Launch ramp fiasco

Sneaks

New member
Just another safety reminder. Those slippery launch ramps can be embarrassing. :roll:

SZ200_18.jpg
 
A slippery ramp can sure be dangerous for other reasons also -- that's how El broke her leg back in Kentucky and slowed down cruising for a few months of rehab! We believe one of the most dangerous times of trailer-boating is not on the water -- but on the ramp!!
 
Don-

I saw a similar situation at little lake Elizabeth in Fremont one time in the mid 1970's.

This guy forgot to set the parking brake on his stick-shift Chevy El Camino after backing down the ramp.

After the Fire Department and tow truck got him back up on dry land, they figured out he was still boozed up continuing on from the night before.

Over the years, we've seen quite a few Hobie Cat sailors who were better been drinkers than sailors

As we all know-

Alcohol and water may mix in a cocktail glass, but on a boat they make for a deadly combination. Best save the sundowners till after the anchor is set.

Joe.
 
I just love DISASTER !!!! I call it diving for dollars... that's my gravy in the summer.... I usually get four or five sinkers every summer... mostly V-8 ski boats... (at $450 a pop) This year I am introducing a new line of boat docks to my business so hopefully it will be a good season... also a new underwater metal detector... great fun... and the folks always smile when I give em the bill... (much more fun than fishing)

Joel
SEA3PO
 
Swee Pea":29a4o8cd said:
Nice to know there is someone out there waiting to profit at someone else's misfortune. :roll:

John
Swee Pea

Sounds more like providing a great service. :wink: How much would most of us pay to retrieve our boat/truck/trailer?
 
Knowing Joel as I do, I know he's no predator, and $450 raise a sunken boat sounds like a bargain to me, compared to what one might expect!

Joe.
 
I am a diver too. But I don't love DISASTER. I have come to the aid of those in need of my diving services and have charged for my time and services. I know that many people provide a service. No problem. Somebody's got to do it. I just don't love DISASTER. I have been on the receiving end of some real dumb mistakes, and it has cost me.
I am sure Joel is a very nice person and is not a preditor and his comment was tongue in cheek. No hard feelings.

John
Swee Pea
 
Gosh I was not upset.....I have been had by professionals.... (old navy chief) Yes it's true...those are almost always insurance jobs... and very technical lifts...boats are really strong as they sit in the water...but if they are lifted wrong underwater they will fold up like a cheep envelope... and I am liable.. not to cause any extra damage.... so they have to be lifted bow up and raising the stern has to be very slow and gently.... it takes special lift bags and experience....(been doing it commercially for 16 years)...I also have to admit it though... I love it.. would probably do it for free... but gotta keep the company in business... lots of expenses that most folks don't think about...

Joel
SEA3PO
 
That's like getting angry at an Emergency Medical Technician because he/she loves saving lives! ...of a Fireman who loves controlling a blaze and saving lives and property doing that.

Thank God we have ppl out there who do these tough jobs for us! Around here, it'd cost two to three times that price to raise a sunken craft. And, if noone raises them, then we'll all be crashing into the wrecks ourselves.

John
 
I've been thinking about this incident over the weekend especially with all the ice here in Seattle. I drove over to a ramp on Lake Washington (north in Kenmore) and it was all iced up.
My question is what basically did this guy do wrong?
Did he back in too far, i.e. the trailer went off the ramp?
Should he of put some weight in the back of the truck?
Or was it a poorly designed ramp ?
No replies like he should have a bigger truck. I pull my boat with a car, so I'm wondering what I should be extra cautious about.
 
tom&shan":j4tc33xi said:
My question is what basically did this guy do wrong?

Tom, click on the safety reminder link in the first message. It will take you to "The Log" article that gives all the details. Basically a very low tide, very light tow vehicle, and a ramp that's mossy at the bottom did the job. I've launched from that ramp many times in the past. It's not excessively steep nor is it considered the worse in San Diego. An average ramp.
 
I have only had experience with two ramp sinkings...... one was the parking brake did not hold and let go, that was fairly easy as the car was still on the ramp....all needed there was to hook a cable and pull er up. The other was on the Sacramento River where the guy had picked up his boat from a storage place and launched it....he did not set the lock on the trailer hitch and as the boat lifted off, so did the trailer on the ball....the current took the trailer down river.... only went several hundred feet until it snagged on the bottom...in about 12' of water...but fast current....that was a job getting that one out.

Joel
SEA3PO
 
My kid brother had taken his brand new Chevy 4x4 Z71 on a canoe trip with friends. He was waiting for them to get to the ramp, so drove his new pickup down the ramp to peer around the bend of the river. The front wheels went over the end of the ramp. He tried to back out, but those old 4X4s would not engage until you'd rolled 10-12 foot or so. As such, the truck just slowly slid into the water as he burned rubber trying to back back up the ramp.

'Sunk clear up to the roof.... less than a week old brand spanking new truck!

John
 
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