Trucks Don't Float
Posted by LeviLovR on August 06, 2023 at 01:17:50
It was an entertaining day at the boat ramp. I didn't get there until noon and things were pretty busy but according to the young man checking the boats for milfoil the police had been there due to a lone male "tripping out" at the end of the dock and causing all sorts of problems. He had been smoking some substance, not sure what exactly, but according to the milfoil guy there was a huge pile of "cigarette" butts at the end of the dock. The offender was removed and taken away to be evaluated and treated.
When I arrived there was a steady flow of boats both coming and leaving but things were running smoothly and my assistance was not required. In fact I was considering leaving to go find something for lunch when a large truck hauling a huge red pontoon boat backs down the ramp. A man and a woman are on the pontoon boat and a man is driving the truck. There was trouble from the very beginning as the boat driver and truck driver are having problems communicating and totally ignoring each other. Truck driver cannot back the trailer up straight and it goes crooked, causing the back end of the boat to be in the shallower water rather than the deeper channel right next to the dock. Truck driver yells to boat driver to start the boat motor and back it off the trailer. Boat driver complies and the boat is partially off the trailer when he stops and yells to the truck driver that the water is not deep enough and to pull ahead and straighten out and then back up. Truck driver ignores and keeps backing up. Truck keeps going deeper and deeper into the water and the two people on the boat keep yelling at him to stop, but every time they yell at him he backs farther into the water until it looked like he was about to submerge the truck. The milfoil guy and I start running. Milfoil guy goes out on the dock while I run into the water and tell the truck driver to pull forward rather than go backwards or he will totally sink his truck. Milfoil guy and I keep glancing at each other with looks that say, "These people are crazy!" and also with a mixture of amusement as I can see the milfoil guy is struggling not to laugh.
So I am standing fully clothed in the water next to the truck driver's door and keep shouting at him to go forward. I honestly don't think he realized how far back into the water he actually was and no matter what he wasn't about to do anything that the people on the boat said as it was obvious they were having a war of wills. Somehow my message that the truck was about to go under as he was headed for the deepest hole next to the dock got through to the driver and he pulled forward just in time and partially straightened out before starting to back up again. The boat driver turned on the motor and started to back off the trailer while I pushed against the boat will all my might. Luckily the boat came off the trailer and the truck driver drove up the ramp to the parking area, milfoil guy retreated to his station and I retreated to my rock to drip off.
The truck driver was clearly POed, but he did approach me and slipped me five dollars. I said I didn't want his money but he said I had helped him last year as well and refused to take any money and that this year I was going to take it no matter what so I did. He then walks down the dock to get on the boat.
Meanwhile, back in the cove, the guy driving the boat has several near misses with other boats approaching and leaving the dock and nearly backed into another pontoon boat that was behind him. He clearly had no idea what he was doing. He finally got over to the dock and the truck driver got on - but the boat driver got off! Truck driver was now the boat driver and again some near misses until he finally got the boat out onto the open lake. YIKES! Turns out the original boat driver had come in a separate vehicle. I had gone over to talk with the milfoil guy about the incident and the boat driver, who was also clearly angry, got into his car and started to drive away. Then he turned around and came back and stopped next to us and started explaining to us that there wasn't enough water for the boat motor at the angle the boat was at. We definitely knew that already but I guess he just needed to vent before he finally took off for good. I just knew I didn't plan to be there when the boat returned. Milfoil guy and I began to swap stories about the various incidents we had seen there at the boat ramp. He said I should get a job as one of the milfoil inspectors and I told him I actually had been asked about that previously but didn't want to do that.
After that episode things were relatively quiet. A husband and wife team backed in with a jet ski. Wife got on it and was going to back it off and drive it to their camp. But it would not come off the trailer and I went out to give it a push. Turns out they hadn't unhooked the straps on the back, which is one of the two most common errors I see. The other is that people forget to put the plugs in the boat.
So it was an interesting day. I got "entertained", got wet in my clothes, and made five bucks to boot! Remember, do whatever it takes to get in the water but trucks won't float!
- Re: Trucks Don't Float swimmerrat 11:09:14 8/07/2023
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- Re: Trucks Don't Float Zonie 02:16:50 8/07/2023
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- Re: Trucks Don't Float LeviLovR 12:13:47 8/07/2023
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- Re: Trucks Don't Float LeviLovR 12:13:47 8/07/2023
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