Someone mentioned watching people back up trailers at boat ramps

[TimT]

[hcoles]

Well, he got it out of the water.

[mjohnson]

I don't have that mojo, but a lady colleague (raised on a New Mexico ranch), can back down the ramp at probably a "get a ticket from the state park" speed - snatch the boat - and head out without seemingly even stopping. It's like magic...

The rest of the crew on the water, especially after a few hours of 7k feet elevation and more than enough barlypops, is worth breaking out the viewing stands. The ways some people make a difficult thing impossible both boggles my mind yet I cannot look away.

[nota]

local sport and on u-tube blackpoint marina

here is one

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=33DEhCcSpfk

[masraum]

Originally Posted by mjohnson

I don't have that mojo, but a lady colleague (raised on a New Mexico ranch), can back down the ramp at probably a "get a ticket from the state park" speed - snatch the boat - and head out without seemingly even stopping. It's like magic...

The rest of the crew on the water, especially after a few hours of 7k feet elevation and more than enough barlypops, is worth breaking out the viewing stands. The ways some people make a difficult thing impossible both boggles my mind yet I cannot look away.

I had a buddy that lived in Sarasota. He worked at a boat rental place. He could do some amazing things with a boat even thoroughly toasted.

[dmcummins]

I am glad I can keep my boat on a lift in the backyard, I don’t think I’d own one if I had to trailer it to the ramp.

It’s not that I can’t back up a trailer, I had a 27’ travel trailer for years, it’s all the other people at the ramp.

[dmcummins]

Originally Posted by TimT

That’s just sad, doesn’t even look windy. How do you not know that you don’t know what you are doing.

[masraum]

Originally Posted by dmcummins

That’s just sad, doesn’t even look windy. How do you not know that you don’t know what you are doing.

Reminds me of the quote "If you can dodge a wrench, you can dodge a ball."

"If you can drive a car, you can drive a boat," clearly, is not an accurate statement.

[oldE]

Up here we have an expression for that. It is "Stunned as me arse!"

Hope he had insurance.

Best
Les

[Skytrooper]

It is great entertainment on a hot summer morning. People lose their ***** !

[3rd_gear_Ted]

Site #6 @ Lake Havasu in the summer has crowds watching waiting for disaster, they are merciless.

[Esel Mann]

Originally Posted by dmcummins

That’s just sad, doesn’t even look windy. How do you not know that you don’t know what you are doing.

Gentle poster, looks like it might not be in FLA. Esel Landers recommends they too have their moment in the limelight.....

[id10t]

I go fishing at a little spot on the gulf with a public boat ramp nearly every weekend... 90% of the launches I see are "back the truck up to the water, toss the kyak off, go park". The other 10% are 10-14' jon boats or canoes w/ small trailers and its never been crazy... of course, no real slope to ramp, nice and wide, easy turn around spots so just about anyone should be able to back straight up and be perfect.

What is really fun is the guys/gals that back the truck/suv up to the water line and fish from the back ... the issue being they start at lower stage of the tide and the water where they are will get 3' deeper over the next few hours....

[speeder]

[svandamme]

Originally Posted by TimT

SNIP

perhaps those boats come with Ford mustang derived ecoboost engines?

[KFC911]

Originally Posted by speeder

Thank you .... I'd forgotten about that one !

About 4 decades ago, a buddy bought a new 21' center console and a bunch of us were going out with him. He could back a boat just fine.... he just forgot to put the plug in....

Change those horses to donkeys and we were all He-Hawing just like that...

We were asses tho'

[GH85Carrera]

I am super happy there was no one around watching me try to back up a short utility trailer into the garage space at my old work building. I was laughing at my own inability to get it right. It was a tight space to turn fairly sharp, and up the ramp to get it into the garage door. The good news is I was not holding up anyone at all, and I had no time constraints. It took more than a few tries, but finally I nailed it.

Just me and the El Camino with no one else around, thankfully.

I don't have a boat, never had a boat, and had backed up with a trailer about twice before in my life.

Like many other things in life, it takes some regular practice to do it right even more to make it look easy.

My first ever boss had a boat. He put a trailer ball on his front bumper. That made it really easy to back his boat up.

[KFC911]

I've been backing trailers since I was a kid... it's ingrained.... but

One time mebbe 35 years ago in Fl, I was bass fishing with a buddy (his truck and boat), and as usual, when getting ready to "pull out", I jumped on the dock and went to get them to back down the ramp. This was a desolate, shallow Fl ramp, that had a tight 90 degree turn right at the ramp. No problem when a boat was on the trailer and you could see, but unloaded, the trailer was invisible, and by the time I could see it in a side mirror, it was already caddywhompus on the narrow ramp... dang, pull up and try again... and again, and again, and again....

Yeah.... I know about them thingys that stick up on the rear of a trailer so yer not backing "blind" .... now .

Were it my truck/trailer, you get a feel, and just know where the trailer is pointing even if ya can't see it.

Strange truck, strange trailer, strange clutch .... just glad there were no smartphones to record it.
... I felt like such a maroon .

[speeder]

Originally Posted by KC911

I've been backing trailers since I was a kid... it's ingrained.... but

One time mebbe 35 years ago in Fl, I was bass fishing with a buddy (his truck and boat), and as usual, when getting ready to "pull out", I jumped on the dock and went to get them to back down the ramp. This was a desolate, shallow Fl ramp, that had a tight 90 degree turn right at the ramp. No problem when a boat was on the trailer and you could see, but unloaded, the trailer was invisible, and by the time I could see it in a side mirror, it was already caddywhompus on the narrow ramp... dang, pull up and try again... and again, and again, and again....

Yeah.... I know about them thingys that stick up on the rear of a trailer so yer not backing "blind" .... now .

Were it my truck/trailer, you get a feel, and just know where the trailer is pointing even if ya can't see it.

Strange truck, strange trailer, strange clutch .... just glad there were no smartphones to record it.
... I felt like such a maroon .

Yup. It's real easy to back my car trailer with my PU truck when it has a car on it, different story when it's an empty flat trailer and I cannot see it other than with side mirrors, sometimes.

[URY914]

Originally Posted by speeder

Yup. It's real easy to back my car trailer with my PU truck when it has a car on it, different story when it's an empty flat trailer and I cannot see it other than with side mirrors, sometimes.

I raised my tail lights up on my car trailer so I could see them in the mirrors.