Boat Launch Comedy/Horror Stories

[Angus]

I was fishing off the Redondo pier when I was a kid and watched a guy come in 1 evening and dock his boat and go retrieve his almost new Chevy van. To help get down the ramp he opened the back doors and backed down almost to where the rear bumper was in the water. As he was getting his boat into position to drive it onto the trailer, the wake of a passing freighter hit him, slamming his boat into the back of his van then to add insult to injury, 3 rollers from the ships wake filled the back of his van.

[h20hunter]

Oh man....almost saw a good one Saturday early afternoon and in hindsight wish I would have not said a thing.

Everett launch, busy time of day, lots of boats getting off the water. A guy was backing down his Norht River with the stern straps on, drain plug out, and who knows what else not prepped. At first glance I figured he was just another idiot using the "remove" lanes to launch when things are busy and was also going to be that guy that preps his boat 3 feet from the water holding everyone up. The two peope on the dock had bow and stern lines and he was coming down the ramp. That baby was heading to the water. I quickly headed over and got his attention. Pointed out his stern straps and lack of plug. Driver got out and didn't undestand a word I was saying. By the time I got to my truck and backed it down they were still near the water walking circles around the boat. I dont' know if the ever figured it out or not.

[daddysprad]

If you visit the two rivers ramp at Roosevelt on Memorial day you will see two older gentlemen sitting on a cooler drinking beer and watching folks launch the boats they just purchased at the boat show.  They have been there every year having a great time and could probably tell some stories.

I was in line a few years ago to launch right across from where they sat.  About that time one of the fancy ski boats with overhead speakers and wake board tower was launching.  One of them said, "Look, that one's got a roll bar".  They both laughed and popped another beer.  I may join them next year.

[vandeman17]

I have seen some crazy ones but the worst was a summer when I was around 12 and I watched a guy back his brand new boat and trailer down the ramp. I could tell right off the bat that he didn't know what he was doing since my old man taught me how to back our boat in at that age since my mom refused to...  This guy ended up running one tire up the walkway to the dock and down it until the trailer tipped and laid the boat over on its side. I think I learned some new words that day that aren't very family friendly.

[2labs]

My best buddies a commercial pilot and still can't back a trailer up.

[quadrafire]

I'll tell a couple on myself.

Had a 12 ft Alaskan, trying to load it onto the trailer at the east launch on Sprague lake. Stiff wind out of the Southwest kept blowing it off the trailer before I could pull up the ramp. My son was too young to help at the time. I don't remember how many times I attempted that before I finally caught a break.  Picked up some trailer guides the next day

Also have left the plug out and came back to the boat from parking the trailer and my son was yelling and about shin deep in water.

[Angus]

My best buddies a commercial pilot and still can't back a trailer up.

LOL, I used to guide a pilot that was 1 of the worst sea-sickers I've ever fished with. Claimed he never got sick in the air.

[gotshot]

Kayakers and divers. I had a guy the other day park his corvette in aa launch lane at point defiance as he took his time bringing his stuff from the dive boat to his car. On his second trip I reminded him it was a boat launch. He gave me the its a public launch to which I got out of the truck and askedd to see the boat he was launching and his launch ticket. He moved a little faster after that. Then last week though not a launch story lmost. Me and my 25 yr. old were out off point defiance trolling with downriggers. My boat is a 79 glasply runabout with volvo inboard. Old but very very good shape. Well he noticed some water by the engine cover and asked me to check. I lifted the cover and all I saw was water shootin and bubbling like crazy. I shut the cover and started heading to the dock in a hurry while he got the gear up. Had on close call when a downrigger ball started skipping but we saw it and didn't hurt anything. So I tell him I am going to drop him off at the dock and for him to run up get the truck and I was going to run until he got back and run it up onto the trailer. I was more worried about my new honda kicker and riggers etc. Well if you know point defiance it is one hell of a hill to get to trailer parking and he took off. Well I look around and see I am not really going down so take a minute to see what is going on. Well I had about a gallon of water in the bilge from the rain the night before and accidentally turne my pump on manual which I was cussing about it not working on the run in. The hose had come off and it was just spraying the bilge water around. Felt like a total idiot but am glad my son can back that trailer like a champ.

[Westside88]

I've seen a few boats dumped on the launch. I felt bad for them, except for one guy. He had what looked to be a brand new 20' runabout. I think it was a four winns......not a cheap boat. He was sitting in the boat yelling at his wife as she tried to back it down the launch. Poor lady looked pretty flustered as he kept barking orders. They had unhooked everything prior, I guess he didn't want to get his feet wet. I'm guessing he must have felt it slipping, because he yelled NO NO NO! To which she must've taken as GO GO GO! She floored it and dumped it off the trailer mid launch. It slid most of the way to the water, but not enough to make it easy to get back on the trailer. She looked like she might kill him.......he may have had it coming

[j_h_nimrod]

Used to live in Sitka and I bet half the guys there didn't own trailers.  There is only 14 miles of road and cheap moorage so a trailer was just extra. Saw a number of good launchings and retrievals over the years, though the one that sticks with me is this one where nothing bad actually happened. This guy was trying to pull his crappy (even by Sitka standards)  ~25' boat ( plus outboard bracket making it ~28' oal) with a trailer sized for a boat no longer than 20'. I must have been watching part two because he had added some 20' rough sawn beams to the trailer with ratchet straps and they were hanging out over the rear of the trailer ~5'. Gets the boat on the trailer somehow and then asks me (standing around waiting to launch my boat) to watch for him to make sure nothing bad happens   He is pulling this on the old Crescent Harbor before the ramp upgrades at mid-low tide. If anyone has ever launched there they know what a miserable ramp it is, narrow with steep side drops into rocks, steep with no traction zone, slick with sea growth, this is about the worst ramp imaginable.  He is using a mid 80s F250 locked in 4-low and is just roasting the clutch and tires to get it out of the water, he gets it out about 15' and that is when I notice the single axle bottomed out against the trailer frame and the tires flattened almost to the rims. One small bump and I am not sure if the tires will blow, trailer will collapse, or the boat tip off backwards. He stop and asks what I think and I give him the thumbs down.  He backs it back in, parks the boat and pulls the frankentrailer. The End.

He must have found another trailer or found someone to give him the thumbs up cause it was pulled a couple days later. One of the times everything was wrong but the only harm done was to the tires and the clutch plates.

[Mark251]

Great stories - Great Thread!

[yorketransport]

I've had a few of my own failures since I got my boat a few years ago.

I hadn't spent much time with a trailer, so the first trip out backing the trailer down the launch was a comedic tragedy. Fortunately it was April and the launch was empty.

I forgot to raise the out drive once. It made just enough contact with the ramp to make a sound that I'll never forget.

While loading the boat onto the trailer my daughter (12 at the time) was going to hop off the dock on to the ramp to help me. After telling her not to jump because the ramp was slick and she'd fall, she jumped. Trying to be a hero I climbed over the trailer tongue to catch her and "save" her. Instead I tripped over the tongue, slipped on the ramp, fractured a rib when I hit the trailer and fractured my elbow when I hit the ramp. My daughter stood there laughing and told me "You know you're old when you fall down and bones just start breaking". Getting the boat on the trailer was significantly more difficult after that. I didn't take the boat out for more than 6 months while I waited for the fracture to heal and my elbow has never been the same.

Andrew

[quadrafire]

 

Oops.... Sorry

[2labs]

I'll tell one on myself. I was launching at spring canyon one morning by myself still dark. Still sleepy. Back in with the transom straps still on. It's blowing a little and the corner of my boat with trailer attached floats up under the dock. I get out run down. The dock and push boat and trailer out from under dock. Run for the truck before it blows back under dock. Six or seven tries later. Wish I had it on video, probably looked like Benny Hill. Running back and forth.

[Ddouble]

Launched at Mukilteo for the last time ever came round to pick up my Dad lost power and a wave put my boat into the end of the pier. I'm sure the kids around learnt some new words that day.