Avoid These Boat Ramp Mistakes

Avoid These Boat Ramp Mistakes

By George Halt

RULE NUMBER ONE at a public boat ramp is: Do NOT block the ramp! That is the biggest "no-no" in boat ramp etiquette.

The ramp is for one purpose...getting your boat on or off the trailer. It is not where you do boat maintenance, engine maintenance, load or unload the boat, or its passengers. With that over-arching rule in mind, everything else is easy.

Here are some tips for launching your boat successfully and quickly, while NOT blocking the ramp:

First, have the boat loaded before you leave your driveway. Put any gear that will be used on the water in the boat while it's still at home. This includes fishing poles, skis, tackle, coolers of food, etc. Anything that will not blow out of the boat driving down the highway should go in right away.

The rest of the gear should be loaded into the boat in the parking lot of the ramp, NOT on the ramp. Pull off to the side, where other boats and trailers can move around you. Load up the rest of the gear and any passengers before pulling up to the ramp.

Check to make sure the plug is in. Remove the straps that secure the boat to the trailer. Remove the chain but not the winch strap (but give it a little slack). Don't remove the strap altogether, or you run the risk of dumping the boat too early, onto the ramp instead of in the water. Prime the engine or do whatever you need to do to prep the engine for a quick start. Make sure that children have their life jackets on. Do ALL of this while parked in the lot at the ramp.

Have a person who is capable of safely navigating the boat go to the helm, ready to start the engine. Have one person in the truck, backing the boat down the ramp. As soon as the boat is in the water far enough to start the motor, fire it up. While the person is starting the engine, the driver of the truck should put it in park, secure the parking brake, and roll down the window. (You don't want to lock yourself out of your truck while on the ramp...that would be a big-time violation of the 'no-blocking' rule!) The driver should stand by the winch, ready to release as soon as the engine starts.

Once the engine is running, the pilot of the boat should back the vessel off the trailer. Once clear, the driver can then pull forward and park. The pilot should move the boat out of the ramp area, either to a nearby dock, out of the way, or hold the boat out in the water, out of the way of other traffic, until the driver walks back down to the dock. Then navigate the boat carefully to the dock to pick up the driver.

By following this technique, the trailer is on the ramp the absolute minimum amount of time possible, leaving it clear for other boaters.

Note: All electronics, the GPS, Radar, Depthfinder, under counter TV, VHF Radio, etc., should be installed in the boat and tested prior to pulling out of the driveway. Sitting in the ramp testing your equipment is a boat-ramp no-no.

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