posted 04-14-2001 03:07 AM ET (US)            

I have, however, seen on three seperate occasions, tow vehicles launched into the bay! Once at Shilshole marina here in Seattle, once at a small lake near Cle Elum, WA and once at Sekiu, WA. The latter was particularly sad as the guy had just arrived for a weeks vacation and he had a new Ford F250 the bed of which was loaded with tools. I remember watching one of his tool boxes floating out into the bay and then sinking. That poor bastard looked like he was going to cry.

posted 04-14-2001 09:24 AM ET (US)            

But once when in my first season as a trailer boater...

We rented a place on Walloon Lake in northern Michigan for a long weekend, drove up (275 miles) and were eager to get the new Whaler in the water and over to the cottage. The closest ramp was on the opposite of the narrow lake, so we drove around, a ten minute ride. The ramp was at the end of a county road that came down a big hill into the lake. It looked like a very nice ramp, concrete and with a nice courtesy dock.

We got the boat ready and backed her down the ramp. That is when I found out that the concrete ended rather abruptly. The trailer wheels fell over the end of the concrete,
banging the trailer down on the frame against the ramp. The whole rig took a big jolt.

I got the boat off the trailer and managed to get the trailer back on the ramp. I got in the boat and started the engine up, but discovered that it would not go in reverse! The jolt of the launching had screwed up the shift linkage somehow.

By now my wife has already left the ramp with the trailer and is heading back to the cottage! I drifted out into the lake to the point where I could shift into forward and get going. Fortunately that worked. I headed over to the cottage to catch up with my wife.

It only takes me a minute to get there, but it takes her 10 minutes to drive back with the trailer. We decide well just leave the boat at the cottage dock and work on it tomorrow. [That is the polite summary of the exchange that occured. There were some recriminations about "Why didn't you tell me the concrete ended," etc...]

We go back the next day and recover the boat, haul it back to the cottage, and I start poking around trying to figure out what has happened to the linkage. Of course, I did not bring any tools with me.

That afternoon we drive down to Charlevoix where there is a mini-Sears store and I buy myself $130 worth of Craftsman tools. Then back to Walloon Lake. The rest of the afternoon I fiddle with the engine, pulling the lower unit, etc. Finally, I put it all back together and we haul it over to the ramp again.

We launch it carefully, avoiding the drop off at the end of the concrete. [Keel roller trailer, by the way.] The engine starts up, but still no reverse!

The hell with it. We go for a boat ride around the lake, but I am pretty nervous about the engine and the lack of reverse, so it is not a real pleasure cruise. By the time the little trip is over I have decided that I cannot enjoy boating like this and we'll have to haul it out again. So back to the ramp we go and out comes the boat.

The boat sat on the trailer the rest of the mini-vacation. We relaxed and read a couple of good books. All the local marinas were too busy with end-of-season work to take a look at the engine. We had spent a small fortune on the place on the lake, and couldn't use the boat! Our dog, an English Springer Spaniel, had a great time swimming in the lake, while we watched from shore.

After this experience, I learned to always make a careful inspection of the launching ramp before backing the boat in! And I also check the engine for FWD-N-REV shifting and thrust before I untie from the dock!

posted 04-14-2001 09:43 AM ET (US)            

For fun, I've gone and watched the excitement. All it takes is:

a - someone cutting infront of someone else

or

b - someone putting a trailer in too deep (currently, with water levels down _feet_ from "normal" i.e. within recent memories levels) and getting the trailer frame hung up on the drop off

for it to get really fun to watch.

While I've seen cars go in (one at night, because the guy left it in reverse, so the backup lights would give him light, with the parking brake on, but the water flooded the brake drums....) and, ahem.... forgot to put the plug in on my 25' Revenge once (hmmmm, why is the stern acting sluggish....like it's full of water....OH _HIT!), I can't top Clarks story.

posted 04-14-2001 10:45 AM ET (US)            

Before anybody asks: yes, bleached.

BTW, my bailing bucket is also my trash bag.
I have one of those fold up cloth car trash
bags that I put straps on so I can hang it
on the rail. Works great.

BTW2: There are two spare sets of truck and
boat keys stashed in the console. And a set
of boat keys stashed in the truck, and a
whaler console key on my normal truck key
ring. The day I manage to lock myself out
it's going to be a real good story. ;-)

posted 04-14-2001 02:28 PM ET (US)            

I live on a small island with about 20 residents. We have a community park with dock and ramp. One of the neighbors had a guest come down who had just purchased a new pontoon boat and a deluxe conversion van to tow it with. Well, the guy apparently launched just fine....problem was he FORGOT about his van sitting on the ramp (at low tide). He just took off for about a 6 hour tour of the local area. Talk about a major mistake. The salt water got up to the dashboard of the van, making a fine mess of the plush velour interior and the particle board interior parts were already swelling and splitting.

At least the poor fellow's boat was left unscathed.

posted 04-14-2001 06:42 PM ET (US)            

He did it again the next day. We never saw
him again -- I figure the truck is a heap of
iron oxide powder somewhere.

posted 04-15-2001 02:46 PM ET (US)         

I guess you could say that guy added an entirely new dimension to the term "launching a boat." :)

posted 04-16-2001 07:07 PM ET (US)         

I have also never liked the steel cables, and switched to the 6000lb rated straps. Dutton Lainson is one of the makers of these. Never had one break on me, but be sure the stitching at the hook is really good. I use a dual speed 2500lb D-L brand winch. Rarely have to use the lower speed.

posted 04-17-2001 12:41 AM ET (US)            

I only drive it on at one ramp where there's
no dock. At the Monterey break water, we
just walk it on with the dock lines after
we untie it. I can do it by myself no sweat.

Which brings up a launch ramp story from
just yesterday. Admiral Linda wasn't feeling
well, so I was by myself. When I got back to
the ramp, three was a 19' Reinell (or some
similar brand) family ski boat tied up with
six guys who had been out on the ocean
fishing with it (wrong boat for the ocean,
though it had been a really flat day).
They were trying to back their painted
trailer down the ramp when I pulled up on the
other ramp. I
went and showered the salt water off my my
drysuit, and got my trailer. About the
time I got backed down they finally started
loading. It was the Keystone Kops. One guy
on the boat line, one on the stern line, and
all six shouting directions. I loaded the
Montauk single-handed, pulled up the ramp
and parked to clean my gear. I was darn
near done cleaning up when they finally
pulled up the ramp.