Funniest and worst,scariest boat ramp stories

[vinnimon]

Worst For me was fishmasters ramp.I knew I needed brakes and the boat dragged me all they way down until I heard a thud.Thank god.

The funniest to see was in burks falls ramp,new truck, new boat come down the ramp,I was fishing the dock at first light and I heard a snap,bang crash.New boat was sitting on its hull 5 feet from the water.He got out and freeked,we held our laughs and tried to help at the time.Wench cable snapped.

To our dismay, he said" shes gonna kill me,I scratched her boat let alone dropped it",crap we fell to the ground laughing our behinds off and called the local officers in for assistance.Not sure what happened after.Left for our camp sites.

Port maitland,my bud(may he rest in peace)lauched his tinner at a small ramp,tyied the boat off to a tree,then remembered he forgot something at home.So I waited,cause he lived down the street.While waiting I noticed the boat was filling up with water,so I started bailing.He arrived 15 min later with the plug in his hand.The only thing he said was good,you know where the leak is now.HUH!Threw me for a dewsie.

RIP DAN,it was always a treat working and fishin with ya old freind.

[siwash]

Forgot the plug... realized it when I was in 100' of water in good ol lake Ontario! Boat was filling with water and a scary rate!!

 

LMAO

[BillsTheBassMan]

This is from way back, so details are a little vague . . .

 

I was about 9-10 (1990 or so) years old and we were going into the parking lot to launch my dad's boat. The guy running the boat launch asked my dad to roll down his window. The guy working the boat launch was a greasy looking fella and he was smoking two cigarettes both exactly straight out of his mouth AND he was talking in very clear English. Either he was well practiced, or he sounded like a poet laureate without the smokes. It has stuck with me all these years.

[mepps]

[mpt]

This was due to a F and R mix up on the throttle selector.

 

wy boat launch2.pdf

[asdve23rveavwa]

Forgot the plug... realized it when I was in 100' of water in good ol lake Ontario! Boat was filling with water and a scary rate!!

 

LMAO

Yup...guilty of that one as well...launching at Old Cut on LPB. Fired up the motor started rigging up, looked down...said HOLY BLEEP...fumbled for the plug, switched spots with Juli...she weighs just over half what I do and has way smaller fingers!!!

Lots of bailing followed...man, did I learn my lesson that day.

[ChrisK]

Was at Restoule's public dock one year. Backed the trailer in and all of a sudden there was a big thump. I looked back to see my 14ft Lund looking very strange,low almost like it was ready to take on water over the transom. What the ???? I apply parking brake and get out and inspect the situation. Turns out the ramp was concrete and only went out about 15ft or so and stopped then a sheer drop into 4ft of water. Well,my trailer tires went right of the edge and now the trailer frame is on the end of the concrete ramp,tires dangling. I go in my truck and tried to pull the trailer back up onto its tires on the concrete pad ramp but no luck. She is locked up on the end of the ramp. OK,no problem....I get in the water and untie the transom straps and the boat pops up and launches on its own. OK,great boat is of the trailer so now it should be light enough to pull up over the end of the ramp back on its wheels right ??? Not !!! Its still locked up and won't budge. OK....Still nobody around to help so I tell the wife to get in the truck and when I say pull forward GIVER !!I get in the water once again and submerge myself behind the trailer in 4ft of water preparing myself for the biggest bench press ever. I give the word to Carol and get under the trailer and just as she starts pulling forward I take a deep breath,go under water and bench press the trailer just enough to get the wheels up on the edge of the pad. Carol keeps on the power and drags the trailer up the ramp to safety. This was probably the most difficult extrication I have ever attempted and succeeded in...

[crappieperchhunter]

Was at Restoule's public dock one year. Backed the trailer in and all of a sudden there was a big thump. I looked back to see my 14ft Lund looking very strange,low almost like it was ready to take on water over the transom. What the ???? I apply parking brake and get out and inspect the situation. Turns out the ramp was concrete and only went out about 15ft or so and stopped then a sheer drop into 4ft of water. Well,my trailer tires went right of the edge and now the trailer frame is on the end of the concrete ramp,tires dangling. I go in my truck and tried to pull the trailer back up onto its tires on the concrete pad ramp but no luck. She is locked up on the end of the ramp. OK,no problem....I get in the water and untie the transom straps and the boat pops up and launches on its own. OK,great boat is of the trailer so now it should be light enough to pull up over the end of the ramp back on its wheels right ??? Not !!! Its still locked up and won't budge. OK....Still nobody around to help so I tell the wife to get in the truck and when I say pull forward GIVER !!I get in the water once again and submerge myself behind the trailer in 4ft of water preparing myself for the biggest bench press ever. I give the word to Carol and get under the trailer and just as she starts pulling forward I take a deep breath,go under water and bench press the trailer just enough to get the wheels up on the edge of the pad. Carol keeps on the power and drags the trailer up the ramp to safety. This was probably the most difficult extrication I have ever attempted and succeeded in...

 

 

All great stories....but this one is my fav

[Headhunter]

A number of years ago, before my wife and I had kids, I spent a number of late fall, early winter weekends, chasing Pickereyes on Quinte. It was almost a ritual for us, fishing the weekends.

One fine morning, a little nip in the air (-15C)we arrive at the Picton launch. All seemed normal, until we backed the boat into the water. I noticed that the boat seemed to be riding pretty low in the water, so I yell to my buddy, "Is the plug in?" "Yup, no doubt, it's in", he says. Well something seems wrong as the boat is riding much lower than normal" I said.

Buddy gets out of the truck and says... "the boat is frozen to the trailer bunks!"

Sure enough, I can see the trailor tires hanging there. Now, the water temp was something in the area of about 32.5F. We decided, since there was no other boats at the ramp, to see if the water would melt the boat off the trailor... no dice after 20 minutes.

So I tell my buddy, isn't there a car wash in town, that has a power wash systems that we could use to blast the bunks and free up the boat? Yup!

So we drive to the car wash, dump in a few bucks and start hammering the bunks with the hot spray. Once we ran out of money, we gunned it back to the ramp, back up and viola, floating boat!

HH

[Muskieman]

I had posted an answer to a question similar to this one last year but can't find the thread... seems that they got wiped out when the new board came along... I'll keep looking.

 

RFS

[fish_fishburn]

I remember years ago my buddy and I headed out at 4am to go to a bass tourney about 50 miles from home. We launched the boat, no probs. The blast off was a trickle start and when it was our turn I hammered the throttle on my bass boat and my bow pointed straight up to the sky. I let off the gas and tried again and the same thing happened. Hmm maybe my motor isn't trimmed all the way down, so I check, it's good. Then my chum says did you put the plug in. Bingo we dont have a plug took it out the night before and left it on the railing of my deck. On goes the bilge pumps and we empty her out and were off. We fished all day with no plug and had to listen to the gurgle, gurgle, of water entering the hull when we were stopped. Whenever we decided to move we just pumped her out for a few minutes and we were off. On the bright side, I found out my boat would never sink if the plug ever fell out.

[Flappn]

I've done a few stupid things. Back the boat into the water...start motor hit reverse...usually slides ride of..this time it wasn't..hmm..look over the gunel and the trailer is floating. Forgot to take the straps off.

 

Done the plug thing a few times...found my self in about 4 feet of water once trying to hold the boat from sinking while my buddy strolls across the beach to the Truck to get the plug while checking out the woman.....I was not impressed..he wasn't a big boater at the time and didn't understand the urgency.

[express168]

This guy couldn't get the boat off the trailer so he tried gunning it in reverse, but he failed to realize that he hadn't released the winch strap and bow chain yet. It pulled the truck onto the slippery green algae on the bottom of the ramp and the rest is history. He cut the winch strap with a knife when he realized it was still attached but didn't release the bow chain first and with the tension on the chain afterwards there was no chance.This was years ago at Bayfront Park in Hamilton.