Who's right
 

OK had a problem this weekend at the ramp at Leesalvainia state Park in Va. I was coming into the ramp and waited for the boat in front of me to load up then I pulled up and got out to get the trailer while the wife holds the boat. There was three vehicles with trailers in line so I passed them to retrieve my boat. Mine was at the front of the ramp. This guy said I jumped in front of him.I asked where was his boat he replied tied off on the other side of the ramp. I told him that my boat was first in line that I had to retrieve mine or nobody gets out. So who's right? If you have a boat tied to the opposite side of the ramp do I need to ask if they are loading or tied up to go get ice, snacks spending the night, or what ever. I thought it's always been the next boat ready to pull out not the next tow vehicle in line.

Re: Who's right
 

That's kind of a tough call. I can easily understand your point of view, and on the other hand if someone else has been waiting, I can understand his point of view. (geesh, I'm sounding like a politician here, barf barf barf).

Next time maybe ask just to show that YOU are being courteous. And at the same time point out politely they should be docked in position to retrieve their boats. There is also the possibility that when they arrived at the dock, perhaps the boat you were waiting on was waiting on another boat in front of them, and thus was docked where you pulled up, that you may have had no way of knowing.

For the most part, ramp etiquette sucks most of the time. And it's the "offshore" crowd who is always the most polite. Usually it's the fisherman who are the worst.

What sends me into oribit is when someone, on the ramp, decides to either completely load up or offload their boats. Do that in the parking lot.

Remember, basically, most people are totally stupid.

Re: Who's right
 

I go out of my way to be courteous and polite at the ramp. The docks are 150 feet and allows room to pull behind the boat in front of you hop out go get the trailer by that time the person in front of you has loaded your first mate pulls the boat to the front and the process starts over.

Re: Who's right
 

Forgot to mention there are two docks at this ramp and he was tied to the outside of the other ramp

Re: Who's right
 

Sounds to me like you did everything okay. If I saw someone tied up to the outside of the dock, I would figure they was waiting on someone.

I certainly did not, nor do I think you took it that way, to imply that you were not polite. The fact you posted this proves that you are. Russ

Re: Who's right
 

I guess my only problem would be that you blocked the ramp wile retreving your trailer. In my opinion you don't enter the ramp till your trailer is there. Thats how I have always done it.

Re: Who's right
 

mjmbodine, don't take this the wrong way but based on what I read you were not first here.

Roby

Re: Who's right
 

I think we all need to wait in line . If there are trailers there , they are waiting for something too . I know with my boat (VERY LARGE) I have to dock anywhere I can . Not directly in the way though . Even if I am at the front of the dock , I wait my turn . MY only problem is people with little boats should give you a little slack . I need to take the space of 2-3 little boats . and everytime 1 little one leaves, another little one jumps in there out of turn ,even though they see me sitting there waiting.

Re: Who's right
 

Well I will try to give my thoughts as best as possible.
Since I trailer mine everywhere I get a lot of this and that also :(
I truly feel that when returning to the launch whatever TRAILER is next in line goes.
NOT the boat in the water. Two reasons for this.
Drivers can drop someone off at the dock, back out and idle around to allow others to dock also. This should allow an even flow of unloading. Who ever is the better trailer driver gets the first in line. I have seen people take 15 minutes to get the trailer to the ramp :( Why should everyone else wait for this person?
Second reason, I do boat alone and I have to retrieve the trailer alone many times.
This in itself can prove to be hard with a 28' boat.
I dock the boat as far out of the way as possible. Reason, to allow others to dock and unload a person to retrieve their trailer.
When I am line I do NOT let anyone get in front of me. I have had people pull up to the ramp side of the dock and just sit there. They say they are next in line to pull out. No other boat was there. These DUMBA$$ES are the smaller boats who have no clue.
I have just backed the trailer in the water in front of them and state either they move, I or stay! They make the choice.
The reason why is the same as when you arrive at the ramp in the morning.
Just because a fisherman is coming back from his trip does NOT mean you should have to wait for him to load his boat up. Unless, of course, his trailer is in line before you.
A trailer in line, both dropping and retrieving is the way it 'should' be IMHO.

In your scenario maybe this guy was doing the same thing I do. Dock the boat, get the trailer, wait in line and load up.
Like someone else stated, ramp etiquette is hardly used. Let along proficiently enough for everyone to abide by it.
If someone gives me a better reason as to why they need to cut in front of line, then I will be glad to listen. But if they think that just because they are the next boat at the ramp, I disagree.
Sorry, just my thoughts :)

Re: Who's right
 

First come, first serve IMHO. In this case I would tend to agree with the other guy.
Just my 2 cents.


I have a ramp almost across the street from my house. The ramp and docking area is pretty small, but just big enough that a 40' Skater can lanch in/out of it, but there is only room to tie up one large boat or two small ones. The ramp sits in a narrow channel so only one boat can go to or from the ramp/dock at a time. Being the only ramp within 10 miles, it gets pretty busy on the weekends. I get so pissed at the end of the day when I'm tring to get a dock space so I can get my trailer and yet people keep showing up and sticking their boats in while I idle around. Sometimes I have to circle in front of the ramp for 1/2 an hour. Man I get pissed... I can feel blood pressure raising just thinking about it! The other thing that burns my azz is when there are no more parking spaces left, the jack-azz just pull onto our lawns... for some reason the trailers in front of my house get a lot of flat tires. :D


Anyway... first come, first serve.

Re: Who's right
 

If there are docks on the outside or near a ramp I tie up there, I never tie up and block a ramp. I tie up get the truck and get in line, or drop someone of and circle around. I think you were wrong

Re: Who's right
 

I agree 100% with MnFastBoat, the next trailer in line has right of way.

Re: Who's right
 

CUTTER :D

Re: Who's right
 

yup.

Re: Who's right
 

Mjmbodine
Not sure if their is a right or wrong. We trailer boat all over. It is whatever the practice at that ramp. In So MD. Everyone parks their boat on the pier at the ramp and then walks to get their trailer, its just the way its done their. When we go to Calvert Co. at the public ramp at the Benidict bridge. Its done the way that some of the others have said you park, and get you trailer and get in line and leave the ramp open for who ever is next.

Re: Who's right
 

The Marina I used to use all the time only had on ramp and was very, very busy on the weekends. They helped organize the who goes next problem by having the person that was collecting the launch fee direct traffic on a first come first serve basis.
Boiled down to get in line with your tow vehicle(launching or retrieving) when it was your turn you went. If there was someone in the way at the pier they had to move.

Re: Who's right
 

I have been to ramps that people know what is going on and otheres were they do not. As has been said it seems to change from place to place.

Essex Ma: When you come in the river is narrow. You have to come in and waite your turn. First boat in is the first one out. Most people there seem to have a clue and they get their boats in and out fairly quickly.

Boston/Hull area. This ramp is a nightmare on the evenings durring the weekend. There will be 15-20 boats lined up and a short dock. People can take 15 min easy to get their boats on. When I go there thank GOD I have a freind that drives my truck over for me. He just looks for the guy to pull out then he drives right in. I drive past everyone and up the trailer and we are gone as people yell and swear at us. There is just no way I am waiting up to 3 hours to pull out my boat!!! It is amazing however that in two min the boat is loaded and we are up the ramp and the screaming stops. I think they realize that if they all were like that then it would never happen. I am still waiting for the time that I miss and screw up and I am the laughing stock of the entire place :D:D

NY was a nightmare also. People would keep cutting in front of my. I was trying to leave some people room and one after another the small boats would cut in. I had no choice but to toss my keys to a friend on shore and have them just back in.

Some times you just have to be a "jerk" or else you will never get home. I try and waite my turn but if I did all the time I would never get home. If people were a little faster at the ramps it would not be such a issue.

In this case I think that the guy that had his truck up at the top should have been able to go in front of you. He was probably trying to be quick and tie up there so he was out of everyones way, then walk up to get his truck and then back down and get his boat on. I think you were wrong on this one sorry. Buy him a beer next time you see him :D:D

Jon

Re: Who's right
 

What Madcow and Mnboat says is not always possible. We trailer everywhere also. First off my husband is the ONLY one that docks our boat, we do not know to many people (that do not have their own boat) that we would feel comfortable moving our 43' around, especially by a busy ramp Secondly it is often just the two of us loading and unloading, and sorry but I don't feel comfortable backing a 43' around a busy parking lot.

Therefore our situation is often the same as the thread starter. What we do before pulling to the dock is see if anyone is hanging in the water around the ramp and then we always ask if they are waiting. If no one says they are, we go to the dock and then tie a line and Ian hurries to get the trailer. If someone is tied to another dock, then we would assume they would be loading from that dock, of course if they were tied to a wall we would hope they would speak up as we were getting ready to approach the dock, after all we are not mind readers. What we do is very common, most people around our area tie their boats and then get their trailer. Unless someone takes tons of times and stands around yacking no one seems to mind, but then where just good friendly folk here in the Midwest :D

Re: Who's right
 

I think I am just getting this, were all the trailers on land empty, if so then why would the guy be tied somewhere else and not ready to get moving into position. Also if that was us we would have been looking around saying where is the boat for this trailer? Sounds like a big lack of communication; one guy was ready and the other one did not take much time to look around to see if anyone was there first. It does show you how things are done differently in different areas, the reason I was not clear on this post is because it seems like the only way I have ever seen it done, is to park you boat by the dock and then get the trailer.

Re: Who's right
 

mjm; did you have any trouble with the ramp? My trailer fell off the end, and I had a pretty close call. There was what I found out later to be literally a hole at the end of the ramp. I had to pull clay out of my taillights. (Farthest north ramp.)

I normally float my boat onto the trailer, as I am retrieving pretty much by myself. At Leesylvania and Occoquan, I will take a spot inside the ramp, and go get my truck/trailer.

I will not be using Leesylvania again anytime in the foreseable future.

Re: Who's right
 

I agree with them. I trailer everywhere, so I have been to alot of ramps. It doesn't matter when a boat got to the ramp, all that matters is when the TRAILER AND TOW VEHICLE get to the ramp.

If there were three vehicles with trailers in line so I passed them to retrieve my boat then I feel you "jumped in front of" three boats.

Just my two-cents... :rolleyes:

Re: Who's right
 

Last week was the first time it ever really came into play for me. I figured it out pretty quickly. There is a line of trailers, and you go to the back of the line whether you are launching or retrieving.

Re: Who's right
 

Sydwaz, I have not had a problem at the ramp but my buddy dropped off the end last year and had to be winched out, problem is all the boaters driving on their trailers and blowing out the end of the ramp. P.S. I was the sonic that launched in front of you Saturday.

Re: Who's right
 

mjm, I was not sure if that was you, or another 26 owner that I have met from the Mansassas area. The ramp was probably suffering still from my mishap when you came in, as I was in the ramp for a while; and you came out a short time behind me. It was a mess. Sorry for contributing.

I still think you were OK on courtesy. Your boat was the closest to the concrete ramp where you were tied up. You had to wait in line amidst the mess of bass boats to get that spot, and your truck was parked very close to the ramp. You did not cut in front of anyone, as no one could have trailered a boat in front of you. Maybe had you been back farther, yes, someone could have come in at a 45* angle and trailered along side the floating dock in front of you, but you and I both know that ramp is and has been a mess since the hurricane; and that puts your boat at risk especially in a breeze like this weekend. It was not even that great of a place before the hurricane. Best State Park in VA? Apparently the judges for that weren't boaters.

In previous EXTREMELY busy times, which we have seen at that park, I have been known to stand up on my sunpad, and express at the top of my lungs: "I am a brand new boater!!" You should see the way they scatter! I could care less what other folks think.

Re: Who's right
 

SIDWAYZ, I have the 31 sonic, Hey next time you are alone and you see me there give a shout and I will be glad to help.

Re: Who's right
 

This one is pretty simple. Like others have said, whoever has his trailer in line is next to go. I don't see how you could think that their boat wasn't there first if their truck and trailer are setting in line unless you were just extra slow.