My post from last fall:

After a long summer and fall we have all witnessed plenty of amazing mishaps and misfits on the boat ramps. I saw one guy get pushed in, a boat get rammed and one unhappy camper who managed to dump his new boat on the ramp on an out-going tide. That was just this year. In addition to all of this I have seen many tempers flare in the mad rush to be the first to the fish. How fun would it be to sit on the ramp at Olson's on opening day with a video camera?

The common sense rules for a busy ramp:

Always turn your headlights off.

Relax this is supposed to be fun.

Putting in;

Load everything that is going in the boat prior to launching.

Make sure the plug is in, tie-downs are off and all lines and necessary fenders are in place.

If you're not ready, don't pull out onto the ramp. Let the boat behind you go ahead.

After the boat is in the water, move your boat down the dock or beach away from the ramp to allow others to put in. Most of the time on the river ramps the guy before me dumps his boat off the trailer and then beaches it right down river from the ramp. Now I have to float around this boat to reach the beach or beach it on the ramp. This is annoying. It's so easy to dump your boat and then let it float down river a little ways before you beach it.

If you can, have someone park your truck so you can wait with the boat away from the ramp.

Try not to leave someone attending the boat that is not capable of moving it or adapting to other boaters gross stupidity.

Taking out:

The trucks are in line not the boats. This has been the source of many disagreements. It seems pretty simple to me. I usually try to avoid the dock all together until my trailer is in the water.

Hook it up and go! Don't clean up or swap stories if others are waiting.

Don't stop at the top of the ramp. Move your rig far enough away to allow others to maneuver for the ramp.

I know this all sounds like common sense to a lot of us but it seems to me that all of us could benefit from some kind of a code of conduct or ramp etiquette. Please post your amazing boat ramp stories and your thoughts on my set of rules.