Mouth....that process will work for boats that will back up....If you have one that won't you pick an open ramp and put the boat in it....run get the trailer and load it.....and take no crap.

I love the guy at Eagle Point that thinks that the ramp is made for 3 boats. He clearly sees 2 docks and 2 trucks using them. He somehow gets the bright idea to try and wiggle his boat between those two trucks and launch his boat. Yet, he forgets a critical part of the boat launching process, where the eff do I tie it up when it is in the water? One of two things usually happens. He either is unable to correctly back the trailer up and near misses another vehicle, Or he ends up being at the ramp for 30 minutes trying to launch the boat and find somewhere to tie it off whil his damn truck is sitting in the middle of the ramp.

On the subject of pet peeves:

My #1 pet peeve of the boat ramp is when, on crowded mornings, people who can't back their trailer in straight decide that they can squeeze between two other boats on the ramp. I have no problem with launching three wide if the ramp will hold three trucks, but I would ask that you know how to back in straight before attempting this feat.

aggieamber05,

It's Canyon Lake. Comal Boat Ramp 6 to be exact.

Very nice...
Sunchaser...no ban, just been more of a silent reader lately, lots going on! I have gotta start being better!

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I can trailer a boat like a champ now, but there was a time when I couldn't - and it took some practice. If some idiot was laughing at me when I was practicing, I would have definitely had words with him.

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Uhhh...it's really not that hard. Based on what I've seen the biggest problems usually occur for folks that don't know how to back a trailer.

I did not witness this myself, but a friend of mine claims to have seen a man dump a brand new bass boat on the ramp at Buck Creek on Ray Roberts. It was supposedly the first time he had taken it out and when he loaded back up he forgot to hook the winch line up before he pulled out. Steep ramp...slick running boards...no winch line...crunch. He said it scratched up the hull pretty bad but most of the damage was to the guy's ego. Not sure how they got it back on.

Hint: Go boating in the fall and winter when the summer yahoos aren't around, and most people are at the lease.

I took a short box trailer to the Lake Grapevine ramp back in '96 when I was first learning to drive. It was cold as heck, and NO ONE was out on the water... I spent almost an entire day backing that short trailer into the water and out, then parking it, then repeat the entire process. By the end of the day, I was fairly proficient at backing up a short trailer, and I wouldn't be one of "those guys" when spring came around!

An easy way to teach people to back up a trailer is to have them grip the bottom of the steering wheel and to move their hand in the direction they want the trailer to go. This is how I taught my wife to back up a trailer 20+ years ago. I would put Mrs. ghollow up against most anyone nowadays at backing a trailer.

Practice practice practice. That's all it takes, then once you've done that you will be able to back one in at 30mph like we have to do.

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Practice practice practice.

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Agreed. When I first got my camper I had ZERO experience trailering anything. I went up to the elementary school on the weekend with some orange cones and practiced. Shoot, it still takes me a couple "in and outs" to get set up at a campsite sometimes.

Martellus,

Glad to know I can help you feel warm and safe. Next time you get your boat jack-knifed on the ramp, please don't bother coming ot get me from work to pull you out. Just call a tow truck and get charged for the effort.

Gil '91

More great pics here:

http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://users.mo-net.com/flotilla6/IMAGES/Trailer%2520accident%252001sm.jpg&imgrefurl=http://users.mo-net.com/flotilla6/btning_sfty.htm&usg=__ktbHwGuDLTz3Q_ZEQ6WBmuGcR1U=&h=263&w=350&sz=37&hl=en&start=19&tbnid=DSZQcZM4fkuxJM:&tbnh=90&tbnw=120&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dhow%2Bto%2Blaunch%2Ba%2Bpwc%26gbv%3D2%26ndsp%3D18%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DN%26start%3D18

Epic. Bet they wish they'd sprung a little extra cash for the trailer about then....

To sum it up, people are just stupid. It isn't difficult to back a trailer nor trailer a boat, its just common sense. I can normally launch my jetski with backing the trailer up in under 5 mins.

Practice, Practice, Practice.....the biggest mistake most people make backing a trailer is OVER CORRECTING.... a small movement of the wheel will cause a big movement of the trailer.This is the cause of many jack knifes in backing up...

Gawd the Fishing Center in POC used to be like a drunken Gong Show (you oldies remember that one) on weekends during the summer months back in the 90's and through about '03.

It was a heckle fest that could test the best.

One Memorial Day around '98-99, there was 200+ folks there. They had both sides of the ramp standing room only. Every screw up was another round of laughter, and this one summed the attitude of the day. A obviously inibriated overweight boater and his wife motored up in a very chalky '70 era tri hull Glastron. She went for the trailer and he looked around and loudly asked what all the festivities were for. The crowd quieted down and someone told him we just drank and watched all the "boating activities". The boater stated "I guess I should'nt have drank all that beer then.." to which the guy nex to me exclaimed "WE'VE BEEN WAITING FOR YOU!"

Heck, I thought the old crowd "wave" would get going to the laughter on that one at the time.

My uncle told me a story at POC about a couple of drunks trying to re-trailer a boat after a long day of more drinking than fishing. One guy backs down the trailer, but the guy operating the boat can't seem to get it lined up. The peanut gallery starts a little joking and taunting after a few missed attempts, so the guy with the boat waves the guy with the truck to back up more...and he backs a little too far..

By now the guy in the boat is drunk and pissed, so he guns it up onto the trailer...too far, up onto the winch stand, and at about 30 degrees off center, and the truck dude just pulls it on out as-is...

The gathered crowd was rolling with laughter..

Back when I was was going to TAMU, I saw about a 22' cabin cruiser setting on top of a convertible Cadillac El Dorado at the intersection of University/Hwy.6. The guy was apparently headed west on University. As he was coming over the overpass, the light turned red and he had to hit his brakes pretty hard. The boat slid right off the front of the trailer and on to the car. The post on the front of the trailer just folded over and he did not have any transom tie-downs. The boat stopped just short of breaking the windshield on the car. Unfortunately, we were on our way to Houston for a wedding and could not wait to how it all turned out. Wished I would have had a camera with me.

No explanation needed

I was at the lake that day as well.

[This message has been edited by Vero143 (edited 7/1/2009 9:10a).]

awesome

geez... did the A&M sticker still have to be showing?

No kidding.

Aggie sticker is added in. I've seen it with all kinds of stickers on it, and none.

This has me convinced that I need to spend at least a couple of hours at the boat ramp. I'll take my camera and post anything good.

This would proibably be a good weekend to do it Tres

I'm going to be there early on the 4th...waitin on my own boat just offshore.

That aggie sticker if photoshopped. I have seen the same picture with an OU, TT, and and longhorn on back....and I fully believe that if you can back an empty jet-ski trailer down a boat ramp, you can back up any other type of trailer.

+1 on the empty jetski trailer

>>If some idiot was laughing at me when I was practicing, I would have definitely had words with him.<<

Then you're the idiot (and hypocrite). You spend a whole paragraph essentially saying a newbie shouldn't worry about what others think then you make it clear you would.

From what I read, its more stupidity than inexperience that gets a story line here.

Saw a Tundra with BPS, KVD stickers all over it at Sylvan Beach one day. Had a big Mako behind it off the trailer and on the concrete. Not a pretty sight for such a nice boat. Was at BPS Beltway and 288 a few weeks later and saw the truck there. Told the service manager several folks got a good laugh at the expense of one of his people.