Ramp Etiqute

Dude_HimselfDude_Himself Member Posts: 596 ✭✭✭
Someone with a Rinker FV 242 is becoming internet famous today on Facebook for camping on the ramp at a busy landing. As the owner of a 280 EC that I ramp launch at a public ramp - I get that these bigger boats take a minute or two, but I do my best to load up and get out of the way. I also single-hand my boat - my wife has to watch the kids - and I hate the common "trailer holds the line" rule. I've been threatened and cursed at for pulling around to get to my boat - which is longer than the courtesy dock, and therefore has to be left blocking a ramp while I get the trailer. And it can't be pulled forward or backwards any further without becoming a liability for someone - me if the bottom hits the ramp, and the person behind me when it's sticking 5' into the channel there.

Discussion?




Comments

  • davidbrooksdavidbrooks Member Posts: 1,339 ✭✭✭✭
    My last boat was on a trailer (24ft) and I would ALWAYS. Completely prep it away from the ramp.  This would include bow and stern lines.  Then I would back it in till it floated and unhook and push it off. I could have it off and tied up temporarily to move my truck in just a few minutes.  Currently my 342 is just 2 slips away from the loading ramp at my marina.  I see this kind of stuff all day long.  Honestly I have wanted to have a talk with a few people then had to walk away. Towing a boat with a canvas cover is just asking for a ripped canvas.  Taking all that time to hold up the ramp is asking for something else.  I am in the winch your boat onto your trailer camp vs the drive it up till it stops side.  I once had a guy explain to me just how much crap gets sucked into your engine at a ramp...and then you shut down the engine.  It made sense so I just went with it.  Now I just watch and shake my head.
    It's 5 O'Clock Somewhere!
  • raybo3raybo3 Administrator Posts: 5,455 admin
    If I ever had to trailer a boat again I would get out of boating all together. Never ever trailer again. Hate it!!!!!!!!!
    2002 342 Fiesta Vee PC Point Of Pines YC Revere MA. popyc.org     raybo3@live.com
  • raybo3raybo3 Administrator Posts: 5,455 admin
    edited August 2018
    shawnmjr said:
    I could sit at a ramp all day with a case of beer and just sit back and laugh. They should sell tickets for the entertainment. 
    I agree that is why I would never trailer. Don't want to get caught in the $h!tshow waiting for a moron to get done...
    2002 342 Fiesta Vee PC Point Of Pines YC Revere MA. popyc.org     raybo3@live.com
  • 212rowboat212rowboat Member Posts: 2,591 ✭✭✭✭✭
    do you know what comes before peoples sense of etiquette?  safety... and that includes the safety of your investment, too.  

    eff 'em.  do what you need to do and don't worry about perceptions.  

    and the next thing, speaking of etiquette?  HELPING.  if someone wants to complain, as in B&M, they have no higher ground if they're just standing there B&M'ing.  I can't tell you how many times I've held a line or helped push off when the tide is low... i can't tell you how many times i've helped folks crank the boat up instead of letting them power load because of being rushed by others. 

    i can tell you this, though- i was once loading and dipped the trailer, and walked around to get the boat off the courtesy dock when approached by some couple wanting to know if i'd "please move my rig so they could load up"..... the truck ewas literally only parked in the zone for seconds...  i said "i'm in the middle of doing the same" and the woman tore into me.... it's amazing how often women get their man's butt whooped.... that about happened that day, and because of them i took my sweet time- mostly because nobody else was at the ramp at that point.  that 'couple' decided to take refuge at the far end of the street until i was clear... and after finishing my own operation i watched them struggle mightily with the current and wind and holding up the no less than three boaters arriving in the interim- one of which i knew- and who i motioned to 'leave them alone' instead of assist, and in turn they knew the other boaters and communicated the same message....... they screwed themselves and i've not seen them at that ramp since. 

    in short- 'ramp etiquette' involves everyone at the ramp, not just the folks actively launching.  if you know you're going to be more than a minute, seriously- ask for help and offer the same.  that will take you miles. 

    it can't be as bad as what i witnessed once in key west- i crap you not- the owner of a new rig backed down the busy ramp, launched his boat, and left the trailer+truck sitting on the ramp while he went for a test ride... for more than an hour it sat there, and when the owner returned they were being towed out- and tried to attempt to stop it, but the port authority wasn't having any of that... was quite the episode of comedy. (only funny because i wasn't launching or retrieving) . 
  • randy56randy56 Member Posts: 4,083 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Grrrrr... Feel your pain, about 3 weekends ago I decided to go to a different ramp, to boat, as we can not lock through the Damm,  because of they have one chamber down for maintenance till October. So we were loading out about dark.The dock at the ramp should hold 3 boats but the way they park only two can get there and hook up. When it was my turn to get to the dock some guy cut me off jumped in front of me. I ended up pulling into the bank and hoping off to get my truck and trailer. The ramp is 5 wide but these guy's can only get 3 at a time, because of not having the ability to back the trailer. As I can back my trailer in 3rd gear,  lol,  My wife said calm down as she could see my frustration. There more to the story, But there are a lot of non boatin, non trailering, non docking, inconsiderate a$$ hole's,  Where are the ramp police when you need them.  Bunch of want to be boaters. 
    I will not go back to that ramp again. Grrrrrrr....................
    Boat Name : 

  • raybo3raybo3 Administrator Posts: 5,455 admin
    @212rowboat I have mixed feelings about what your saying. Many times you go to lend help and the boat owner refuses. Maybe they think your showing off or you know more than them. "Oh I got this" or "I will only be a minute". Long lines, people that don't know what they are doing, arrogance, boats go in then they don't run.   IMO plane and simple, boat ramps suck and I want no part of them. Rant over....lol
    2002 342 Fiesta Vee PC Point Of Pines YC Revere MA. popyc.org     raybo3@live.com
  • nhsdnhsd Member Posts: 182 ✭✭✭
    It is best to simply have your own ramp   :) 

    Family boat ramp on Ohio River.


    Dave

    2002 Captiva 212, 5.0 220 hp, Alpha 1, 1.62 gears

    Moon Township, PA - boating in the Ohio River

  • mvnmvn Member, Moderator Posts: 744 mod
    Biggest issue I have is with the "power loaders" that wash out the bottom at the base of the ramp.  It's always a treat trying to figure out where to position the trailer without dropping one wheel into the hole.  Murky water doesn't help either.

    Mark
    Good,  fast,  cheap.... pick two. 
    2019 MTX20 Extreme

  • raybo3raybo3 Administrator Posts: 5,455 admin
    Then the knuckleheads who park their tow and come running back with the plug in their hand.......... Or slamming on the brakes trying to get the boat off the trailer and the stern straps are still on. OMG I can go on and on............ Yacht Clubs baby. Slips, moorings, of course watching some of your bothers at a club trying to dock.... Well....... That's another thread...... Bahahahahahahahaha
    2002 342 Fiesta Vee PC Point Of Pines YC Revere MA. popyc.org     raybo3@live.com
  • Liberty44140Liberty44140 Member Posts: 4,318 ✭✭✭✭✭
    I agree with Rays comments. These days everyone is their own expert and most people are not open to advice on “next time” or the right way, they are always right. I saw a dummy on our ramp doing the same as this guy on Facebook did. There were two skis waiting and waiting so i said, hey man I think next in line is ready”, he glanced and pretended to ignore me. His teenage kids said, hey yea dad people are waiting let’s move and he stomped his feet to the car and moved. People don’t know and more often don’t care about respect. 
    07' Cruisers 390 (Previous Rinker's: 06' 342EC & 01' 310FV)

  • WillhoundWillhound Member Posts: 4,183 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Partly how we ended up with our FV270. After years of putting up with idiots at ramps and several near fist fights we decided to rent a slip at a marina for our little runabout. After a season or two of looking at all the beautiful cruisers the Admiral wan't hard to convince. So in a way, I guess I owe all those "ramp idiots" some thanks!
    "Knot Quite Shore" - 2000 FV270
  • LaReaLaRea Member Posts: 7,505 ✭✭✭✭✭
    If anybody here entered the boating world as a fully-formed expert instead of an ignorant newbie, please step forward and be heard!  <cricket noises>  

    For everyone else, maybe take the advice of @212rowboat and share what you've learned ... make the water a better, safer place.  It takes a village to raise a good boater.  
  • LaReaLaRea Member Posts: 7,505 ✭✭✭✭✭
    You want a different approach to boater education?  Look at Israel as a great example.  They have strict licensing requirements.  You can't just buy-boat-drive-boat.  Their boaters are well-educated, but it also shuts out a lot of people from boating.  I'm not sure it's better.  

    My point is, informing an ignorant boater helps everyone.  It's better to light a candle than curse the darkness.  
  • pistolepistole Member Posts: 158 ✭✭
    ramps should also be designed better , ie , wide and open
  • raybo3raybo3 Administrator Posts: 5,455 admin
    LaRea said:
    If anybody here entered the boating world as a fully-formed expert instead of an ignorant newbie, please step forward and be heard!  <cricket noises>  

    For everyone else, maybe take the advice of @212rowboat and share what you've learned ... make the water a better, safer place.  It takes a village to raise a good boater.  
    Really????? So when someone offers help why are most "newbie's" so arrogant? Maybe if they took the help to learn or just be nice about it would be different. I get it its not everyone but there are some real a$$holes out there for sure. I know before I ever got on a boat by my self I took a boating safety class. So LaRea maybe people should enter the boating world with at least some sort of boating safety class and maybe a better attitude....... Just say'n
    2002 342 Fiesta Vee PC Point Of Pines YC Revere MA. popyc.org     raybo3@live.com
  • jhofmannjhofmann Member Posts: 430 ✭✭✭
    Most people who are beginner boaters start out trailer boating as this is the cheapest way to get into boating. We were all new once, and I'm sure everyone on the site has learned some lesson by making a mistake. I have been a trailer boater for over 25 years, and while I don't claim to have all the answers, I have had no issues launching boats from 14ft to 24ft by myself. Trailer boating saves money in slip fees, and makes maintenance easier. It also allows you to boat on different bodies of water, and make new friends. Not everyonre who boats can afford a 30+ft boat and a slip.

    While some newbies are arrogant, others are glad for the help. Some people just need to learn the hard way!!
  • 212rowboat212rowboat Member Posts: 2,591 ✭✭✭✭✭
    it comes down to arrses and holes... 

    approaching someone and saying something akin to "let me show you" is kind of abusive in nature... making the same approach and saying something like "man, tides are tough today, i'll assist you if you'll pay it back someday?" as giving the person an 'out' is much better.  it's been my observation that insecurity causes toxic reactions.  the approach doesn't have to be that way. 

    and as far as 'backing up' goes- everyone has their own technique i've observed... some make sweeping maneuvers that require lots of space while others can make short abrupt changes in confined area's.  some folks get as straight as they can on the ramp (or driveway for that matter) and pray they don't eff it up (trying to keep it straight when backing)... i bet not a one of them has ever taken a bit of instruction, and their 'skill' came at a cost of experience, which means they were tweaking people at the ramp long before they were the ones ridiculing... as if it's some sort of "right of passage".  

    this is all kind of easy for me to say because folks around my launch are generally nice and have a sense of comrade.  there are some obvious exceptions.  they are usually pulling jet boats.  :smile:

    i ain't sayin' i have all the answers- as i have had my own run-ins at the ramp (as told above), and another where i tore a prop to shreds that had nothing to do with boaters but some punk kids who thought it funny to pull a street sign out of the ground and drop it at the foot of the ramp in murky water where it couldn't be seen.. 

    i don't have a problem with folks power loading at the ramp i use... there is a little sign that says "ramp ends here" and it means it... it is a three to four foot drop just after that sign.  power loaders may actually assist keeping it that way.  the risk they take with their rigs is the part i wouldn't suggest- i'd wager 90% of boat damage comes from dropping or scooping, and 90% of that is from power loading.  it just doesn't pay off in my humble opinion.  i've seen guys who were really good at it, though, both drop and scoop in seconds by having one in the truck and one in the boat.... i guess that is a skill with an expensive acquisition cost- sorta like these motor cross bike guys who do inverse flips and such... how in the hades did they learn how to do that w/o paying a price a few times along the way?  what in the hades motivated them to continue that quest after making a few installments on that loan? 


  • Dude_HimselfDude_Himself Member Posts: 596 ✭✭✭
    Some of this was actually featured in this months' Boating magazine.
  • Glassguy54Glassguy54 Member Posts: 588 ✭✭✭
    I'd think it is incumbent upon everyone trailer boating to understand and practice good ramp etiquette. Ask others if unsure. So many folks these days seem to have such selfish attitudes, like they are the only ones who matter and everyone else can suck it. These types really rub me the wrong way.
  • rasburyrasbury Member Posts: 8,218 ✭✭✭✭✭
    just go on you tube....it's a worm hole of this stuff...
  • GMSLITHOGMSLITHO Member Posts: 1,559 ✭✭✭✭
    That why my marina charges $50 ramp fee on the weekends It keeps people away 
  • Handymans342Handymans342 Member Posts: 10,375 ✭✭✭✭✭
    GMSLITHO said:
    That why my marina charges $50 ramp fee on the weekends It keeps people away 
    Thats criminal. Do the good people pay $50? Or just the bad?
  • reneechris14reneechris14 Member Posts: 3,134 ✭✭✭✭✭
    If you pay $50 you will be the only one there.lol
    2005 Rinker FV342  Pawcatuck river,Ct
  • 69fastback69fastback Member Posts: 948 ✭✭✭
    LaRea said:
    If anybody here entered the boating world as a fully-formed expert instead of an ignorant newbie, please step forward and be heard!  <cricket noises>  

    For everyone else, maybe take the advice of @212rowboat and share what you've learned ... make the water a better, safer place.  It takes a village to raise a good boater.  
    I get what you’re saying, and don’t disagree, but a lot of this is common sense, and just general common courtesy to others. Nobody should have to tell you that blocking the ramp to wipe down your boat, is rude to those waiting to load/unload. 


    I’m 100% trailer, so I’m on the ramp every week. My wife backs the boat in, and does an awesome job. We are on the ramp for 30 seconds to unload, and a minute to load. I’ve just learned to take a deep breath before we get there, and stay out of the idiots ways. 
  • mattiemattie Member Posts: 1,250 ✭✭✭✭
    We’ve got a restaurant at our marina called ‘Dockside’. Great restaurant BTW!
    My wife and I always ask for ramp view seating!!

    Told them they should put up bleachers.....
    246BR, 276BR, H310BR current
  • MarkBMarkB Member Posts: 3,960 ✭✭✭✭✭
    So everyone just sat and watched this guy wash his boat?? I'm sorry, he would have definitely heard from me, and would have kept hearing from me until he moved that friggin boat. There's no ways I would stand for that ignorance or audacity. Period.

    Boat Name: King Kong

    "Boat + Water = Fun"

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