Boat Launch Idiots (BLI's)

[Crappie Reaper]

For years I have always launched my boat by sticking the front anchor in back of the truck. One particular cold winter morning years ago, I forgot to do that and had to swim to retrieve the boat since there were no other boaters in the area. That day ended fast.

[jeffy]

I was waiting in line at Ebenezer landing this past summer.This landing has four ramps and was backed up with boaters.A man in an old chevy van was trying to back in;the problem was that he was splitting two seperate ramps.Someone showed him the correct ramp;after more backing and pulling up he got the boat in the water.The best part was that his transmisson was slipping and he couldn't pull out.Finally,The park ranger pulled him out to get the ramp open.

[Percidae_Papermouth]

Keep a check on your launch/retreval rope..... girlfriend was holding the rope when i launched, she pulled the rope to bring the boat in and it snapped about 12" from the eye on the bow of the boat..... nice september swim down river.

Victim of dry rot

[Lowellhturner]

Yrs ago, was fishing near the old CJ Brown main boat ramp in July?, very warm, 10- 15 mph wind head on from the N as a local BASS club was launching to get a tournement underway. 2 dudes put a 14?` aluminum boat in, 1 takes the truck and trailer to park, 2cnd guy ties it off and hops in, has some trouble getting it to start, it finally stays running. This gent, chomping on a Winston Churchill stoogie, proceeds to pick up a 5 gallon gas can and attempts to top off the boat`s fuel tank...is anyone already running for a fire extingusher? In a matter of seconds, WHOOSH! He drops the uncapped can and smoking (literally!) jumps overboard, and proceeds to all but drown in 3-4` of water as the boat becomes a Viking funeral pyre. It goes without saying everyone else either abandones any thought of launching and quickly got clear, fished dude out, (he luckily wasn`t seriously hurt) or bravely attempted to put the conflaguration out. Unfortunately, there was far more fuel than they had fire extingushers, and finally had to just back off. To add to the irony, as the local volunteer fire dept pulled up, the burnt out wreck slid beneath the waves, out of embarrassment would suppose. Old boy was tended to, and when the wreck was pulled out, he was given a ticket for A Not having a fire extingusher IN the boat, (it was in his truck!), B fuelling on the water and C refuelling with the motor running. Luckily, it happened along side the dock, and not out on the lake! Most safety rules are written after injury, blood, agony and regret! One to remember, for sure!

[EnonEye]

"Yrs ago, was fishing near the old CJ Brown main boat ramp"
CJ's my favorite place to go and sit on lunch hour to watch the "circus" of people putting in and out, I think it's the fact there's such a mixture of fishermen, skieers, speedboaters and wave runners that make it so interesting to watch, not to mention the bikinis.
That old boat ramp had one ramp on it that was particularly mossy and slippery as I found out one summer morning.
I backed in my boat with the rear wheel drive truck I had at the time, got the boat positioned just right, applied the parking brake and was going to get out to launch when the truck began slipping back into the 20 foot water just off the ramp.
Every time I applied the brake with my foot it would stop but every time I took my foot off the brake and applied the emergency brake it would keep slipping backwards. Quit a dilema as I had my young son in the truck at the time and by now the water was covering the bed of the truck.
In my panic of trying to decide should I sacrifice my son for my truck or let him get out I decided to have him keep his foot on the brake while I placed a rock behind the front tire to stop the backward sliding.
I eventually had another truck pull me off the moss infested ramp and later realized the emergency brake worked only on the rear tires, the tires sitting on the moss. I didn't use that ramp after that, until I got a different truck with 4-wheel drive. Can't tell you how many people I warned about using that ramp.

[Crappiekirby]

Was out white bass fishing one day with a buddy on Spring river in N.E. Ok. We get done fishing and load the boat on the trailer when along comes a small water scamp with two guys in it headed for the ramp. The guy in the front jumps out on shore and the guy in the back stays put. The guy on shore then proceeds to grab a hold of the scamp and pull it a bit farther on shore, when he did the guy in the back went flying out head over heals in the water chair and all. I started laughing so hard my buddy kept elbowing me to quit that I was gonna make that guy mad from laughing at him lol.

Another funny I seen one time (bad for the boat owner). Was fishing a very small lake near where I live when my friend and I decided it was time to head back to the house. As we come around a bend towards the boat ramp I asked him what the heck was going on at the boat ramp. It looked like a boat standing straight up in the water. We finally got close enough and sure enough there was a boat half way up a trailer standing on the motor. We pulled up to help and find out what was going on. Seems the guy unloaded his boat (2000 20' Cobra) and forgot to put the plug in realizing this after water started filling up in the floorboard. They rushed back to the boat ramp and his buddy jumped out and got the truck but didn't get it backed in far enough. Once he tried pulling up on the trailer as the boat tilted up all the water rushed to the back and literally sank the back half of the boat.

When I got there they had the strap on the front trying to winch it down and ended up breaking the strap 2x. I told him he needed to back the trailer in about anther five feet then he should be able to winch it down and pump/drain the water out. He ended up backing in a bit more and we got the boat down and loaded. It was really bad though, the water completely covered the motor, it was all the way up to the console.

The guy that had the boat bought it from a friend of mine, prior to purchasing it my friend asked him if he knew how to operate it. He said he did cause his son had a boat. About 2 months later I seen him back at the lake after getting his boat fixed. He had the motor trimmed way way up trying to take off and it looked like a frog jumping across the water. I just shook my head and went on.

[papascott]

I'm new at boat fishing, got too old to stagger up and down the river bank, so got a 17ft fiberglass V and took it out on a small state lake up by the house where there wouldn't be anyone around to watch! Launching went well, got it off the trailer and tied up to the dock and moved my truck. So far, so good. There was a fair breeze and I found out the best way to tie up at the dock, crawling across the trolling motor and hitting the switch with your foot when you're adjacent to the prop is a revelation. Went out and looked over the lake and decided enough for one day. Got tied back to the dock, (smarter this time) and got the truck and trailer. This would be my first time loading the thing, so circled around and headed her for the trailer. It is possible to get a big boat on a trailer very nearly crossways, didn't allow for wind. Took her back out to try again, figured didn't have enough speed the first time, so headed for the trailer at a good clip. Fortunately, good sense returned in time, aborted and made another lap, didn't really want the bow in the back of the truck. It took four tries, but finally got it on far enough that the winch could pull it the rest of the way, tied it down and went home. Ma asked how it went and I replied, "Piece of cake". Like I said, wasn't anyone to watch.

[Drum_Master]

I was the boat ramp idiot BIG TIME once! Fished the Tarpon Rodeo, supposed worlds oldest fishing tourny, in Grand Isle LA several years ago with a couple locals from LA. Somehow, I'm given the task of getting the truck and trailer at the ramp. Needless to say, the parking lot and ramp was SLAMMED! Idiots everywhere, or so I thought. People just sitting with the rigs in everyone's way. Well, being the intelligent individual I am, decided to go around the fool in my way. So I did. It was smooth sailing to ramp at that point, so to speak. I know I passed at least 25-30 folks stuck in the mess. About the time I get ready to whip around and back down, I realize I had gone in the exit, and cut-off everybody! OOPS! I was quite embarrassed to say the least, but it got worse. Lucky for me, a freindly cajun, seeing my mistake, let me in line. So I back down the ramp and wait. And wait. And wait. Well, seems my buddy knew it would be a long while before I made it through the line, so he wasn't paying attention. Finally, my buddy realizes it is "him" holding up the ramp! He could not figure out how I made it so fast. I just told him that's how us TN boys do it! We got back to camp over an hour before our other buddies at the ramp! If I cut you off that day, I'm truly sorry! I was the BLI!

[G.Gordon]

Guy backs boat, buddy holding bow line walking down the ramp and onto the convenience dock. Boat launched, driver pulls out and heads to park the truck. Buddy on dock trying to light a cig in the breeze, get frustrated and throws bow line in boat that was sitting right next to dock. Still looking away the spring breeze slowly blows the boat out into the lake. Driver of the truck comes over the hump of the parking lot and starts screaming... cig boy jumps in and swims for it. I would have asked the guy launching next (me) to give him a ride.

Friend shared this one. He's waiting to get clear to take out. Pleasure boat is in front with nice "boat dressings" if you know what I mean. He's coming in a bit hot to drop "boat dressing" on the dock so he pops it in reverse and guns it about the time "boat dressing" launches herself for the dock. She does a upper body/face plant into the dock, splat into the water and comes up spitting blood with a gushing nose.

Walking through parking lot I hear metal crunching. I look and a lady is getting out of a nice truck/trailer combo that she was trying to park. She pulled a bit early and creamed the trailer parked next to her. She let out curse words like a navy cook.

Warsaw, MO. Old pickup with a 10' jon boat and about eight pre-teens in the back. We're launched and go downriver and anchor to catfish. In a few minutes that jon boat with all of those kids, no PFD's, and only paddles comes by. There is at most 3-4" of boat sticking up out of the water. About 20 minutes later the water patrol full of sirens and lights comes full speed down the river. I can only guess their destination.

[gabowman]

And most of them are eligible to vote. Scarey huh?!?