on the front deck. I back the whole rig down to the water's edge. This ensures there's no pedestrian traffic (kids or dogs nearby). Look around. Then undo all restraints. All steady? Then drive up smoothly about 2-3 m up the ramp and roll back and whammo step on the brakes.

As the boat leaves the trailer, the painter uncoils and comes to the end, tension the rope and drive up the ramp slowly and catch your boat as it comes back to the ramp.

Walk the boat around to the sand, tie the painter to a tree or a mate and park your car.

Done. Safe boating...flatstrap

[mylestom]

Yeah takes all types.
We have had about three complete rigs Vehicle,Boat and Trailer all end up in the drink at Mylestom over the last couple of years. Believe the police have even booked them for neg driving.
Some people can't be told and really need a bit of education on boat ramp procedures but you can't teach commonsense.
If it a ramp that you have not launched at before. Talk to the locals in 95% of cases they will give the right information.
The idiots(and that being polite) always reckon they know better and will do stupid things no matter what.
Set up before going to ramp, have a look at the ramp. Don't learn to launch boat when its a busy time. Do your practice when its quite. Most important of all be thoughtful for other users of ramp and get on and off ramp as soon as possible.
Had some not very bright people the other day, who pulled boat up to launching ramp and then proceeded to clean fish at the cleaning table. Guess their time was more valuable then the other few boats waiting to use ramp.

Trev

[Dirtysanchez]

I agree with MJR, the bloke in the car has no one to blame but himself, how stupid coudl you be expecting a mate to hang onto a piece of rope with that sized boat ?

Yes, as the majority say, leave the chain on til you are in the water, no worries there
That is unless your shackle has rusted.. I have had to lend my can of WD40 to a bozo once who used his boat maybe twice a year and was standing there swearing etc etc because he could not undo the shackle. A squirt of WD and some pliers and he was happy again.

Sigh, is this what the ageing process does to you ? so much to look fwd to :D

[jim_farrell]

"Walk the boat around to the sand, tie the painter to a tree or a mate and park your car."
Flatstrap, thats a bit harsh isn't it. ;D ;D ;D

[bidkev]

<snip>
Sigh, is this what the ageing process does to you ? so much to look fwd to :D

That's not what my deckie says.........she's 12 yrs younger ;) ;D

kev

[ibbo]

held up only by its motor which was down :-?

OH NO!!!!!! how much damage was it?
maximus 8-)

Not a lot of damage done - by the looks of it I think it had happened before

I think they were trying to save time by the way the had the same battery for winch and running of boat :-?

Most boaties would rather them take an extra couple of mins on ramp than damage a boat and hold up ramp indefinately

Cheers

IBBO

[flatstrap]

Flick:
What's the point in having a crew if you can't treat them cruel but fair?

Cheers...flatstrap

[F1SH_BOY]

wow cant be happy wit dat :o :-? :-/

[Dunks]

My brother managed to pin my dad between the boat and the ramp wall one time. Dad ended up having a couple of days in hospital, and my brother managed to run his own foot over with his car :-[ Got out half way down ramp to check bungs were in and instead of getting back in car properly decided to half sit half walk backwards whilst having foot on brake, slipped on some mud and the rest is history as they say. Boat/trailer jacknifed and pinned dad and bro ran over his foot. It was just a silly decision on the day that he made. We all have brain farts every now and then.

Both made a full recovery.

[Dirtysanchez]

Bloody hell Dunks !! thats outrageous.
Worst I've seen was this old bloke dropped his son at the wharf to go grab the car & back the trailer down etc, then pops proceeded to the ramp and just kept on driving the boat despite the BANG that emitted from the GRP hull which hit the concrete ramp at oh I suppose 8 knots !

Fark, I ran over and pushed it back and yelled to pops to kill the motor.. then the son arrived and looked at me as if to say "who are you and why are you touching my boat?"

To which I simply walked away and thought, you'll see when she is on the trailer ########