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Boating Safety

Watersports Fun at the Launch Ramp

Launching a boat can be a barrel of fun as the pictures above show. But how did this happen and why? We’re sure that none of our members have ever had any trouble launching their boats, but for the newbies out there who would like some launching tips, we are providing them courtesy of the boater who sent us these pictures, Capt. Tony Murray. Capt. Tony runs a charter/eco-tour operation in the St. Marks Wildlife refuge in the Florida panhandle and has used the ramp himself over 40 times.

Launching

There are some interesting details here: 1) the boater’s yellow t-shirt on the top of the truck (guess he didn’t want to get it wet); 2) his red shorts and white Jockey shorts appear to be dry (that’s a neat trick); 3) those shoes don’t look like Topsiders to us (better order some new Tom McAnns).

Launching

What’s that man doing in the water? Looks like the side-stroke to us. Thankfully, the yellow t-shirt is still dry. Who owns the nice blue and white cooler washed up on shore? Note that the old tri-hull has great fishability and is waiting patiently. FYI, a 6' gator lives nearby.

Launching

We do not know what has happened to the red shorts, white Jockeys or the Tom McAnns, but the yellow shirt is still dry. Thankfully one of the people patiently waiting to launch their boat had some extra towing chain and has agreed to lend a helping hand. FYI, that is saltwater the truck is in.

A letter from Tony Murray explaining the pictures –

So, to clarify, this is not first-hand knowledge from being there when the mishap occurred – just local knowledge knowing the steepness of the ramp, how slick it is, and the power-load wallow at the base of the ramp and a variety of other factors.

I am so glad that we can take a lesson from this and that there were no children in car seats, animals, etc.

Launching

Here is a partially educated guess of the course of events, though:

  1. I think during deployment the boat was completely unhooked from the trailer and they either slowly rolled down the ramp, tapped the brakes to launch the boat and the brakes failed; or, they got to where they wanted to be -- got out to push the boat off the trailer and then the emergency brake started to fail. On this ramp, I have also seen vehicles slide down the ramp from the algae that is on it. At any rate, the vehicle started slowly sliding in. I think this is the most likely situation because the guy on the hood is still dry.
  2. This ramp is in pretty fair shape all the way to the end/bottom where the power loading has washed out all of the substructure.
  3. When those back tires first hit the slick part of the ramp, the algae makes it slicker than snot on a doorknob, so to speak; then it was pretty much a done deal at that point, I think.
  4. A little momentum, a little algae, some slick mud, the vehicle starts sliding, the rear tires hit the washout area.....bluek, bluek, diving, diving.

Launching

I think a critical path analysis would show that if they had left someone in the truck's driver's seat and ready to gently pull forward at the first sign of trouble that this could have been avoided. Also, it was good the windows were down.

Also, at a minimum – posi-track or a limited-slip rear end is in order; some of the newer trucks are designed for ramps. I always put my truck in 4 wheel drive; exactly because of this scenario.

Launching

Check Out the Ramp

I think another lesson is pre-checking a ramp prior to backing down. I do so with my boat hook in hand to check out how the cement is if it is up-thrust and how big the wallow is.

Hope that helps.