posted 06-01-2001 11:53 PM ET (US)        

And I thought I had seen everything at the ramp....

john

posted 06-02-2001 06:07 PM ET (US)            

Coil the bowline on the bowt. Drive the boat onto the trailer. When it stops, shut it
off and tilt it, walk to the bow, grab the bow line, jump off, hook up the winch line,
put the bow line back on board, winch it up, hook up the safety chain, drive up the ramp.

posted 06-04-2001 07:34 PM ET (US)            

Alone, drive on:
Coil the bow line on the bow.
Drive the boat onto the trailer.
When it stops, shut it off and tilt it.
Walk to the bow,
grab the bow line,
jump off,
hook up the winch line,
put the bow line back on board,
winch it up,
hook up the safety chain,
drive up the ramp.

Everything else is just a variation on the
above.

Don't take up ramp or dock space any longer
than necessary. Put the transom straps on
and all the other stuff in the parking lot,
not on the ramp.

Know how far your trailer needs to go
into the water. Mine needs the average
waterline about half way between the hub and
the top of the tire. Your's will vary.

Putting on the boat on the trailer isn't too
hard, but you GOTTA keep some speed. Go slow
and the wind and current take over. About
3-4 knots is right for my boat (montauk) and
my trailer. Trim the motor up a bit so that
you keep it off the bottom.
It's best if you can back way
off from the trailer and take a long straight
shot at it and get used to the wind and
current. Stand dead center in the boat and
keep your body on the centerline of the
trailer. If the wind is from the side, the
boat may be pointed as much as 10 or 15
degrees to windward of the trailer. Don't
worry about this, just keep your bod on the
centerline of the trailer. Just before the
bow goes through the Ezguiders, straighten
out. Go to forward idle until the boat
stops (might be too much on a roller trailer)
then you can goose it a little farther.
Stay put through a couple of wave cycles so
you know it's as far up as it will go with
out the winch.

Practice makes perfect. Saturday I drove on,
25 knot wind, with only about a boat length
and half between the end of the trailer and
a boat tied up on the finger pier. No muss,
no fuss.

Don't stand in front a boat that's in gear
and running and nobody at the throttle.
That's farm animal stupid.

DO NOT FORGET TO TILT THE MOTOR.

Do not wrap a dock line around your hand.
If stuff hits the fan, you go in the drink,
maybe next to a running boat.

Do not put your body between a boat and the
dock. Even a little boat can crunch bones.

posted 06-04-2001 10:45 PM ET (US)            

I bet it was an interesting conversation
that night. ;-)

posted 06-05-2001 12:34 AM ET (US)         

As long as there is a side dock, the trailer is backed in as close to the dock as possible, and no farther than to the point where the winch operator can still keep dry feet.

Usually, the rear keel rollers will be a little below the water surface, unless ramp is very steep. The winch strap is pulled out almost the full length of the trailer, and laid over the frame before backing it in. Person holding boat steps down to trailer frame, which is above water, picks up winch strap/cable, and holding onto bow rail, guides nose of boat into "v notch" of first roller it floats on to, and person at winch takes up the tension and starts winding. The tension pulls the boat on straight, and care is taken that as boat approaches each set of rollers, that it will hit the "v notch". Always comes on perfectly straight this way. When the boat bow eye tucks under the bow stop roller, a safety chain is hooked on, and out you go.

posted 06-05-2001 08:09 AM ET (US)         

Sean

posted 06-05-2001 10:05 AM ET (US)            

About five years ago I was vacationing in Ocean City, NJ and was out in a friend's whaler. As we approached a large bridge, the coast guard was there with four boats (no whalers) and a young woman was hysterical in one of them. Back at the dock, one of the coast guard captain recounted the story.

Apparently, the captain had previously tied up to the bridge and was leaning over the boat to untie himself when another boater happens by and made a very slight to moderate wake. The wake lifted the tied up boat and pushed it into the bridge support. Unfortunately, the captain's head was between the gunnel and the bridge support and was instantly crushed. He was dead before the boat settled back from the wake.

As I said, the coast guard captain recounted this story back at the dock... while he washed down the deck of this guy's boat as seagulls swept down for... Well, you can imagine the rest. I don't mean to be so dark, but it is a story that has haunted me for years.

We all unthinkingly and innocently occasionally do things that are inherently unsafe and get away with it. At the time, I never would have thought twice about tying up in the bay...

posted 06-05-2001 10:16 AM ET (US)            

Turns out the new lens cap was $13.

posted 06-05-2001 05:11 PM ET (US)            

Good point about 4 wheel drive, and another
advantage is that compound low makes the
truck back up more slowly, so you have more
reaction time.

However, counteracting the tongue weight
change is that the trucks weight distribution will shift aft when you back
down a slope. It's the exact same effect,
but on the truck rather than the trailer.

posted 06-06-2001 08:49 AM ET (US)            

His big Outrage rolls more easily than my 15-Sport, as I still have the old style black rubber rollers. They tend to deflect under load and they don't roll as easily.

I think I am also going to add a small stool to use on those ramps where the winch post ends up over a few inches of water. In mid-summer it's not too bad to wade in, but in early season that water is too cold. A small stool would avoid all those dangerous maneuvers trying to walk down the trailer tongue to the winch. Place the stool in the water and gracefully step over to the winch!

I haven't tried it yet, but it sounds like a winner.