Ramp rant

[buzzking]

Do you all think that with a boat lisence there should be a trailering permit, I am so freakin tired of people that can not back their friggin boat in the water without taking 2 or 3 lanes. I sat in a torrential saturday on barren thanks to a huge cabin cruiser that pulled down to the ramp and started prepping and about 6-8 boats IN A ROW that proceeded to take up multiple lanes. I run back to the ramp to get out of the storm and had to wait 18 minutes ( sitting in the rain, you tend to count the minutes and boats) for one cabin cruiser and 6 boats. And this is a four lane ramp. Now granted if your by yourself its understandable b/c I have been there but for two grown men to take two lanes of ramp and 5 minutes to drop a bass boat in the drink is just ridiculous.
Step 1. Pull over in parking lot, prep boat, put driver in boat, unhook from trailer( or not if not comfortable)
Step 2. Back trailer in designated lane into water at correct depth.
Step 3. Float boat off trailer (or unsnap then float, see step 1).
Step 4. Pull trailer out of water and return to parking lot.

Steps 2-4 should take no less two mintues, if it does, please go practice at cumberland with all the other idiots who don't know how to use a boat ramp.

Whew, feeling better al ready......next time, a lesson in proper boating etiquette when meeting another boater going in the opposite direction.

[trentonc2000]

Had the same thing on Fenton Ramp on KY this past Saturday except the boat was a small tracker type boat. took him 5 min to get the boat straight on the ramp, then he took up both lanes.

[Cobra190]

Thanks for the Listed info Buzzking.... Copied it and taped it to my dash. And I do think most of us has felt your pain. Several times actually.

[opie13]

I can get more fired at a boat ramp than any place else. I agree with everything you said and then some. It is quuite rediculous to not be able to launch any faster than some of these people do.

[mhall]

I 100% agree however if it's someone wife that doesn't go very often cut her some slack as they get nervous real easy, LOL. Now prepping the boat and placing gear while on the ramp is completely unexceptable and should not be tolerated. BE READY TO TAKE BOAT OFF OF TRAILER BEFORE YOU PROCEED TO BACK DOWN THE RAMP, PERIOD, NO EXCEPTIONS EVER.

[MsgMills]

Thing is unless someone tells these individuals that are prepping their bots while on the ramp that it should be done prior to backing down ramp. They aren't going to know any different, so I let them know in a nice way. They thank me and let me know that they will do what's proper next time for sure.... Just takes a little patience and ask if you can back their trailer down for them to speed things along. You'd be surprised how grateful some people are if you offer help...I'm too good to not offer help to anyone who might want some.

[MrSplitshot]

I agree with MsgMills. Help people out and show'em the way.

I'm the most clumbsy sum'buck East of the Mississippi (Billy will attest to that I think), so loading takes me longer than it should sometimes, but launching should be no big thing once you get it down.

I try to help the guys that are launching by themselves, having their kids help, or wives that obviously don't do it much.

There was a cat a couple weekends ago who was preparing to launch as my boat was tied up next to the ramp. (single lane ramp) It was tight, and he had his 4-5 year old kid with him. I held the boat in place on the ramp for him while he parked the truck/trailer, because Junior couldn't have began to. The boat weighed a ton and came off the trailer so fast that it nearly yanked me in with it. Junior would have been swimming, without question.

In the words of Axel Rose...all we need is just a little patience.

[mhall]

Thing is unless someone tells these individuals that are prepping their bots while on the ramp that it should be done prior to backing down ramp. They aren't going to know any different, so I let them know in a nice way. They thank me and let me know that they will do what's proper next time for sure.... Just takes a little patience and ask if you can back their trailer down for them to speed things along. You'd be surprised how grateful some people are if you offer help...I'm too good to not offer help to anyone who might want some.

Nicely said, and true too.

[Bobby Headrick]

Yes there is sometimes a need for patitence however, if someone has a big pontoon, party barge ect, they should have everything ready to go, we as fisherpeople who regurally fish tourney's and go a lot more, have it pretty well down to some degree, the state ramp at Barren is a pain, but who want's to climb Mt Narrows, especally if you are by yourself. But we must share the water and there are some out there that makes us frustrated, but we are all supposed to be fisherpeople and we are knwon for paitence.

[Dizzle]

I tell you whose the worst of all... jet skiers... I can't tell you how many times I see these folks bring out the ole portable jumpstarter, lift up the seats and work on getting their skis started, right on the ramp mind you. That needs to be done in the parking lot!! I even saw a guy at Taylorsville this year take up the whole ramp at the State Park trying to jump start his ski with jumper cables connected to his truck....

I've had jet skis and a pontoon, if you plan a little, there is no reason you can't launch a boat (bass boat, jet skis, or pontoon) in 2 or 3 minutes.

Mt. Narrows.... LOL

I'm gonna hollar "RRRRIIIIIICCCCCOOOOOLLLLAAAAAA" next time I make it to the top....

[stevec]

it all boils down to common courtesy again...and ALOT of people just dont have it....they really dont care if your drowning in a t-storm ..they are in their own big boat world and if you notice..alot of the big cruisers now days are being run by 18 year olds who have only been driving a car for a couple years

[HURRICANEBOB]

To my way of thinking, there are just 3 types that take too much time on a ramp:
a. Egotistical morons who really think we all get a kick out of watching them be cool while they mess around on the ramp. To their perverted way of thinking, its a power trip to make people wait for them.
b. The folks who are sincerely trying, but just don't know better. To those folks, I too will offer assistance, and be patient.
c. The seasoned veteran, with someone, or by himself, who runs into a legitimate catastrophe on the ramp, i.e. hangs a trailer tire in a hole he didn't know was there, or battery dies unexpectedly, or motor decides to take early retirement. There is no need to offer help, if you watched him approach and his mannerisms, you know he's squared away, so best thing to do is to just be patient, cause someday he might do the same for you.

For the category A pukes, I got one thing to say to you all. Yep, for the most part you are younger and stronger, and yep, a direct confrontation would probably fall in your favor. I grant you that. But once your boat is launched, and you motor off into the sunset, the trailer and tow vehicle left unattended might just be a worthy object of one's affections. So type A smucks, think about it.......I'll grant you the battle, but you will lose the war when you get back and want to ramp out.