Marine deputies cannot back a boat trailer

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67Dart273

67Dart273

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I would never claim to be any kind of skilled at backing a trailer. But this is not even a challenge.


 
:lol: all that work to off load a row boat on a short ramp.
 
I've been in trucking for almost 45 years, so I can back up quite well. I about got my head handed to me once when a guy at a boat ramp was having this kind of trouble and I kindly offered to help. Yikes, that set off the nuclear foaming-at-the-mouth profanity laced response! He never did get it in the water, after about 20 minutes of clogging up the ramp he gave up and went home.
 
Only thing that would have added to this was if the drain plug (if there was one) was left open and the boat sank right after it came off the trailer.
Don't laugh...I've seen it happen.
 
20 MARINES would have just lifted the boat off the trailer and walked it down the ramp right into the water.......from the parking lot!
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that boat launch could be a body double for the dunton park launch here in town
 
ocdart said:
Only thing that would have added to this was if the drain plug (if there was one) was left open and the boat sank right after it came off the trailer.
Don't laugh...I've seen it happen.
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Back in my drinking days I left the plug out when off loading.
It was 10 at night after a 3hour drive. lol dove in and dropped the plug, lucky I had a spare and my screaming wife on the dock to get it for me. at least I found out my bilge pump was working good, it kept up really good. lol
I don't know what was worse the boat almost sinking or getting eat'n alive by mosquitos.
My plug never gets pulled now, never !
 
halfafish said:
I've been in trucking for almost 45 years, so I can back up quite well. I about got my head handed to me once when a guy at a boat ramp was having this kind of trouble and I kindly offered to help. Yikes, that set off the nuclear foaming-at-the-mouth profanity laced response! He never did get it in the water, after about 20 minutes of clogging up the ramp he gave up and went home.
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Boat trailers can be troublesome. I usually use the Dakota to tow, but neither of my trailers are wide enough to show in the mirrors when exactly straight. I've DIY built vertical hull guides which stick out a bit more. If I was towing with the Dodge with the little camper they would be a PITA Even the GMC 1500, with no camper, is tall enough and wide enough that the damn things can "hide" back there. You sometimes must "intentionally wobble" to see where in the **** it is and is going LOLOL
 
Dad had the boat in a slip in Mission Bay San Diego, we were living in the desert at the time. We have our hands full of stuff heading down to the boat, he stops me on the bridge to the docks "Let's watch this". F250 Crew Cab, bigass cabover camper, behind it a 27-30' cabin cruiser. Man and woman were at the trailer hitch area, man disconnecting tie down to the boat. "Look, they're deaf. They're signing." Man climbs up into the boat, woman climbs into the pickup. From the bridge of the boat man signs something to the woman. Truck starts, reverse lights come on, revs come up and she hauls *** in reverse to the water :eek:.Just as the transom hits the water man has the boat fired up, woman slams on the brakes just as the rear bumper hits the water, boat slides away cleanly, man parks it at the unloading dock, woman heads for parking lot. Whole thing didn't take but 60 seconds, not a word spoken. All my trips to the launch ramps I never saw another launch that efficient :lol:.
 
There used to be two guys, friends, locally here, with girlfriends I think were cousins or something. Had an open engine BB Chev jet. The ramp here as elsewere was ALWAYS entertaining. So here come the girls in the hotrod boat. "The men" around the ramp are commenting "this ought to be good." One of them goes up backs the truck right down there, and the second gall drives it on the trailer. I don't think they were in that ramp 1 minute.

Meanwhile "the men" were jacknifing, forgetting stern plugs and tie downs, getting boats crooked on the trailer, you know, "the usual." All while pot belly and cigars

I never had a pot belly until maybe 5 years ago from lack of "being able" and recovering from injuries.
 
Ah the boat ramp..

I have had to back more than one customers truck and trailer combo out of my parking lot...

Helping out at the ramp is tricky. I study the person before offering any help. Most folks dont want any help. (Even tho they need loads of it.)
:)
 
67Dart273 said:
Boat trailers can be troublesome. I usually use the Dakota to tow, but neither of my trailers are wide enough to show in the mirrors when exactly straight. I've DIY built vertical hull guides which stick out a bit more. If I was towing with the Dodge with the little camper they would be a PITA Even the GMC 1500, with no camper, is tall enough and wide enough that the damn things can "hide" back there. You sometimes must "intentionally wobble" to see where in the **** it is and is going LOLOL
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Had the same problem I put a pipe that slides in another pipe that locks with a lynch pin. When I go to launch boat I slide pipes out so I can see them makes all that wobbling disappear.
 
Offering help at the boat launch can be tricky that’s for sure. I usually just offer this put your hand on the bottom of steering wheel and push it the way you want the trailer to go and make small movements on the steering wheel. Works for me.
 
Here’s a serious for a moment tip when backing a trailer: “Steer fast, back slow” Making adjustments quickly while creeping along Always works better than “Steer slow, back fast” or doing it all fast!:thumbsup:
 
Ya, backing up a trailer. Always fun for the unexperienced. I used to enjoy watching dad back up a grain wagon with a tractor. Damn he was good at it but of course he had 50 years experience. I have a small trailer for my riding lawn mower. The tongue is pretty short and it turns faster than the front of my pickup will swing. It needs to be almost straight with the truck to back it up and you have to be real good to bend it around a corner. It's a trip!
 
When we moved from IN to NoVa years ago, we ended up renting a townhouse. We we way back in the development. it had a very euro feel to it, meaning narrow streets and tall walls.

The guy who brought our stuff on the 18 wheeler was impressive to say the least. He got that fricking truck in and out with literally 3 inches to spare on the side of the truck and never "corrected". In, and out. It was pretty amazing...
 
toolmanmike said:
Ya, backing up a trailer. Always fun for the unexperienced. I used to enjoy watching dad back up a grain wagon with a tractor. Damn he was good at it but of course he had 50 years experience. I have a small trailer for my riding lawn mower. The tongue is pretty short and it turns faster than the front of my pickup will swing. It needs to be almost straight with the truck to back it up and you have to be real good to bend it around a corner. It's a trip!
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Not being able to see the trailer or anything is a challenge for sure! We recently bought a 12’ johnboat that is light and easy to carry by hand. So we slide it in the bed of our pickup and just back close to any launch site and can load up and hit the water pretty quickly. Meanwhile we often watch guys roll up with similar dinky dinky boats on a trailer ( because you know, a boat has to be on a trailer!!) and spend way too much time jacking the thing all over the place trying to get it down the ramp!
 
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