Boat-launching fails seem to be the most comical of all the boating mishaps, and rightfully so — they usually don’t result in injury like many of the other cringe-worthy stories that come across our desk. If you think we’re just being cynical, go ahead, Google “boat launching mishaps” and tell us you don’t get a good laugh from the majority of those images. We’re assuming the only person not laughing is, of course, the boat and/or vehicle owner.
We’re always baffled as to how people end up in those types of situations. Launching a boat seems like a pretty straightforward task. Even if you’re not the most savvy at trailering a boat, it’s still totally doable. But time and time again, boat owners are caught doing it wrong. And not just slightly wrong, but very, very wrong: The boat has ended up in the back of a pickup truck; the car is underwater while the boat and trailer are still on the ramp; the boat is upside down on the dock — you name it. The stories are almost too bizarre to be true.
Nonetheless, we just got a second-hand view into the very real world of boat-launching fails from one of our Facebook fans. In an attempt to avoid getting out of his car at the bottom of the ramp, our friend here released the winch hook from the bow eye prematurely. As he began to reverse down toward the water, the entire boat slipped off the trailer and onto the ramp. Although the story isn’t as insane as some of the others we’ve heard, i.e., launching the car instead of the boat, it’s ridiculous in and of itself because it’s a mistake far too many people make.
Moral of the story: Don’t try to save time by detaching your boat early. You’ll end up spending the next several hours scratching your head, wondering how the hell you’re going to pick your 5,000-pound boat up off the asphalt.
