BOAT RAMP ETIQUTTE

Jeno · Post by **Jeno** » Wed Jan 30, 2008 8:52 am

I feel it is time to vent my spleen so to speak as my increasing frustration at the growing lack of common sense and courtesy at boat ramps has now reached breaking point!

Over the last couple of months I witnessed an increasing amount of actions that frankly as a young bloke growing up in Nth Qld would have led to fisticuffs

Top of the list:

People who back their boat down to the waters edge and THEN set about taking the tiedowns and outboard support etc off

WRONG don't do it, do that stuff in the car park before you back down the ramp. The reverse is true, when you are leaving, please just put the boat on the trailer and then leave the ramp, do the rest of your poop up in the car park out of everyone's way

Next on the list:

You've come back to the ramp and maybe had to hang off for a while waiting for people to get their boats out, you have a have look towards the carpark/top of the ramp and their is no one waiting to back down. A boat gets pulled out, beauty your turn so you come into the ramp, pull your boat off to the side, give the tether rope to your kid and say "now don't let go ok", and off you go to get the car. Meanwhile old mate has arrived on the scene, or has got his boat ready to unload and thinks "you rippa, i'll get down there before this bloke" and as you are in your car there he goes backing his boat down swinging side to side at a high rate of knots towards your kid

You then have to wait at the top of the ramp for this clown to put his boat in, then his boat is in the way so you can't get your trailer in the water and your boat on the trailer, so you have to wait some more for him to park his car and come back down

To all the clowns out there, if you don't let the boats get out of the water there will be no room for anyone

Let them get their boats out of the water for christ sake.

Well I could go on with more examples and I'm sure you guys all have plenty. I'm also pretty sure that those most in need of hearing this are also the most likely not to a member of this forum so they wont get the message. I'm more than happy to slap someone, but I won't do it in front of my 7 year old son unless it's really serious, so there are a few people out there deserving of slaps that just got the death stare.

Oh and to finnish off, thanks to the 3 army blokes the other week in the brand new Quinne hornet who watched me struggle to get my boat on the trailer by myself battling an incomming tide and gale force winds. They just sat there and watched as I had all sorts of problems, thanks blokes that was great

shelloz · Post by **shelloz** » Wed Jan 30, 2008 10:46 am

Well said Jeno.

I feel your pain. But as you said I think everyone on this forum would have more commonsense.

noundz · Post by **noundz** » Wed Jan 30, 2008 3:26 pm

To add to the list, some people at the Groote ramp will park the boat at the boarding access area and disappear to god knows where

This stops people from being able to freely get out of the boat to get your car

, you have to go through their boat to get off

On one particular occasion I left a note in the boat that read "If you park your boat here again, I will cut it free"

I don't mind if the people are there but when they are no where to be seen it is

there is more area for parking up

BEAR · Post by **BEAR** » Wed Jan 30, 2008 8:11 pm

some good points there jeno

max · Post by **max** » Wed Jan 30, 2008 8:28 pm

Maybe Matt could put some tips in his Sunday paper report and include telling people that you keep to the right on waterways especially in narrow channels

jonesy · Post by **jonesy** » Wed Jan 30, 2008 8:56 pm

Good ol ramp rage,seems to be common wherever you go. In snapper season at home they actually employ ramp attendants at a couple of ramps,as it's that flat out. One of them is a ramp nazi,if anyone is out of line,slow at getting ready,has his headlights on in the dark whilst reversing,bad at backing,he'll grill them! Which is good i guess.

Hate the tossers who do everything at the bottom of the ramp. Seen one lot doing up there rigs at the bottom of the ramp one day?!

.

People dawdling is another shocker. Just get moving for god sake! There are so many rude people in this world,they couldn't give a stuff about anyone else,no courtesy ,nothing. Just make an effort for the next person is all I ask.

Had the 'struggle my ass off getting the boat on the trailer against floodwater by myself whilst 6 people sit and watch' issues a lot also.

While where at boating etiquettes,might as well throw in a couple about anchoring near people. DON'T anchor on top of me for god sake! There is an entire ocean out there and I've seen people end up 3 meters from my boat! I understand that you have to get on top of reefs and wrecks up here,but do it with some decency if someone else is already on it! 1- Give the other boat room! 2- If it's a small wreck or reef ask them if they mind if you anchor there if you feel the urge to fish on the same spot as someone else. 3- If you're anchoring on a reef,turn you're frigging motor off straight away. So many halfwits,drop the anchor,then leave the motor running for another 5 minutes to burn some extra fuel to justify the money spent on buying twin 250's which they earned with there shonky trade business by ripping the innocent people off then spending all the poor people $$$'s on fuel for there 14.8 meter barra boat that gets used twice a year!

And when it comes to the run off,same again. Don't come rudely pushing in to a creek mouth and anchoring where the other boat is casting!!! Seen this a few times. One arrogant pig rocked up on the South last year with his 385.5m Ocean liner with twin 40000's on the back,drinking crownies,decided to anchor right where I was casting. I had no where else to cast after this!

All we ask for is some courtesy and an attempt at being thoughtful. As long as there's an attempt! The arrogance and attitude seen at times is mindboggling?! To many macho boys with there expensive toys,get a life!

Pheww,got me wound up,time for bed

ambigua · Post by **ambigua** » Wed Jan 30, 2008 9:04 pm

Max,

That's a great idea,

maybe instead of complaining about it on the forum to people how should and do know better, Matt maybe able to do a tip a week thing in the paper, run it for a few weeks. Put the rules of the water, safety, ramp rules etc in each week.

But as members we have to back him up, stay cool, and be the good example or its pointless.

BarraBeast · Post by **BarraBeast** » Wed Jan 30, 2008 9:08 pm

Ramp rage!! ahhhhh!!!

enough to drive ya mad.

We all know the tide waits for no man and anyone moving as slow as a two toe'd sloth needs to be notified, with a smile of course!

here's 3 funny old post on the topic.....

http://www.fishingterritory.com/viewtop ... highlight=

http://www.fishingterritory.com/viewtop ... ht=reverse

http://www.fishingterritory.com/viewtop ... se&start=0

Ray Broughton · Post by **Ray Broughton** » Wed Jan 30, 2008 9:30 pm

Geez Jonesy.. talk about pent up rage.... ! haha you're a nutter...

Good links BB.. how's this one from Harmsey...

yeah well i reversed the boat down the ramp at the adelaide river disconnected the winch and safetychain. handed the rope to the missus and did the old reverse and brake trick. worked well, except the rope i gave the missus was the wrong one and wasent tied off to anything. had to swim about 25m to get the boat would of qualified for the olympics i recon

No way I'd be getting it there.....

jasonmcc · Post by **jasonmcc** » Wed Jan 30, 2008 10:52 pm

jonesy wrote:So many halfwits,drop the anchor,then leave the motor running for another 5 minutes to burn some extra fuel to justify the money spent on buying twin 250's which they earned with there shonky trade business by ripping the innocent people off then spending all the poor people $$$'s on fuel for there 14.8 meter barra boat that gets used twice a year!

You couldnt be more right with that quote Jonesy

JAson

Chronic · Post by **Chronic** » Wed Jan 30, 2008 11:31 pm

The Elizabeth raver ramp is good cause of the curb down the centre of it, dinah should do that it helps with slow reversers i reckon it guides you a little.

Kevin Kevinson · Post by **Kevin Kevinson** » Thu Jan 31, 2008 8:23 am

what about jonesy!!

he used to be a fat jolly man at 52kgs, now he is just a lean mean fighting machine ready to go anyone!!

have a steak mate. you are just a shade away from being the deer hunter....living in SE Asia somewhere, playing russian roulette....

Ray Broughton · Post by **Ray Broughton** » Thu Jan 31, 2008 8:31 am

Kevin Kevinson wrote:what about jonesy!!

he used to be a fat jolly man at 52kgs, now he is just a lean mean fighting machine ready to go anyone!!

have a steak mate. you are just a shade away from being the deer hunter....living in SE Asia somewhere, playing russian roulette....

hahahahahaaha

GOLD I tell ya.... GOLD

slug · Post by **slug** » Thu Jan 31, 2008 8:49 am

You've come back to the ramp and maybe had to hang off for a while waiting for people to get their boats out, you have a have look towards the carpark/top of the ramp and their is no one waiting to back down. A boat gets pulled out, beauty your turn so you come into the ramp, pull your boat off to the side, give the tether rope to your kid and say "now don't let go ok", and off you go to get the car. Meanwhile old mate has arrived on the scene, or has got his boat ready to unload and thinks "you rippa, i'll get down there before this bloke" and as you are in your car there he goes backing his boat down swinging side to side at a high rate of knots towards your . You then have to wait at the top of the ramp for this clown to put his boat in, then his boat is in the way so you can't get your trailer in the water and your boat on the trailer, so you have to wait some more for him to park his car and come back down
To all the clowns out there, if you don't let the boats get out of the water there will be no room for anyone Let them get their boats out of the water for christ sake.

I think your off the mark with this one Jeno. I actually think it's ramp courtesy that the person tending the boat while you retrieve your vehicle holds it to the edge of the ramp to allow the incoming boat to launch. So long as they do it quickly, they will be launched, and their car back up at the carpark by the time your ready to back down. Your guy now moves back to centre ramp, and the 'new' boat is tended at the edge.

If we all followed your theory, on a busy day at a single lane ramp, the tide will have turned twice by the time you got 20 boats launched.

Jeno · Post by **Jeno** » Thu Jan 31, 2008 1:42 pm

That's a fair enough reply slug, maybe I should have been a little clearer, I was not actually talking about single lane ramps but mutiple lanes, like east arm, dinah beach, elizebeth etc. Yes on a single lane I would subscribe to your theory. I tell you what though, they must be fairly quick at launching their boats if they can back down and launch and tether and be back in their car in the time it takes me to get in my car and be ready to go. If you read the example I provided I did mention the scenerio where there is already a couple of boats waiting to get out, and these blokes just keep lining up to launch, don;t know how you expect to not have major boat congestion there.