If there are three boats at the dock when you get there, and you can manage to park your boat at the end of the dock, get to your rig and drive it to the ramp, and be there before the three boats in front of you, then the three boat owners in front of you should quit standing around and talking about what great fishermen they are and go get their damn rigs.

It takes everyone to get to the dock, get their rig, and get their boat out of the water in a reasonable time for the whole thing to work when it is crowded. It takes one dude to go to the shitter after parking his boat in the way to screw up the whole thing.

Fish on...

Todd

I agree. Everyone needs to show courtesy to their fellow boater. In your scenario those three boats aren't showing anyone any courtesy which changes everything. But how often have you seen where a minute seems like an eternity to the impatient boater. I've been solo, boat as close to the ramp as possible in order to still be able to back my trailer in and had Joe wingman jockey his boat around me thinking they are going to be faster or something. Then they act peaved when I back my trailer down. I've not only beat them to the dock but I've beat them to the trailer yet they F'd me. His scenario here was that he pulled up to an empty dock but tied up as far away from the ramp as possible. If I were to then approach I figure this guy is either waiting for someone, getting a burger, using the can or whatever but he left me no option but to pull in front of him closer to the ramp. Now I approach with my trailer and low and behold there he is with his trailer and jockeying his boat around mine. WTF? Why didn't he just pull up to the ramp if he is retrieving right away? If he had, then his boat would be there with his trailer. It's not a tough concept. Ideally if everyone is playing by the rules he pulls up to the ramp and goes for his trailer. The next guy pulls in behind him and goes for his trailer. Trailers and boats are in order. If you are just F'ing around then you tie up as far from the ramp as possible.

Sounds like the best solution is for everyone to get the f'n sand out of their manginas and stop pretending that two minutes either way is going to kill somebody.

It sounds like this was something minor, but someone had to shoot off their cakehoke about it, rather than just waiting a minute.

When you get to the dock, there's no way you can know if you're going to first back with your trailer, or third. Just because you got to the dock first, that doesn't mean you'll be back first, does it? So if you get to the dock first, and there's a boat there, and you pull in front of it and then he's there loading when you get back, then just simmer the f.uck down for a minute and wait your turn. First, you have no idea if there were boats already lined up at the dock when that dude got back. All you see is an empty dock and that boat at the end when you arrived.

When the trailer arrives, the boat gets on it, no matter where the boat is lined up on the dock.

Just don't leave people waiting while you thumb your ass once it's your turn to use the ramp.

stlhead

In a perfect world it may work as you suggest, but in the 50 years I've been launching and retrieving boats It’s been in order of where your trailer is, it’s the only method that works. Now, is this a rigid policy with no options for special occasions...no....you do what's needed at the time. And there may be some ramps with special situations or customs, but trailer order is the only working model at a normal ramp.

As far as canoes and kayaks, they just find a space and do as needed, hopefully by carrying the craft up to the vehicle or by loading it rapidly at the ramp. Not the deflate the raft and take it apart at the waters edge with everyone waiting method, or transferring all the gear while in the way.

I launch and retrieve alone frequently, At Muk I put my boat at the dock, get in line and use whatever lane opens up first, then just jump in my boat and move it to that lane, very easy and fast. Even doing it this way by myself it’s a 2 minute operation.

"In a perfect world it may work as you suggest" Bingo. It's the way it is supposed to work. And if everyone would follow that it does work. The only reason you would be able to back your trailer down, go get your boat and jockey it over is because some dumbasses are being discourteous and haven't got their trailer or you were first to the dock yet tied up at the back for who knows what reason and now have to get around the other boats. Remember, the majority of boats do not power on. Yours, and this threads scenario, are the special occasions. No reason to tie up at the other end of an empty dock for retrieval. No reason to be a dickhead about it either.

Fantasy football draft time. It's the only reason I'm online, on a nice holiday, debating crap, while drinking beer.

Take a number.

Maybe we need to adopt the ski trail rating system.
Those boaters requiring special dispensation during launch/take out can look for the big green circles and avoid the black diamonds.

JFC

It's not hard to figure out, if your backing your trailer down the ramp there better not be a boat in the way. And please turn off head lights when launching

I can see about 99% of the people on PP know WTF they're doing when it comes to pulling their boat out of the water.

There is one farking retard that insists that going AGAINST what everyone else is doing is the right way to retrieve his boat.

I hope he isn't as retarded in real life as he is on PP.

got this a couple months ago at Spanaway, note what they are doing at the beginning of the video...

this is what you DONT do at a boat launch... some people shouldnt even be in boats..

Why isn't that lound chubby money collector managing some of this crap. This is my home launch as well and the best guys are the ones who try and jump infront of the launch and retrieve line from 85th. Douches. Drive down turn around and get in the long line that everyone else is patiently waiting in. And the guys who like to blind everyone in the morning dark by leaving their headlights on while backing down the ramp and lastly the dipshi$ts who sit in their rig and wait to put bumpers and lines on the boat and remove the safety straps once they have made the turn into the launch lanes. Just stop at the turn get your crap together and then launch.

This weekend was a total sh%t show down at shilshole because of the the low tides. Saturday we had the Coasties doing boat checks at a low tide slowing down boat retrieval and clogging up the lanes. Families launching for one last crabbing opportunity. Easy limits of silvers made the user volume high, just another weekend in the big Shi&ty.

Oh and back on topic, I tie up one boat length away so that if someone is launching before I get there with my trailer, there is enough room to get their boat in before moving up. And when launching I tow it as far as I can to the end of the dock. If I take my sweet ass time I may park at the very end but it always backfires and screws the order or retrieval.

Reading this thread got me to thinking about all the heavily used boat ramps I've used. Trailer order determines both launch (sorta' obviously) and retrieval order. Some of these have 100 to more than 300 boat trailers parked near to far. And some of these have one lane roads or drive ways back to the ramp, so no jockying of trailer order is feasible. It's impossible to know which rig and trailer matches which boat at the dock, so returning to the ramp with trailers in order of dock position appears to be impossible. Doesn't matter where your boat is at the dock. When you reach the front of the line, back your trailer down the ramp and retrieve your boat from whatever position it's in, and other boaters might have moved your boat to help facilitate smooth and efficient boat retrieval. Cape Disappointment, Chinook, Hammond, East Astoria, Kalama, John's River, Aberdeen, and others come to mind.

Sg

Some vehicles you can't turn the lights off.

yea if you have the rope that is long enuff for the dock line then you get just let ur boat idle and remain in a stationary position that is parallel to the outer perimeter of the dock and then wait till the wake of other boats passes till the end of the paradigm that is trailering up a boat.

When using any boat ramp you need to have:

1) patience

2) courtesy

3) good communication

Everyone is there to have a good time. Some people are better at launching/retrieving than others, but just because you're faster than the next guy does not mean you should go first. Engaging in heated conversation does nothing but slow down the whole process and potentially ruin yours or someone else's day. The first trailer to the ramp loads first, it not perfect, but generally that is the accepted rule.

The bottom line is there are so many thoughtless @ssholes out there. Boat ramps are just one example of the lack of courtesy and etiquette. It’s so easy to be courteous and you make friends that way. And, for every piece of sh!t I’ve seen out there, I’ve also run into some old school (or use the old school rules) people that GET IT and what a pleasure. I have never been able to come up with an answer as to why people are that stupid or that selfish and rude. For those of us that come from the old school….literally….it’s tuff to keep our mouths shut.

Depends on the ramp I suppose. One of the ramps I use often the etiquette is different at different times for different folks. All the anglers in the early hours launch, bring the boat to the back of the dock (away from the ramp), then move the rig so the next person can launch. From 10 til noonish its the opposite. You bring your boat to front of the dock (closest to the ramp), so the next guy pulling out has room to dock his boat. You get your boat out of the way and the next guy gets out. Easy peasy for the regulars. Its the folks that are new, unfamiliar with the etiquette, or recreational boaters that get in the way. Then sometimes there's the guy who was out real early, gets his limit, and is trying to get in when everybody else is trying to leave.

Hmmm, fishing = recreation; fisherman = recreational boater. But you probably meant all of those OTHER recreational boaters.

As for the described local etiquette I for the life of me cannot envision half a dozen (or more) boats jockeying around the dock (presumably with only a few docking spots available) and trying to keep straight who is up next for a place in line to retrieve. Is there a piling with a number machine and solar powered LED display?

Sorry, I have to vote for the trailer line setting the order of precedence. The real hitch in this is the guy who is fishing alone and has to moor and then retrieve his rig. Give them (and me at times) a break!