Looking for advice on towing a dock
- Thread starter oldgrowth
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Captains Cat
New member
oldgrowth":2j2n2rom said:It was a success. The ramp is now at the Schreiner Ranch on the Dalles Mountain.
Dave
www.marinautboats.com
That's quite a link to the Ranch... Wallaroos? OH MY! Didn't see any Jackalopes there though. Thanks for that link and cannot wait for the pix and videos. Consider using Picsa Web Albums if you can. A lot simpler and quicker than uploading 5 at a time to our albums here. You can get a 5th grader to help you, that's what I did!! :thup :lol:
Congratulations on the completion! Bet youre glad it's behind you..
Charlie
Charlie – I have a web site I uploaded the photos to and have linked to them here.
I figured it would not be fair to use this sites band width when I have a site available for that.
I explained in an earlier post that there were three submerged pilings that could give me a problem, depending on the tide.
This photo taken the day after the move show the two highest ones. None show up in our move photos, however I could tell where the highest one was by the swirls around it some of the time.
Saturday afternoon, Mike and Brian bounced on the ramp at high tide and it became unstuck in the mud. When it did that, we changed our plans. Instead of waiting for a low tide Sunday morning, we decided to see if we could unload the hinge pin.
In this photo we have build a support to lift the ramp and it is chained in place. There is an old theater wall up river we will tie to, to hold the ramp in place when it is lowered into water. There is an outgoing tide as well as the river current running from the right to the left.
Alex is on the theater wall catching the 350 foot rope from Mike.
Brian is taking it down the ramp to tie it as low as possible.
Alex and Mike are getting the rope over the wall and making sure it is not snagged anywhere.
I make a last flip of the rope to get it ready.
We have the ramp secured and the hinge pin unloaded so we decided to lower it to see how it floats.
I hate to not finish the story but Les, TBM and I are up to our eye balls getting the final details of the fiberglass done on the Marinaut, so this is all I have time for until later tonight or possibly tomorrow night.
Dave
www.marinautboats.com
I figured it would not be fair to use this sites band width when I have a site available for that.
I explained in an earlier post that there were three submerged pilings that could give me a problem, depending on the tide.
This photo taken the day after the move show the two highest ones. None show up in our move photos, however I could tell where the highest one was by the swirls around it some of the time.
Saturday afternoon, Mike and Brian bounced on the ramp at high tide and it became unstuck in the mud. When it did that, we changed our plans. Instead of waiting for a low tide Sunday morning, we decided to see if we could unload the hinge pin.
In this photo we have build a support to lift the ramp and it is chained in place. There is an old theater wall up river we will tie to, to hold the ramp in place when it is lowered into water. There is an outgoing tide as well as the river current running from the right to the left.
Alex is on the theater wall catching the 350 foot rope from Mike.
Brian is taking it down the ramp to tie it as low as possible.
Alex and Mike are getting the rope over the wall and making sure it is not snagged anywhere.
I make a last flip of the rope to get it ready.
We have the ramp secured and the hinge pin unloaded so we decided to lower it to see how it floats.
I hate to not finish the story but Les, TBM and I are up to our eye balls getting the final details of the fiberglass done on the Marinaut, so this is all I have time for until later tonight or possibly tomorrow night.
Dave
www.marinautboats.com
I am trying to post the second part on my iPhone. I don't have a computer with me and it is not easy on the iPhone.
After unloading the hinge we had to knock the pin out.
As you can see in this photo, I do more than point. I am not going to let the others have all the fun.
With the pin out, Brian and Alex start lowering the ramp one click at a time with the come-alongs
With it three quarters of the way down, we had to reset the come-alongs to lower it the rest of the way down.
A couple of last clicks here and we will see how it floats. Looking at the othe other end, it looks to be more than 28 feet long. There is an extra section on it.
It is down and floats; however it is 7 feet longer than we original estimated it to be. (Total length 35 feet) The logs were 13.5 inches in diameter so we guessed the total weight to be around 4500 lbs. Probably a little more than I should have been towing with a 16/18 C-Dory but that is what I had. Alex and I discuss our next move here.
Brian pulled us into the bank and we will build a transom on the ramp for my 8hp Honda.
Dave
www.marinautboats.com
After unloading the hinge we had to knock the pin out.
As you can see in this photo, I do more than point. I am not going to let the others have all the fun.
With the pin out, Brian and Alex start lowering the ramp one click at a time with the come-alongs
With it three quarters of the way down, we had to reset the come-alongs to lower it the rest of the way down.
A couple of last clicks here and we will see how it floats. Looking at the othe other end, it looks to be more than 28 feet long. There is an extra section on it.
It is down and floats; however it is 7 feet longer than we original estimated it to be. (Total length 35 feet) The logs were 13.5 inches in diameter so we guessed the total weight to be around 4500 lbs. Probably a little more than I should have been towing with a 16/18 C-Dory but that is what I had. Alex and I discuss our next move here.
Brian pulled us into the bank and we will build a transom on the ramp for my 8hp Honda.
Dave
www.marinautboats.com
Captains Cat
New member
All I can say is Wow... Great job and pictures. Can't wait for the next installment. Get some rest!
Charlie
Charlie
Mike, Chris & Brian were ecstatic that the ramp floated and wanted to go with it to the boat launch immediately. Alex was smart enough to know he did not have enough information to make a decision so he remained quiet. Even though I had reservations about going now, I gave into their enthusiasm because of how easy it had gone at this point so I agreed to give it a shot. We will be going downriver with an outgoing tide.
Mike is getting the line off the theater.
Brian did not think we needed any barrel for flotation but I insisted he put one on either side to help keep the ramp from rolling over. When he was building the transom for the engine he realized the ramp was quite tippy so it did not take much for him to agree to strap a couple of barrels on.
Here Brian is tying the tow rope onto the front of the ramp.
We are getting the ramp lined up to go out the opening between the log boom and city dock.
You can see the opening we will be heading for. The C-Dory is just heading in through it.
We are attaching the tow rope to the ramp.
The plan was for Chris to go with Alex and I in the boat and she would videotape it while Alex would keep an eye on Brian and I would drive the boat. Brian would steer the ramp as much as he could with the outboard.
Once the tow rope was tight and the ramp was past the walkway pilings everything changed in an instant.
Dave
www.marinautboats.com
Mike is getting the line off the theater.
Brian did not think we needed any barrel for flotation but I insisted he put one on either side to help keep the ramp from rolling over. When he was building the transom for the engine he realized the ramp was quite tippy so it did not take much for him to agree to strap a couple of barrels on.
Here Brian is tying the tow rope onto the front of the ramp.
We are getting the ramp lined up to go out the opening between the log boom and city dock.
You can see the opening we will be heading for. The C-Dory is just heading in through it.
We are attaching the tow rope to the ramp.
The plan was for Chris to go with Alex and I in the boat and she would videotape it while Alex would keep an eye on Brian and I would drive the boat. Brian would steer the ramp as much as he could with the outboard.
Once the tow rope was tight and the ramp was past the walkway pilings everything changed in an instant.
Dave
www.marinautboats.com
Captains Cat
New member
George, I think he's still recovering! :lol:
Or else, his IT help has left the building...
Great story so far though!!
Charlie
Or else, his IT help has left the building...
Great story so far though!!
Charlie
Again, I am posting this part with my iPhone – don’t have computer with me.
When I was coming upriver from the boat ramp in the C-Dory I noticed the current did not seem too bad. I did not take into account the C-Dory had a draft of 8 to 9 inches & a length of 18 feet and the dock had a draft of 20 inches and a length of 35 feet.
We are ready to go here. Everything is set and looks OK.
Once the rope was tight, I noticed we had a sideways motion to the port as fast as the forward motion. I did not know it at the time but Brian has the engine turned in the opposite direction as he should have. He should have been pushing the stern toward the starboard side to counteract the current. As it was he had the engine pushing the stern to the port, the same direction the current was pushing it.
His stern came around so fast we did not have a chance and with a tight line on my boat we went sideways just as fast. He gave it full throttle here but it was too late, our line was hung up on the boat docked between us.
Brian cut the line and will let the ramp drift to the inside of the dock.
Alex got out and is helping Brian tie the ramp to the city dock and I pulled in the cut tow rope.
We are on the ramp looking at our handy work and I suggested we go have a late lunch and wait until the tide is coming in.
I wanted to say I told you so but figured it would not help, besides it was as much my fault for agreeing to go with the tide and current. It was hectic out there for a good 10 minutes but no damage done and no one hurt except for our pride.
If it were not for Alex’s sister (Virginia), we would have missed this photo sequence. Chris was so busy trying to handle the boat she was not able get a single photo or video of this part of the move.
Dave
www.marinautboats.com
When I was coming upriver from the boat ramp in the C-Dory I noticed the current did not seem too bad. I did not take into account the C-Dory had a draft of 8 to 9 inches & a length of 18 feet and the dock had a draft of 20 inches and a length of 35 feet.
We are ready to go here. Everything is set and looks OK.
Once the rope was tight, I noticed we had a sideways motion to the port as fast as the forward motion. I did not know it at the time but Brian has the engine turned in the opposite direction as he should have. He should have been pushing the stern toward the starboard side to counteract the current. As it was he had the engine pushing the stern to the port, the same direction the current was pushing it.
His stern came around so fast we did not have a chance and with a tight line on my boat we went sideways just as fast. He gave it full throttle here but it was too late, our line was hung up on the boat docked between us.
Brian cut the line and will let the ramp drift to the inside of the dock.
Alex got out and is helping Brian tie the ramp to the city dock and I pulled in the cut tow rope.
We are on the ramp looking at our handy work and I suggested we go have a late lunch and wait until the tide is coming in.
I wanted to say I told you so but figured it would not help, besides it was as much my fault for agreeing to go with the tide and current. It was hectic out there for a good 10 minutes but no damage done and no one hurt except for our pride.
If it were not for Alex’s sister (Virginia), we would have missed this photo sequence. Chris was so busy trying to handle the boat she was not able get a single photo or video of this part of the move.
Dave
www.marinautboats.com
Captains Cat
New member
Wow again. That last photo (not that the others aren't) is a classic! 
Charlie
Charlie
Captains Cat
New member
GRUMPIER OLD MEN III
:roll: :lol: :love CHARLIE
starcrafttom
Active member
If I did not know better I would say they look like state union employees but they would need lots of safety gear for that.
Alex’s sister took that last picture. My thought when I saw it was “The Three Stooges”.
Dr. Bob – don’t apologize for laughing. We certainly laughed at ourselves when it was over.
I am working on the next episode now and should have it posted within the next hour.
Dave
www.marinautboats.com
Dr. Bob – don’t apologize for laughing. We certainly laughed at ourselves when it was over.
I am working on the next episode now and should have it posted within the next hour.
Dave
www.marinautboats.com
This is the view of our situation from the walkway in the last photo of “The Three Stooges”. We are on the inside of the dock with the current and tide against us. We have to bring the ramp out and around the dock & boat across from us.
There is a pub a few doors down from us so we head there for a late lunch and to wait for an incoming tide. Here, Alex and I formulate a plan and explain it to the others during lunch.
Mike is hard of hearing especially when there is a lot of background noise. There was a group in the back of the pub that was loud so he did not even try to involve himself in the conversation.
After lunch and one beer the tide changed. On the way back we met Dan. He is from Olympia but has a fishing boat here, the one behind the C-Dory (top photo). He had just finished doing some repairs and was going to take his boat out for a test run but was very interested in our project. He was sad to see the dock not being replaced.
During lunch we had decided to take a line from the ramp around one of the pilings at the log boom and back to the city dock to pull the ramp straight out. I used the C-Dory for this while dodging the submerged pilings that held the original dock. Even with an incoming tide there was a current down river.
It went OK but Dan came back over to where we were working and said we were having too much fun and wanted to know if he could join in the fun. He suggested we move the boat that was across the dock from us and he would come in there and tow the dock with his boat. Instead of towing a 4500 lb dock with less than a 2000 lb boat we would be towing with (and I am guessing) a 17,000 to 22,000 lb boat. We all thought that would be a good idea.
We have the ramp out and the tow line hooked up so all I have to do is pull the line from around the pilings but it hangs up.
After a bit of pulling the rope from both ends we get it free so we are ready to go. Chris is in the C-Dory by herself to take videos of the move. Brian is on the ramp and Alex and Mike will take the trailer for the ramp and the track hoe (excavator) down river to the boat launch. I am in the back of Dan’s boat manning the tow rope and keeping an eye on Brian. Virginia is on land pacing us with her car taking photos of the move.
Dave
www.marinautboats.com
There is a pub a few doors down from us so we head there for a late lunch and to wait for an incoming tide. Here, Alex and I formulate a plan and explain it to the others during lunch.
Mike is hard of hearing especially when there is a lot of background noise. There was a group in the back of the pub that was loud so he did not even try to involve himself in the conversation.
After lunch and one beer the tide changed. On the way back we met Dan. He is from Olympia but has a fishing boat here, the one behind the C-Dory (top photo). He had just finished doing some repairs and was going to take his boat out for a test run but was very interested in our project. He was sad to see the dock not being replaced.
During lunch we had decided to take a line from the ramp around one of the pilings at the log boom and back to the city dock to pull the ramp straight out. I used the C-Dory for this while dodging the submerged pilings that held the original dock. Even with an incoming tide there was a current down river.
It went OK but Dan came back over to where we were working and said we were having too much fun and wanted to know if he could join in the fun. He suggested we move the boat that was across the dock from us and he would come in there and tow the dock with his boat. Instead of towing a 4500 lb dock with less than a 2000 lb boat we would be towing with (and I am guessing) a 17,000 to 22,000 lb boat. We all thought that would be a good idea.
We have the ramp out and the tow line hooked up so all I have to do is pull the line from around the pilings but it hangs up.
After a bit of pulling the rope from both ends we get it free so we are ready to go. Chris is in the C-Dory by herself to take videos of the move. Brian is on the ramp and Alex and Mike will take the trailer for the ramp and the track hoe (excavator) down river to the boat launch. I am in the back of Dan’s boat manning the tow rope and keeping an eye on Brian. Virginia is on land pacing us with her car taking photos of the move.
Dave
www.marinautboats.com
With a 353 Jimmy diesel engine in Dan’s boat, he had no trouble getting the ramp out in the river channel.
We took it slow and easy so the down river trip was uneventful except at one point where we hit some small rollers. They tended to hit the front of the ramp and wanted to make it dive then it would roll a bit. I did not think it was that bad but Brian did not appreciate it. He said it was worse than it looked from our prospective.
We are turning the corner here for the Boat launch. Mike has the trailer on the ramp ready for us and Alex is on the dock waiting for us.
I almost did not get enough distance on the rope when I tossed it to Alex.
The ramp is at the dock and Dan headed back to South Bend. Chris is coming into the dock with the C-Dory. It is 20:15 now so we have to hurry if we are to get the ramp loaded before dark.
The last boat coming in to this ramp came in just 30 minutes before we got there. Kind of glad no boat was at the dock. It would have created a problem with holding the ramp out in the channel. As it was, Dan made a long sweeping turn and allowed the ramp to drift into the dock with the current.
Dave
www.marinautboats.com
We took it slow and easy so the down river trip was uneventful except at one point where we hit some small rollers. They tended to hit the front of the ramp and wanted to make it dive then it would roll a bit. I did not think it was that bad but Brian did not appreciate it. He said it was worse than it looked from our prospective.
We are turning the corner here for the Boat launch. Mike has the trailer on the ramp ready for us and Alex is on the dock waiting for us.
I almost did not get enough distance on the rope when I tossed it to Alex.
The ramp is at the dock and Dan headed back to South Bend. Chris is coming into the dock with the C-Dory. It is 20:15 now so we have to hurry if we are to get the ramp loaded before dark.
The last boat coming in to this ramp came in just 30 minutes before we got there. Kind of glad no boat was at the dock. It would have created a problem with holding the ramp out in the channel. As it was, Dan made a long sweeping turn and allowed the ramp to drift into the dock with the current.
Dave
www.marinautboats.com