Boat ramp failure stories

Obie1

Obie1

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We've all seen it or done it. Let's hear your stories. Here are a few of mine.
Some years ago at a tiny lake called Wyola, my dog hit the lock button in my truck while I was parked on the single lane ramp loading the boat, truck engine running. No one could get in or out. A Greencoat (DFW officer) drove me home (about 15 minutes) to get a spare key, nice guy. There were a lot of pissed off people at the ramp when we returned.
At Barton Cove, my buddy somehow changed the locking function in the truck to auto as he backed in to load the bass boat. After pulling up and getting out to secure the boat, the truck locked itself. My wife had to drive a half hour to bring a key. I now carry a spare truck key in both boats.
Also at Barton, I unhooked one transom strap and assumed that my brother had gotten the other as he was muddling around there as we prepared to launch. He backed me in and the boat stayed attached to the trailer on one side and swamped the transom before we figured it out.

A few years ago at the Quabbin--epic fail (note, this was not me).

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I've seen an old Cadillac pulling a jet ski do exactly what that picture is at Hampton ponds. Had an old StarCraft hill boat when I was a kid, me and my father went everywhere with that thing, at Congamond the trailer tire went off the back off the concrete slab trying to pull it out the trailer arm bent. Had to wade in with some bystander heave the as send up whilemy father pulled up. That event set the stage for the next mishap. So my father goes out and buys a new trailer witb roller bunks.Went to Cochituate I'm sitting in the boat my father is backing it in, doesn't like the lane he's in suddenly drives foreword bam the boat and me slide off and are on the pavement. A little JB weld and we got a few more years out of that boat before we got a Skeeter bass boat. Saw many other people that couldn't back up, one guy tried to launch his boat by undoing the trailer and reversing the boat, lots of people can't load a boat. Great thread Obie.
 
back in the day, my grandfather had an Oldsmobile sedan and to get the boat out of the lake he rigged up special setup, which I wish I had a photo but first, he made himself a trailer dolly because he was a welder. Then we'd wheel the trailer down into the water using the dolly on a sandy part of the lake since there was no driveway option nearby. We'd float the boat on then tie a long rope between the dolly and car and tow the trailer out steering the trailer by hand, which required one brave soul to get between the dolly and car-usually done by my uncle or an older cousin. I think we'd all push from the side and rear for some reason too. One lucky cousin would be in the boat doing nothing but saying push of course. Fun stuff.

other funny thing was it was a neighbor's land and he was good friends with my grandfather so he let us use his landing to put the boat in and out but every arse with a boat would show up and trespass so eventually he put in a iron bar gate. on weekends we'd see people trying to open it and ask wtf they were doing. it was great fun. People would claim they knew the owner and had permission but didn't know his name. People would get their boat in the water somehow then demand access to get it out so they could go home. Never a dull moment.
 
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I worked for the Gloucester harbor master one summer right after I left active duty in 2004. The high school ramp is the funniest place to hang put in the summer.....

sent from the T3
 
Hampton Ponds ramp. A nice Ski Nautique. Guy powers it up on the trailer, like the way it's meant to be used. He hops in the truck and punches it, boat slides off trailer entirely, resulting in HEAVY damage. Those inboard ski boats not only have a looong, exposed prop shaft, but they also have tracking skegs in the middle of the hull. I couldn't feel too bad for him, as he'd buzzed us with some spray from a slalom ski while were were on the water.

Same ramp. Guy doesn't put the trailer in far enough, and walks to the tongue of the trailer to get the winch hooked up. His footing slips while straining to reach the bow eye. Compound fracture of the shin bone resulted.

Same ramp. A van is attempting to back down the ramp to load a JetSki inside. He backed up beyond the end of the ramp, and the ass end of the van started floating. I pulled him out. A few days later, I see on the local news that an operator of a stolen JetSki had drowned in the Ct. River -- no PFD. I recalled that no one operating the 'ski I'd seen at the pond was wearing a PFD. huh.
 
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I used to live on Hamden ponds for a while. It was getting so crowded there that I wouldn't take my boat out on the weekends because of all the idiots, except to watch the boat ramp antics that happened in the evenings. Watched the recovery of a very nice classic car that went down the ramp and was totally submerged, which was a shame. The owner totally lost it when the car finally got towed out, and was kicking in the side of the car in anger.
Another funny incident was when about 8-10 teenagers were taking turns on a jet ski. As one kid was returning to shore where the group of them gathered so the next could have a ride, he musta forgot that they had no brakes. He hit the trap rock with enough headway to drive the thing about 10 feet onto shore, while the others where scurrying like roaches trying to avoid being run over...
Still makes me chuckle as I remember it!,,
 
Rainy day, stocked fish hanging near ramp, backed my car and trailer down so my 8 year old can stay dry in the car, hear the sickening clunk as he put the car in reverse ( car not running) ,I tried desperately to hold back gravity, thankfully trailer jackknifed, so didn't fully submerge. started car, but no traction to get out !
 

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The Anchor said:
Rainy day, stocked fish hanging near ramp, backed my car and trailer down so my 8 year old can stay dry in the car, hear the sickening clunk as he put the car in reverse ( car not running) ,I tried desperately to hold back gravity, thankfully trailer jackknifed, so didn't fully submerge. started car, but no traction to get out !
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Next time use the handicap ramp seeing that you have a tag. [laugh]
 
Went to visit my brother a few years back and he offered to take me out catfishing. He didn't have a boat but said he could borrow his girlfriend's brother's boat. So he & his girlfriend show up late afternoon with a little bass boat behind his truck. We stop for drinks and chicken liver and then head down to a marina where we will launch the boat.

We put the boat in the water with no problem and he goes to start the motor. Dead. As a doorknob. We discover the battery for the motor has been removed. He curses and says, fine, we'll just stay close to the marina and use the trolling motor to putter around, it would have been nice to cruise the river a bit, but there's plenty of fish near the docks. He has me hold the line and puts his truck away. We all jump in and he pushes off - out into the marina waters we float and he goes to start the trolling motor. Guess what?

Yup, no battery in that one either! Girlfriend and I are trying very hard not to laugh while my brother curses her brothers and their lazy habits. So we are floating through the marina with no motor. Brother ended up having to cast and snag a dock and then reel the boat in. [rofl]
 
ok, let me put my tail between my legs and add another Hampton Ponds story:

I started looking for a boat last summer, not knowing the first thing about them. And one night on craigslist saw: For sale: 1970 Checkmate 16' 85 hp $300
I jumped on that like a fat kid on the last piece of cake.

Went to take a look then next morning. Guy lives on the lake, and is losing his house so everything must go.Takes me and my fiance out on the lake and I'm sold. What more do I need to know? The boat goes! And very fast. Well worth the $300. So money changes hands and I tow the trailer to the boat ramp and walk back to his house. Well we push off and before you know it, we're having the time of our lives flying around the lake. Well, for about 10 minutes. Then the boat stutters and dies. All the way on the Southampton side. More than a mile from the ramp. Why did I ignore the fact that he said "Theres only about a half a gallon of gas is it."?

Dumb. So Dumb. Luckily, I brought the 3 gallon fuel tank for my 5hp outboard, and it had maybe another half gallon it it. I probably spilled more than I got in, but I managed to get a few cups into the tank and putt back to the dock.

So I get out of the boat, back the trailer down into the water, and load up the boat. Winched up, good to go. I tell the fiance to hang out in the boat and holler if something goes wrong. I start to pull out, and she yells "NO NO NO STOP". Too late. BAM. POP. I forgot (or didn't know) to raise the motor. Popped off the propeller. Oddly enough, it wasn't damaged. No nut though. I don't think he ever had one on there, and I think that's what saved it from damage. The cotter pin broke and everything else slid off. Well after 10 minutes in waist deep water I figured out how to raise the motor. (No hydraulic trim/tilt).

Now I just need to trailer it the 15 minutes home. No big deal. We're driving home, made it maybe a mile, and POP GRINDDDDD. Pull over. Flat trailer tire. Dry rotted like a sonamabiatch. Obviously no spare. Called the tow company. Flatbed it home. Hang my head in shame for all my epic fail.

But in the end, after 3 new tires, and a tow home, and a $300 boat, I've got a boat worth several times that, and I'll be out on the water this summer.
 
My battery tipped over and leaked in my aluminum Starcraft for a week before I noticed it. A few boxes of baking soda and water along with 2 part epoxy and I thought I was all set. The boat didn't leak and the trailer looked ok so I headed down to the lake. While backing the empty trailer into a spot at the ramp (after putting the boat in the water) I noticed the back of the trailer looked very high. I got out of the car to check it out and found this..

The battery acid ate through the trailer and weakened it in the middle. I was then stuck with a boat in the water and no way to get it home.. being a Sunday I figured I was pretty much screwed. I called everyone from local welders to ads
for used trailers on craigslist. A local tow truck driver offered to put it all on his flatbed... I wasn't so sure it would all stay together. Luckily my girlfriend's brother, who's a welder by trade and unreliable at best, called us back and came down with some plates and all his equipment. Needless to say I owed him a few beers and a boat ride after he finished. I also bought a new trailer the very next week.


trailer.JPG
 
Speaking of the drain plug . two federal fish and game researchers on the ct river in northampton, launch the 20' boat and one pulls it out the other gets in, by this time the water is coming in like crazy. they had so much water in it they could not get it on the trailer correctly. pulled it out and started letting it drain.

another one was a family the wife got int he boat on land and cranks the motor up full throttle, (outboard) while hubby is baking the boat in. so much for that Impeller.
 
one-eyed Jack said:
Every boater will launch with the drain plug out sooner or later. Ask me how I know. Jack.
Click to expand...

I've done it.

Had a small 14' v-hull. Went out fishing with a friend of a friend that said he knew a great secret spot. We get there and there's no ramp, just a VERY steep hill for launching canoes. I had put that boat in worse spots, so I went for it. Launched the boat (which was almost vertical on the trailer) and had my "friend" hold the bow line while I went to park. I come back, he's there smoking a butt not even paying attention to the boat, which is now half filled with water. I start screaming at him as my stuff starts floating out of the boat, scramble to get my truck back over to pull it out.

Funny thing about boats filled with water, they're heavy.

Broke the ratchet strap, had to tie it back together, pulled the boat about half way out of the water and spent a good 45min using whatever we could find to bilge. Finally able to pull it all the way out, let the rest of the water out and decide "well, might as well put it back in and fish for a while" even though I was fed up and ready to just head home...

Get the boat back in the water (with the plug in this time) and it starts down pouring a few minutes later.
 
About 15 years ago when I owned a boat I used to launch at Mary's boat yard on the Sciuate Marshfield line in the North River. The river is tidal and drops quite a bit as it's not to far from the ocean. Certain moons cause particularly low tides and very fast currents. It was on such a day that I was taking my son and brother out for a little stripper fishing. We arrived at Mary's and had to wait in line to get on the ramp, we wanted to do this quick so my brother jumped in the boat my son was on the dock and i backed the boat down the ramp. The truck had a standard trans so i put the trans in neutral emergency brake on and because we were at the bottom of the ramp and it was pretty slimy i put a chock block behind the rear wheel. I was going to push the boat off the trailer my brother was going to throw a rope to my son and I was going to park the truck. When i tried to push the boat off the trailer the truck and chock block started to slide on the slimy ramp, the current caught the boat trailer and pickup and off we went down the river. I was still trying to get in the truck thinking i could drive out when i heard the engine glub glub glub as the truck was going down. When I saw the tail light go out about a foot under water and saw I was about 50 yards from the ramp I realized i better forget the truck and swim to shore. As all this was happening my brother was floating down the river because the keys to the boat were in my pocket, he just happen to float by the harbor master who threw him a rope and towed him back to the dock. when I get to shore the owner of the boat yard tells my he's going to have to call a tow truck and a diver to get the truck out. The Harbor master called it in and next thing you know the Coast Guard, EPA. Fire Department and Police arrive and question me about whether I was drinking, how much fuel and oil was in the truck, how did it happen and so on. After each agency questioned me and the diver and tow truck got my truck out of the river with the trailer still attached by the safety chains and all the people who stopped to see what was going on had left I still had to call my wife and ask her to come pick us up.
 
bob king said:
About 15 years ago when I owned a boat I used to launch at Mary's boat yard on the Sciuate Marshfield line in the North River. The river is tidal and drops quite a bit as it's not to far from the ocean. Certain moons cause particularly low tides and very fast currents. It was on such a day that I was taking my son and brother out for a little stripper fishing. We arrived at Mary's and had to wait in line to get on the ramp, we wanted to do this quick so my brother jumped in the boat my son was on the dock and i backed the boat down the ramp. The truck had a standard trans so i put the trans in neutral emergency brake on and because we were at the bottom of the ramp and it was pretty slimy i put a chock block behind the rear wheel. I was going to push the boat off the trailer my brother was going to throw a rope to my son and I was going to park the truck. When i tried to push the boat off the trailer the truck and chock block started to slide on the slimy ramp, the current caught the boat trailer and pickup and off we went down the river. I was still trying to get in the truck thinking i could drive out when i heard the engine glub glub glub as the truck was going down. When I saw the tail light go out about a foot under water and saw I was about 50 yards from the ramp I realized i better forget the truck and swim to shore. As all this was happening my brother was floating down the river because the keys to the boat were in my pocket, he just happen to float by the harbor master who threw him a rope and towed him back to the dock. when I get to shore the owner of the boat yard tells my he's going to have to call a tow truck and a diver to get the truck out. The Harbor master called it in and next thing you know the Coast Guard, EPA. Fire Department and Police arrive and question me about whether I was drinking, how much fuel and oil was in the truck, how did it happen and so on. After each agency questioned me and the diver and tow truck got my truck out of the river with the trailer still attached by the safety chains and all the people who stopped to see what was going on had left I still had to call my wife and ask her to come pick us up.
Click to expand...

OK, you win. Tremendously epic fail, though it sounds like at least you were trying to do it correctly.
 
There were no issues with the boat or the trailer and I bought a better truck with the insurance money. but even now I get people especially my son still bringing up my epic fail. I've even been places and heard strangers talking about it.
 
No he doesn't win....there are no pix!

[laugh]

Ok....he wins.


Another good spot is the Newton boat ramp on the Charles, on July 4. [laugh] I'd put my boat in on the 3rd, and rent a slip for a couple of days at Constitution Marina, just to avoid the "fun".

It used to be worse, 20 years ago - when the fireworks were over, there were no speed limits on the Charles (well.....they weren't enforced) and everyone had to be first back to the ramp. Now John Aqualaw is everywhere. A few years back, I was chugging up the river on the morning of the 5th, and a big cigarette-type boat blew past me at 30-35, easy. Two turns of the river later, I chugged past him, as he conversed with the EPOs....[laugh]
 
Yeah, thanks for reminding about the drain plug. The way around that is tie it to the winch, and crank a little, give it some gas, and then wait for it to drain. Repeat until enough water weight is gone so you can pull it out and completely drain it, then launch your freshly cleaned boat. Or so I've heard.

How about the first time you find out just how slippery slimey a boat ramp can be when you have a rear wheel drive pickup? YIKES!!!! Thank goodness there was plenty of gravel to throw under the tires for traction. I have no idea how my father used to launch on the slimy mud boat ramps (practically woods) in the old days.

No real mishaps yet, but plenty of second and third attempts at landing it on the trailer. Still a beginner, and always a beginner the start of every season. Just throw away the ego, and stay persistent, err on the side of caution, and it all works out. There is a lot to be said for having a spare long line with you.
 
Maybe not a fail, but more of a WTF. Just yesterday I launch my boat with no problems. As I'm pushing off the ramp, this old jeep Cherokee comes pulling up with 2 donuts and 2 regular tires on it. The boat this guy was pulling looked like it was covered in 30 years of scum. Anyway, guy backs down and launches the boat. Next thing you know, the hood of the jeep is up. So here comes this guy walking down the ramp with the battery from his jeep! He proceeds to hook up the battery to his trolling motor and off he goes. WTF
 
I was on my dad's daysailer up in Prince Edward Island, coming back in to the boat ramp, and discovered a fishing boat in the middle of being pulled out. They claimed 15 minutes more and they'd be out of the way, and we had beer left, so the anchor went down. The road to the fishing shacks rolled right down the hill into the top of the ramp, but it was wide enough that the vehicles parked on the side of the road weren't much in the way.

Sure enough, 10 minutes later they pulled the fishing boat out. For reasons known only to himself, the guy driving the truck drove halfway up the street, stopped, shut the truck off and got out. Nice parking brake, too, because that boat didn't move. What did move, in this large boat perched on a hill, was the entire contents of the bilges, which headed for the stern, found the still functioning automatic bilge pump, and exited the side of the hull through a 2" pipe, straight into the open window of a car parked on the side of the street. No splashing, just evil looking 'water' disappearing into the car.

Now, of course, the tow truck wouldn't start.

There was still screaming and yelling going on as we were pulling up the street with our sailboat an hour later. Looked like it was a nice car, once.
 
A bunch of my family has places along a lake in Maine. My dad put the boat in after years of rebuilding the engine and left it hooked up to one of my uncle's buoys as he comes home for the work week. Gets a call a couple of days later that the only part of the boat visible is the nose (no plug, whoops). Got it hauled out and it's now back in the garage to be repaired again [laugh]
I have a pic somewhere but don't know where exactly. Saddest thing you ever saw, just about a foot of the boat's tip sticking out of the water next to the buoy.
 

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