Hey guys,
First of all, last thread I had concerning this matter got locked. I have no intentions of this turning into a powerloading battle; I just want to share a story.
I am a relatively new boat owner. I bought my 2011 Larson LX850 back in the beginning of July. I don't consider myself a new boater though, as I grew up with boats and spent years operating them when I was younger. My parents' boat used to have what we used to call the "trailer from Hell", as it was nearly impossible to load right the first time. Either the pads were too far in the water and the back of the boat swung one way or another, or the trailer was far enough out of the water to locate the stern but impossible to winch up. In retrospect I blame the marine-grade carpet covering of the bunks for this, but that's another matter. Eventually I started powerloading it because this appeared to be the only good way to get this boat on the trailer. I was about 14 at the time, and didn't know any better, and neither did either of my parents.
Fast forward to today. I'm 26, and really proud of my new pride-and-joy. I have been well educated about why powerloading isn't a good idea by the fine folks here on iBoats, and I thank all of you for the education! I just got some first-hand experience as to why this isn't a good idea:
Today the family and I took the boat to Balsam Lake for some late-season boating. The water is far too cold for swimming but we decided to ride around some in this late-season warm weather. Back the boat into the water, start it up, and back off the trailer. I'm pretty cautious, so the outdrive is nearly 3/4ths of the way up as I'm backing out. As I'm eyeing my path to the dock I hear that dreaded scraping noise as my outdrive plows into a rock pile that wasn't there a month ago. Pissed off, I lift the drive nearly all the way up and nurse it to the dock.
Some nicks in the skeg and a couple bends in the prop, but otherwise everything is well. I stomp out to the dock where the ramp is and see classic powerloading signs: a scooped-out area at the end of the concrete ramp and a large mound of sand and rocks immediately behind it. Had my drive been a bit lower I could have done some real damage, and I'm still pretty upset about it. We even went in early because I thought I felt a vibration I hadn't felt before and was nervous about it. All because people violate the law and loaded their boats under power.
I'm posting this to vent a little, and to hopefully increase the awareness of the reasoning behind rules against powerloading like are posted in Balsam Lake, WI. I called the state DNR, who will be contacting the Village of Balsam Lake so their taxpayers can pay to repair the ramp.
First of all, last thread I had concerning this matter got locked. I have no intentions of this turning into a powerloading battle; I just want to share a story.
I am a relatively new boat owner. I bought my 2011 Larson LX850 back in the beginning of July. I don't consider myself a new boater though, as I grew up with boats and spent years operating them when I was younger. My parents' boat used to have what we used to call the "trailer from Hell", as it was nearly impossible to load right the first time. Either the pads were too far in the water and the back of the boat swung one way or another, or the trailer was far enough out of the water to locate the stern but impossible to winch up. In retrospect I blame the marine-grade carpet covering of the bunks for this, but that's another matter. Eventually I started powerloading it because this appeared to be the only good way to get this boat on the trailer. I was about 14 at the time, and didn't know any better, and neither did either of my parents.
Fast forward to today. I'm 26, and really proud of my new pride-and-joy. I have been well educated about why powerloading isn't a good idea by the fine folks here on iBoats, and I thank all of you for the education! I just got some first-hand experience as to why this isn't a good idea:
Today the family and I took the boat to Balsam Lake for some late-season boating. The water is far too cold for swimming but we decided to ride around some in this late-season warm weather. Back the boat into the water, start it up, and back off the trailer. I'm pretty cautious, so the outdrive is nearly 3/4ths of the way up as I'm backing out. As I'm eyeing my path to the dock I hear that dreaded scraping noise as my outdrive plows into a rock pile that wasn't there a month ago. Pissed off, I lift the drive nearly all the way up and nurse it to the dock.
Some nicks in the skeg and a couple bends in the prop, but otherwise everything is well. I stomp out to the dock where the ramp is and see classic powerloading signs: a scooped-out area at the end of the concrete ramp and a large mound of sand and rocks immediately behind it. Had my drive been a bit lower I could have done some real damage, and I'm still pretty upset about it. We even went in early because I thought I felt a vibration I hadn't felt before and was nervous about it. All because people violate the law and loaded their boats under power.
I'm posting this to vent a little, and to hopefully increase the awareness of the reasoning behind rules against powerloading like are posted in Balsam Lake, WI. I called the state DNR, who will be contacting the Village of Balsam Lake so their taxpayers can pay to repair the ramp.
