Boat launch disasters

[bigdee]

I used to tow 3500# with an S-10. It slid down a steep slippery ramp a few times but as soon as boat was in water the truck quit sliding and came to a stop with all 4 tires still on dry pavement.

 

[jkust]

Maybe 10 years back a friend of mine bought a brand new truck, ran home with it and hooked up his boat and off to the access. In his excitement he forgot to put it in park from reverse, got out and it went right in the water. 20 miles on the odometer and it was a total loss.

 

[MTboatguy]

I have seen it happen once back when I lived in OR, guy pulled into the ramp, but the e-brake on, forgot to put in park, jumped out an soosh right down the ramp backwards and this ramp took a 40 dump at the end of the ramp, they used the crane to get it out.

 

[porscheguy]

Let's not kid ourselves. I'd bet a significant percentage of boat ramp fails are due to the operator consuming excessive amounts of alcohol

 

[Leardriver]

I used to tow 3500# with an S-10. It slid down a steep slippery ramp a few times but as soon as boat was in water the truck quit sliding and came to a stop with all 4 tires still on dry pavement.

This. I've watched a truck slide backwards down the ramp slowly, but when the back of the boat started floating, taking big weight off of the trailer, it quit. A heart attack for the owner.

 

[Mischief Managed]

I recently had to back my trailer in about 3 extra feet after I had started winching the boat onto my bunk trailer in order to relieve the strain on on my winch. This was at a new-to-me ramp. This put my GMC 2500 4x4 rear wheels onto wet slime. When I placed the truck in park, set the parking brake and stepped out of the cab, the truck started to slide backwards on the slime, despite the rear wheels not turning. I hopped back in, hit the brakes (which stopped the free-wheeling front tires from turning and arrested the slide) and put the truck in 4WD. I then had my wife swap places with me while never releasing the brakes, while I finished winching the boat into the trailer. Had the truck started sliding in after I got behind it to winch, I'm not sure what would have happened. I could have easily been run over by the truck. I think a wheel chock is a good idea now...

 

[sublauxation]

Many years ago my dad had a rear brake cylinder blow out while backing down a boat ramp. He engaged the e brake real quick and prevented a bigger mess!

 

[Pirogue45]

I'm one of those guys. Happened 3 weeks ago at a boat ramp in Ft. Lauderdale (15th St). I watched my 2016 Ford F150 (rear-wheel drive) slide down the ramp with just the trailer attached. It's a surreal moment. The truck was in park and emergency brake on then I hopped out to load the boat on. I was on the boat when I saw it slide down. I'm an experienced boater and I can tell you operator error wasn't a factor. I think it happened because of the following: First, the ramp sucks. Lots of algae and the ramp just drops off 20ft at the end so if the truck slide and the trailer drops off, you need a crane to pull it out. Locals in the area and tow company say it happens at least once a month there. Second, it was low tide. Third, it was a small trailer so my truck was further down the ramp (not in the water). Forth, Ford's lightweight aluminum frame. I was actually looking at the forum to see what trucks people were using.

I was watching those ramp disaster videos too and saw one from my boat ramp. Link is below. The one with the Westway rig. I feel for those people now.

Boat ramp fail 2018
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=91LzOfkpPDY

 

[kaulbr]

I'm one of those guys. Happened 3 weeks ago at a boat ramp in Ft. Lauderdale (15th St). I watched my 2016 Ford F150 (rear-wheel drive) slide down the ramp with just the trailer attached. It's a surreal moment. The truck was in park and emergency brake on then I hopped out to load the boat on. I was on the boat when I saw it slide down. I'm an experienced boater and I can tell you operator error wasn't a factor. I think it happened because of the following: First, the ramp sucks. Lots of algae and the ramp just drops off 20ft at the end so if the truck slide and the trailer drops off, you need a crane to pull it out. Locals in the area and tow company say it happens at least once a month there. Second, it was low tide. Third, it was a small trailer so my truck was further down the ramp (not in the water). Forth, Ford's lightweight aluminum frame. I was actually looking at the forum to see what trucks people were using.

I was watching those ramp disaster videos too and saw one from my boat ramp. Link is below. The one with the Westway rig. I feel for those people now.

Boat ramp fail 2018
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=91LzOfkpPDY

Oh man, SO SORRY to hear that! I appreciate all the info though. Really sucks to hear that even when you do everything right, it could still go bad. Knowing all that, I guess I'll also be using wheel chocks like a few others have suggested on here.

 

[Vintin]

My tow vehicle is a 1996 Dodge 4 x 4 with the 5.9 Cummins. I always use 4 x 4 when backing and pulling a boat up the ramp. It is great having the front wheels on dry pavement. I literally idle up the ramp. I've never witnessed a dunking in person but the idea of rear wheel drive only vehicles at the waters edge seems just asking for trouble.

 

[MTboatguy]

A lot of boats got launched and recovered long before 4x4 vehicles were readily available. What we consider normal and prudent these days was not even available to the average joe 30 years ago

 

[Gator5713]

Growing up we had a fairly heavy ski boat and pulled it with a full sized(2wd) ford van. I remember it seemed the van was always spinning tires trying to get up the ramp, even with the empty trailer it sometimes just couldn't get traction. I think a lot had to do with the steep ramps available but getting towed out was a regular occurrence for us and many others. We finally figured out that we could use the boat to 'push' the van up the ramp a little bit until the motor was clearing the water. When Mom downsized to a Ford Explorer, the new method of 'pushing' up the ramp simply became standard operating procedure. Spinning tires equals zero traction and are more dangerous than simply sitting still. If you pull up to a boat ramp and see a couple 'good ol boys' hanging out with a strap attached to the back of a 4x4 be extra careful!

 

[dennis461]

There is a fundamental design flaw in all vehicles when it comes to boat ramps.
The differential is designed for driving on dry roads allowing one wheel to rotate faster than the other.
So you can drive around turns.
Now, when you put a vehicle in PARK. The drive shaft is locked from rotating.
The differential will allow one wheel to rotate forward and one wheel to rotate backwards with the driveshaft locked.
Now add a slippery surface, and you actually only have one wheel holding you on the ramp, the other wheel can rotate backwards as you slide down the ramp.


Ask me how I know :-(

As for the poster who said, "...was not even available to the average joe 30 years ago."
I suggest we did not have video recorders in everyone's pocket also

 

[capecodtodd]

Last night on "Family Guy" Peter and the guys were heading out to go water skiing and Peter could not for the life of him back the trailer down the ramp, a crowd gathered to watch the shenanigans until he said screw it and drove his car head first into the water. Being a cartoon they never said how they got the car and trailer out to go home. Too funny.

I have seen all kinds of funny things at boat ramps like when the guy was trying to pull a large boat up a slippery ramp with a small 2 wheel drive pickup. A couple of big guys hopped onto the back of the bumper to add their weight to the setup and they jumped up and down but the pickup just kept spinning its wheels. It took a full size truck towing his good sized boat with a strap tied to the back of his trailer and the little truck to get it up the ramp. That was impressive.

The guy in the little truck was lucky that he didn't slide back into the drink and so were we because we were waiting to get out.

 

[Maclin]

There is a fundamental design flaw in all vehicles when it comes to boat ramps.

Quite a blanket statement. Many vehicle's differentials were built with Limited Slip. Or PosiTrack. Or Suregrip. Is an option on almost everything.

 

[SkiGuy1980]

I think it's the power of suggestion... I've never once had an issue with my tow vehicle or trailer getting away from me and taking a dip (or even feeling like I was on the edge of something like that happening). However, since reading this post I've become hyper-sensitive to every slip, creek, and noise when launching and loading. Not a bad thing to watch for... and more important for me since this new trailer is quite a bit different than my old one and I'm just not comfortable with it yet. Anyway... this has made me more aware and I appreciate all the comments.

 

[NYBo]

A lot of boats got launched and recovered long before 4x4 vehicles were readily available. What we consider normal and prudent these days was not even available to the average joe 30 years ago

Come,now. Thirty years ago was 1988. Lot's of 4x4 trucks running around back then.

 

[MTboatguy]

Come,now. Thirty years ago was 1988. Lot's of 4x4 trucks running around back then.

Not where I lived, of course back then, I spent most of my time overseas. I actually didn't buy my first one until the early 90's

 

[MudIsFun]

Was out at Lake Mojave two weeks ago, Telephone Cove, which is a dirt ramp, and pretty shallow. Well the 'ramp' is mainly rock and lose sand, and when people who back too far in pound the gas, they create really nice holes for others to drive into. So here we come, get in line to launch and I notice the really nice full sized truck, front head lights pointing to the sky... poor guy found one of those big holes.

Thankfully he was able to get pulled out, and he was smart enough not to shut his motor down with the tail pipe submerge but without even trying he could easily have been one of the flooded ones.

 

[H20Rat]

I've got to my 60's and never heard of or experienced that,
Almost 20 yrs of driving 4WD fire trucks, both petrol and diesel, in some decent hill country in rural Victoria Australia, where l lived at the time
this was a Govt service that demanded full training and operational ability,
not a bunch of geese running around with a privately owned appliance.
"

As someone else mentioned, not a problem with diesel's or push-rod engines. Most of what you drove probably fell into those categories.

Anything that has a tensioner in the timing system can and will be destroyed by turning it backwards. Look up a pic of the front of an engine that has a tensioner. When the engine is spinning its 'normal' way, the tensioner is always right before the crank pulley, so there is no force trying to compress it. Change the rotation, and now 100% of the force of opening the valves is trying to compress the tensioner. It will retract, and if the timing belt/chain doesn't skip a couple notches right there, the act of doing that too quickly can destroy some tensioners.

I've rebuilt engines from vehicles that were hit by another vehicle while off but in the wrong direction gear. Absolutely happens.