Boat launch etiquette

Having read all that, I tend to take newbies mistakes and bumbling with a grain of salt and if it seems they need a pointer or two, perhaps offer a nugget now and then, if they're open to it.   Let's face it, we've all been the newbie at one time.

HOWEVER, stupidity, carelessness and rudeness from folks that should obviously know better gets under my skin as well. But in over 40 years of boating I really haven't run into this very much. Count myself lucky I suppose. Newbie stories however .....

When I'm in bad mood all I have to do is go to my local boat ramp and before I know it I'm cracking up.
The weekenders
there was this one time where the guy forgot to hook the boat to the trailer and gunned it well the sound of the IO dragging on the ground I will not forget lol

Unfortunately there are idiots everywhere. My dad taught me one very important thing,"there is no arguing with stupidity" so agree that we should get on about our own business and help others where needed.


Reminds me of a situation years ago, we were out on my old MC on a choppy day early spring and on this day my prop shaft decided to snap resulting in a 1" hole below the waterline. For those that have not experienced this, a LOT of water soon comes into the boat And without wetsuits on I would say you have tops 10 minutes in the water before you have bigger problems to deal with so needless to say I was a little flustered. Fortunately I managed to get a tow to shore by the local rangers, I had my bilge pump running constantly and quickly rerouted the ballast pumps to draw water, so unless we had an electrical failure we were good. Arrived back at the ramp under tow, and understandably the ranger helps us get to the front of the queue.on the dock. In this situation we kind of have priority over both boats moored and those queued with trailers. But OMG did I receive torrents of abuse whilst I hastily nipped past all those waiting to pull out the boat out. Even after explaining we were sinking, people still felt they had priority; there were two slips so we weren't really holding anybody up and we were out the water in only a few minutes.
This was where my dads wise words came to mind.....

If by myself at a ramp or without competent help, I let others that are dropping/loading go ahead of me if they don't have docking that doesn't block ramp, even though I can drop and load by myself much faster than the typical husband wife combo...

Trailer line dictates order.

My wife has been hit on at the ramp because she can back the trailer straight. She reminds me of this once & a while . . .

Ya. and Dreaming when you let her run with it, you let her run with it. Mr. Hall is good boat driver. Actually a very good boat driver. But she does not think like me. Never will. 99 out of 100 times, she pulls the boat on an off of trailer great. That other 1%, can either hold my tongue or get a divorce. If she were to total the boat, would not be worth price of divorce or price of my emotional stability as I actually love my wife. It's a boat. *************** happens. Very hard for me to accept sometimes, but it is the truth. If she happened to total the boat. which will never happen, not even close to the importance of wife and daughter.

BKH

Jpass, I hear and understand your plight.   Our ramp is 4 lanes wide with a dock in the middle and on the outsides.    There are some nearby docks that allow you to dock while retrieving a trailer.   but there have been occurrences where the standby docks are full of boats that are just tied up, My wife is learning, but we are still working on both the trailer backing and the open water driving, so until she is ready/capable, I will be in the spot where I am the only trailer loader, and the only trailer backer.   When on the ramp dock, I RUN to the truck, and don't mess around with the loading process.   probably takes 5 minutes for me as well.   Once we are on the trailer, the boat goes to the tie down area before being wiped off, unloaded, strapped down etc.    Some of these guys may have help, which is great, but if you don't, just do your best to be quick about it.   If you can tie up somewhere else, that's the best option. I think there are ways to be seriously inconsiderate at the ramp, but if you can load in < 5 mins, you are way ahead of some of the guys I have seen just trying to get their boats off or on the trailer, or their tube blown up in the middle of ramp 3, or all of their blooming gear out of the van, or...

75 Tique wrote: I get the "trialer first" idea, which is easy if you have someone to drop you off at the dock so you can fetch the car, but what if, like me, the vast majority of times you launch or pick up, you are alone. Granted, most of time you can tie up somewhere without blocking, but not at all ramps.

This is my situation at a lot of the time as well. How the heck am I supposed to retrieve my rig without docking my boat?

In the situation I mentioned earlier, I was at the end of the dock and there was no one waiting in line to retrieve or launch. Even if someone pulled up to launch at my slip, there was room for them to dock in front of my boat. I also didn't have anyone on board who could operate my boat to drop me off.

I understand the etiquette, but I honestly don't think it applies to all ramps. Some are not conducive for this type of loading and unloading. Aside from anchoring my boat out of the way of others and swimming to sure, I don't see how this can be done in many of the places I launch.

If I can park my boat, get my rig and be gone in less than 5 minutes, I don't see any issues.

I get the "trialer first" idea, which is easy if you have someone to drop you off at the dock so you can fetch the car, but what if, like me, the vast majority of times you launch or pick up, you are alone. Granted, most of time you can tie up somewhere without blocking, but not at all ramps.

quinner wrote: Trailer first means when your trailer is backed in the water is the only time your boat should be blocking the ramp.

I agree. You can pull up to the dock preferably on a side or end that doesn't block the actual ramp just to drop off the driver of your vehicle and trailer. Then the boat goes back out to open water waiting for the trailer in the ramp. Any gear unloading should be done after the boat is pulled out and in the parking lot and not in the ramp. Passengers too.

I just wonder if maybe this is half the reason Jody takes along a Ruger Red Hawk ?
They kind of have a way of keeping gators and angry ramp guests simmered down.

trailer first. sorry

I try not to let this type of idiotic and clueless behavior get to me, but sometimes I am amazed at the self-centered lack of common courtesy at the dock. People, the launch ramp is NOT the place to un-tarp the boat, load gear, store gear, trouble-shoot the engine, have 7 or 8 people climb aboard, practice backing, fuel the boat, etc.

I've seen all that (and more) around the country. Drives me nutz...

OK, I feel better now.

My last one was a couple of weeks ago on a Sunday evening. Whole ramp dynamics were changed because of higher water levels so only one lane was open. Guy who's first in line and just launching decides to load the boat on the ramp while 2 others wait. Then after he has it in the water he says hope it starts,I have not run it since October... Thanks buddy your the only one out here

Last launch run in I had was at Torch lake up in northern Michigan, 1 lane one-way road to launch, single ramp 1 boat wide with a single pier. I got dropped off at shore and got in line with my trailer, My turn and a guy pulls up and starts tying his boat to the pier blocking the ramp, wtf. Same thing, he says I cut the line, lol. Attempt to explain to him the logistics but he was not hearing it, now the wifey is chirping at me also. It wasn't until the guy/trailer in line behind me intervenes that they finally start moving, of course spewing profanities while having a total meltdown, lmao.