Boating blunders

[bassfisher]

Okay, while reading a post about launching your boat solo, this idea came to mine. Yes it hurt a little, but I'll live! haha

What have been some of you most crazy mistakes you've made in launching or loading you boat?

Me first of course...

The first time ever lauching my boat was solo. My father told me to unhook everthing, back the boat into the water, once it starts to float, jump out of your truck, and start the engine, dock it, and park the truck.
Well everything went fine, right up to the boat floating part. I'm looking in my rear view mirror watching the boat, and all at once she takes off floating. I jam it into park, run my arse off to the boat to catch it before it hit the lake with no driver, ME!! MAN my heart was in my throat pounding like I was a bullfrog croaking. From that day ta now, I leave the winch strap on, just in case!! BTW, the boat wouldn't had gone anywhere (But I didn't know that), because it was still on the runners.

One more.

Once while night fishing, say around 11ish, this thunder storm was heading my way. SO I packed up everything, and WOT back to the ramp with my spot light on to show me the way. Once back to the dock, I just dropped my anchors in the water, and ran to my truck (because it was about to unload on me, and the wind had picked up by about 10mph or more. So back the trailer into the water, and run back to the boat dock. As I'm running I don't see my boat at the dock. AM SAYING NOOOO!!!! Sure enough, it's gone, about 20 yards from the dock half way between the bank and the marina slips. I'm thinking, NOW WHAT??? I can't throw my rope that far, dangit. I have to swim for it. YES, THAT's RIGHT, SWIM. Well it's a ways out there, so no way can I swim that far with all my clothes, nor do I want to have to drive hour and half home in wet clothing. So no one is around, it's 11pm. MY only worry was cameras around the docking area might see me strip down to my underwear and swim to my boat. I have no choice, but to strip, and swim for my boat before it gets to far to swim for her. My other worry was climbing onto the boat once I get to it. I have a deep V boat. So in I go (BTW the storm is about on me, and lightning all around me, not very fun thoughts running in my head while I swim to my boat) Sure enough, it's a pain to climb onto my boat, but I manage. Fire her up and load it up, pull out of the water ran back over to get dressed, taking off my wet drawers. Hoping I'm not on youtube one day soon.

Okay, who's next???

[Abbeysdad]

I can't really top skinny dippin to load the boat!

However, the first time I launched alone, I backed in so the the fenders were under water which usually gets the boat to float, but they had lowered the lake so the water wasn't as deep at the rear of the boat.
Anyway, I tied off the boat and I crawled in through the back onto the trailer to keep my feet dry and unhook the winch strap and safety. Usually a very slight push and she pops off, but not this time. So I pushed harder, but lost my footing on the trailer and went down, smashing and cutting my shin on the way to the water. Not enough meat on the shin to cushion such a force! Hurt like the dickens. (I was smart enough to bring dry footware).

Next time I launched I was wiser. I only backed in just a little bit. Tied the boat off to the dock with slack, unhooked the winch strap and safety, then backed up further until I saw the rear float then hit the brakes. The boat eased off the trailer bunk really nice. I got out and tightened the lines, then went and parked. Worked really well.

[bassfisher]

You know how you get this little voice in head to do something. Well my little voice TOLD me to tie off, but I didn't. lol
It seems to never fail when I don't listen to that voice something bad aways happens. I normally listen to the voice, but don't that time. Dangit!! Hey, no real harm done, just learn a good lesson. Unlike yourself, you got hurt.

BTW I've learn over the last 3 years to keep a full change of clothing in the boat, which inclues warmer clothing, for when those cold fronts move it!!

Come on guys/gals, I know we have a lot of great stories out there, lets hear them. Let us novice learn from ya!!

[bcklash]

The Bassinbandit and I had just put in and fishing our way out of the ramp area, when we see 5 collage kids including one girl, backing a large boat down the ramp, they finally get the boat going straight down the ramp and stop to undo the straps, the trailer has rollers not bunks, the kid in front releases the latch but not the strap, at the same time two kids in the back take straps off, the boat starts rolling down the front strap still hooked to the boat and the handle starts turning at warp speed and WHACK WHACK the kid up front goes down and sounding like the girl who is with them and shes laughing like no tomorrow while the other guys are trying to help him. Yea it took awhile for us to start fishing again.

Now I'm thinking it might have been their first time unloading a boat, but I'll bet that kid didn't stand near that handle again.

[BUGMAN]

The best way to lauch your boat by yourself is to hook to your winch line and the front of your boat. Use about 50 FT. of rope. Back your boat in with everything unhooked. As it floats off, pull back out and get your rope and tie it off.

[Bubba_Bruiser]

bklash, I bet a ham was involved in the launching of that boat. This stuff is cracking me up, I needed it. My story is not solo, but I will share anyway. My grandpa was launching on a cold morning, I might have been 12. So I'm holding the rope and in his fashion, sceams backwards down the ramp and slams on breaks, and sends the boat rocketting off the trailor. I was fine until the rope started pulling to the water line. I let go of the rope and man was he PO'd. He asked me why I let go and I told him it was pulling me in and I didn't want to get my feet wet because it was so cold. He called me a candy a$$ and laughed it off. Luckily the day wasn't ruined, we found a jon boat on the bank and broke off a leafy branch and paddled out to the boat and brought it back in. He added about 20' of rope after that so he could tie off to the trailor and probably didn't let me hold the rope until I was 15. I told my buddy this story on the way to lake one morning and I reckon he served out the vendetta in my grandpa's honor. When I turned around to wave him out from launching, I was standing about 2 feet from the water line. He started up and then gunned it, I turned around with enough time to catch the 2' wave coming up on my chins. It was about 35-40 that morning. I was pissed, but sort of softened up when I saw him fall out of the truck laughing on the hill. He came down to the dock and said you should have never let that rope go, payback is a mutha.

[TN_Bassin]

Few guys from local tourneys didnt puht the drain plug in, put in and went to the bank to tie off, left the boat for a 5 min run up to the store, got back rope broke and no boat... Nuff said

[Bob Smith]

I got another "drain plug story". Back before 9-11 there was a great Hot water discharge lake known as Squaw Creek Reservoir just a little southwest of Ft. Worth. It was the primo place to go during the winter in north Texas. We aerospace workers always got Martin Luther King day off and it was an annual get together Pot Tournament down there. This particular morning there were two groups fishing the lake. One group was mustering at the no wake bouys for a blast off while our group was idling out and going to the fishing holes. My partner and I, trying to be as KEWL as everyone else, came to the bouys and I put the peddle down and the boat stood up and just slugged. I shut her down to figure out what happened. When I did water shot up through the floor drain like a geyser (DAYUUMM, I must of left the plug out! Looked over my shoulder into the splash well where I normally store it and sure enough there it was!).
I idled back to the drop off dock and decided to get my buddy to hold the boat and I would just reach over and plug her in!
Well the air temp is 28 degrees, the water temp was 76 degrees and it was 27' deep at the drop off dock. I pulled off my shirt and pulled one hearing aide out of right ear (not sure why I didn't take the other one out too? It was 6:00 and still an hour before daylight what can I say?). Anyway, I laid down on the deck and started reaching to find the hole. I reached a little further, then a little bit more, then I felt my legs above me, then over me and in I went! I came up, threw my billfold and other hearing aid on the back deck. I still had the plug in my hand and figured the water feels good so I would take a breath, slip under the boat and plug that sucker up!! Aside from the parking lot lights there wasn't much light but I thought I could see the hole good enough so I stuck the plug into it, released my grip and opened my fingers up to push it in the rest of the way.. Bad move! The plug fell out and sunk in 27' of water and I didn't have another.
I came up and told my buddy to go get the truck while I idled around to the ramp. I stood up in my khaki pants and started idling around to the ramp about 300 yards back in the cove. Meanwhile another buddy was idling out and came over and asked my why I was naked (he couldn't tell in the dark that I had britches on!). Fortunately he had a spare plug and loaned it to me. I put the boat on the trailer, drained it and safely put the plug in. Then I took my rainsuit up to the restroom and got out of my wet clothes, wrapped two towels around my feet and crawled back in the boat and went fishing. Sadly, we didn't win any money that day, but certainly had a story to tell, especially when I got home that evening wearing nothing but a rainsuit and barefooted in the middle of the winter! My wife thought that I had completely lost my mind.

Next!

[Captmikestarrett]

During crappie season in mid March I get to the ramp on chilly cold morning. I have a routine I have done for many years and it has alway's served me well. Till that day...

A gent walks up to me and starts chatting me up on my business and how I fish. But he keeps asking questions and distracts me enough to forget the drain plug. I back down, launch and once again he stops while I am pulling up the ramp. The boat is tied off to the dock all safe and such. I give him my card. I look back at my boat and notice the back is a little low. I pop out of the truck and run over to the boat almost knocking the gent down. I look in and see water coming in. Back to the truck and back down to load the boat half way on.

I pull up the ramp with the boat hanging a good 4 feet off the trailer.

Water is shooting out the back of the drain hole like a fire hose. I store the drain plug in the bildge drain. I pull it out and the bildge hits with a cold stream of water square in the face.

I turn around and my charter is standing right there. With out even blinking an eye I say "Cleaning the bildge"


It was cold day all day and it took many adult beverages to cut the chill from that day..

Capt Mike

[MO3N]

I don’t really have anything that my dad or I have done but I live on the hood canal (west side of Washington) and there is a local ramp a few min from my house. During shrimping season this ramp is crazy packed and you see everything. So if we are not shrimping we will go down and just watch to see the stupid things people do. This local ramp is good at high tide. But during low tide the ramp sucks. There is a 2-foot drop off to one side of the ramp and if you back to far there is another drop where the concrete ends. There is no dock or anything so once the boat is in the water its basically on its own.

We have seen everything from people dropping there boat off the drops and the boat falling off the trailer. We have seen people get into such a big rush they back there truck and trailer next to the ramp on the beach, that is just loose gravel and getting everything stuck.

But the worst I have seen is a guy by himself ran his bow line up to his driver window holding it in his hand as he backed the truck and trailer down the ramp. The boat was un-strapped from the trailer and the only thing connecting it to shore was the rope in his hand. As the boat started to float he slams his brakes. The boat shoots backward off the trailer and the rope pulls right out of his hand. His boat got caught in the current and drifted down the beach. I have no idea how he got his boat back. But he was a little pissed.

[BassinID]

I fish quite a bit with a friend of my dad's. We usually just pull the boat onto the bunks and take it out, then hook up the winch because the ramp isn't too steep and he has done it who knows how many times. Well it was fall in idaho and it was sub freezing. We just went about our business as usual, me sitting in the boat and him pulling out the truck, all of the sudden about half way up the ramp I stopped moving and he didn't. the boat hit the deck and I slid right back into the lake. Turns out that the bunks were ice blocks, but luckily the ramp was too so there was only a little damage to stern. Besides that the bottom was just fine.