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Boat Ramp Etiquette For Beginners


TheCount

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Raiders,

Will be taking possession of my first boat next weekend - Quintrex 475 Freedom Sport c/- my father in law who no longer uses it.. 6 years old, 47 hours on the 75hp Merc 2-stroke, been in his garage the whole time.. He even is paying for a full service before I pick it up next week.

As it will be mainly my son (11yo) and I that will use it for fishing, I need some tips for first timers like. . . .

Do I back down - launch the boat and have my son hold it till I come back form parking? Reverse the process for coming back in? My son and I spent some time at the gosford ramp just watching the antics for about half an hour and I was suprised at how many grumpy boaters were there.. Maybe they didn't catch anything??

I certainly don't want to get on the wrong side of the regulars but I guess they also have to realise that newcomers might take a little more time...

I'll mainly fish the Central Coast, so if anyone has a suggestion of an infrequently used ramp to start with that would be great.

TC.

Edited by The Count
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i usually launch tie the boat to the ramp take the car to park then off i go :/ and same thing in reverse when bringing it back up if your son can hold it on a jetty/pontoon makes it easier and people can use the ramp as soon as you bring your car out if your worried about that but yeah i mean boat has to sit somewhere while you park :P

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Count,

I normally do exactly what you describe because my fellow fishing buddies cannot reverse a trailer or drive a boat!!! Most boaties understand that you need to park / retieve your car and so it shouldnt be too bad. As long as you dont permanently take up space at the wharf while trying to fix your motor that wont start etc then you should be fine.

I suggest that if you are going to get your son to hold the boat at the wharf that you go out early in the morning where there are few boaties out. Makes it easier to get the hang of things without the pressure of holding up other boaties.

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TC

I would go down to Woy Woy on a calm day. The ramp can be busy but its a nice easy ramp to learn on with sand on either side to park the boat whilst parking up.

As said go early, pick your moment, don't afraid to ask others for help (there's often a a few blokes waiting for their mate to launch) but above all take your time and do not feel rushed. After a few goes it becomes second nature and before you know it the young fella will be all over it and you'll be sitting in the car waiting to park!

C.

Edited by chrisg
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I prefer to use the Woy Woy ramp, near the bowls club. The reason is that the ramp isnt as steep, and therefore your boat wont try to launch itself once the winch hook has been removed. And secondly, there is a small beach on the inside ramp where you can putll the boat up, keeping as far to the right as possible, while you park the trailer. Thie makes it easier for a solo launch/retreive and will take the pressure of your 11yo until he knows the ropes. Coming back in can be a bit busier but as long as you join the que there is no hassle. You can even use both sides of the ramp for beaching your boat but to the left is only enough for 1 or two boats at most. The only problem can be some day boaters just leaving their boats on the beach making it more difficult to find room while getting the trailer.

Saying that, there will occasionally be some bozo just waining to give you a hard time. I took my VERY pregnant wife out one day and got abused because I did the retreival solo was on the ramp for a few extra minutes.

Your other option are the ramps a Kooliwong. They are like Gosford ramp and are steepish with a small jetty at the side. Not usually crowded but there can be a lot of ribbon weed you have to remove from your trailer. Also the ramps are very narrow so less room for error.

Good luck and enjoy Brisbane Water / Hawksbury.

Edited by Scienceman
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Yeah, i do the same.

Launch the boat, tie to the jetty, then go back and move the car. Sometimes its easier (and quicker) if possible to launch using ropes. This all depends on the location of the jetty to the ramp, but quite often I'll tie a long rope to the front, push it out off the trailor, then drag it to the jetty and tie it off. Sometimes a rope on the back can help as well if there is a bit of current or breeze incase the backend starts to swing around on you.

Also make sure your boat is prepared before you reverse down the ramp, thats one thing that will start to annoy people if you're on the ramp undoing your ties etc (not the saftey chain - leave that on 'til you're ready to push off).

Everyone has been a beginner at some point, just dont feel rushed, 'cause thats when you start making mistakes.

Maybe head down on a weekday and practice launch and retrieves while its quiet.

Enjoy your boat!

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Well done on your new rig. They are an awesome boat. Good offshore in the right conditions as well. :thumbup:

Make sure your rig is ready before you launch. Pull up in the parking area away from the ramp. Undo your tie downs. Load your rods & gear. Leave your safety on. When you're on the ramp is not the time to be doing these fiddly, time consuming things.

Just a little tip. If launching your boat without a driver in it make one wrap around your winch bar with your rope. That way you can ease your boat off the trailer instead of the boat nearly pulling you in with it at a rate of knots.

Good luck & good on you for asking what's right & wrong & wanting to learn.

You'll be a pro in no time. :biggrin2:

Cheers,

Grant.

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Make sure your rig is ready before you launch. Pull up in the parking area away from the ramp. Undo your tie downs. Load your rods & gear. Leave your safety on. When you're on the ramp is not the time to be doing these fiddly, time consuming things.

Cheers,

Grant.

+ 1 to this. This is what causes most angst at our boatramps. Boaties tend to be reasonably understanding if reversing is not your forte, but things tend to get firey pretty quickly if you linger on the ramp doing things that could be done in the car park.

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Thanks guys.

All good tips and make perfect sense to all us educated folks :1fishing1:

I have been to the Woy Woy ramp near the bowls and will try there first.. Appreciate the tip on Pretty beach too...

TC.

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Hi The count,

Most fisho's are pretty good,they all want to help.

As all the other guys have said make sure your boat is ready to

launch before you attempt to use ramp.The thing you check most are the plugs

are all in,U feel a real goose when it has to go back on trailer to drain.

have a few runs on the ramp when not busy, what pisses off most fisherman is you can't back a trailer

, I have put many a blokes trailer in,they can't thank you enough.

Cheers and enjoy the new good life.

Rick.

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Hi The count,

Most fisho's are pretty good,they all want to help.

As all the other guys have said make sure your boat is ready to

launch before you attempt to use ramp.The thing you check most are the plugs

are all in,U feel a real goose when it has to go back on trailer to drain.

have a few runs on the ramp when not busy, what pisses off most fisherman is you can't back a trailer

, I have put many a blokes trailer in,they can't thank you enough.

Cheers and enjoy the new good life.

Rick.

Extra thanks for the tips. Have driven trailers around for many years so the ramps don't phase me that much.

Mainly just wanted to test the water with regards leaving my little mate around whilst I park...

Can't wait to get amongst it and start bragging!!

TC

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Extra thanks for the tips. Have driven trailers around for many years so the ramps don't phase me that much.

Mainly just wanted to test the water with regards leaving my little mate around whilst I park...

Can't wait to get amongst it and start bragging!!

TC

sounds like your firly cluey

biggest thing is early morning or evening make sure to run your parker lights while reversing so anyone else can see also

but yeh have ya little mate hold it till you ready

i have a length of roap that is three time the length that me and my 7yo use

he can hold it or push it out of the way when needed and easly pull it back

we have this length so if there is a cross wind we can have one end on the bow and the other on the stern side that has the wind blowing on it that way we can push it out and keep it square as the wind pushes the boat to the trailer so we can winch it on

other good thing about this is we can keep presure one the roap to keep the boat square while winching

most people are nice at boat ramps and understanding

relaxe and enjoy i say

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mate its all fun all top advise from all ,if you want to see not what todo get a six pack 1 sunny sunday afternoon head down to your local busy ramp sit back and relax and watch the show unfold where i live in drummoyne you get all types on a hot day,i could write a book on what i have seen there over the last 20 years ,as i get older i do help when i see a bad prob about to happen but as much as you tell them ,they have to make the mistake before they wont do it again,for our ramp the biggest mistake and most common is they undo there winch strap and safety chain and start reversing ,get the angle wrong hit the brakes and :1yikes: bang crash theres a boat on the deck with no where to go and now blocking a lane.my only advice would be write a check list put on the dash of your car of things todo in order and in no time it will be come 2nd nature to you ,good luck and let us no how your proceeding as you go and happy fishing :thumbup:

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i have a length of roap that is three time the length that me and my 7yo use

he can hold it or push it out of the way when needed and easly pull it back

we have this length so if there is a cross wind we can have one end on the bow and the other on the stern side that has the wind blowing on it that way we can push it out and keep it square as the wind pushes the boat to the trailer so we can winch it on

other good thing about this is we can keep presure one the roap to keep the boat square while winching

+1 on this it's a great technique. tie one length of rope to bow and stern and hold the rope in the middle, you and the rope should be on the windward side so that when facing the boat the wind is blowing from behind you towards the boat. very easy to hold it steady and guide it onto a trailer. gentle ramps with a beach next to it are ideal when you are a single person boat driver and car fetcher.

as others have said do the prep work of removing tie downs, putting your bungs in, tying a rope to the bow and packing the boat with your gear before you go to the ramp. if you do that then the vast majority of boaties will be sympathetic. we all had to learn somewhere and if it takes you 5 goes to back your trailer down then so be it (practice makes perfect) but if you are dicking around with ropes and bungs and so on then you are just showing a lack of courtesy.

most of all congrats on getting into boating and HAVE FUN :D

Edited by Geoff-
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I find the best way to launch is LEAVE CHILD IN CAR UNTIL YOU LAUNCH & PARK CAR!

1. Load all gear onto boat at home - check that bungs are in

2. Arriving at ramp and wait for your turn to launch

3. Launch boat and tie up to wharf

4. Go and park car - take boat keys with you

5. Grab child and proceed to boat

I worry too much with my kid waiting at the wharf for me to park the car - anything could happen.

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I find the best way to launch is LEAVE CHILD IN CAR UNTIL YOU LAUNCH & PARK CAR!

1. Load all gear onto boat at home - check that bungs are in

2. Arriving at ramp and wait for your turn to launch

3. Launch boat and tie up to wharf

4. Go and park car - take boat keys with you

5. Grab child and proceed to boat

I worry too much with my kid waiting at the wharf for me to park the car - anything could happen.

This is exactly what I do. It's a lot to ask a kid to do - no problems when things are fine, but a lot of things can happen at a boat ramp. Ramps are no places for kids - cars reversing with very little vision, the last thing people are looking out for is children.

The best advice is to have a routine - put things on/off in the same order - bungs, tie-downs, lights etc. Worst thing that can happen is that someone decides to 'help' you. That is when things get forgotten, get undone before they should etc.

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I find the best way to launch is LEAVE CHILD IN CAR UNTIL YOU LAUNCH & PARK CAR!

1. Load all gear onto boat at home - check that bungs are in

2. Arriving at ramp and wait for your turn to launch

3. Launch boat and tie up to wharf

4. Go and park car - take boat keys with you

5. Grab child and proceed to boat

I worry too much with my kid waiting at the wharf for me to park the car - anything could happen.

Just to throw a spanner in the works.. Because i always think of "Worst Case Scenario" things, If your child is sitting in the car, and you are off on the jetty tying the boat up so you can go park...

What happens if your hand break fails ???

I have a freind who saw this happen, whilst Father and Mother were launching up at Port Stephens, and luckily he was close enough to jump in the car, bring it to a hault and drive it out quickly. (By this time the front wheels on the 4x4 were almost submerged)

Just a thought.....

CHeeRS

Antun

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....Just a little tip. If launching your boat without a driver in it make one wrap around your winch bar with your rope. That way you can ease your boat off the trailer instead of the boat nearly pulling you in with it at a rate of knots.....

Cheers,

Grant.

Excellent advice Grant, that little tip of yours is a huge tip, pure gold mate! :thumbup:

....I'll mainly fish the Central Coast, so if anyone has a suggestion of an infrequently used ramp to start with that would be great.

TC.

Hi The Count just thinking there are twin boat ramps along the waterfront between Tascott and Woy Woy where the crab boats are that would make pretty good ramps for you to practice and you'd have pretty easy access to the rip bridge, paddy's channel and Lion island.

you could also practice launch and retrieve at Davidson depending on which side of the Central coast you're on ..If the trailor doesn't have multi rollers you could consider having a retriever mate installed to make life easier lining the boat up when retrieving..

Cheers

jewgaffer :1fishing1:

Edited by jewgaffer
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Just to throw a spanner in the works.. Because i always think of "Worst Case Scenario" things, If your child is sitting in the car, and you are off on the jetty tying the boat up so you can go park...

What happens if your hand break fails ???

I have a freind who saw this happen, whilst Father and Mother were launching up at Port Stephens, and luckily he was close enough to jump in the car, bring it to a hault and drive it out quickly. (By this time the front wheels on the 4x4 were almost submerged)

Should reverse down the ramp, handbrake on, engine off, car in 1st gear. Then it's not going anywhere while you launch.

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Let's not worry about too many doomsday events happening to me...

The Toyota Kluger can handle a boat ramp with ease. . . . . :biggrin2:

Appreciate the advice - especially the checklist idea, thanks.

TC.

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When I first got my boat... I went to the boat launching spot at Kincumber Creek as it is out of the wind and less used than others. Now that I am efficient at launching and retrieval solo I and confident to go anywhere.

Main message being to try and keep the ramp as clear as possible at all times. Best to move boat away from ramp when takeing car to park etc.

As for the grumpy ones... they can stick it (maybe take an extra minute to stir them up!)

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  • 2 weeks later...

First trip to Woy Woy ramp without incident...

Appreciate the tips guys.

The ramp was only me, the boy and the birds (upon setting out) but on my return there was some sort of fun run event and kids and spectators bloody everywhere. I reckon they forgot it was a boat ramp and just did whatever they wanted to... I waited patiently for the first few to cross behind the trailer but not wanting to be taken advantage of, backed down the ramp to make them wait their turn. . . .

All good for the first trip. Next time we'll get a few lines going and see what happens down near Brooklyn. . . . .

TC.

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hi tc! just let them know you are newbies and you will be very surprised by the help

you will get for you and the young bloke!..fisho's (basically ) the best breed of people

you can get!..well done on the re- possession :yahoo: of a fine vessel and hope you blokes

hook into heaps!

..cheers!..stevo!..

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Hi mate,

I'm pretty new to the launch and retrieve and always worry if others are waiting to use the ramp that I don't take too long.

It takes as long as is takes and don't let anyone pressure you.

Also I concur that if someone tries to help you during a routine then things will be forgotten.

I have left the bungs out due to this fact.

Look up the boat ramp at Davistown in Anne st. Quite easy to launch and retrieve by yourself.

Once you get the boat in, looking at the water move the boat to the left of the ramp and tie it off to the tree.

Go park your car or whatever then just untie ya boat pull it to the wahrf and do what you gotta do.

There's usually a few fishos wetting a line but the ramp it's self isn't that busy.

Cheers

007

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