Went out Friday to break in a new outboard. Everything worked great. The lake was busy because there was a bunch out pre-fishing the lake for a bass event on the weekend. The bass fishermen were not a problem they put their boats in the water and the motors fired up. They had all their gear in the boat and were ready to go. You could tell their was a high level of boating expertise in that group. When it was time to pull their boats out, they did just that. They got the boat out of the water, and cleared the ramp. They did their BSing up at the parking lot, and moved equipment from their boats to their pickups in the parking lot, not down on the ramp.
We I arrived in the parking lot, I moved some items from my pickup to the boat, removed all tie downs from the boat except the bow and one on the stern. Back the boat down to the water. Removed the two tie downs and with my father-in-law handling the bowline launched the boat and got off the ramp. At the sametime time their was three guys loading a 26 footer on the other side of the small dock. While the operator was try to get the boat started. Their boat would float around out of control blocking both sides of the dock. Not bad guys but not under control. With some effort together we kept their boat from banging into ours as it floated around the end of the dock blocking both sides. (Nice bunch of guys, not a bunch of drunks) We went out about 1/4 mi. and I had caught my first fish before they left the dock. They must of had that side of the ramp tied up for an hour.
When we returned hours later another boat had the dock tied-up. This was a large inboard ski boat. The operator had the engine cover off and was messing with it. We held off while a couple of other boats were launching on the other side. When we pulled in we tied up and I got the pickup and loaded the boat. We then parked at the parking lot, heard a few wild ones from the bass fishhermen, secured our equipment, hit the outhouse and we were ready to go. In the mean time, the guy with the ski boat had cluttered up one side of the ramp with his motor cover, other items, had the back of his camp shell open with equipment scattered all over. I would not be surprised if he is not there this morning. He needed to pay a camping fee.
My favorite lake has two one lane ramps on it. They are miles apart. They are steep and all it takes is one mess-up to tie up a bunch of people for a long time. Most get in do their business and they are gone. I try and avoid weekends but there are times when I do not have a choice. At times it is interesting watching the disorganized tie-up a boat ramp. There is the 3-six pack boat ramp repair group, there is the group of Yuppies loading their belongs into boats to meet up with a houseboat for the weekend. The could of done this in the parking lot. It never ends. In the mean time a 70 year old couple can put their 12-foot Valco in the water and have three koke's on board before the boating family from **** can get on the water. Once they get on the water that is another story.
I do not believe in taking shortcuts, just doing it right. I remember Speedy, he rushed his car and trailer down the ramp, put the trailer in the water, jumped in the boat, put the boat on the trailer, into the car and up the ramp. The problem was the boat slide off the trailer landing in the middle of the ramp blocking it. Clearly Speedy had us all where he wanted us. We all had to bust our gut to get his boat up on his trailer to clear the ramp. One of the guys summed it up in one word, Dummy!
Siskiyou
We I arrived in the parking lot, I moved some items from my pickup to the boat, removed all tie downs from the boat except the bow and one on the stern. Back the boat down to the water. Removed the two tie downs and with my father-in-law handling the bowline launched the boat and got off the ramp. At the sametime time their was three guys loading a 26 footer on the other side of the small dock. While the operator was try to get the boat started. Their boat would float around out of control blocking both sides of the dock. Not bad guys but not under control. With some effort together we kept their boat from banging into ours as it floated around the end of the dock blocking both sides. (Nice bunch of guys, not a bunch of drunks) We went out about 1/4 mi. and I had caught my first fish before they left the dock. They must of had that side of the ramp tied up for an hour.
When we returned hours later another boat had the dock tied-up. This was a large inboard ski boat. The operator had the engine cover off and was messing with it. We held off while a couple of other boats were launching on the other side. When we pulled in we tied up and I got the pickup and loaded the boat. We then parked at the parking lot, heard a few wild ones from the bass fishhermen, secured our equipment, hit the outhouse and we were ready to go. In the mean time, the guy with the ski boat had cluttered up one side of the ramp with his motor cover, other items, had the back of his camp shell open with equipment scattered all over. I would not be surprised if he is not there this morning. He needed to pay a camping fee.
My favorite lake has two one lane ramps on it. They are miles apart. They are steep and all it takes is one mess-up to tie up a bunch of people for a long time. Most get in do their business and they are gone. I try and avoid weekends but there are times when I do not have a choice. At times it is interesting watching the disorganized tie-up a boat ramp. There is the 3-six pack boat ramp repair group, there is the group of Yuppies loading their belongs into boats to meet up with a houseboat for the weekend. The could of done this in the parking lot. It never ends. In the mean time a 70 year old couple can put their 12-foot Valco in the water and have three koke's on board before the boating family from **** can get on the water. Once they get on the water that is another story.
I do not believe in taking shortcuts, just doing it right. I remember Speedy, he rushed his car and trailer down the ramp, put the trailer in the water, jumped in the boat, put the boat on the trailer, into the car and up the ramp. The problem was the boat slide off the trailer landing in the middle of the ramp blocking it. Clearly Speedy had us all where he wanted us. We all had to bust our gut to get his boat up on his trailer to clear the ramp. One of the guys summed it up in one word, Dummy!
Siskiyou
