Rat
Well-known member
I sometimes think that pulling a boat through a turnaround and backing it in to the water down a ramp causes a drastic and sudden loss of IQ. Nothing is more enjoyable than sitting on the local dock next to a boat ramp on any given three day weekend. A few case studies:
We Forgot the Drain Plug
On a busy two lane ramp @ Lake Georgetown I witnessed this. A couple of guys roll into the turnaround, park, load stuff into the boat from the truck. One guy jumps in the boat, the other in the truck and down the ramp they go. After backing the trailer into the water the captain fired the old outboard up from the console, threw it in reverse...and didn't move an inch. He screamed at the driver to get lower in the water, still nothing doing. After a couple of more "GET LOWER!" the bumper of the truck was well under water by now. I guess the guy in the next lane felt sorry for them, and told them they would need to unstrap the boat from the trailer if they actually wanted to get out on the lake. So they puled the boat up, not off the ramp, just enough to unstrap it and discovered they hadn't installed the plug either. "It's a good thing we forgot to unstrap it Clyde, we didn't put the plug in! We wudda been sunk in the lake by now!". So they waited, on the ramp, until all the water had drained before actually launching.
Bulkhead Diving 101
Georgetown, same morning but a little later. A husband and wife (I am assuming) team arrived in a nice little bass and ski combo for a little lake cruising. The wife backs the boat into the water while the husband starts cranking the engine, it cranks but doesn't start. Husband goes the the stern of the boat to check fuel lines (I guess) but can't get the hatch open, it's locked. So he screams at the wife asking her where the key is to the locked hatch. To which she replies with the universal hand gesture of both hands palm up, shoulders shrugged, that is universally known by all Men to mean "Why the Hell are you asking me, that's your department dipstick?" Showing an inkling of intelligence he screams for her to pull off the ramp so they can get it all sorted out. However, like most men he tries to start the motor one more time as she pulls out of the water, and miraculously it starts! Now the motor is out of the water and running, he excitedly tells her to "STOP!" which, of course, she does. At which point inertia takes over (a body in motion tends to stay in motion unless acted upon by an outside force), the husband performs a nice half twist through the walk through window and headers right into a frame bulkhead. As soon as he reappears it is plainly obvious that he is having a bad day. Not because his engine is still running out of the water, but by the copious amounts of blood gushing from his split forehead. He does however have the presence of mind to kill the motor. Didn't need that key afterall...
Firefighting 101
Buchanan Dam. A solo boater backs his aging jon into the lake and can't seem to get the ol' motor to start after a very concerted effort. He whips the cowling off like an experienced mechanic and start fiddling with stuff. Pretty soon he pulls out what looks like a spray paint can lid, gingerly pours some fuel from his portable tank into it and then into the carburetor. As soon as he pulls the starter rope it ignites. Being the cool customer that he is he reaches for the fire extinguisher, pulls the pin, squeezes the trigger...and nothing happens, not even a puff. Frantic now he tries to pull the fuel line from the motor and the fuel line breaks off right at the clamp squirting a good amount of fuel into an already burning fuel fire! With the power head quickly turning into a chard mass of plastic wire insulation he tries to put the cowling on to smother the flames, the heat is so intense he can't get it put on correctly and abandons the attempt half way through, the cowling instantly starts to melt, then burn, billowing a nice cloud of black smoke. Seemingly abandoning all hope he jumps over the transom into the lake. What at first blush seems to be the order to abandon ship I quickly realize is another firefighting method. Jump in lake, splash water on burning fuel fire! Before he could make things worse though a friendly boater (probably out of concern for his own vessel) who had a working extinguisher helped douse the flames.
Trailering 101
Granger Lake. I was returning from a night of crappie fishing, tied up to the courtesy dock, when a nice new rig came pulling through the turnaround. It was a Nitro Bass boat with what looked like the delux package, pretty new rig. The solo boater unstrapped at the top, and started his way down the ramp. As soon his boat started down the incline (but not the truck yet) the trailer hitch came loose, boat trailer and all headed for the water! Since the boat was unstrapped it floated while the trailer headed to parts unknown. In shock the guy gets out and walks down to the water's edge, his trailer is nowhere in sight and his boat is drifting out towards the no wake buoys. I jump back in my jon to wrangle his Nitro for him, pull my snorkle kit from stowage and tell him that was the fastest boat launch I had ever seen! His reply was "Yea, been workin' on it for years..." I gathered up my anchor rope and dove to the trailer to tie it off, we pulled it up with his truck. The new trailer had a 2" hitch and he had a 1 7/8" ball, safety chains weren't hooked up, he only lives 5 miles away. We were the only two at the ramp except for the park ranger.
A Well Oiled Machine
A team of fishermen stop up top to unstrap the boat, put the plug in, and add the ice to the cooler. One guy backs the rig down, the other is in the boat, he primes the fuel line on the way down. As the trailer hit the water he tilts the motor down, by the time this is done the boat is floating free and the driver pulls the trailer out of the water. The guy in the boats cranks the motor and idles around the dock. The driver returns with his keys, jumps into the boat and they are gone in under two minutes. It's rare, but it does happen!
We Forgot the Drain Plug
On a busy two lane ramp @ Lake Georgetown I witnessed this. A couple of guys roll into the turnaround, park, load stuff into the boat from the truck. One guy jumps in the boat, the other in the truck and down the ramp they go. After backing the trailer into the water the captain fired the old outboard up from the console, threw it in reverse...and didn't move an inch. He screamed at the driver to get lower in the water, still nothing doing. After a couple of more "GET LOWER!" the bumper of the truck was well under water by now. I guess the guy in the next lane felt sorry for them, and told them they would need to unstrap the boat from the trailer if they actually wanted to get out on the lake. So they puled the boat up, not off the ramp, just enough to unstrap it and discovered they hadn't installed the plug either. "It's a good thing we forgot to unstrap it Clyde, we didn't put the plug in! We wudda been sunk in the lake by now!". So they waited, on the ramp, until all the water had drained before actually launching.
Bulkhead Diving 101
Georgetown, same morning but a little later. A husband and wife (I am assuming) team arrived in a nice little bass and ski combo for a little lake cruising. The wife backs the boat into the water while the husband starts cranking the engine, it cranks but doesn't start. Husband goes the the stern of the boat to check fuel lines (I guess) but can't get the hatch open, it's locked. So he screams at the wife asking her where the key is to the locked hatch. To which she replies with the universal hand gesture of both hands palm up, shoulders shrugged, that is universally known by all Men to mean "Why the Hell are you asking me, that's your department dipstick?" Showing an inkling of intelligence he screams for her to pull off the ramp so they can get it all sorted out. However, like most men he tries to start the motor one more time as she pulls out of the water, and miraculously it starts! Now the motor is out of the water and running, he excitedly tells her to "STOP!" which, of course, she does. At which point inertia takes over (a body in motion tends to stay in motion unless acted upon by an outside force), the husband performs a nice half twist through the walk through window and headers right into a frame bulkhead. As soon as he reappears it is plainly obvious that he is having a bad day. Not because his engine is still running out of the water, but by the copious amounts of blood gushing from his split forehead. He does however have the presence of mind to kill the motor. Didn't need that key afterall...
Firefighting 101
Buchanan Dam. A solo boater backs his aging jon into the lake and can't seem to get the ol' motor to start after a very concerted effort. He whips the cowling off like an experienced mechanic and start fiddling with stuff. Pretty soon he pulls out what looks like a spray paint can lid, gingerly pours some fuel from his portable tank into it and then into the carburetor. As soon as he pulls the starter rope it ignites. Being the cool customer that he is he reaches for the fire extinguisher, pulls the pin, squeezes the trigger...and nothing happens, not even a puff. Frantic now he tries to pull the fuel line from the motor and the fuel line breaks off right at the clamp squirting a good amount of fuel into an already burning fuel fire! With the power head quickly turning into a chard mass of plastic wire insulation he tries to put the cowling on to smother the flames, the heat is so intense he can't get it put on correctly and abandons the attempt half way through, the cowling instantly starts to melt, then burn, billowing a nice cloud of black smoke. Seemingly abandoning all hope he jumps over the transom into the lake. What at first blush seems to be the order to abandon ship I quickly realize is another firefighting method. Jump in lake, splash water on burning fuel fire! Before he could make things worse though a friendly boater (probably out of concern for his own vessel) who had a working extinguisher helped douse the flames.
Trailering 101
Granger Lake. I was returning from a night of crappie fishing, tied up to the courtesy dock, when a nice new rig came pulling through the turnaround. It was a Nitro Bass boat with what looked like the delux package, pretty new rig. The solo boater unstrapped at the top, and started his way down the ramp. As soon his boat started down the incline (but not the truck yet) the trailer hitch came loose, boat trailer and all headed for the water! Since the boat was unstrapped it floated while the trailer headed to parts unknown. In shock the guy gets out and walks down to the water's edge, his trailer is nowhere in sight and his boat is drifting out towards the no wake buoys. I jump back in my jon to wrangle his Nitro for him, pull my snorkle kit from stowage and tell him that was the fastest boat launch I had ever seen! His reply was "Yea, been workin' on it for years..." I gathered up my anchor rope and dove to the trailer to tie it off, we pulled it up with his truck. The new trailer had a 2" hitch and he had a 1 7/8" ball, safety chains weren't hooked up, he only lives 5 miles away. We were the only two at the ramp except for the park ranger.
A Well Oiled Machine
A team of fishermen stop up top to unstrap the boat, put the plug in, and add the ice to the cooler. One guy backs the rig down, the other is in the boat, he primes the fuel line on the way down. As the trailer hit the water he tilts the motor down, by the time this is done the boat is floating free and the driver pulls the trailer out of the water. The guy in the boats cranks the motor and idles around the dock. The driver returns with his keys, jumps into the boat and they are gone in under two minutes. It's rare, but it does happen!
