jerk at the boat ramp

[Thomas Macaluso]

I witnessed something at the boat ramp this weekend that I have never seen in all my years of boating and fishing. A buddy and myself fished a team tournament on Lake Hopatcong this past Saturday . We had launched his boat and were in the process of walking up to the pre tournament meeting when we stopped to admire a 521 that was being launched for the same tournament .There was a guy walking alongside the 521 as the driver was backing the boat . I assumed that this guy was also fishing the tournament. All of sudden the guy walking starts screaming at the top of his lungs . All I could hear at this point was the words boat ,ramp and a lot of profanity . I looked down towards the ramp and noticed that a small 16 foot tin boat was sideways in the water blocking the ramp but there was a guy attempting to move the tin boat out of the way .

The first guy is still screaming and cursing at the top of his lungs but we were to far away to hear what was being said clearly . Realize that all of this is going on around 5:00 am in the morning . All I could think of was that this guy has to be some kind of flaming A-Hole and that it was guys like him who give tournament anglers a bad name . As we came closer to the 521 I noticed that the guy who was sitting in the helm seat of the 521 waiting to be launched had sort of a puzzled look on his face. At first I though that this was due to the fact that he was a Ranger owner and we all know that they are not the smartest in the bunch when it comes to boat owners ,since they pay way to much for those sparkle boats LOL !!.

As we got closer I suddenly realized that my first perception was wrong ! The guy screaming and cursing was not with the Ranger rather he was the owner of the tin boat blocking the ramp and the guy moving the boat was just trying to help !!! . The first guy was screaming

 

[William H. (Bill) Barham]

Happens all the time Tom... Unfortunately it's getting worse and worse..



Bill

 

[Michael Snow]

Maybe the guy in the tin boat was having problems launching and the boat drifted across the lane and was mad because the guy trying to launch the Ranger wouldn't just wait a second until the guy could get his boat straightened back up.



I offer that, because tonight, I'm launching my boat... gave the wench the 3 or 4 spins that I usually do so the boat can float off a little. Well, either I forgot to re-engage the wench or it slipped. Anyway, as I try to pull the trailer up, the boat is already too far off, and it just keeps peeling the bow strap off. The boat is now off the trailer and has drifted into the EMPTY next lane. Dipstick backs down the next lane, figures he'll clear my boat, so screw the fact that I was trying to get it back in check, back the SOB down. Luckily, it was just the trailer and not the boat. Unfortunately, I recognized the fact that if I'd had my schit in check, there wouldn't be an issue, so I didn't say anything.

 

[Jim Brone]

If I may everyone... Please realize that a disheartening portion of the general public is becoming out of control. Almost as if they're losing their sense of humanity and civilization. I have heard more unimagineable stories of this sort and much worse in the recent past than ever before. Keep it in check everyone. Remember what is truly important. And nevermind the things that are not.

 

[Lee Brumbaugh]

A few weeks ago I was trailering my new Targa from Bass Pro in Springfield back to our home in Arkansas. The boat hadn't even seen water yet. I stopped to gas up our truck at a gas station. Due to the length of my truck and trailer we took up two pumps. The station I was at was one of the cheapest in the area so, needless to say it was very busy.



While filling up I heard some lady from across the way say "that was close". I looked in the direction she was looking - the back of my boat. A guy in a little sports car angled himself between my lower unit and the gas pump my boat was sitting at. I wasn't using the pump but had it blocked by the boat. Apparently he really wanted gas bad!



I turned around and focused my attention back on filling up the truck. The $ amount just kept climbing. Then I noticed my truck lurch forward a couple of inches. I looked back to see that the guy in the sports car had just hit the rear of my trailer with the bumper of his car. As I walked back to inspect the trialer he got out and apologized. The trailer appeared unhurt. I looked up at him and said "in that much of a hurry to get gas?" He apologized and said that he would pay for any damages. I shook my head and walked back to the truck.



Although I wasn't pleasant about the whole thing I couldn't believe that my trailer got hit and I just bought the dang thing a couple of hours ago. People these days are in too much of a hurry.



Ranger413

 

[Robert Lo]

Let me start by saying that I am not condoning rude or aggressive behavior for whatever reason.



However, it can be extremely frustrating when you are not in a tournament and you pull up to the launch ramp to find either a line of boats waiting to launch or even worse, no room in the parking lot.



NJ is probably the worst state to hold tournaments with probably the eception of Lake Hopatcong because you can use other ramps other than Lees.



Earlier in the year I went to Swartswood one morning only to learn that there where (2) tournaments scheduled. Needless-to-say, the parking lot that holds maybe ten trailers was full and to make matters worse, all the non-boaters where also parked in the same lot. It was obvious that they tried to double park but there was just not enough space. The solution would have been for the non-boaters to park in the enormous lot at the Beach House and either be picked up by the boater or even car pool to the launch ramp. I pulled down, had to back out and go somewhere else.



The other incident was at Wawayanda a few weeks later. Took my kids fishing and when we pulled up, the floating dock was out of the water. Apparently, there was a tournament the prior week and the rumor was that too many people were on the dock at once. That wasn't the problem though. The problem was that all the tournament boats where coming in at the same time, so we had to work around this and use the shore to launch. This is easy when you have two adults but not with kids.



My point here is that when so many boat converge on a 500 acre lake with one dock and limited parking, it is frustrating when you don't know beforehand. I have been asking the tournament guys if they post the schedules and while some do, others don't. I am trying to avoid those lakes on those days but with so many clubs and so little lakes it is difficult.



Again, having tournaments is not a problem when there is ample parking and more than one launch area.

 

[TOMMY RICH]

There's ONE born every minute!!!! Makes me wanna' puke the way some people are....REAL Aholes

 

[Robert Lo]

Was fishing Swartswood one morning and there was a small tournament going on, maybe six boats. Turning left from the launch there was a cluster of boats around the shallow rocks before the island. They were all within 50ft or so of each other.



Went to my favorite spot, saw the other boats so went somewhere else. Later I went back to my favorite spot and there was a boat working the area slowly. When I saw him pulling out, I slipped in between him and the shore, a good 150 foot clear. The guy starts scolding me because he wanted to come around again in an oval pattern and he claimed that I trolled over the weed bed. He made a comment that I had the entire lake to fish. What he didn't know was that I fished the entire lake but since I have plenty of trolling experience, I wanted to fish my spot and waited almost 5 hours to do so. Even still, I waited for him to pull out not knowing that he was planning to turn around and go back.



I apologized, caught a fish between me and the bank (I never cast in his direction) and that was the end of it. I think the difference is attitude. At Swartswood, all of us have to deal with rentals, paddleboats, Kyackers and swimmers. What I did was not improper considering the amount of time he had that spot and his heading at the time. I get boats close to me all the time. If I feel that I fished the spot long enough, I move and let someone else have it.



In NJ, 500 acres is considered big. That's the price we have to pay. In reality, it's not big and when ten club boats and ten recreational boats converge, we have to use our heads to avoid that type of confrontation like the tin boat guy. There is usually two sides to every story and unless you witnessed the entire event, you just don't know.

 

[Michael Snow]

Jr, hopefully you mean in the BANKS... you're federally insured to 100k per bank. During the S&L scandal of the 80s, my great uncle lost a few thousand due to banks merging, then failing.

 

[Rob LaMoy]

Jr, it's Ranger envy. Probably the same thing the guy in the 16 footer at the ramp had a bad case of. You get used to it. I find it kind of flattering actually. LOL

 

[Thomas Macaluso]

Jr calm down I was kidding about ranger owners being not the brightest take a pill . I have no problem with Ranger owners at all. I also own a sparkle boat a 929 . If you reread my post I mention that we were admiring the 521 . As far as Ranger envy Rob that guy was just plain nuts I have never seen anyone act like that at all.

 

[JEFF WHITE]

come on up to the salmon river launch either at the lighthouse or across from it,and see idiots at there best.go to mexico and see the girl at the guard shack read them the riot act for taking too long.she is a handfull to deal with,too bad we make her morning by bringing her a coffee and some good conversation.



now here in Pa we have the idiot weekenders,and the total idiots,who use up both sides of the launch for there 12 ft aluminum v,after they launch it out of the back of the truck then procede to install everything in/on it.the look on there face when there is enough room for me to get inbetween them and launch the boat is priceless!



had one 2 weeks ago on whitney point resevoir launch before me,procede to almost put the bow of his 1050's 14ft fiberglass v into the side of mine,good thing i had a friend with me who was in the boat when it was all going on,i heard him yelling at the guy,didnt feel sorry for him in the least,he was moving his gear out of the way,which he should have done before launching.. same day almost seen a exploder launch a pontoon boat,the explorer was up to the tailgate in the water before the boat left the trailer!! fun to watch.ill be waiting to see the explorer along the road with a siezed up rear due to water in it!!



the fun ramp to sit at and watch idiots is lake wallenpaupack,all the weekenders there is a trip to sit and watch!!take a lunch and a lauwn chair plus video camera on a tripod pointed at the launch,ought to make some funniest home videos!

 

[Steven Atwell]

I find that it's usually inexperienced boaters that act the worst at the ramp, most likely because they are nervous, and don't really know WTF they're doing. So they take it out on others.



Just yesterday I was waiting to load up my boat, and as I was approaching the dock there was a guy with his little daughter tied to the dock, in the lane in a total POS boat. They were right in my way. I pull up in my Gambler and by the look on his face, I could tell he figured I was gonna give him attitude for taking up "my lane". I was sitting out away from the dock waiting and he said "you can try to go around" but I told him, "no it's OK, you take as long as you need, I'm in no hurry, those fish wore me out". And when he finally finished up they started moving out, I gave him the "good luck". "Thanks" he said genuinely. Seemed like he had run into a few 'Ranger Owners' before.

 

[Tony Payne]

just like our earlier thoughts about helping people in need that are already on the water, I try to help those in obvious need at the ramp as well... it takes some patience, and it certainly depends on the "attitude" of the person at the offset... if nothing else it helps get them the h*ll out of the way.



we were all new once....

 

[Rob LaMoy]

I see it all the time Tom. Seems at boat launches it's worse. There is a dock here in Peru, across from Valcour island. Any time in the summer, on a hot Friday or Saturday, go with a 6 pack and just watch the epitomy of human stupidity develop before you very eyes.

 

[Thomas Macaluso]

Thats all right JR no harm no foul . But it wasn't the guy in. a the ranger who was a A-hole he was fine . It was the guy in the tin boat . If everything goes right in year or two I'll be looking to buy a Ranger myself either a 520 or a 521

 

[Bob G.]

Jr,



Is there more leg room for the driver in a 521 than a 520?



Bob G.

 

[Rob LaMoy]

There's more of EVERYTHING room in a 521 Bob. There just a bear to park or garage or feed on the gas side! They're awesome if all you ever fish is big water like Champlain and the great lakes, but they don't manuver well in flooded timber in resevoirs down south. For all intents and purposes, the 520 is the perfect boat.

 

[Bob G.]

The reason I asked about the legroom is because I sat behind the wheel of Mac's 520 and my knees were up against the dash. I didn't see how they would fit under the console!! Maybe the custom cushy seats were thicker than stock seats. The Hot Foot definitely would have to be mounted in a different location. Maybe I need to be a magician to drive one or get my legs shortened!!



Bob G.

 

[Bob G.]

I'll have to check out a regular 520 someday. I can't believe I can't fit behind the wheel of a Ranger 520!



Jr, send a demo over to Champlain for me to test out. Thanks!! LOL!



Bob G.

 

[Jim Brone]

If I may pipe in about Ranger boats......

I have personally witnessed this year alone 5 Ranger boats sinking. 4 at the boat ramp during an open tournament my club was sponsoring during some windy and rough conditions.

The other one was dragged in by someone after it jumped a wave and had the hull literally open up.

Now I'm not prejudice against Ranger. I had intended on buying one because I love the interior quality of them and the layout. But after that-no way. I'll take a Skeeter before a Ranger.

 

[Ken Neeley]

Hey JR,

Can I borrow $17,300.00 out of that 3 million to buy the 929 from Pat?!?!?!?!?!?

 

[William H. (Bill) Barham]

And I'll take whatever boat Neeley doesn't want... With JR's

financial help of course



Bill

 

[Teri C.]

Jr, I want the Ranger Reata for my birthday. It's coming up in a few months so your monthly interest alone should cover it.

 

[Greg Meyer]

Friends and family..."people who help you spend the money you earned while they weren't around!"

 

[Christopher Laurencio]

Hey JR - Do you need a Good Bean Counter? I'm Certified!

 

[Bill McElroy]

Don't worry JR,...keep posting pix's like that one of you and the tequila bottle,..and nobody will ever bother you!!

"Money" does not come to mind when the word "loaded" is used to describe your condition!.LOL!That pix made me LMAO!!