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Old     (chris_b)      Join Date: Feb 2007       09-07-2010, 8:41 PM Reply   
So this afternoon, I finally started clearing the area for my Malibu Cave(aka:a shop). I had to move the boat to the street in front of the house. We had finished for the day and was talking in the yard and I heard a pop. The wedge shot out from under the trailer jack wheel, and the boat starting rolling off the road and down a hill toward a ditch. God must have looked down and told one of his angels "quick: go save that BU". It barely missed a tree down the whole side, and I thought the trailer jack was going to snap at any time. Finally it came to a rest at a small ditch with no damage. We could not stop that heavy sucker, but we did try to guide it on the way down. Some of the scariest seconds of my life. Took us a while to get the truck hooked to it and pulled out of the yard. Mark this down as another first in boat experiences for me. I'll post some pics as we build over the next month. Thought I would share my memorable experience.
Old     (bill_airjunky)      Join Date: Apr 2002       09-07-2010, 11:26 PM Reply   
Holy crap. Time to get some better wheel chocks. Glad to hear it all worked out.
Old     (johnny_gatsby)      Join Date: Sep 2009       09-08-2010, 12:45 AM Reply   
Chris...wow take a breath and take stock of the good things you have...health, family, and really nice boat. I chime in because the same thing happend to me a couple of years ago. I was moving the boat out of the garage to hitch it up. The driveway has a downhill grade--I thought I would save some time by rolling the boat out and having my wife put the blocks in front of the wheel father down the driveway than usual (Usually I do this alone in smaller increments, moving the blocks in front of the trailer wheels until they clear the garage). As I started pulling--marital communication broke down and me shouting "ok put it down!....put it down..now...now...!" Momentum took over and then time stopped.

In a millisecond, I surveyed the situation. The boat is now picking up speed...my wife is now in no position to put the blocks in front of the wheel, my shoulder is imbedded in the point of the boat to no effect--this is real. Ok --decision time: (1) avoid 2007 Tahoe LTZ; (2) guide trailer to softest possible landing-hedge on left side of driveway or if that doesn't work, basketball hoop with weighted base a little farther along; (3) next is the large Rhododendron bush; (4) how much does it cost to repair gelcoat, (5) oh oh.. beyond the Rhododendron is the neighbors's brick driveway light structure...;(6) trailer picking up speed--$#@! the driveway light! 3 seconds later it is over. I mangage to guide the trailer away from the Tahoe into the hedge...and the basketball hoop...and the large Rhododendron bush and -- it stopped--the tongue of the trailer imbedded in and through the Rhody and came to rest about 2 feet to the right of the neighbors brick driveway light. The trailer jack collapsed--probably right before going into the hedge and basketball hoop. I had to jack the tongue up and it took a long time to figure out how to back the trailer out of the Rhody and hedge. As I was running along side the trailer, guiding it into the bushes, the trailer jack collapsed and came down on my left calf. I was lucky because it only gouged the skin and did not totally break my leg. I did not even notice it when it was happening.

After it was over, my foot was really sore, my calf was bleeding, the basketball hoop was junk, the Rhodonendron was all cut up, the left trailer fender and brake light were kind of nicked up, but we were ok and the boat was fine--and the neighbor's had no idea what was going on. In the end I felt like we were really lucky but really should not have been trying to take a short cut without some rehersal or practice first. This kind of thing can go real bad--but it didn't! learn from it and then say thanks.
Old     (Chuch)      Join Date: Mar 2010       09-08-2010, 5:52 AM Reply   
Yup, I have one of these too. Thought my wife chocked the wheels while unhooking the boat at our campground storage field (first mistake). She then proceeded to take my daughter down to the pool and left me alone to clean the boat up a bit. When I went to detach, the pressure on the ball from the slight hill I was on wouldnt allow it to come off. I step up on the bumper and it goes "POP". Then she started rolling.....just slow enough that I thought for some reason in my flip flops I thought I could grab the tounge, lay out like a tug of war contest and stop her. NOPE. I see in the back ground a hill, to small ditch (might stop her), and CAMPERS! BAM! She stopped to my surprise about 3/4 of the way to the ditch (about 25 yards). I thought she nailed a mysterious tree that I couldnt see while being cut up while she rolled backwards. NOPE...a white dodge caravan saved my boats life that day I do believe. Teak platform won the contest while the caravan had a grapefruit size dent in the rear door. The best part (after I started breathing and got my hear rate down) is that the people tested the door and told me it was no big deal. WOW. Someone was looking out for me that day. Everyone in my crew loves to crack on me still to this day.

Two lessons: 1) I always chock the wheels. 2) I always leave one hook attached to my hitch while disconnecting to prevent her from ever getting away again.
Old     (cwb4me)      Join Date: Apr 2010       09-08-2010, 6:37 AM Reply   
at our campground someone was leaving their boat for service. they had a 6x6 behind the wheels.somehow they backed over it and when they did the tounge came off the ball and away she went down a 30 degree hill. unfortunately for the owner it wasn't a malibu and god didn't care this time . it nailed a tree broke the fiberglass deck to pieces and cracked the transom most of the way down. but the good news is once it was securely wrapped around the tree the owner was able to put chocks behind both wheels so it wouldn't roll up hill and get loose again.LOL,
Old     (stang_killa_ss)      Join Date: Jan 2010       09-08-2010, 8:14 AM Reply   
was shawn murray there?
Old     (talltigeguy)      Join Date: Sep 2003       09-08-2010, 12:22 PM Reply   
I hope that everyone reading this learns to chock the tires instead of the jack.

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