ALWAYS use the safety chains!

Crazy Dave Condon · Aug 13, 2014

Guys,

How do you catch a 20 pound striper without using fishing tackle, boats, spears, nets, explosives or even human contact. Watch your car float with the engine running and dive like the Titanic bow first with the engine coming to a stop upon submersion like a sub. Then the car is pulled out with three other cars using hemp rope, not line, but hemp rope. You open up the driver's door to let the water out and comes out that darn 20 pound striper. Shucks I missed catching him. If I did, not sure if I would have been given a ticket by the local game warden due to no liscense plus the fact the game warden was laughing pretty darn hard.

I was trying to launch a Minuet 18 daysailor with a fixed 6 foot keel from the bottom of the hull with a 7 foot draft off a trailer without an extension as that darn owner refused to buy one with the trailer I sold him. I had tried to back up fast, brake and slide that darn boat off the trailer. It did not come off. Put the car in park and emergency brakes on with the water 6 inches above the bottom of the door. The car was a standard automatic. Get it? Nope, as there are no brakes on the front tires. Went out the window and swam around trying to rock that boat off the trailer. The buoyancy of the trunk lifted up the back end of the car and it started floating into Vahala with that darn engine running. Someone yelled out Car 54, YOu Are Sinking.

Now for the further funny part. The film crew for What About Bob movie was there and filmed that but I chose not to allow that in the movie due to embarresment. In reflection, I should have with a nickname of Crazy Dave.

What a Whopper of a story.

Ron20324 · Aug 13, 2014

A couple decades ago, the local McGregor dealer took some would-be buyers out for a test cruise. Boat back on the trailer at the ramp, he just threw the bow line into the back of the van and closed the door. When he pulled out and the weight of the stern was no longer floating, it weighed down the rear of the trailer, door-secured rope slipped out, and the front of the trailer/boat flew up in the air to about 45 drgrees. No, I don't recall if he made the sale or not. Probably not that boat to that cusotmer, I'm sure.

agprice22 · Aug 24, 2014

Crazy Dave Condon said:
Disconnect electrical line before going into the water.

But you always go into the water backward, right?...

I was trying to move my 26ft around my yard, so I hooked it up to my truck, pulled it forward out of the barn. To get enough room to back it around the side of the barn, I had to pull it across 2 lanes of traffic, when no cars were coming. I put the truck in reverse, and I could NOT move that damn boat! It was skidding, or I was spinning my tires! The next traffic pulse is coming down the road about 1/2 mile away, and I am sweating bullets. Then I remembered! The trailer has disc brakes with a reverse locking mechanism to prevent a ramp mishap. I quickly pulled it forward and drove a big circle into my yard, avoiding 20 cars coming down the road at 55mph! I was glad I didn't snap a spindle trying to force the trailer back against the brakes.

Thanks,

Andrew

Crazy Dave Condon · Aug 25, 2014

You can always do what I had to do with surge brakes backing uphill with no locking mechanism, put a screwdriver in place to keep the mechanism from engaging the surge brakes

Doc_holiday · Aug 28, 2014

I don't mind saying I can be pretty darn absent minded sometimes. I haven't lost a trailer or anything yet. Glad to know I'm not the last of my species.

agprice22 · Sep 1, 2014

Nothing like a boat and trailer to make us look funny and like a screwup. It seems most likely when: 1. You are doing something you haven't done in a long time. 2. Have never done but didn't think through. 3. Are doing something in a hurry. 4. Are doing something you do so often you overlook important steps.... Haha! So just about anytime you are messing with with a boat and trailer!

Thanks,

Andrew

agprice22 · Sep 1, 2014

I had a slip mate once pull his 28 ft boat out at the ramp. He put it on the trailer, and after pulling the boat out of the water, he could NOT get the trailer extension to slide back in. He and I decided that it just needed to be pushed harder, so we proceeded to bang away on that thing, trying to push it in. We could not get it to budge. We thought about refloating the boat to see if we could take the trailer to a shop. I had to leave, and I think he left the boat at the park over night. He said he figured it out the next day: he had tightened the bow too much with the winch, and the weight of the boat was flexing the channel through which the tongue extension passed. He loosened the winch cable, and the extension slid right in! Ugh!

It never occurred to me because I don't tighten the strap very much.

Thanks,

Andrew

Doc_holiday · Sep 1, 2014

Just glad he didn't drive it home that way.

Over the past 2 days I bought my son a car. We replaced front struts, tie rod ends, changed oil and plugs. Anyway after working on it, it was time to teach him manual tyranny. It's been comical because he's overthinking it. A lot like a first time trailer. Two weeks ago, my wife jackknifed my empty trailer while backing it and put a hole in my rear bumper cover. Doh!

WayneH · Sep 1, 2014

Wayne's Law of Stupid Mistakes
The preponderance of stupid mistakes is directly proportional to the square of the number of watchers.

agprice22 · Sep 1, 2014

WayneH said:
Wayne's Law of Stupid Mistakes The preponderance of stupid mistakes is directly proportional to the square of the number of watchers.

Love it! Feel soooo true!

topcat0399 · Sep 1, 2014

WayneH said:
Wayne's Law of Stupid Mistakes
The preponderance of stupid mistakes is directly proportional to the square of the number of watchers.

LOL!

Crazy Dave Condon · Sep 2, 2014

I use to tell my customers not to feed the ducks but one did not heed. Ducks nested over the cockpit drain and you know what happened with water running into the cabin. The marina called me and when I went to look with pumps and batteries, duck pooh floating but the worst was the smell. Threw the nest with eggs out to let the cockpit drain while being attacked by you know who while breaking into the cabin to bail oout the water and boy it stunk. Got the water out and boat cleaned. Left all wet stull up and out to dry. Went back to the shop and I was ordered by the staff to go home and take a shower. Duck pooh smell is not funny at the time but sure is now.

It if funny to read the other posts.