Thought I'd seen it all at the ramp...
08-08-2007, 08:37 PM
#72
Registered
Join Date: Jun 2005
Location: Cape Coral
Posts: 442
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
YUP!!! Almost sounds like the time I paid a 'professional' to transport a 24' poc from being blocked up at my house to the ramp for it's launch back into the water, the coupler on his trailer parted as we rounded a sharp curve, we (three of us) chase the boat and trailer down the street to try and stop it before it hits something......... no damage, we hook it back up and finish the trip to the ramp with me standing on the tongue hoping it does not come apart again. Launch boat, did NOT pay for the transport..........
08-08-2007, 08:37 PM
#73
www.Bajaboatowners.com
Platinum Member
Join Date: May 2005
Location: Knoxville TN
Posts: 903
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
My favorite all time ramp blooper. Bill Dance is the man!!
"Ain't that a fine Howdy do"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OvAHYR5DnZE
"Ain't that a fine Howdy do"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OvAHYR5DnZE
Gold Member
08-09-2007, 09:26 PM
#76
Platinum Member
Platinum Member
Not really a ramp story but close....a couple of weeks ago going through a town Va pulling the boat with my family on vacation, I realize I missed a turn. I go a ways and take the next turn to get back on track and end up in a less than desirable neighborhood. When I get to next stop sign I can see the street I need to be on about 500 yards away across a railroad track. I pull up to the track and it has a sign showing a drawing of a semi truck with a trailer bottomed out on the track. I look at the track and think about having to back through the neighbor"hood" and decide to go for it. Sure enough the trailer bottoms out. Put the truck (07 F250 diesel) in reverse and the tires start spinning. Put the truck in 4wd and all tires start spinning. At this point the wife starts freaking. I'm like "calm down whats the chance a train is going to come". Lowlock still no luck. Put truck in forward and start turning the front wheels and finally start moving and basically plow the pavement with the trailer. Once across the track I get out to see if the trailer is damaged. It wasn't 45 seconds and the lights and bells start up for an oncoming train that turned out to be a fast moving Amtrack. I thanked my lucky stars and then caught hell for the next two hours.
08-13-2007, 04:33 PM
#78
Registered
VIP Member
Join Date: Jul 2003
Location: Mt Juliet, TN
Posts: 2,159
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
So I always wanted a Miami Vice Boat since I was a kid (I'm only 30 now 
I started out with a little 21 foot wannabe scarab here in Southern California and unlike all my friends that go to Havasu...I go to the Ocean. California people hate the saltwater but anyways....the 20+ mile jaunt to Catalina Island really called for a larger boat so after a few months I decided this is something I really want to keep doing I buy a 34' Scarab III from a guy that has alot more money than I do. He kept the boat in his slip in front of his house in Hunington Beach and kept the trailer at the marina. Its obvious the trailer wasn't important to him, really obvious. The coupler was all messed up, the safety cables were coming apart and full of rust, flat tires, brakes made all kinds of scraping noises, jack didnt work, etc. So I was lucky enough to inherit the spot at the marina since I really don't have a good tow vehicle. My Range Rover was great for towing it around the marina and launching, however neither the Range Rover or the trailer would make it beyond the marina. So its a public access ramp there as well and it's a holiday weekend and I have family and friends coming for a ride on the new boat. I arrive 30 minutes early to launch. Done it probably 15 times by myself with no troubles. Everyone stares because 1) this big boat is really nice, 2) my tralier is a POS and very noisy, 3) I am pulling a 34 foot scarab with a tiny old Range Rover..so the whole draws alot of attention. There are 3 ramps. 2 that everyone uses and 1 nobody uses because of logs and debris in the water. Oh did I mention I didn't think I needed the safety cables because I don't want a tetnus shot and I am only going about 50yds away.... So I started to line it up in ramp #2 with everyone else. It was busy and I figured I had gotten pretty good and fast at this so Ill squeeze in between a couple of these other people...and suddenly I thought you know...lets go over to this ****ty ramp #3 by myself where nobody else is...I really dont trust this trailer, so I pull forward to re-align for the different ramp and the trailer with the 34 foot 10k lb boat pops off of the hitch and takes off all by itself through the marina. I don't know how fast it was going but it looked like it was going about 50 mph....I watched with amazement thinking to myself "I have to do something" and then I realized "what the hell could I possibly do?" Nothing...I watched my boat that seemed to be going so fast, however it all seemed to transpire in slow mo....it started to turn about halfway down the ramp and I thought its gonna go sideways and roll over in the ramp, but it didnt it straightened itself back out and went right into the water, people were jumping out of the way....it was like something from a John Candy movie. I can't begin to tell you how embarassing it was. The boat stopped right where it should and the toungue of the trailer was sticking up out of the water, I backed down, tied up the boat to the dock, 2 guys came over and helped me throw the trailer back on and I was on my way....but talk about embarassing. It sucks to be new with boats....take it easy on the idiots at the ramp, we have all been there, some of us just had better luck then others. Oh by the way, I now understand that safety chains aren't just for the open road.
I can laugh now...thank god nobody got killed or hurt!
I started out with a little 21 foot wannabe scarab here in Southern California and unlike all my friends that go to Havasu...I go to the Ocean. California people hate the saltwater but anyways....the 20+ mile jaunt to Catalina Island really called for a larger boat so after a few months I decided this is something I really want to keep doing I buy a 34' Scarab III from a guy that has alot more money than I do. He kept the boat in his slip in front of his house in Hunington Beach and kept the trailer at the marina. Its obvious the trailer wasn't important to him, really obvious. The coupler was all messed up, the safety cables were coming apart and full of rust, flat tires, brakes made all kinds of scraping noises, jack didnt work, etc. So I was lucky enough to inherit the spot at the marina since I really don't have a good tow vehicle. My Range Rover was great for towing it around the marina and launching, however neither the Range Rover or the trailer would make it beyond the marina. So its a public access ramp there as well and it's a holiday weekend and I have family and friends coming for a ride on the new boat. I arrive 30 minutes early to launch. Done it probably 15 times by myself with no troubles. Everyone stares because 1) this big boat is really nice, 2) my tralier is a POS and very noisy, 3) I am pulling a 34 foot scarab with a tiny old Range Rover..so the whole draws alot of attention. There are 3 ramps. 2 that everyone uses and 1 nobody uses because of logs and debris in the water. Oh did I mention I didn't think I needed the safety cables because I don't want a tetnus shot and I am only going about 50yds away.... So I started to line it up in ramp #2 with everyone else. It was busy and I figured I had gotten pretty good and fast at this so Ill squeeze in between a couple of these other people...and suddenly I thought you know...lets go over to this ****ty ramp #3 by myself where nobody else is...I really dont trust this trailer, so I pull forward to re-align for the different ramp and the trailer with the 34 foot 10k lb boat pops off of the hitch and takes off all by itself through the marina. I don't know how fast it was going but it looked like it was going about 50 mph....I watched with amazement thinking to myself "I have to do something" and then I realized "what the hell could I possibly do?" Nothing...I watched my boat that seemed to be going so fast, however it all seemed to transpire in slow mo....it started to turn about halfway down the ramp and I thought its gonna go sideways and roll over in the ramp, but it didnt it straightened itself back out and went right into the water, people were jumping out of the way....it was like something from a John Candy movie. I can't begin to tell you how embarassing it was. The boat stopped right where it should and the toungue of the trailer was sticking up out of the water, I backed down, tied up the boat to the dock, 2 guys came over and helped me throw the trailer back on and I was on my way....but talk about embarassing. It sucks to be new with boats....take it easy on the idiots at the ramp, we have all been there, some of us just had better luck then others. Oh by the way, I now understand that safety chains aren't just for the open road.I can laugh now...thank god nobody got killed or hurt!
SB, that is some serously funny chit since no one was hurt. The difference between you and most dummies at the ramp is that hopefully you will only do it once.....the rest of them do the same butt moves over and over again.
08-13-2007, 05:04 PM
#79
www.Bajaboatowners.com
Platinum Member
Join Date: May 2005
Location: Knoxville TN
Posts: 903
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
08-13-2007, 05:15 PM
#80
I attended a small/local poker run this weekend here in VA; with about 25 boats or so. We had all come in to the lunch stop and just got tied up.
Along come two guys with about a 30' Checkmate in tow. They spent about 40 minutes parked in front of the ramp. (Thank goodness no one was waiting.) They take the cover off, remove the tie downs, install wind-deflectors on top of the windshield, load 2 coolers and then 3 cases of beer, and a host of other stuff.
Then, JUST before that back down into the water, one of them STARTS each motor DRY, and lets it run for 5 seconds or so!!! We could not believe it! We were all ROLLING IN LAUGHTER. About 30 minutes later, he pulls up to where we are docked, and asks "when are you guys leaving, and where are you headed?" Someone else in our group piped up and told him complete opposite of where we were headed for the next stop. It was quite comical, and everyone agreed we did not want this guy near us on the water.
Along come two guys with about a 30' Checkmate in tow. They spent about 40 minutes parked in front of the ramp. (Thank goodness no one was waiting.) They take the cover off, remove the tie downs, install wind-deflectors on top of the windshield, load 2 coolers and then 3 cases of beer, and a host of other stuff.
Then, JUST before that back down into the water, one of them STARTS each motor DRY, and lets it run for 5 seconds or so!!! We could not believe it! We were all ROLLING IN LAUGHTER. About 30 minutes later, he pulls up to where we are docked, and asks "when are you guys leaving, and where are you headed?" Someone else in our group piped up and told him complete opposite of where we were headed for the next stop. It was quite comical, and everyone agreed we did not want this guy near us on the water.
