Oneslowz28
08-22-2009, 04:58 PM
So we had a fairly large family reunion today. There were about 75 people there. It was at the lake so I decided to pull my bass boat up there and maybe get some time on the water after the dinner. So we get to the private club where the dinner is being held and I get in the gate and the guard tells me that I might have a problem getting my boat in the water.
Turns out they had an algae bloom this week and the boat ram was covered in a thick green slime. I drive a fairly decent sized truck (Chevy Silverado 2500HD 4x4 with a 3" suspension lift.) with large tread mud style tires. I was not too worried about it because my boat is only a small 17' Stratos 176xt and does not weigh much. Well I head over to the little covered area we rented to have the dinner under and after we ate, my uncle and myself headed over to the boat ramp to unload my boat. Well there is where the problem came in. There was a truck in the water that was flooded.
The guy had been unloading his brand new 24' center console which is a huge and heavy boat for his little ford ranger to load and unload in the water anyway. Well that combined with the slippery ramp and the fact that he forgot to unhook any of the tie down straps from the boat to the trailer made his truck get pulled down into the water.
I talked to a man who was standing on the dock and they said that the guy backed down into the water and the boat and trailer both lifted which took the weight off the read end of the truck and the front tires did not have enough grip to keep the truck from sliding on the slick ramp. Someone had thrown the guy a rope and tied it to a tree to keep the truck from sliding and sinking any further.
When I left there was 2 cops, a game warden, and a wrecker there trying to get the guys truck and boat back on dry land. So the lesson is buy a mans truck if you want to haul a 1-3 ton boat. And stay away from slippery boat ramps unless you have the tires and the traction to keep it out of the water.
I did not get to put my boat in because the next closest ramp was 10 miles away and I just really wanted to get the boat in the water and make a few passes by the marina to let my engine run for a little bit.
I wished I would have had my camera with me but since I am a professional photographer I try to leave my camera home at stuff like this because everyone wants me to take photos and then I can not enjoy myself.
Turns out they had an algae bloom this week and the boat ram was covered in a thick green slime. I drive a fairly decent sized truck (Chevy Silverado 2500HD 4x4 with a 3" suspension lift.) with large tread mud style tires. I was not too worried about it because my boat is only a small 17' Stratos 176xt and does not weigh much. Well I head over to the little covered area we rented to have the dinner under and after we ate, my uncle and myself headed over to the boat ramp to unload my boat. Well there is where the problem came in. There was a truck in the water that was flooded.
The guy had been unloading his brand new 24' center console which is a huge and heavy boat for his little ford ranger to load and unload in the water anyway. Well that combined with the slippery ramp and the fact that he forgot to unhook any of the tie down straps from the boat to the trailer made his truck get pulled down into the water.
I talked to a man who was standing on the dock and they said that the guy backed down into the water and the boat and trailer both lifted which took the weight off the read end of the truck and the front tires did not have enough grip to keep the truck from sliding on the slick ramp. Someone had thrown the guy a rope and tied it to a tree to keep the truck from sliding and sinking any further.
When I left there was 2 cops, a game warden, and a wrecker there trying to get the guys truck and boat back on dry land. So the lesson is buy a mans truck if you want to haul a 1-3 ton boat. And stay away from slippery boat ramps unless you have the tires and the traction to keep it out of the water.
I did not get to put my boat in because the next closest ramp was 10 miles away and I just really wanted to get the boat in the water and make a few passes by the marina to let my engine run for a little bit.
I wished I would have had my camera with me but since I am a professional photographer I try to leave my camera home at stuff like this because everyone wants me to take photos and then I can not enjoy myself.