Things I Wish I Knew Then--Boat Ramp Edition

[Tyme2fish]

It would depend on the cross braces on your trailer. Many have cross members that the TM would hit. Had to load a friends "dead" boat using the copilot, while I was in the boat and had to pull the TM up well before I got close to a point it could be grabbed from shore. Even at a shallow setting, I would have hit the cross brace.

Ditto!!

[BRS]

I actually had a friend who had a ski boat, he would not unstrap his boat until he was right at the edge of the water. Once I asked him about it and he thought I was crazy. He actually thought that his boat may slide off the trailer while backing in. This was a 24foot with an inboard V8. You couldn't have drug that thing off with a truck.

That is why people do that dumb stuff they just don't know.

Hunter I had a couple of my friends that were backing their boat down the ramp at Beaver Creek in Cumberland and they had all straps loose. So some where part of the way down the ramp... Woops boat came sliding off. And to make things worse one of them had borrow it from his Father N Law. Just the ideal of lossing the boat off trailer would have done my night in let on having to go and tell my Father N law about it but not these guys they pushed the boat on down the ramp and still went fishing. Boat was a Tracker aluminum boat and not that old either. So I might loose all other straps and have the plug in but I do not release the main strap till I am ready to put in. Better safe then sorry.

[BRS]

I cannot turn off my headlights at night.. I have a 02 Suburban and the lights have a sensor.

On some vehicles you can just barely press the emergency brake in and that will kill the lights.

[Dave Stewart]

I have over the years seen many boats sitting on the ramp or bouncing down a ramp because someone unhooked the bow strap before they got the boat down to the water and the boat came sliding off. Have assisted some folks a number of times in getting their boats back on the trailer or in the water because they were blocking the ramp because they did this. It is rare that this happens...but it does happen..and it doesn't take but once to put your boat out of commission. Unhooking a bow strap before launching is NOT a good practice and you will never see me doing that.

[FlyLie]

Did that ONCE when I got my first boat. At the time I mostly fished by myself, so had no help in launching the boat. Thinking/or NOT Thinking at the time was; Remove the Tie Down, Unstrap the boat and put out about 20 feet of slack bow line. Then, just as trailer goes into the water, HITTHE BRAKES HARD, and whamO, the boat would be in the water. Tie it off, park the truck and go fish!...... Didn't work that way.....

Half way down the ramp, had to touch the brakes, not hard, just touch them. Looked back and got a sick feeling as I saw the boat sliding off the trailer. Man did I luck out. Boat stayed on the trailer and the motor lower unit was still about 2 inches from the the ramp. Huffed and Pushed the boat back on to the trailer. LESSON LEARNED!

[rme hunter]

I guess I may pay more attention the the winch strap. I have never even had my boat slip. But the ramp we use is very gradual.