Dinner at Matilda Bay restaurant - unexpectely entertaining, for all the wrong reasons
Great food, service and visuals!
Whilst dining out with my gorgeous girl, we were seated with a great view of the boat ramp, possibly the best entertainment ever.
Of the 5 boats that we saw come and go, the first took approximately 8 goes to line his trailer up with his boat, resulting in a lot of reversing. Then, when he finally lined it up, and started winching it in, neglected to lift the leg of the outboard, and from what we could see, finally realised when there was a nasty scraping noise off the ramp.
It got better.....after seeing the first event , I was telling Vic that ramps are the best entertainment.....we were not disappointed.....
The next vehicle proceeded to reverse the boat down the ramp, after disconecting the winch, and anything else that would hold the boat to the trailer, thus resulting in the boat being dumped on the concrete ramp without the water that was supposed to be underneath it!! Landed on its motor heavily and also the transom...
After some hasty winch action, and a lot of blokes heaving it up, all the burly blokes took off into the fading light, apparently without a care in the world.......having said that, we were there for another couple of hours and never saw them come back.......
It begs the question, are skippers tickets too easily obtained?.......
tim-o
Posts: 4657
Date Joined: 24/05/11
Yep, a deck chair and and
Yep, a deck chair and and esky full at any boat ramp makes for a great day lol, incompetence is a disease suffered by 99% of humans.
I am, as I've said, merely competent. But in an age of incompetence, that makes me extraordinary.
hlokk
Posts: 4292
Date Joined: 04/04/08
I doubt most skippers tickets
I doubt most skippers tickets include anything to do with ramp operation at all. Considering the number of gumbys, maybe it should.
Dreamweaver
Posts: 4688
Date Joined: 01/12/07
Nope
I know when I went for my skippers ticket, that wasn't covered. Which is fine as far as I'm concerned - but it certainly should be.
Soon to be de "dreamweaver" ed!
sea-kem
Posts: 15023
Date Joined: 30/11/09
They (the government)forgot
They (the government)forgot the most important part when coming up with the Skippers ticket implementation, getting the boat off and on the trailer and common courtesy. Like all things nowadys with work there are risk assessments and JSA'S drawn up for safety reasons same should occur for boat ramps. What i mean is that potential boat owners should have to sit through some basic multi media explaning how to launch and retrieve. At our ramp at Seabird we actually have an induction once a year for all new owners, as we have a winch house and to explain best ways of launching on the beach and retrieval (basically it's a tool box meeting as well). But don't worry we still have a % of clowns like everywhere else. It's all about mitigating risk. We do it at work why not with something that has the potential to injure.
Love the West!
fisho-ron
Posts: 2539
Date Joined: 26/09/09
must of been a day for it
must of been a day for it steve, same thing at woodys.
i was waiting for the boat in front of me to be pulled out, as he takes off i hear this grinding noise...the skeg dragging along the ground all the way out.
then.. when at the servo last night on way to a party......i swear it was the same boat........the motor is about 8 inches of the ground and a very steep drive to go out on........you gueesed it...scrapped that hard i think it took some chunks out.
chris raff
Posts: 3257
Date Joined: 09/02/10
RST.... Rip Off
$180 each x 3 person =$540 with my one ...maybe 2.5hrs max not bad dosh for the accessor... majority of the time being the theory approx 20min each actual boat driving...IMO RST learners permit via cop shop ...then same as car log a few hours via experienced skips covering... eg towing , launching , retrieving , general boat handling, using radio and etiquette...then go to the accessor for a hour or so of actual professional tuition prior to giving ticket...but all this isn't going stop RST holders acting like knobs sometimes because their pissed or being impatient , maybe being able to take their licenses off them and dare I say it ..dobbing them in like hoon drivers ...PS feel sorry for newbies reversing at the boatramp if busy ...I imagine their nerves and the impatience of others make it even worse
“Intelligence is like a four-wheel drive. It only allows you to get stuck in more remote places.”
sea-kem
Posts: 15023
Date Joined: 30/11/09
Yeah like it Chris. The gov
Yeah like it Chris. The gov did something but fell way short on implementing something to reduce stupidity. But then again you have to get a car license and there are more than enough idiots who still can't comprehend road rules.
Love the West!
Buz
Posts: 1555
Date Joined: 28/08/07
"PS feel sorry for newbies
"PS feel sorry for newbies reversing at the boatramp if busy ...I imagine their nerves and the impatience of others make it even worse "
I know the feeling. When i first got my tinnie in the N.T i couldnt reverse a trailer if my life depended on it. So first day out at the ramp going to retrieve the boat i couldnt get it down no matter how hard i tired. With the boat on i could just get it after many attempts, as i could see the boat when i had my head swung around. But without the boat on i had to use the mirrors, and i was hopeless. I am just glad that day there was no one else at the ramp, so i just unhitched the trailer and wheeled it down the ramp, then reversed the car down and rehitched it then put the tinnie on. No one to see it, but still felt very embarressed.
After that i spent many many times practicing reversing in my apartment carpark until i finally got the hang of it by soley using the mirrors. Not a drama reversing for me with a trailer nowadays.
But it sometimes nice to help people out(if they are accepting of help and not acting like an a-hole) if you can see they look like they need it. Last year i help a guy by reversing his boat trailer down the ramp for him and helping him put his boat on the trailer at Port Geo. I didnt even have my boat i was just going for a drive to see how many boats were out that day. Big believer in karma both for good and bad deeds :-)
carnarvonite
Posts: 8673
Date Joined: 24/07/07
RST
I lent my boat to an examiner doing the tests on people chasing their RST, on pulling up at the ramp with it, he swapped the trailer over to his 4X4 and had them all do the reverse and put the boat in and pull it out before they even got on the water.
Not having had to go through doing the test because of many years previous rec experience plus and having pro tickets , I thought this was standard for all of them, seems I was horribly mistaken when one hears of what others haven't done in theirs
crasny1
Posts: 7003
Date Joined: 16/10/08
LOL Buz
But your not alone, and even very experienced boaties "stuff up". I have backed for yrs, and normally can do this in my sleep. For some reason "stage fright" takes hold, and usually only when there is about 10 waiting. Then you always make a slight error and have to correct.
I have to admit I laugh at myself harder than others laugh at me. I have pissed myself at some obvious very experienced and confident individuals that take this task for granted. Speeding backward to hit the floating jetty, or better still getting a tyre off the ramp. There is nowhere to hide for these souls, and it makes the newbies happy because they know even "experts" can and do stuff up.
The faster I see someone backing, the more ready for a laugh.
I competed in rallies, so do consider myself pretty capable with a car, but that is going forward. The first time it had me totally bamboozled, and that was only a box trailer. I must have gone up and down the driveway 10 times swearing like a trooper because this act was just plain alien to me. Leaned quick but despite yrs of practice we all stuff up.
Ie its not always bozos that make us laugh at ramps.
"I would like to die on Mars. Just not on impact!!" _ Elon Musk
Bruce
Posts: 527
Date Joined: 11/04/12
Too True
Box trailers are hard in anyones books. The smaller the trailer the more sensitive it is to a small turn, larger trailers are so much easier to back!
fishy fingers
Posts: 1719
Date Joined: 28/04/07
Ok for newbies
but what do you do about those who have had boats for years but are still crap(and there are plenty of them)..at everything! or do we all have to do what you suggest
Bruce
Posts: 527
Date Joined: 11/04/12
Lol Ramps are the best fun.
Lol Ramps are the best fun. Was in mandurah today and saw someone procede to launch their tinny from the concrete because they didn't want to get their trailer wet. Everyone knew the motor was going to hit the bottom (was fully down) and it did. Still did nothing about it. Also a 25ft bertram or the sorts was getting towed in by a 3.6hp tender because the motor wouldn't start. took them a while. And on the same day someone starting their 225hp v6 Evinrune on the ramp without water cooling. Amount of smoke was incredible! All this from about 3 hours!
carnarvonite
Posts: 8673
Date Joined: 24/07/07
Hamelin Bay
Hamelin bay ramp would have to be the best yet, seen some monumental stuff ups there especially Easter Monday when all the needy and greedy ones HAVE to go out regardless of the big swell to fill the ice box for the trip home.
Seen 25 foot glass boats sideways across trailers, boats sitting half over ute cabins[ don't need their trailers that way], peanuts trying to pull 19 foot boats out with 2wd cars when 4x4s are battling, its better than funniest home videos except for the broken bones that always happen.
Buz
Posts: 1555
Date Joined: 28/08/07
Yep Hamelin Bay ramp would
Yep Hamelin Bay ramp would probably rate as the worst ramp i have ever launched from/seen people launch from ever!!!!
Even if the ocean is dead calm there, you still have to contend with weed most the time built up on the ramp, its steepness, little traction, narrow and long, etc. Blaaaahhhh give me Quindalup any day, even if it does mean i have to get the car a bit wet as its sometimes very shallow. :-)
In saying that with an experience crew in the right conditions, it can be easy sometimes launching from Hamelin.
carnarvonite
Posts: 8673
Date Joined: 24/07/07
Key
It ok if you had a key to the gate and launched off the beach on the northern side beside the flat rock, the joys of being a pro at the time.
squidder
Posts: 457
Date Joined: 03/09/10
Maybe
just maybe some of the new comers to boating should take the time out and watch how some the experienced and NOT SO launch and retrieve.
All one has to do is get up early on a good day to see how launching is done and then return when the chop gets up, this may give them an insight to how it's done.
Hamelin Bay boat ramp and Windy harbour would be the worst two I've come accross that's for sure.
Seen an old HQ holden get the stutters up there one arvo and rip the front spring hanger off on the rear and put the stall on retrieves for a bit. Thankfully we were up and away.
Shit ramps are a fish saving device