Boat Ramp stories – let’s hear them

  • brian_j
    Posts: 204
    #1277170

    It’s that time of year again….let’s hear about the people you’ve seen at the ramp. Anyone who launches in the MN metro area knows what I’m talking about.

    I think one of the best ones I ever saw was a guy a few years ago at the ford dam ramp on P2 putting his license stickers on his boat while he was on the ramp

    Other classics include:
    Waiting to load everything once you’re on the ramp
    Taking the cover off on the ramp
    Leaving the back straps on (we’ve all been there)

    mplspug
    Palmetto, Florida
    Posts: 25026
    #1066208

    I took three runs at the trailer at Hidden Falls with my nephews boat before giving up and letting him. I didn’t feel like dinging up his boat or trailer.

    dr-death
    Phillips, WI
    Posts: 155
    #1066210

    It’s truly amazing how some people can function with such a severe case of H.U.T.A.

    jerry b
    western WI
    Posts: 1506
    #1066215

    Not to be telling tales outta school, but I know first hand my 1890BT will float the trailer makes ya look around to see who’s watching. jerr

    p4walleye
    Rochester, MN
    Posts: 733
    #1066219

    Felt bad for all of these…

    1. Saw a guy pull out of the water and run his sailboat mast smack into a tree- basically ripped it out of the boat.

    2. Saw a gentlemans boat roll off of his roller trailer onto the concrete of the boat ramp.

    3. Oahe- gentleman tried loading on windblown side of dock- swell lifted his brand new crestliner up- windshield caught on dock pole, ripped it off, as the back of his boat was filled with next swell pulling it off the trailer and into the water. Sunk. right next to dock.

    DrewH
    s/w WI.
    Posts: 1404
    #1066221

    Trying to run the gas out of carb by running back and forth while I was waiting to trailor my boat. Repairing motor blocking launching lane.

    dfresh
    Fridley, MN
    Posts: 3053
    #1066222

    Saw a guy at Long Lake in New Brighton pull a 16 foot Lund out with a mid-90s Cavalier.

    mike-g
    Bloomington,MN
    Posts: 556
    #1066223

    Rainy River…Vidas Ramp…busy!!! long line of boats waiting to put in…BRAND new Lund with perfect paint match to nice looking truck…owner struts around rig in admiration….owner jumps in boat and waves driver back……BRAND new Lund with perfectly matching paint to nice truck slowly rolls off new trailer onto the ramp, a mere 5′ short of the river…dual transducers don’t make it…nor does owners ego…. proud owner proceeds to yell, scream and have a tantrum of epic proportion…owner seems to think the driver of the nice truck with matching paint job to boat is to blame…driver turns out to be his wife…..well, was his wife Never felt more embarrassed for a lady as that day.

    mike-g
    Bloomington,MN
    Posts: 556
    #1066224

    Quote:


    Not to be telling tales outta school, but I know first hand my 1890BT will float the trailer makes ya look around to see who’s watching. jerr


    lol, tried to do that with an Alumacraft… didn’t quite get trailer off the ramp.

    onestout
    Hudson, WI
    Posts: 2698
    #1066226

    Wait until july, it gets a lot better when the summer boaters come out.

    bigcrappie
    Blaine
    Posts: 4322
    #1066227

    How about the guy that thinks he needs to back his roller trailer as far into the water as posable, and can not figure why his boat will not load propperly.

    mike-west
    Amery, WI
    Posts: 1422
    #1066231

    Quote:



    Not to be telling tales outta school, but I know first hand my 1890BT will float the trailer makes ya look around to see who’s watching. jerr

    Oh yeh, my 620 floated my trailer, and with ease. I didn’t have time to look around to see who was watching, there were people on both sides of landing and a few waiting to get in. Liberty beach morning of an MTT Event.
    Oh how those moments can make one feel so small… or really Dumb

    out_fishing
    Moorhead, MN
    Posts: 1151
    #1066233

    I was at the ramp yesterday and someone forgot to trim up their motor he dug a trench for 15 yards until he stopped to put the straps on.

    On the other hand I did not screw anything up loading and unloading so I didnt laugh too hard figuring it should have been me.

    Paulski
    “Ever Wonder Why There Are No Democrats On Mount Rushmore ? "
    Posts: 1194
    #1066235

    Hard to admit, but I get my boat in, and then while it warms up, I take the minnow bucket out and proceed to dump the minnows into the bait well with no bucket inside. I think it took my fishing partner about 5 minutes to stop laughing at me for that one, as I sit there looking at the empty minnow bucket thinking to myself ” why in god’s green earth did I do that “…

    brian_j
    Posts: 204
    #1066236

    Alright I have another one, and this one is great because it was my brother-in-law so I have the back story, I got called in after it was all over to clean up the mess. The guy has almost no boating experience but decides he needs to go out and buy the biggest rig his credit will afford. I offered to teach him how to load and launch it (as a public service so we all don’t get stuck behind him some day) but he declines my offer. Had he taken my offer one of the things I would have told him is – unless you’re certain the boat will start do not take it off the trailer until its running.

    So off to the lake his goes for the maiden voyage, puts his wife (my sister) in the boat, backs the new 20’ deck boat in and not only does he not even try to start it while it’s on the trailer he doesn’t even wait to see if it starts before he jumps in the truck and high tails it out of there to park the truck 2 blocks down the road. So there’s my sister in the boat in the lake with the wind blowing her towards a bridge, as she’s turning the key nothing is happening, so what does she do, turns the key harder and harder until it the whole key assembly rips apart. Luckily a passerby tows her back to the dock. Turns out that when they picked the boat up the night before they were sitting in it in the driveway listening to the radio, left it on all night and the battery was stone cold dead. I got there just in time to hear them argue about whose fault that was.

    They ended up finding a replacement ignition which I installed right there at the dock (out of the way of the boat ramp of course) and we made it out in the water. Funny thing was – their dead 20’ boat was tied up at the dock right next to another boat full of a wife and daughters that couldn’t get theirs started either. I was helping them also and when the husband showed up, I tried to brief him on the situation and he told me no that wasn’t the problem and basically yelled at me to get off his boat. An hour later when he had his boat running (I was right and he was wrong about what the problem was BTW) I asked him for a jump start and he said no.

    All in all that was a pretty interesting day, and looking back pretty funny.

    Brian Klawitter
    Keymaster
    Minnesota/Wisconsin Mississippi River
    Posts: 59992
    #1066237

    One minute the ramp is there…the next minute…

    Brian Klawitter
    Keymaster
    Minnesota/Wisconsin Mississippi River
    Posts: 59992
    #1066238

    What the??…

    desperado
    Posts: 3010
    #1066239

    toy hauler ? … drop down rear door ? … boat inside ?

    dfresh
    Fridley, MN
    Posts: 3053
    #1066240

    Evert’s new houseboat?

    Brian Klawitter
    Keymaster
    Minnesota/Wisconsin Mississippi River
    Posts: 59992
    #1066242

    Marty Hahn…turning around…

    From 12/10/08

    Just before 8 this morning I drove down the hill and spotted a boat in the river. It didn’t look right, I thought. Straining somewhat, I looked hard to see an operator.

    Either there wasn’t anyone in the boat or I thought someone may have fallen onto the floor with a heart attack or just as bad, fell out of the boat.
    I was relieved to find the owner on shore. He said his winch rope broke and it just drifted into the main channel.

    Might want to check your winch lines and hook connections for fraying. Doesn’t hurt to use your life jacket to help keep you warm on the river as well!

    Good Catch’en!

    jeff_huberty
    Inactive
    Posts: 4941
    #1066243

    OAHE… I pulled a drunk native american out of the water who had fallen head first between the dock and my boat.

    Brian Klawitter
    Keymaster
    Minnesota/Wisconsin Mississippi River
    Posts: 59992
    #1066245

    When leaving the tongue wheel down…always latch the trailer on to the ball.

    It’s not a good feeling watching the boat and trailer going down the ramp un attached.

    Trust me on this.

    Brian Klawitter
    Keymaster
    Minnesota/Wisconsin Mississippi River
    Posts: 59992
    #1066246

    PS Without a picture, it’s just a boat ramp story.

    Jesse Krook
    Y.M.H.
    Posts: 6403
    #1066252

    Quote:


    When leaving the tongue wheel down…always latch the trailer on to the ball.

    It’s not a good feeling watching the boat and trailer going down the ramp un attached.

    Trust me on this.


    Steve Root
    South St. Paul, MN
    Posts: 5623
    #1066256

    Saw two guys at the 494 access trying to launch a little 12 foot V-hull out of the back of an old Chevy pickup. The boat was in the bed of the truck and they had backed in far enough to float it out of there. The truck exhaust was going “blub-blub-blub”. All that for a 100# boat.

    I got out last Friday. Backed in, unhooked the winch, and hooked up the rope and gave it a test yank before I let the boat roll off the trailer. The rope snapped in two right in my face. Without the test yank my boat would have been on the way to Hastings without me

    Rootski

    Palerider77
    Posts: 630
    #1066264

    When I am an old man and have more time than anything else, I am going to spend my saturday afternoons drinking beer and watching people launch their boats. I could not think of a more entertaining time.

    stuwest
    Elmwood, WI
    Posts: 2254
    #1066266

    goll, this one not even I have done…

    pass0047
    Pool4
    Posts: 492
    #1066267

    Was at Wabasha ramp several years ago at about 7:00 am and there was a truck running, door open with its trailer in the water sitting there. I put my boat in and got ready to leave and a locallady who was at the boat launh with a crew team came up to me and said that the truck had been there when she got there over an hour ago.

    I assume this individual just launched there boat and never came back. I pulled the truck in a spot and left. I bet the person never new what occured. I wanted to leave a note but no pen was found in the truck.
    I have been in a hurry but never that much.

    stuwest
    Elmwood, WI
    Posts: 2254
    #1066272

    I’d leave my truck running at the ramp HOPING someone would drive away with it…

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