The Funniest Thing Youve Ever Seen On The Water Or At The Ramp

[Jd_Phillips_Fishin]

We all have those just funny moments, like an idiot that only gets out on the water once a year trying to launch his boat, or your partner falling in while trying to lip a fish. Whats your funny moment?

[A-Jay]

I've seen a few, though most of them have happened right at the boat ramp.

 

A-Jay

[Dwight Hottle]

Watching a guy pull his boat from the water & up the ramp while his outdrive was in the lowered position & his wife yelling at him to stop. He didn't until he got up to the staging area. Then they proceeded to argue about who was right. 

[Fishes in trees]

You've got to like it when you get to witness the classic launching without the drain plug.  It is even funnier when they just "bump" the boat off and then the plug isn't in, the motor doesn't start and they forgot to plug in the trolling motor. 

 

The most unusual was a guy I saw a couple of years ago who had a brand new 17' Tracker.  He was done for the day, had the trailer set in the water and was out in the water, wearing hip boots, trying to guide the boat on to the trailer in a cross wind.  Me, and a couple of other guys, in line to take out, gathered to watch.  It was an older guy, older than me, anyway.   A dozen times or so , he almost got it set on the trailer the way he wanted it, but then the cross wind caught it and blew it off and he had to start all over.

 

"Whatcha doin" ?  I inquire.  He replied that this cross wind was a pain in the butt, but that he would be finished soon.  OK need any help - No, I got it, this new boat is just a little heavier than my last boat and it drifts different when I load it on my trailer.  OK  . . . . New boat, huh?   Yep. .. ..

You know that is a drive on trailer, right?  Rather than messing with the rope the way you're doing it, you can just set the trailer in the water, set your parking brake and then just drive the boat on to the trailer.

 

He replied that he just didn't want to skuff up his trailer.  OK then, at that point the only thing to do is to pop a top and watch the show.  He got it on the trailer in another ten minutes or so.

[fishva]

I watched a husband and wife team (who had obviously rented a pontoon boat) nearly have a dropdown fight while trying to dock it.

At one point, the man was able to get the rear of the boat next to the dock. He convinced his wife to jump out with the paddle. Standing on the dock, she held the other end of the paddle out to him. I could tell what he was thinking, and it was a bad plan. She would pull the boat to the dock (why they didn't use a rope I will never know).

With her on the dock and the paddle in her hand, he hit the throttle (I guess thinking the force would pull them together). Instead, his wife went flying off the dock into the water. She threw the paddle at the boat, called him every name in the book,and left him to figure it out on his own.

[Raul]

Quckly sliding the boat in the lake and staring at it like if you were hypnotized as you see it filling with water because you forgot to put the plug, the idiot was none other than I. It´s still funny !.

[basscatcher8]

I always laugh when I come into the dock and a group is trying to load a ski boat and they got people in the water on each side holding it so the guy can drive up the ramp. I've seen a few doing this get mad at the fishermen that were passing by and loading up before they could even think about it. lol

[geo g]

I have watch guys including myself, back the boat in the water with the  rope untied from the boat to the trailer.  Nothing like watching the boat float off on its own to points unknown.

[BigKev77]

The other day I sat down to tie on a spinnerbait, I put a trailer hook on and I tossed it over the side of the boat. Unfortunately I missed the important step of tying the lure on the line.

[big poppa]

1.) A few years back I muffed up a cast and landed my T rig in a up in a tree. The hook got caught on a branch so I yanked it free sending a 3/8oz bullet sinker straight into my brothers nards.

 

2.)Fish finder transducer ripped off during a trip last season leaving 2 nice holes in the transom of the boat. It was 1/8 mile to the ramp as the water got to be about an inch deep at the center bench of the jon boat.

 

3.) Watched two crew team (large 12 person row boats) boats hit each other dumping 24 people into the middle of the lake. 

[RighteousFishing WI]

Last year I went pan fishing with the old man, and he forgot to grab the seat for the back deck, so I sat on a bucket. Set the hook on a fish a little to hard tipped over, strait in the water I went.

[Bankbeater]

Over the years I have seen several people fall in the water while setting the hook.

[WIGuide]

Boat landings are the funniest! One of the best I've seen was this older couple. The wife was younger than the guy and I'd say probably pushing 300 lbs and the husband was quite the opposite. Anyway, the landing at this particular lake had two ramps. One of them has a hole on one side at the end of the concrete which can be reached with a trailer tire when the water is low and it just so happened to be. The lady starts to back the trailer down with their van, decides to pick that ramp, and what do you know manages to hit the hole right in the middle and the trailer drops. She didn't notice it, and her husband didn't either. He's in the water monkeying around trying to get the boat on the trailer and finally does after much struggle. Wife is still sitting in the van tries to pull it out and does nothing but starts roasting a tire on the 1 wheeled wonder. She tries to back up to get a little more run at it and you hear the axle scraping on the concrete. They start hollering at one another as she guns it again and gets nowhere. After another 10 minutes of arguing and then getting the boat back off the trailer, the lady gets in the water. She walks over and picks up that side of the trailer with one hand as the guy pulls up. Then they spend another 10 minutes getting the boat back on the trailer. It was quite the entertaining half hour for me as a little kid!

[Z71Bassin]

I have always had a two man pond hoppin boat that a use occasionally. Once my dad and I went fishing in it. It was a really cool morning during the spring. I would say the water temp was not in the mid 50's yet, and there was a pretty strong wind blowing. My dad gets in the boat just fine. I'm next! I put one foot in and a strong wind swings that back of the boat around. I grab onto the dock, and finally get my other foot in the boat. Now I stretched out about 7 feet from dock too boat. You could have walked across my back (look like a bridge over water) haha. My dad is laughing his butt off. Finally, in a last ditch ever I pull myself all the way back to the dock! He is still laughin, and by this time I am mad but laughin. I am little worn out at this time, so I say what the heck I jumped in! I was pretty cold that day, but hey we put some nice ones in the boat that day. It was worth it! besides freezing my nads off.

[200racing]

We had just launched and were at the dock getting everything set. A guy was launching solo a nice big stratos. as his hold rope got taunt your heard the click of a carabiner,then the rope fell off into the water. There came a 20' boat right as us. We were able get our hands on the gunnel and push it back to the dock. The owner was very grateful. Being a smart*** I asked if finders keepers applied.

[Nice_Bass]

a fish and ski was trying to be pulled out by a small/midsize truck and was only screeching its back  tires as it was a pretty steep ramp.  Guy had his whole family there and had them all get on the front hood for more weight and traction and still, just back tires screeching.  We went over to help and noticed that it was clearly just a rear wheel drive vehicle and mentioned this to him. He busted up laughing and said it was just one of those days.  I am sure we all have had one, and we all got on his back bumper and pushed and told him to just not gun it and run us over. 

He was embarrassed and should not have been- boat ramps can be hectic with children with you.

I have seen much better non family friendly events that I enjoyed much more- usually in specific "coves" of various lakes throughout the Midwest.

[Lund Explorer]

Boat ramps are fun, what with the people trying to launch or load.  We watched a couple drop their 24-26' fishing boat onto the ramp three feet shy of the water one morning.  Lesson learned for those with rollers instead of bunks to not unhook the bow eye until the boat is floating.  I've seen more than one drain plug issue, and can proudly say two of them involved yours truly.

 

But for excitement, you can't beat the trusty pontoon boat.

 

There was the day my long time tournament partner and I were fishing docks and Mike skipped a 1/8oz sinker right into the back end of the float.  Sounded like a rifle shot.  We didn't have any idea that the owner's wife was sunbathing on the back bench seat that day, or that she was trying to get a tan without the strap line, if you know what I mean.  Needless to say, Mike and I could never return to that lake without fishing that dock!

 

The second time was a tournament when we noticed a pontoon boat drifting across the lake with apparently no one onboard.  Thinking that someone's boat had blown away from their dock, we went over to investigate.  We were almost there when the gentleman on the boat lifted up off the floor where he and his significant other were testing the "motion of the ocean" effect.  I guess he didn't need any help because he waved us off quite frantically.

 

Yup, you gotta love those pontoon boats.

[Catt]

Brand new 1990 Corvette Singray pulling a Skeeter, three times he backed down the ramp, three times he never got the trailer tires wet!

[ColdSVT]

My buddy pulled my boat up the dock and i jumped off to go get my truck...the dock was wet and i slipped and fell snd skipped off the far side of the dock and into drink...i still giggle at myself over that

[kms399]

first time in a real bass boat. the boat was pulled up on the sand and I put one foot in and went to shove off with my other foot just as my buddy started backing up with the motor. being completely  off balance I half fell and grabbed the trolling motor with one foot dragging in the water and one in the boat. I am 300 lbs so it was pretty tuff trying to get in the boat. buddy laughed his ass off when he noticed me struggling to get in the boat.

[bigbill]

We launch the used boat my son just purchased. The motor wouldn't start as the water is coming up threw a crack in the main beam. I left the boat. The son knew the leak was there he has been out before in it. He tried to fix it with cheese cloth and resin. It didn't work. I cleaned the crack and applied the resin by itself and repaired it.

Another time my son forgot to put the plug in the boat. We were on the ramp.

My son is very smart with two degrees in robotics and engineering. Some exceptionally smart people lack some common sense. I worked with engineers for most of my life the PhD's are even worse.

[buzzed bait]

it would be me, falling in the 50 degree water AT THE RAMP, trying to get in my kayak like i had never done it before..... 

[WRB]

Working at a boat landing, today called marinas, as a teenager I have witnessed some strange things, not necessarily funny. When you see a new rig being towed by new vehicles it's almost a guaranteed disaster about to unfold. Backing down the ramp with several people shouting directions sometimes ends up the the rig and vehicle underwater. Arguments are common, especially on holidays.

The strangest launch that I watched was a guy with a runabout outdrive back rig down, unhook the trailer and push the boat attached to the trailer into the water and park the car. He returned, the family got into the boat via the trailer tongue, the guy started up the engine back up with the trailer still attached and motored away. I didn't see them return and have no idea what happened to them.

We rented boats with and without outboard motors and some guys rent the boat and have their own motors. I usually help them looking for tip. One morning I rented a boat without a motor, the guy didn't want any help. Normally we side tie the boat to the dock, this guy untied the back pulling the bow next to the dock, picked up the motor, a heavy 25 hp Johnson and put it on hid shoulder, step into the boat front seat and walked towards the stern with the motor on his shoulder. The guy got to the stern about the same time the bow rope went tight, he step off the backend of the boat and disappeared underwater. I ran jumped into the boat and couldn't see him until he walked out of the lake up the shore with the motor still on his shoulder, then slipped and fell down.

The customer went home, changed cloths and rented the boat with a motor.

Tom

PS, the guy brought the wet motor back to try to start, left it to dry out. I removed the plugs, blew out the carb and mag, got it running. When the customer returned from fishing all he said was thanks and took his motor....no tip!

Edited May 1, 2014 by WRB

[notevenanibble]

happened to me last summer,

 

i was paddling my canoe up a small creek trying to get to a hidden pond off a river, there were trees and logs going everywhere so it required quite a bit of maneuvering.  as i was going under a low tree limb and i notice spiders all over the branches/leaves.  i'm not a fan of spiders so i tried ducking out of the way of the leaves.  what i ended up doing was tipping myself out of my canoe.  pretty much everything stayed in the canoe but me and i was now in chest deep muddy water and sinking into the silt as i frantically tried to get to the bank.

 

i made it to the bank with some seriously scrapped up shins and a drowned iphone, paddled back to the mouth of the creek collected myself before trying again.  im really lucky there were no water moccasins around.

[slonezp]

Watched a guy drop a brand new 25'+ cruiser off a roller trailer onto the gravel parking lot.