Winter pool safety questions

Something I did not see mentioned, [B][U]DO NOT[/U][/B] take your winch rope off your boat until you practically have the boat in the water. From what I read, it can be very embarrassing to lose your boat on the concrete ramp backing it down to the water. Then you have to worry about getting it back on the trailer. Also I recommend not going fishing on the lake when there are no other boaters around. If something breaks or there is a problem it sure is nice to have other boaters in the area. Until you have lots of trips under your belt stay off the water on very windy days. Enjoy the new toy.

If you want to learn about launching and loading your boat just go watch anglers launching and loading for almost any bass tournament. You'll learn more about procedures and ramp etiquette in 30 minutes than you can by yourself in 6 months.

Highly recommend that you take the Ky Safe Boaters Course...it is free and may save your life...if you don't know where to run a boat, that is a dead indicator you need the course. Also agree that you should find someone that knows boats to go with you before you take your wife and kids out. If you don't know anyone....just ask for some help from some of the folks here that live near Barren.

Take the boat trailer to a parking lot and practice backing up and putting the trailer where you want it to. Setup safey cones or have someone guide you. Comeonback! LOL

I'll never forget trying to teach my wife to back up with the trailer attached to the mini van.

If you drive a pickup truck I'd recommend lowing the tail gate so that you can see better.

Remember if you put your hand on the lower part of the stering wheel and go clockwise or to the up and to the right the trailer will go to the right as you look at the trailer though the rearview mirror. turn the wheel counterclockwise to have the trailer go to your left as you look at it thought the rearview mirror.

The key to this is to practice backing up the boat trailer before you go to the launch ramp to get proficient at this. It's a skill that takes time to develop.

Going to the lake in the middle of the week is a good idea too.

One last thing to remember. When you get to the lauch ramp make sure that you park well out of the way of other's launching their boats and do your boat prep there not on the ramp. Make sure that the plugs are in and unhook the trailer lights before you back the boat trailer into the water. Unhook the safety cains and hook up the gas lines to the motor and prime the gas tank if you need to do that. Hook up any launching ropes if needed. Get all your gear in or out of the boat as needed before you get on the ramp.

Nothing will piss people off at the launch ramp more than seeing someone sitting in the way doing these pre launch chores on the ramp instead of in an out of the way spot.

When launching the boat having two people makes the process go much smoother.

I launch my boat by myself and use a 70 ft long rope with quick connects on each end. I can launch my boat and be off the ramp is less than two minutes by myself. With two people working together you should be able to launch and get off the ramp is less than 2 to 4 minutes at most.

Remember that everyone is excited to get going at the launch ramp and people just don't have patience.

Also remember to not take up more than one launch ramp lane. Some ramps can launch two or three boats side by side at the same time. Backing down and taking up two lanes will piss other's off who are waiting. I found this out one day when I took up more than my lane at Patoka Lake. Even though it only took me two minutes to launch and get off the ramp I heard some comments about my boating skills from a local drunk who was waiting in line at the ramp behind me. I didn't think about that until afterwards. Now I make sure that I don't take up two lanes while launching at bigger ramps.

Some of the best free intertainment is going to the launch ramp and watching people with new boats learning to launch them. Expecially when the husband is looking North and the Wife in the truck is looking south and the husband is telling the wife to turn right and her right is his left. :)

Remember that everyone has a differnt point of view and communications is hard at best. When you give your wife directions make sure you set the point of view up in the discussion so that you both are looking at the situation from the same point of view. Ie give the wife directions as if you were in her spot not your spot. If she is looking backwards then here left is her left not yours. So think about this when you tell her to turn to "HER" left.

[QUOTE=SLP;481728]Well I finally picked up our new boat! :) (it sure took longer to come in then I had anticipated) Once I get it registered this my family and I are anxious to soon try it out, and Barren River Lake and/or Nolin Lake is probably where we would go, likely Barren for the first time. I am hoping for some advice before we do.

I have read so many post that mention in general the dangers of going out at winter pool and I am trying to understand the specific dangers I need to be aware of. I understand the lakes are lower, and I have a depth finder that should show me how deep I am at any given point. Is it just a matter of taking it slow and watching the depth finder or is it more than that? Are there other dangers beside the lower depth? Are there hidden rocks out in the lake that you can't see very well, or something else I am not understanding. I am generally a cautious person in most circumstances, but since I have two young children I will be going even extra slow and safe.

Also, does anyone have an opinion of which would be the easiest and safest ramps to use? We will be going during a slow time on a weekday so hopefully we wouldn't be holding anyone up. I have never launched a boat before and I am sure there will be a big learning curve.

Thanks in advance for your help.[/QUOTE]

[QUOTE=DaveStewart;481773]Highly recommend that you take the Ky Safe Boaters Course...it is free and may save your life...if you don't know where to run a boat, that is a dead indicator you need the course. Also agree that you should find someone that knows boats to go with you before you take your wife and kids out. If you don't know anyone....just ask for some help from some of the folks here that live near Barren.[/QUOTE]

Ditto this advise.

The only thing I will add is a link to the online course. It is free but if want a certificate for insurance or other purposes you have to pay. Otherwise you can study and take the course for free online.


[URL]http://www.boat-ed.com/kentucky/index.html[/URL]

All good advice especially the safety classes. You might try to put a post here, ask if it can be pinned at the top, and find a fellow fisherman that is experienced with boating and the lake you are going to. Offer to meet and buy him breakfast, pack a good lunch and even offer a little bonus money to cover his time and gas. It will be money well spent and you may even find a fishing partner.

[QUOTE=kydonky;481762]There can be submirged rocks, rock bars, sand bars out in some of the major lakes. Be good to have a chart of the lake you are in to know depths and then still be careful.

Now launching and more important retreiving a boat.

Rule 1) make sure your drain plug is in

Rule 2) start the motor either on dog ears (a water hose connection) in your drive before you go out to make sure it will start. If you have too just start it breifly on the trailer before you put in just to be sure it will fire, just on and off quickly.

Rule 3) have a rope tied to your boat and lauch the boat as far back (as deep) as you can get the boat into the water. It will come off the trailer easier.

Rule 4) when loading onto the trailer; keep the trailer as shallow as possible with just about 2 feet of the trailer bunks under water. Approach the trailer very very slowly, when you are lined up on the bunks power your boat gently on the bunks, finish by winching it the rest of the way, Lock the winch and attach safty chain/rope, pull the boat just out of the water, tie it down, then go to the top of the ramp.

If you try to load with the trailer too deep the boat will float over the trailer and will be hard if not impossible to center. You don't have to drive on the trailer fast or hard, slow to get centered and then power onto the trailer. I love to watch people come at their trailer at about 5 mph, miss the trailer and tear up the boat and the trailer. You want to come in about 1mph.[/QUOTE]

You forgot to mention a very important detail. TRIM the motor up.;)

Thanks for all the tips, especially where best to avoid. I think I led most to conclude I have no experience in a boat. While admittedly I am no expert, I am actually pretty comfortable in a boat, just not in these waters. I have read so much mention of the dangers of these lakes when at winter pool I wanted to make sure there are certain spots that needed to be avoided where there might be rocks just below the surface, or a lot of submerged logs or maybe something I wasn't even considering. Whenever I go I will have a map with me as well as a depth finder, pick a nice day and I will be going very slow. I didn't buy a fast boat anyways, just something for us to fish in and have fun being outdoors.

Thanks for all the advice on launching, that is something I don't have any experience with, having never owned a boat before. I have a large truck with a full cap on the back and the boat is real hard to see when backing. I found that out backing into the driveway. :) I might try and get some towing mirrors to see if that helps. I think launching and loading are going to be me biggest issues. I'll try the parking lot idea someone mentioned and then at some point I'll have to get me feet wet (no pun intended) and try to learn by doing. I am going to write down all the tips from this thread and take them with me.

Thanks for the link, it probably couldn't hurt if I look at that safety course as well, but I am generally comfortable with general boating safety which is what it looks like it mostly covers. I am in my early fifties, and throughout the years have fished out of boats since about fifteen years old with friends and on vacations. Of course they were either in a slip already if bigger or if smaller just a canoe or Jon boat that two of us could carry and launch by hand. My new boat should actually be the safest boat I have ever fished out of.

Thanks again for the help, maybe when I get the boat registered and ready to go I'll be able to meet some of you sometime.