Boat ramp story

[jerdogg1]

Saturday was kind of a cool August day here in the Twin Cities and I headed to the lake with my wife and mom. Got to the boat launch and it was very slow for a Saturday.
This launch has room for 3 boats at a time, plus a staging area for three boats as well. A guy ahead of me pulls to the CENTER spot at the staging area with his 18-20' fishing boat. Behind him, with our 16' aluminum I pull to the LEFT spot at the staging area next to him, there was nobody in the right side spot.
I remove the tie downs, put the plug in, get the passengers out of the pick-up, and back the boat up staying on the left side of the ramp, which happens to be the side that the dock is on, while he is still removing tie-downs, etc. I get the boat into the water, off the trailer, wife has the rope in hand, and I drive off to park the trailer. Meanwhile the guy is still staging.
I park the trailer, and as I am walking back to the dock (2 minutes, probably less) where my group and my boat are, the guy has backed his boat up to the launch, but has slid over to the side where I had been staging, my guess is so that he could use the dock. My wife was standing on the dock holding our boat there because she had noticed the guy had been staged at the middle spot, but hadn't noticed that he had slid over from his staging spot. As I walk closer the guy is sitting in his truck glaring at me, then says to me "Can you move your f*@#ing dinghy so that I can use the f*@#ing ramp?"

The only thing I said to this guy was "My 'DINGHY' has just as much right to this launch as you do." I'm open to the fact that we might have been wrong in this situation, but clearly he over-reacted, especially considering all I did was park the trailer and walk back.

Was I in the wrong?

 

[cmcpherson]

Re: Boat ramp story

There is only one dock at the launch? Most of the places I launch have a dock for each lane so usually is not a problem. Local rules (courtesy) really dictate how you should handle so it is tough to say. However, I will say that I would have done things EXACTLY as you did for whatever that is worth.

 

[Shizzy]

Re: Boat ramp story

if he was in line ahead of you why wasnt he already in the water and pulling away from the dock for his day of fishing?? sounds like his fault to me.....

 

[Joe_the_boatman]

Re: Boat ramp story

You got me on that one. He must've been PO'd about something, but from your story, I can't see what it could be.

You left the staging area first, so you get first choice of ramp. Sounds like someone was having a bad day and took it out on you.

 

[Shizzy]

Re: Boat ramp story

I did watch a guy launch his boat at the resort I was at over the weekend. took the guy 5 minutes to manuver his boat to the launch THEN he proceeds to un do his transom straps and get the boat ready to go in the water. My old man kept asking me what I was mumbling under my breath and I just told him watch when its my turn (as Im prepping the boat).

when it was my turn I just told my Old man I would toss him the bow line once it was floating, all he had to do was walk it over to the dock and wait for me. my truck and trailer were parked and we were under way in less then 2 minutes....

 

[jerdogg1]

Re: Boat ramp story

To clarify, yes he pulled into his staging spot (the middle one) ahead of me, but yes, I backed into the water before him.

I launch at this ramp quite often and unfortunately there is only one dock. On a Saturday, when it's busy and things are flowing as they should it always works the same way... everyone is in line, then you pull into the next available staging area, and when the launch is open that is in line with your staging spot you pull strait back and launch at that spot. Then someone pulls into the staging spot that you just vacated, etc, and the cycle keeps going like that.

When the guy pulled in ahead of me, and took the middle staging spot, I was more than happy to pull into the side where the dock was.

 

[5150abf]

Re: Boat ramp story

not to be too nit picky but most of what you said shouldn't happen on a ramp.

There are 3 areas to every boat launch, the ramp itself, the parking area and the staging area, the two are obvious, parking and launch, the third is where the problems start because not enough people use it like they should, the staging area, which is completely seperate from the other 2, is where you unload passengers,coolers, put the plug in .........NOT on the ramp.

When you back down the ramp your boat should be ready to launch.

Few things jerk my chain quite as bad as waiting 10-15 minutes while someone jacks around "getting ready" to launch while blocking the ramp.

All our ramps around here are single lane so when we get 2-3 people that "get ready to launch" while on the ramp it really slows things down, especially when they sit in their truck for 10-15 minutes just watching the first guy tie up the ramp and then do the same thing.

NO, the guy certainly shouldn't have acted like that, aholes will be aholes, and were I there I could have launched in the 3rd spot but point being, when you back down the launch be ready to launch, you should be unloaded and ready to go.

When you leave, load the boat on the trailer, pull out to the staging area and strap down and get ready to leave from there, again, NOT on the ramp.

Sorry, this is my biggest pet peeve.

 

[Maclin]

Re: Boat ramp story

The story read to me like jerdogg1 did it right, he just was ready to go down the ramp sooner and did just that. The dock is there for exactly the reason jerdogg used it for. The other guy can't call "DIBS!" on the dock while he is still staging.

 

[j_martin]

Re: Boat ramp story

Was that North Arm or Spring Park on Minnetonka?

John

 

[cmcpherson]

Re: Boat ramp story

not to be too nit picky but most of what you said shouldn't happen on a ramp.

There are 3 areas to every boat launch, the ramp itself, the parking area and the staging area, the two are obvious, parking and launch, the third is where the problems start because not enough people use it like they should, the staging area, which is completely seperate from the other 2, is where you unload passengers,coolers, put the plug in .........NOT on the ramp.

When you back down the ramp your boat should be ready to launch.

Few things jerk my chain quite as bad as waiting 10-15 minutes while someone jacks around "getting ready" to launch while blocking the ramp.

All our ramps around here are single lane so when we get 2-3 people that "get ready to launch" while on the ramp it really slows things down, especially when they sit in their truck for 10-15 minutes just watching the first guy tie up the ramp and then do the same thing.

NO, the guy certainly shouldn't have acted like that, aholes will be aholes, and were I there I could have launched in the 3rd spot but point being, when you back down the launch be ready to launch, you should be unloaded and ready to go.

When you leave, load the boat on the trailer, pull out to the staging area and strap down and get ready to leave from there, again, NOT on the ramp.

Sorry, this is my biggest pet peeve.

Who are you talking to? When I read the story it sounded like both guys did exactly what you are saying.

 

[j_martin]

Re: Boat ramp story

Who are you talking to? When I read the story it sounded like both guys did exactly what you are saying.

I think he already apologized for jumping on his hobby horse.

John