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Go Back   WakeWorld > >> Boats, Accessories & Tow Vehicles Archive > Archive through July 28, 2009

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Old     (lancesaville)      Join Date: May 2009       07-18-2009, 8:30 PM Reply   
Today was a BE-AUTIFUL Arkansas day, 88 degrees, 40% humidity, light wind, so everyone was out at my fav lake (degray)

The guy we were behind in line for the ramp was going through all the regular stuff, checking this, checking that, put some stuff in the boat, unclipped his winch line from the bow hook and proceded to back down the ramp to launch his boat...

One problem, his trailer didn't have carpeted bunks, it had rubber ROLLERS.

Yep. As soon as he started backing down, the boat slid off of the trailer, with him in it, bounced, and skidded down the ramp and came to a stop about a foot short of the water. Wife, kids, and a buddy in the truck, ready to hit the water - not happening today.

It left a yellow paint streak down the ramp and little bits of fiberglass with it. Now I'm not sure if alcohol was a factor or not, but HOW do you forget that you have rollers on your trailer, this was not a new boat, so not the first time he'd launched. I didn't want to ask, he looked pissed, I got out of the truck and asked if there was ANYTHING I could do to help him out, he said thanks but no, and that he had forgotten he had rollers. I told him I'd be in the truck if they needed an extra hand, then watched as he and his buddy slowly winched it back off the ramp and onto the trailer. SUCKS. As a boat owner, and fellow male, it made my stomach start hurting just to see it happen. I really felt for the guy, hopefully he has good insurance.

Not really a reason for this post, just have NEVER seen such a thing happen so I had to share.
Old     (wakeboardlasvegas)      Join Date: Mar 2007       07-18-2009, 8:32 PM Reply   
I NEVER unhook the boat until it is in the water and running.
Old     (lancesaville)      Join Date: May 2009       07-18-2009, 8:34 PM Reply   
Right on, I unhook once I've got the fenders covered with water ONLY.
Old     (dohboy)      Join Date: Aug 2007       07-18-2009, 8:38 PM Reply   
He had to be as embarrassed as pissed. I would be
Old     (todd34)      Join Date: Apr 2009       07-18-2009, 8:55 PM Reply   
OUCH!
Old     (lfrider92)      Join Date: Sep 2008       07-18-2009, 9:14 PM Reply   
we unhook when the back tires on the trailer are about a foot from the water line.
Old     (jsw)      Join Date: Apr 2009       07-18-2009, 9:21 PM Reply   
i've never heard of that happening but have always wondered what if. I never chance unhooking until the boat is floating. man that's awful. how'd he get it back on the trailer? seems like you would have to either get it in the water or lifted back on.
Old     (razzman)      Join Date: Dec 2006       07-18-2009, 9:28 PM Reply   
I unhook when the boats backed to the water and not a second sooner, guess this guy didn't know that. I've seen a few good ones though.

Kinda long but worth reading and starts not on the water but ends up there. We were camped on the plateau at the Putah Creek campground at Berryessa surveying the madness on Memorial weekend about fifteen years ago. This dude pulls in with a custom painted & lifted chevy 4X4 (new, no plates), a painted to match pickle fork jet as well as a painted to match Kawasaki 440 jet ski in the bed. Totally posing he was. Well he'd pulled in the wrong way on a one way road and couldn't back in so he gets pissed and trys to turn around uphill, the jetski breaks the wimpy rope holding it and slides into the tailgate which busts open and the jetski drops onto the starboard sponson busting off the tip and putting a big hole in the jetski! He starts screaming at his girl and a bunch of drunks run over to help. They lift it back into the bed but the tailgate won't close because it's bent to hell! Guess what? Next day we see the moron about thirty yards off the ramp sinking in the jet, he'd tried to duct tape it! Even funnier was the jet ski already nose up full of water trying to tow it in!

Then there was the guy that dropped his jet boat right on the ramp, forgot to hookup the winch strap and took off like his a$$ was on fire. Left it sitting right at the waterline!

Gotta love it!
Old     (lancesaville)      Join Date: May 2009       07-18-2009, 9:32 PM Reply   
steve, the last set of rollers on the trailer were on a hinge, (posted a similar trailer design pic i found below) they were able to tilt it back and it stayed angled until it got all the way onto the trailer. And yeah I guess thats why I posted, I had always wondered what If until I saw it happen, a girl that saw it said she had seen a boat burn up on the 12th at another nearby lake. People didn't run their blower before starting - Also a what if thing in my mind, but hell I use my blower all the time, sometimes I just forget and it stays on, can't hurt, I'm sure the fans are cheap to replace and well worth having.

Upload

(Message edited by lancesaville on July 18, 2009)
Old     (magicr)      Join Date: May 2004       07-18-2009, 9:49 PM Reply   
Did the exact same thing about 25 years ago. My girlfriend (now wife) and nephew were sitting at the wheel of boat, I un-hooked winch line (which I had done numerous times)50 feet from water. My brother started backing down ramp, and for whatever reason hit the brakes. It was almost surreal watching boat slowly slide off trailer, and land onto ramp. The main difference this time as opposed to other times that we launched the boat was it had been raining and the rollers were wet.


Luckily we had tilt trailer and it was not that hard to get it back on. The only damage it did was scraped about a 4 inch wide area of gelcoat off stern.

After being around boats for 40+ years I've seen alot worse things happen.
Old     (saceone)      Join Date: Jan 2009       07-19-2009, 7:23 AM Reply   
+483827 on unhooking when the boat is floating.
Old     (wackbag)      Join Date: Feb 2009       07-19-2009, 9:01 AM Reply   
Just because your trailer has bunks doesnt mean that can't happen to you. I've seen it.
Old     (boss210)      Join Date: Jun 2006       07-19-2009, 10:08 AM Reply   
If your boat has not been in the water for over 24 hrs and the bunks are dry its ushally ok to unhook before you back down. Depending on how steep the ramp is.
Old     (saceone)      Join Date: Jan 2009       07-19-2009, 12:26 PM Reply   
maybe but why risk it?
Old     (loonytik)      Join Date: Apr 2008       07-19-2009, 12:46 PM Reply   
Whats the point of unhooking it before its in the water and floating anyway? How many seconds do you save...10? Maybe?

Pointless, unnecessary risk. Leave it hooked, crank it, unhook and back off the trailer. Simple.
Old     (jayc)      Join Date: Sep 2002       07-19-2009, 1:30 PM Reply   
I often have to launch on my own and am forced to unhook before backing down.

I get to the top of the beach, unhook, put my wakeboard line over the cleat on the bow, stick the handle and line in the back of the truck, reverse down the beach at about 10 mph, as soon as the wheels kit the water I stamp on the brakes and the boat slides off trailer. I then jump out the truck, grab the handle and line and pull the boat up the beach then quickly park the truck and trailer before the tide has floated the boat away.

I have it so dialled after doing it for about 7 years that I can launch single handed in half the time it takes a group of guys to launch.
Old     (stevo8290)      Join Date: Sep 2008       07-19-2009, 3:08 PM Reply   
Jay- i want to see a video of you pulling that off. it sounds pretty risky.
Old     (krbaugh)      Join Date: Mar 2002       07-19-2009, 3:17 PM Reply   
10 mph now I would love to see that to!
Old     (scottymc261)      Join Date: Mar 2009       07-19-2009, 3:25 PM Reply   
You guys see this one on Boattest?
Forgot to plug the truck i guess!
Upload
Old     (dohboy)      Join Date: Aug 2007       07-19-2009, 3:28 PM Reply   
Guess reverse didn't work on his truck. Maybe he was there over night and the tide rolled up LOL
Is he tying the back of the boat off?
Old     (saceone)      Join Date: Jan 2009       07-19-2009, 3:54 PM Reply   
jay we need a video.
Old     (jaybee)      Join Date: Aug 2007       07-19-2009, 5:27 PM Reply   
+3 for a video Jay. I don't understand why you could not just put the boat in the water quickly unhook it and park it then move your truck. What you are doing sounds very risky.
Old     (formfunction)      Join Date: Jun 2008       07-19-2009, 6:04 PM Reply   
A classic

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3FshOpPqj88&feature=related
Old     (tcaz)      Join Date: Aug 2008       07-19-2009, 8:04 PM Reply   
ouchhh

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RR6qgwvmcnI
Old     (whirli_7)      Join Date: Aug 2003       07-19-2009, 8:14 PM Reply   
I saw the same thing happen about two years ago, except it was a bunk trailer. The guy powerloaded his boat, kept it in gear when driving up the ramp, because he, or the driver were too lazy to hook the winch, then about half way up, boom. didn't see how they reloaded it. We loaded next to him and got the heck out of there
Old    supraguy            07-19-2009, 9:10 PM Reply   
IDIOTS on the boats ramps. We un look it all than back down fire the boat up and pull off. Very hard to slid a boat off dry bunks. If the ramp is super steep or bumpy we wait..
Old     (bill_airjunky)      Join Date: Apr 2002       07-19-2009, 10:13 PM Reply   
Nice videos.
We do it a lot like Jay described when we launch the Vride on our beach. But a bit slower than 10 mph. And I don't bother with a rope. Just have one person in the truck & one in the boat. And the beach is not very steep at all. Anytime we use a launch, we leave the boat hooked up till the trailer is wet.
Old     (stevo8290)      Join Date: Sep 2008       07-20-2009, 1:08 AM Reply   
why cant yall just back down, jump out unhook it, pull the boat off, beach it or dock it or something, then just move your car if you alone. i dont see the point in slinging your boat off the trailer but thats just me....
Old     (stevo8290)      Join Date: Sep 2008       07-20-2009, 1:10 AM Reply   
and wow those guys with the jet ski.....i was feeling for them in the vid. that sucks so bad. could you picture your truck on the edge of life and death. that would suck to have it all on video too by someone you dont know. or to have a bunch of random guys blog about it.....
Old     (loudontn)      Join Date: Feb 2005       07-20-2009, 5:53 AM Reply   
Hahah, I used to do the same thing as Jay before I got my Supra. I had a 17' I/O and I had a long rope that I'd tie to a cleat on the boat and throw over the dock. I'd back down and hit the brakes hard once it got close to the water. I'd put the car in park and run around to the dock and grab the rope that was so long it was still strug over the dock. I'd walk it close to the dock and tie up. Didn't take me 2 minutes to launch. I pull the 24SSV off the trailer in reverse and just park, not as efficient but safer.
Old     (gregholloway)      Join Date: May 2009       07-20-2009, 8:01 AM Reply   
Few years back I saw this happen to a brand new X2. Never been put in the water, guess the bunks were really slick since it was brand new! The front of the boat was resting nicely on the very back of the bunks and the back of the boat was on the prop! It made me sick looking at it!!
Old     (rbeckei)      Join Date: May 2007       07-20-2009, 8:06 AM Reply   
Why did he not put it in 4x4? It looks like a 4x4 truck
Old     (duffy)      Join Date: Feb 2006       07-20-2009, 8:30 AM Reply   
The funniest thing I ever saw was my buddy loading his stand up! A friend of mine had a freestyle standup and this thing had some pep to it. He would load and unload it by backing his S10 all the way into the water. Now when he unloaded he would simply drop the bed of the truck slightly in the water and slide the ski out. When he loaded it he would do the same but actually ride it into the back of the truck. Keep in mind these freestyle skis are super light. Well one day we were at the lake and I had just got done loading my boat and went to park. When I came back the whole back cab of my buddies S10 was caved in and the glass shattered. I didn't get it at first then everyone was standing around goin OMG did you see that. I didn't see it, but wish I would have. Apparently he gave the ski a little too much umph when he came in to load and crashed through the back glass of the cab. It wasn't funny but it was!
Old     (jayc)      Join Date: Sep 2002       07-20-2009, 1:19 PM Reply   
No vids I'm afraid guys. I can launch on my own but even I can't launch and film myself!

There's not much to risk where I launch. It's soft sand so as soon as you slow down the launch vehicle will sink and pretty much stop. I wouldn't do it on a concrete ramp for risk of skidding into the water.
Old     (tigerider20v)      Join Date: Jun 2009       07-20-2009, 9:09 PM Reply   
Its a ford, it will be fine just need to let it dry out
Old     (plhorn)      Join Date: Dec 2005       07-21-2009, 9:56 AM Reply   
The worse launch ramp guy I've ever seen pulled his I/O out of the water with the engine running and in gear. The prop hit the ramp and just kept spinning, shooting bits of prop and ramp all over the place. The guy then couldn't figure out how to get back on his boat past the flying rocks to turn the engine off.

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