If I pull up to a ramp line, and the boaters in fron of me are still preparing their boat, it is expected to go around them and launch, if you are ready to.

Trailer dictates, not the idiot boater who sits at the dock, taking up valuable space, while his buddy, who can't even back a trailer down a ramp, is seven vehicles back in line.

 

What do you do if you fish Erie by yourself? I perch alot off of Cleveland by myself through December.
Can't drop a buddy off to pull the trailer around when you're by yourself. Have to tie up to the dock and let it sit there till I can retrieve the trailer.

Had a run in with a "father of the year" type who made a TOTAL ass of himself in front of his young daughter when he could have explained in an adult manner that he considered I cut in front of him.
Don't need a "mom" reply saying I shouldn't fish Erie by myself please.

 

As Hetfield stated, empty trailer goes to the front if your boat is sitting in a ramp slot.Reason;No one has use of that slot until you remove your boat.Anytime I have been challenged I point this out and it usually quiets them down.
The only time that all bets are off is when the other boater has been talking to John Barleycorn

 

I thought the same thing as you and Hetfieldinn. Appartently this other guy didn't think so and let me know in no uncertain terms.
Thanks

 

lewser,i'm in the same position as you.though not on ereie,i fish alone at times,plus i'm not the fastest horse in the race either,LOL.at least on my feet.
i try to give others a little slack,but if the ramp/dock is empty,i just do it.
i'll back in,tie the boat off,park and go on as quickly as possible.
when loading,i do the revers,and if someone happens along while i'm in progress,they just have to wait their turn,same as i would.if there's room to park the boat away from the ramp arera,i will,but one f my favorite launches has a very short dock,making that impossible.but the walk to parking is very easy compared to other ramps,so i can get in and out faster.
i always have everything in order,to make things go as quickly as possible.i drive my boat onto the trailer,get in the truck and pull out before i even hook the winch strap to the boat,to save time.
if people have a problem with that,they need not bother me with it,cause i'm not interested in hearing it

 

Even when my wife is with me Its like I am alone... The are courtesy docks at all of the State launches. If you are alone you should beach or use the courtesy dock while you retrieve your trailer. Put the trailer in the water and load the boat.... THE MOST IMPORTANT thing is to let the crap people spew go.... don't waste your time or energy trying to educate someone getting red with you. Just let it go .... expect the worst expect people to get redf and prepare yourself to ignore it .... Sometimes this is the hardest part of loading the boat

 

The are courtesy docks at all of the State launches

that's true for most places.but there are some ramps on some lakes that are very short and don't have courtesy docks,which is just my luck in the case of my favorite ramp at my favorite lake
it's possible to beach a boat there at times,but not always,so when alone,i(and anyone else) have no option.only room to launch/load or park one boat on each side of the dock if they have it centered on the ramp.if it's off center,you can only launch/load on one side,but can and i do,park the boat on the unlaunchable side in that case.
anyone who fishes hoover knows just the ramp i'm talking about.

ps duckman.................at least your wife goes with you

 

Want to have a great day ? Take a cooler (non-alcoholic beverages only in state parks), and a lawn chair to the boat ramps on the first sunny, warm day of the year. For that matter any nice day, especially on the weekend, and go to your nearest boat ramp. My wife never believed me until we did it one day.

 

In the boating regulations and guidlines published by div of watercraft, it states that the order is determined by the position of the tow vehicle in line, not the order or position of the boat. I think it's on page 56, but my booklet is in the boat so I can't be certain. That covers you at the State ramps on Erie, Tomb.

At Wildwood there is a sign that says pretty much the same thing, not that it matters to those who don't bother to read signs.

I like your idea dawitner.
!%

 

I did not mean to imply that if I have an empty trailer, and there are guys ready to dump their boats in the water, that I go around them to retrieve my boat.


What I meant by trailer dictates, is that the next empty trailer in line pulls down to the water, and the guy (driver of the boat, that SHOULD be hovering oyut away from the ramp) is to pull up and onto the trailer.

There are guys out there that think because they are sitting next to the dock in their boat, that they are next to get their boat on the trailer. It's not supposed to work like that.

 

There are guys out there that think because they are sitting next to the dock in their boat, that they are next to get their boat on the trailer. It's not supposed to work like that.

i knew where you were coming from.i've run into my share of those guys
same thing when they put in and one guy holds the boat at the dock,blocking the ramp,while his buddy parks and unloads their gear from the truck 100 yards away,while someone is on the ramp,waiting to launch
i had words with a jerk at vermilion last year,cause he was parked crossways in his boat,blocking the ramp,waiting for his buddy to park the truck.there were several boats waiting across the river with me,and was next to load.my buddy backs down the ramp and the above jerk gets huffy and says "go around",when i blew the horn and asked him to move so i could load,LOL.well,dummy,i can't fit a 8 foot wide boat through the 4 foot opening between your boat and the dock
the funny part is,these idiots are so stupid and inconsiderate,think they're in the right

 

All of you seem to think as I do. It still doesn't explain the officer at edgewater. I was waiting in line behind two boats that were ready to launch. My boat was tied up to the courtesy area next to the ramps. The officer saw me waiting and yelled over to me to go around and pull out my boat. I don't get it. My boat was where I thought it should be and I was waiting patiently. How did that get me into a problem with this guy?

 

you got me on that one,cause i'm not familiar with that ramp.he obviously had his reasons for the request,and it may be how that particular ramp works.maybe he just thought he was helping you out.or,maybe only he knows the answer

 

Where would I find out if there are specific rules for a particular ramp? I've seen nothing posted at edgewater.

 

My last outing.....

(alone) After I tie the boat to the dock, I promptly park my truck. When I returned, another trailer has backed their boat in the water about 1/2 way, about 1 foot away from my unstarted boat. I felt rushed an didn't want to hold anyone up. So I started it, put my boat in gear (cold), stalled several times, flooded my carb away from the dock, and at that point was stranded and felt like an ass. This man's impatience compromised my safety. I learned a valuable lesson and will not be in a hurry to shove off unprepared on a lake that can kill me. In my eyes the only thing I could have done differently was to hire a chouffer to drop me off or stay at home...

I limited out and lived happily ever after.

 

Isn't Edgewater part of the State Park? If so then the published rules would apply unless that park office sees a need to override them. Take your booklet with you next time and ask what goes? I'm betting you had a guy who thought his way was more expedient, and since he has a badge he can get away with a field change.

 

not knowing the exact circumstances,i won't judge.but if there was room to move and tie your boat off,out of the way of the ramp,that would have been the thing to do,with people behind you.but if that was your only option,then the other guy was being inconsiderate,shoulld have been patient,due to you being alone.
i do the same as you did,when i'm alone,and there are no other people waiting to launch,because it is quicker and easier.but if anyone is waiting to launch or load,i'll move my boat out of the way if possible.
i might add that had that other guy been me,i would have sat back and waited

 

As a safe boating instructor and a Vessel Examiner i can vouch for this, that no matter what you try to teach in a class, or how many times you actually tell people or try to educate them on the proper techniques for launching and retrieval including "courtesies" at the ramps it does not work, because there will always be the guy that feels he is faster and has less of a headache than the rest, and he does not have to wait. You can if you wish try to carry a booklet with you and inform these people on your own of their infractions of a courtesy rule, OR you can just wait and play it safe, not be in a hurry and keep from having an altercation, and really making a bottleneck at the ramp having an arguement of something that years of education has not stopped. For the most part, boaters and fishermen, use common courtesy while launching, while some test the limits, those are the guys you just sit back and watch gun their boats onto the trailer, bottom out their motors and ram the winches with the bows of the boats trying to show everyone how fast they can retrieve. So take a chill, get in line if the guy in front of you is not ready and the ramp is open, give him a little toot of the horn, motion you are going around, and safely launch or retrieve. The worst thing to do is to try to spout off and give a guy a little class on ramp courtesies and try to embaress him in front of the other boaters. Just get out of the mix as soon as possible. Lets all play and get along nice!

 

Try to stay calm and go with the flow the best you can. Patience is a virtue. I tell my kids the world is full of idiots, don't become one.

 

If I see a person loading/unloading by themselves, I will at least offer to help them out. Some except the offer and some don't for whatever reason. You're always going to have guys who think there Mr. Macho and can launch/retrieve better and faster then everyone else...it's just the nature of the beast...and of course you're going to have the inexperienced boaters too. Patience is the key...never put yourself in the position of having to rush or let someone else rush you to the point where you can make a mistake and cause injury to yourself or others.
Just my .02 cents...!

 

This location is one of my faves but as hard as I try, I can't see, or seem to remember the directions of those arrows on the ramp slopes at WW. I think it's a good idea(for all boat ramps) but they should be painted(re-painted as these seem to be fading badly) on the slopes for the boaters coming in to see as well as on top for the launchers/takers out to see in-out and in or out(pointing both ways). Some St. Pks clearly mark the in and out ramps with signs and I find this very helpful. This eliminates any passing with trailer empty problems-if your boat's at the take-out ramp, go get it. The boat launchers just have to wait their turn.(Burns me though, when I'm uncovering, getting ready on the approach lane near the bait store and some a-h- blows around me and goes almost to the ramp(theoretically putting him first in line to launch) and does his preparations!!) If your by yourself, that takes a special, level headedness-don't go there armed! Those OLD PEOPLE on lawn chairs that are cracking up pi- -me off too-they should PAY ME for their entertainment!!!!!! I suppose laughter is the BEST medicine after all!

 

All of you seem to think as I do. It still doesn't explain the officer at edgewater. I was waiting in line behind two boats that were ready to launch. My boat was tied up to the courtesy area next to the ramps. The officer saw me waiting and yelled over to me to go around and pull out my boat. I don't get it. My boat was where I thought it should be and I was waiting patiently. How did that get me into a problem with this guy?

You're right, that was highly unusual. Unless the vehicles in front of you were simply not ready to launch/retrieve, I can't think of a scenario where it would become a judgement call.

 

If I see a person loading/unloading by themselves, I will at least offer to help them out. Some except the offer and some don't for whatever reason. You're always going to have guys who think there Mr. Macho and can launch/retrieve better and faster then everyone else...it's just the nature of the beast...and of course you're going to have the inexperienced boaters too. Patience is the key...never put yourself in the position of having to rush or let someone else rush you to the point where you can make a mistake and cause injury to yourself or others.
Just my .02 cents...!

I always turn down help launching or retrieving my boat.I have a fiberglass boat and a trailer with steel teeth.Anytime my boat has been damaged it has been from a helpful soul who has no clue as to how my boat goes on the trailer or sits against the dock.So If I turn down your help it is not because I am ungrateful or Macho,it is because I don't trust you.I know this may sound mean but I have the scars on my boat to bear witness to my lack of faith in a stranger who means well.

 

I agree. There are times I have people with me and I still have to do everything myself. When I first purchased my boat I let a couple people try pulling it on the trailer while I backed the trailer in. Both times I ended up with cips in my gelcoat from them hitting the trailer. Now I only allow some of my friends to back in the trailer if they can. The only person loading the boat is me. Which is why I end up using the courtesy docks so much.