first day on the lake with new boat...ooops!

[DBinPA]

Well, today was the day to take my new Lund WC14 out on the lake.  Keep in mind here that this is the first boat i've owned.  Ive rented fishing boats before that you just bring your own electric motor and batteries, hop in the boat and push off from the shoreline.....no biggie.  I got to admit i was a bit nervous today hoping everything would go ok getting the boat in and out of the water.  Well, before me and the wife launched the boat, i got everything ready: putting rods, tackle, food inside, removing the rear boat strap and attaching a rope with a C clip to the eyelet on the bow of the boat where the trailer winch strap attaches to.  Well i pulled the boat into the water and told my wife to get on the dock.  I threw her the rope which was attached to the eyelet and told her to pull the boat to the side of the dock once i pushed it off the trailer.  I removed the trailer winch strap and pushed it off the trailer.  She started pulling the boat towards the dock while i was walking around the truck to get back in so i could park it on the upper lot.  All of a sudden i hear her yelling my name.  I look back and the boat is adrift in the middle of the cove with her still standing on the dock but the rope was not attached to the boat.. .  I believe in the rush and nervousness of my first launch i did not have the C clip on properly!!! A gentleman who was in a pontoon boat seen the whole thing happen and picked me up and gave me a ride to get my boat.....how embarassing.  Needless to say it was a learning experience  :-/.  

[BRIAN77703]

ahh its not that bad man. imagine this. a short wheel drive single cab s10 pulling a 20 foot fiber glass bassboat up the the ramp. my dad was in the boat, i pull up too fast and the boat trailer rips the ball hitch straight from my bumper. so you have a boat on the trailer sticking straight up in the hair with a 60 year old man hanging on for dear life lol. now that was embarrassing. the ranger had to come help me pull the boat down cause it was sticking up so high ha ha.

[DBinPA]

ahh its not that bad man. imagine this. a short wheel drive single cab s10 pulling a 20 foot fiber glass bassboat up the the ramp. my dad was in the boat, i pull up too fast and the boat trailer rips the ball hitch straight from my bumper. so you have a boat on the trailer sticking straight up in the hair with a 60 year old man hanging on for dear life lol. now that was embarrassing. the ranger had to come help me pull the boat down cause it was sticking up so high ha ha.

WOW!!........your right, maybe its not that bad ;D.  Hopfully your dad wasn't hurt.

[cart7t]

Don't feel bad.  When my son was 13 he wanted to go with one trip in late Feb for the jerkbait bite.  His job was to hold the rope on the boat and pull it back in after I launched it.  As soon as the boat pulled just a little, he let go.  

The boat was now drifting out into the lake

It was Feb.

Hardly anyone is on the water.

About a 1/2 hour later another bass fishermen shows up.  I agree to help him launch if he goes out and pulls my boat in (now several hundred yards floating out in the lake)

Happy ending.

[done]

Well, today was the day to take my new Lund WC14 out on the lake. Keep in mind here that this is the first boat i've owned. Ive rented fishing boats before that you just bring your own electric motor and batteries, hop in the boat and push off from the shoreline.....no biggie. I got to admit i was a bit nervous today hoping everything would go ok getting the boat in and out of the water. Well, before me and the wife launched the boat, i got everything ready: putting rods, tackle, food inside, removing the rear boat strap and attaching a rope with a C clip to the eyelet on the bow of the boat where the trailer winch strap attaches to. Well i pulled the boat into the water and told my wife to get on the dock. I threw her the rope which was attached to the eyelet and told her to pull the boat to the side of the dock once i pushed it off the trailer. I removed the trailer winch strap and pushed it off the trailer. She started pulling the boat towards the dock while i was walking around the truck to get back in so i could park it on the upper lot. All of a sudden i hear her yelling my name. I look back and the boat is adrift in the middle of the cove with her still standing on the dock but the rope was not attached to the boat.. . I believe in the rush and nervousness of my first launch i did not have the C clip on properly!!! A gentleman who was in a pontoon boat seen the whole thing happen and picked me up and gave me a ride to get my boat.....how embarassing. Needless to say it was a learning experience :-/.

LOL. Yeah, I can think of hundreds of time I have seen other make rookie mistakes, and dozens of times I have done some hilarious things. So long as nobody got hurt, and your boat is not damaged, its all good.

If it makes you feel better, my sister is a cop in WNY in a city on the niagara river, and you would be surprised at the number of calls they get where they need to run out and snag a wayward boat heading down the niagara.

[fishfordollars]

We all have made those mistakes. Just part of the learning curve.

[Catt]

Been there done that didn't even get a T-shirt  

[Arty]

Wow, those are some funny stories ;D  I'll be launching my new boat in a few weeks...I hope.  Something always funny (bad) seems to happen when my Dad and I go fishing, so, I'm sure I'll have a few "rookie" stories to share as well!

[jax]

At least you did not forget to put the drain plug in. I have heard of people doing that. My neighbor tells on of the best stories I have ever heard about a couple of guys who did that. They started bailing water. It took them awhile to finally realize the plug was out. My nieghbor said they were complete aholes before the tourney started so no one helped clue them in.

[Raul]

At least you did not forget to put the drain plug in. I have heard of people doing that. My neighbor tells on of the best stories I have ever heard about a couple of guys who did that. They started bailing water. It took them awhile to finally realize the plug was out. My nieghbor said they were complete aholes before the tourney started so no one helped clue them in.

Weeeeeeeeeeellllll, gotta admit it, I ***** you not, the very day I broke in LATINASESINA that 's exactly what I forgot to do before putting the boat in the water  :  and ........I had the plug in my hand, DUHHH !  

[STK001]

While we're sharing our funny mishaps I'll throw this one out for you guys to laugh at..bought my first boat back in 97', an 89 Champion with a Johnson 150GTV6. Nice boat...well my Dad and I went to pick it up and decided to go ahead and take it out since we were already at the lake...night fishing... Well, we get it launched and Dad pulls the truck WAY up the lot and parks it far from the dock. I noticed a considerable amount of water rushing into the floor of the boat...forgot the plug..screaming for Dad to hurry to run and get the truck..he gets it, we get in onto the trailer and as we pull it out of the lake the clutch in the truck burns up for the most part ...finally got all of the water out..decided we're fishing no matter what(second mistake) We get back in the water and take off without further incident....decide to come back after fishing for a few hours and the outboard won't start..nothing! After letting it sit for a bit we choke it and it does start. Great! Let's go. Get it back to the dock, get it on the truck and it pulls it out. We drive on to the house. Now the driveway is long and rather steep. We get it to the flat part of the driveway but the boat and trailer are still on the slant when we stop. Well, I get out of the truck and it starts to roll because I didn't put the brake on. Dad and I are trying to stop this from happening but of course we can't...well, the truck runs over dad's leg but this turns out to be a good thing (believe it or not) because it get's the truck and boat to turn enough to jackknife and turn into the yard coming to a stop. It bent the lip of the trailer of course. We had to call a tow truck to pull the boat out of the yard and onto level..safe ground. Needless to say, that's something I will not forget or repeat!!  So far no problems with the new boat

[alger319]

yeah i had to swim after mine once! it was a bit chilly too! ;D

[done]

First time we took my buds boat out we burned out the battery, lost 2 anchors, and a fishing reel. We have all had those days. That is why it is so easy to laugh at others. Everytime I do I can remember some of my more glorious moments.

[riverfisher]

Well since this was started I may as well tell my little mishap. I was going fishing by myself and I had gotten pretty good at launching with no help in my new boat 2002 Triton TR 186. 50' of rope hook it to the boat, backup the trailer, hop out of the truck catch the rope, tie her up to the dock and hop in the truck and park the trailer. Iv maybe done this 5 time prior with no problems im feelin like a pro. So I go ahead and do my normal ritual I back up the trailer the boat is nicely sliding off the trailer I hop out to grab the rope everything is great. Im sitting there not feeling the line getting tight I look at the boat d**n! I never hooked up the rope!! At the point the boat is gliding past the dock which is probably 15' long and I have one moment of oppertunity here to jump on it before ill have to go swimming. So I run as fast as I can down the dock and JUMP onto the front deck as im in the air im like yes im gonna make it. Well I do two feet on the deck I catch the pedistal in the Junk flip over the pedistal and land on my head. Feet end up on the passenger seat head on the steps looking up at the stars. MAN Im just glad noone was there at the launch to see this I would have felt STUPID!! haha ;D

[BassChump]

Well, here is my story.

Last summer I took my girlfriend to a smal local lake that happens to have a very shallow ramp. Almost no vertical drop at all so when I'm launching my boat, I have to back the truck so far out that my front tires are in 6 inches of water.

I can do it myself but I get wet so I told her to stay in the boat and when I get the trailer in the water, just put it in gear and drive it on the trailer.

Apparently I forgot to tell her that the shifter was also the throttle. She hammered the throttle down and drove the boat up the trailer at full throttle. I gotta give her credit though. She centered the boat perfectly on the trailer and when the front of the boat hit the rubber stop where the eye of the boat goes, it launched the boat onto the canopy of my truck.

My first thought was of course if she was ok. I honestly can't say if the "she" was my boat or my girlfriend. lol.

Anyway, I'm thinking that my boat would now have holes in the hull, the lower unit on the outboard was toast and that I wouldn't be fishing for a very long time.

Funny thing is, we just started laughing. We were cracking up. I still don't understand that but you gotta admit, it was funny seeing this boat all jacked up on the back of a truck.

The boat was so far up the trailer that the engine was about 2 or 3 feet past the bunks between the rails.

Once we stopped laughing, all I could figure out was to back up the trailer, get the boat to float and drop it on the trailer then worry about the damage later. I backed the truck so far back that I had water coming in the doors. I pull up far enough that the water stops coming in and then I had no choice. Dive in and see if I can unhook the boat from the trailer.

It took me about a half hour to get the boat back on the trailer and get my girlfriend calmed down. She was laughing and shaking at the same time. Now that was funny. I don't care who ya are. That's funny.

To end the story, I finally get the boat on the trailer and out of the water.

This story has a great ending. As it turns out, there wasn't even a scratch on the boat or the truck. The outdrive was fine and the only damage to anything was a very small scratch on the prop.

I can't even begin to understand or explain why no damage occured but I'm very thankful for that.

My girlfriend got a good laugh as well. Because I had to go so deep in the water and it was a cooler day, I didn't want to drive home in wet clothes so I stripped down to my boxer shorts.

Imagine this.... A 50 year old guy in vividly colored spongebob squarepants boxer shorts on the boat ramp getting the boat from the back of his truck onto the trailer.

She was laughing so hard that I thought she was going to spew her lunch all over the dash. I'm sure the other fisherman and the people on the ramp had a good laugh with that as well.

[South FLA]

Well since this was started I may as well tell my little mishap. I was going fishing by myself and I had gotten pretty good at launching with no help in my new boat 2002 Triton TR 186. 50' of rope hook it to the boat, backup the trailer, hop out of the truck catch the rope, tie her up to the dock and hop in the truck and park the trailer. Iv maybe done this 5 time prior with no problems im feelin like a pro. So I go ahead and do my normal ritual I back up the trailer the boat is nicely sliding off the trailer I hop out to grab the rope everything is great. Im sitting there not feeling the line getting tight I look at the boat d**n! I never hooked up the rope!! At the point the boat is gliding past the dock which is probably 15' long and I have one moment of oppertunity here to jump on it before ill have to go swimming. So I run as fast as I can down the dock and JUMP onto the front deck as im in the air im like yes im gonna make it. Well I do two feet on the deck I catch the pedistal in the Junk flip over the pedistal and land on my head. Feet end up on the passenger seat head on the steps looking up at the stars. MAN Im just glad noone was there at the launch to see this I would have felt STUPID!! haha ;D

[jeremyt]

My wife and I had first started dating and her family had been going to kerr lake on the nc/va border for atleast 25 years. I haul the boat up because my now father in law was excited to be able to go fishing in a boat on the lake.  Well we get there and set up the camp site and are finally ready to go fishing. I dump the boat off the trailer park the truck and jump in  to be met by about 6 inches of water, yeah I forgot the plug. Luckily  my boat was aluminum so I crank her get her on plane and let the water just run out.  I still hear this story every trip to the lake. ;D

[flechero]

Well i pulled the boat into the water and told my wife to get on the dock.  I threw her the rope which was attached to the eyelet and told her to pull the boat to the side of the dock once i pushed it off the trailer.

You should teach her to drive the boat so she can just pick you up at the dock.  Or, take her to a parking lot and teach her to back the trailer so you can be in the boat.  It makes life so much easier.

[Ima Bass Ninja]

Here's my story. Bought my boat and the first day out we pull up to the "staging area" and i am so excited about finally getting a boat and actually getting ready to motor across thed water. I put the drain plug in pull of the transom saver, load the boat with tackle rods, snacks drinks , etc. My turn at the dock comes so i have my buddy back the truck in while i am in the boat. He pulls in (after a while, not the best at backing up a truck), we are a little crooked on the ramp but no problem. I fire up the engine and am ready to go, I tell my buddy to back up some more i give her some gas and i am going nowhere. I thinking the motors running i can feel it trying to back up maybe i am just stuck on the trailor. So i tell my buddy to back up he does the back tires of the truck are fully submerged in the water. So that has to be far enough right? I put'er in rev. and hit the gas a little and go nowwhere . I give some more gas., waters flying, motors reving, and i am not moving. Start scratching my head thinking what is going on. Just then an elderly gentelman looks at me from the dock and says " son do you know that your straps on the back are still hooked up?" I was so embarresed i just put my face in my hands and motioned my buddy to pull us out. We sat and laughed for about 30 min. after that.

[SinDale]

Ive put in before with one of the back tie-downs still connected too! I tied the boat to the doc, went to pull the truck away, and hear screaming! i look back, and my boat is on the trailer sideways, and half out of the water. It bent the side guide up pretty bad, and am now questioned 40 times whenever I take my buddy Brian out fishing.

Another horrible mistake, was not locking the winch one time when i first bought my boat. I pulled the truck up the ramp, and the boat slid down the trailer and was standing straight up behind it! it took 4 of us to lift the transom and slide it back onto the trailer. That took my speedo, transducer, and some paint with it...

Besides those, theres a few dead batteries, drain plug (get on plane and pull!) and a going under the bridge forgetting about a rod...snap!

Good stuff! thanks for the stories, it makes my reflection a little less painful!

[Fish Chris]

Well sure... everybody has made a small mistake here or there at the launch ramp. Try finding somebody who has been launching a boat for many years "who has never left the plug out a time or two" ! I hate it when that happens ! ;-)

Here's REALLY bad one I witnessed though ! I was at a lake about 10 years ago, and had just launched my boat, fired it up, and was letting it warm up, while I got things organized for the trip.

An old guy comes down with an old, but FLAWLESS bassboat ! I mean it was like a late 70's Ranger, but it was obviously completely restored, and just immaculate.

The guy backs down on the ramp, gets out of his truck, and ties the end of a nice long, bow rope, to a tree right beside the ramp. He gets back in his truck and backs down until his boat drifts off of the trailer. He then pulls the trailer back out and as the trailer starts to leave the water, he gives it some gas.

Problem was, the slack rope had drifted over part of the trailer (the fender I believe) without him knowing it. The guy had his windows up, and either had his stereo on, or just a little def......

And so he preceded to drag that pretty, shiny old bass boat darn near to the top of the ramp, over that super rough, pea gravel concrete ! First the bow made the most hideous sound..... Then the bottom of the outdrives started bucking, and jumping as it got drug up the concrete too ! Finally, the rope snapped ! The poor old guy still had no idea what had just happed.... until he came back to get into his boat. Darn, I thought the guy was going to cry :-( It jacked up his bow, and the skagg on his motor something terrible ! It took about 6 of us to litterally lift his boat up, and carry it back to the water, so he could get it on the trailer :-(

Moral of this story is, make sure everything is clear, before you start punching on the gas !

Peace,

Fish

Ps, Oh, here's another dumb one by me....

I used to like to show off, and fly down to the ramp, with my little boat on the trailer, in reverse..... Slam it into the water.... yank the trailer back out and be good to go, in like 2 minutes or less. (I hate wating on somebody at a ramp, and so I don't like to keep people waiting on me either).

Well one time, I was showing off my super-fast launching skills.... but hadn't noticed that their was some goofball surf board sailer (or whatever they call those things) down their. So as my truck gets onto the downward ramp itself, I see him in my rearview.

Well sure.... My truck stopped just fine. But my boat slid off of the trailer just enough for it to tip down, so the skagg landed on the ramp ! Doh !

Lesson here is, being quick at the ramp is cool. Sliding your boat off of your trailer onto the ramp, quickly removes all coolness ;-) LOL

[DINK WHISPERER]

On my first outing with a boat i loaded the wrong set of batteries(put in a dead pair). I was still kind of asleep when i did it before leaving. I back the boat in (by myself) and i unhook it and it drifts way out in the water. Keep in mind there is no dock just a ramp. I go to crank the motor but battery is dead. I figure i will use the trolling motor to get back but, you guessed it, that battery is also dead! I didn't even have a paddle with me! Finally someone coming in from the lake saw me and jump started the outboard battery. I didn't even get to fish that day! >

[backpain...]

My first time launching I forgot to put the plug in :-[. Thankfully I also forgot to take the transom strap off too, so I didn't sink !

Later that season in the ripping delaware current the guy launching in front of me lost his boat off of the trailer and it was heading up toward a bridge pretty quickly. I had to chase down his 18' center console and tow it back with my 14' aluminum v with the 15HP tiller. Good times.