Boat Ramp blooper

[DAN M VAGOS]

Can't believe this happened to me. I'm usually the guy on YouTube laughing at videos of boaters screwing up at the boat ramp. Today it was my turn. This was the second time I've had my new 1999 Key Largo 160cc in the water and the first time in the water without a dock. The wind was blowing and it was blowing me straight towards the ice so I unhooked of the boat from the trailer and drove out maybe 50 yards. My first dilemma was sitting there idling and the motor just stop and I had to throw the anchor out because it was so windy. After checking a few things I noticed the fuel line pop off the motor and I'll tell you it was hard to start back up I guess the vro pump was continuously pumping oil but there was no gas. So I drove the boat around for maybe 45 minutes then proceeded to pull back onto the trailer but when I hit the first set of rollers The trailer came right off the truck ball and the trailer started driving under my truck so I put the motor into neutral and then the boat with the trailer slid off the ramp into the water thank God I had the safety chains on. long story short I had to find a way to get the tongue back onto the trailer ball by myself. I ended up hooking the safety chain to the boat so the boat would not rollback off the trailer then I used the Jack wheel to get up then I jumped back in the boat started it up and put it in gear and drove the trailer by the boat back up to the truck. I ended up getting it but boy what a day. I was by myself and it was 30? out and I had to walk in the water a little below my knees.

 

[Grub54891]

Re: Boat Ramp blooper

Stuff happen's! What I see is the latch is still locked. Do you have the correct ball or is the coupler wore out?

 

[DAN M VAGOS]

Re: Boat Ramp blooper

The nut under the coupler was loos

 

[Ned L]

Re: Boat Ramp blooper

I will also point out that your safety chains are WAY to long (and not crossed under the trailer tongue). They should be shortened up enough so that if the trailer pops off the tongue will drop down into the "X" of crossed chains under the tongue and NOT drop all the way to the pavement.

...............Yes, looking closer I agree, they may be crossed.

 

[NYBo]

Re: Boat Ramp blooper

Actually, Ned, I think they are crossed. But I agree that they are too long.

 

[Home Cookin']

Re: Boat Ramp blooper

that's why I always hook up the safety chains when I launch boats that I keep on the trailer at the ramp (ie no driving). At least you have an excuse--loose nut--rather than the typical forgot to latch it down.

 

[H20Rat]

Re: Boat Ramp blooper

t if the trailer pops off the tongue will drop down into the "X" of crossed chains under the tongue and NOT drop all the way to the pavement.

That only happens in a perfect world, when the trailer and vehicle are not moving. In the real world, the instant a trailer pops off a ball, its going to straighten those chains out horizontally. The tongue doesn't drop nicely in the basket made by the chains and stay there... Its a violent process! I've seen a couple trailers that had to land on their chains, and in every single case, the crossed chains made no difference. By the time the vehicle stopped, the X part was above the coupler.


I've never verified, or wanted to verify, but I suspect crossed chains could cause the trailer to start swaying DRAMATICALLY under the right conditions if it pops off the ball... (ie, trailer moves to the right, left chain pulls tight and trailer moves left, now right chain is tight and the trailer pulls the opposite way... Now multiple that times 75mph.)

 

[greenbush future]

Re: Boat Ramp blooper

I had a friend who had his receiver insert pin swiped at the boat launch, we dint discover this until we were rolling down the freeway at 70 mph, with no boat on the trailer. When the hitch insert did finally slide out and drop, the trailer came forward and buggered up the tailgate really nice. but the chains did hold her in place. We stuffed a screw driver in the pin slot and vise griped it to hold it in place while we limped home.
Moral of the story is to check this stuff out as you leave your equipment at public launches. There are nasty people out there that would steal a $5 pin and not even care about the possible carnage that could occur.

 

[Ned L]

Re: Boat Ramp blooper

Even if the crossed chains don't end up acting like a "basket", crossing them allows them to be shortened up well (to keep the tongue off the pavement) without binding in a sharp turn.

 

[YoungMind]

Re: Boat Ramp blooper

Could have been worse, could have hit a bump on the road and found out when your boat and trailer either rammed you or swung to the side suddenly.

 

[DAN M VAGOS]

Re: Boat Ramp blooper

In the mix I also left the trailer jack wheel down as I tried to drive up the ramp lol. Let's just say I did not make it to far.

 

[Home Cookin']

Re: Boat Ramp blooper

My trailer jack has an alarm built in so if you drive off with it down, it makes a loud grinding noise....

As for crossed chains--in a hitch failure and the many forces at play, anything can happen. But if the chains are short enough, and are crossed, the X will catch the tongue even when they are pulled straight.

But the purpose is served not while you are still pulling at speed, but when you slow down and stop. The trailer keeps moving, and without the tight chains, the tongue will drop to the pavement. Slidnig along is OK. But if it catches in a pothole or other anomaly, the trailer stops and bends or breaks, and the boat could be launched through your rear window, or elsewhere.

if not you end up with that winch-post dent in the tailgate that many of us wear as a Badge of Shame.

Besides, it seems to me that the hitch failure isn't as likely at a steady highway speed but before you get there, turning, accelerating and braking on the ramp, parking lot and on into traffic.

In fact when I got my ding, I was OK on the highway but pulled off to check the bouncing, and braking while crossing RR tracks is what kicked the (unlatched) trailer off the ball. Funny hting, the exact same thing happened to my neighbor, coming from the same ramp and then stopping to check at the same RR tracks.

 

[saumon]

Re: Boat Ramp blooper

My trailer jack has an alarm built in so if you drive off with it down, it makes a loud grinding noise....

:laugh:

Pretty sure my outboard skeg has the same feature...

 

[Home Cookin']

Re: Boat Ramp blooper

My car also has a feature where you can leave the headlights or dome light on when you park and they will go out automatically after yuo get inside. Then all you have to do when you come back is jump the battery and off you go!

 

[o'neal]

Re: Boat Ramp blooper

Last year I while backing down the ramp I somehow managed to drop the passenger side of the trailer off the ramp and with the 3ft drop there was no way in getting it back on loaded.Luckily I was 3/4 of the way from launching and was able to back a bit more and get my boat in.Luckily nobody was at the lake,the wife was with me and with some rock stacking,the wife behind the wheel we were able to get the trailer back onto the ramp.....still was a drag Hehehe!

 

[Idlespeedonly]

Re: Boat Ramp blooper

Years ago I was fishing at our local lake. It is a no wake lake. I brought my little 14' aluminum boat with a little 2 horse evinrude. I wasnt having much luck so I decided to head home. I got to the ramp it was pretty busy.Well I backed the trailer in loaded the boat but I didnt back in quite far enough. But I could easily pull the boat up on the trailer which I did. So I quickly got back in the truck to get out of the way for the next one. I pulled out of the way and proceeded to get everything out of the boat into the truck. Well I took off, I got up to about 45 miles an hour, This is when the aerodynamics of the boat hull take over and removed it from the trailer. It got so high I could only see about half of the boat. Well as quickly as it took off it also landed. It landed bow first on the shoulder, Then the back came down. The next thing I see is that cute little 2 horse snap off the transom and cartwheel into the bushes. Well I pulled over and backed up as quickly as I could. I got the boat loaded up before anybody could see what I had done. It took me about 5 minutes to find the motor. It broke the bracket and bent the skeg And caved in the bow of the boat. Had it landed on the pavement It would have been worse..

 

[Lager]

Re: Boat Ramp blooper

Funny story, Thanks for sharing. All worked out in the end, how long did it take to get any feeling back into your toes?

 

[Captain Caveman]

Re: Boat Ramp blooper

I'm usually the guy on YouTube laughing at videos of boaters screwing up at the boat ramp.

That might have angered the boat gods enough to teach you a lesson!

 

[DAN M VAGOS]

Re: Boat Ramp blooper

Lol surprisingly the water wasn't all that cold. And yes the boat gods did punish me. Lol

 

[Lager]

Re: Boat Ramp blooper

30 degrees out, ice on the lake, water wasn't all that cold?
Member of the Polar bear club?
I would have left a note on it saying, I will be back when it gets warm out.