Speaking of doing stupid things a.k.a how not to launch your new boat.

Gregg Kurz

Gregg Kurz

Active member
As some of you know I've been looking to sell my old boat and get something better suited for the type of fishing I've come to enjoy lately. In other words, I got 4-foot-itis and wanted to be surrounded by creature comforts. Well a few weeks ago I managed to sell my old boat.....


boat.jpg



......and bought myself a new 20' Thunder Jet with all the goodies on it!



Pewter 1.jpg


I've been out salmon fishing in it several times now and although I have yet to put a salmon on the deck I've thoroughly enjoyed having a windshield to block the cool wind at 3:30 am and a top to block the hot sun later in the day. I also love having an autopilot on the trolling motor so I don't have to sit at the back of the boat on the tiller all day.

Anway, everything has been just peachy until Sunday. I already e-mailed Sutton the story so I'll just post it up here so everyone can have a laugh:

Oh yeah, I had a small mishap while launching the boat on Sunday. I backed the boat down the ramp until the back end was in the water and then put the truck in park, went back and undid the chain and strap. I tried to push the boat off the trailer but it wouldn't budge. So, I grabbed the bow line and went up to the truck to back it down a bit further. Keep in mind now that the bow line only reaches to about the mid-point of the back door of the truck so I'm half way in and half way out of the truck door, arms fully extended, as I start to ease the truck back to let the boat float gently off the trailer. Well, the very instant that I tapped the brakes, the boat, instead of gently floating off the trailer, shoots off the trailer like a bullet from a gun. In the blink of an eye, me being fully extended already, and totally unprepared for such an event, had my upper body stretched like a slinky and then was yanked out of the truck and thrown to the concrete about 4 feet from the rig........picture a cartoon...........streeeeeeetch...thwoingggggg.......oooffff.

I don't know if I was actually suspended with my feet dangling and one hand on the bow line and the other on the steering wheel like a cartoon character, but I may have been. Anyway, the truck is still in reverse and rapidly proceeding backwards into the river....thankfully the door is still open. I managed to get to my feet and jam one leg into the truck and hit the brake pedal to slow its progress before I slipped on the ramp and fell down. The truck regained its momentum as I scrambled to my feet and this time jumped all the way in and got it stopped (the back wheels were almost 3/4 of the way under water at that point) and pulled the whole rig up onto the ramp. Meanwhile, back at the ranch, the boat is now about 75 yards off shore and floating down the river. So I stripped down to my shorts and had an extremely brisk 3:30 a.m. swim to get the boat back. At least I had the presence of mind to remove my cell phone, eye glasses and wallet before I dove in after my new toy.

I'm a bit sore and have made a GIANT note to self....."If the boat cannot be pushed off the trailer, re-attach chain or strap and then back boat in a little further". At least no one else was there to witness the debacle and there are no security cameras on the dock so there is no film of the event. Although, it probably would get me some $$ on one of those blooper shows.

Yeah, yeah, I know you're laughing at me not with me.
 
Greg,

Nice looking boat. You might have been better off to spend the extra couple bucks they must charge for the instruction manual, which you obviously didn't receive. hehe Course that doesn't mean you or any of us would have taken the time to actually read said instruction book.

I think the best thing about all this was that there were no witness's. ;>) ;>)
 
Oh, I was waiting for the "I finally outswam the boat..drug myself over the gunnels putting a big dig in my ribcage...and remembered I put the key to the damn thing with my billfold and cell phone". Good story though. Glad you didn't sink the truck..is it the same RICH CS'er rig you had when we did the old farts hunt?
 
Hehehe,

I remember when I couldn't get my Lund off the trailer and just before I backed it down further...............I realized that the back straps were still on. Averted a very comical scene that day as there were a bunch of guys ready to launch. Glad you only have a bruised ego.

Nice looking rig.

Pete
 
Hehehehe
"I finally outswam the boat..drug myself over the gunnels putting a big dig in my ribcage...and remembered I put the key to the damn thing with my billfold and cell phone"

That would have really sucked but by that time I had enough adrenaline in my system I could have put the bow line in my teeth and swam back to shore with no problem.

Yup, same rich CS'er rig.............you would think the rich CS'er would have missed it by now, but I guess not.
 
Great story Gregg. Makes us all feel better about our own boat landing embarrassments.

I tie a loop in the end of the bow line so I can throw it over the post on the front of the trailer--just for times like that when I'm launching by myself. That method works well, except for the time that the clip on the bow released and the boat floated off the trailer and I had to swim after it.
 
Let's see: Over the last 20 or so years of launching small boats, I've had to swim once (thankfully it was summer), had the boat come off the trailer onto the dry portion of the ramp once and launched with the plug out twice. Those who have never screwed up just haven't done it enough or are so anal that you probably wouldn't want to go out with them anyway :^)

Scott

PS: I'd like to think there were mitigating circumstances on all my screw ups. But bottom line, I was in charge and it was my boat.
 
Wow, Thanks- Now losing a motor off the back of the boat is not the top of the list.;). Anyone who has been around boats for any time at all and not had something like that happen is either lying or waaaay overdue. Great story, thanks
 
Greg
I also have hit the water after a boat and all of us that have luckily have lived to tell about it where some haven't. It has to be special with a brand new boat. Nice rig. Thanks for sharing.
wis boz
 
Gregg,

It is so simple. Your entire incident could have been avoided if you would have taken me fishing with you. Sutton will vouch for the fact that if I cannot do anything else right I have at least mastered the act of standing on the ramp and holding onto the bow line. :)

I am glad everything turned out well for you. What size is the Suzuki? It is hard to tell in the photo are you running a kicker?

My best,

Don Shearer
 
Glad you are OK. Not the you wanted to start out considering how excited you were when talking about it. I wll be retelling that one
 
Ya mean I'm not the only one who has done that? I feel better now. How far did you have to paddle back to the ramp?
 
Some days it's more fun to just sit at the ramp with a bag of popcorn and a cool drink. Dinner and a show.
 
Greg nice boat , yeah i am laughing but only because of what i did one time , going out to hunt one Dec am back the trailer into the ramp climb on the tongue to push the cakler into the drink while i ws talking with another group of hunters i must have forgot to attach the bow line ,yeah boat comes off the trailer and is floating away from the ramp like a bullet yelled to the group going out and got them to bring her back to me . it happens good thing you did no get really hurt . Good luck with the new boat now go get those salmon .




Dave M
 
Morton... you never told me about that one...

Went hunting once with my old hunting partner. He had a stick shift... he put it in neutral and applied only minimal parking brake. I'm pushing the boat into the water and of course the truck started to run over me. Thankfully I just dove right away from the truck... got up, dove into the truck (door was open as well) and put the parking brake on. My hunting partner (at the time) was nowhere to be found... I think he was peeing...

Result, I don't trust anyone (other than Morton of course) when I'm launching or retrieving boats... I'll do everything myself thank you ; )
 
Greg

At first I thought your truck might go off the ramp and submerge. Then I pictured your torso wedged under the tire stopping the truck from rolling any further and felt relieved :)

Having had my own ramp incident this year and know how quickly things can get out of control I'm glad you recovered everything including your sense of humor.
 
Well I wasn't as lucky as you when my "incident" occured, I had spectators. The main thing is you are ok and didn't suffer bigger injuries than sore muscles.
 
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