Pleasure boaters and fisherman don't mix.

You want some good wholesome family entertainment? Stop by the Redondo ramp in July or August on a sunny Saturday or Sunday when there is a minus tide about 11 am. Fisherman are returning to the launch from fishing all morning and the pleasure boaters are just getting around to putting their boats in the water, first time this season mind you.

Tempers flare!

Spawnout,

a little anti-sled, are we?

I'll certainly accept that there are some launch locations where power loading should be restricted, where the substrate is mud, for example. But for the most part, the substrate is river rock, and I haven't seen it getting moved around much at the ramps I use. Certainly any of the larger ramps on the larger rivers are developed enough to withstand the use and seem to do so.

If you think about where the force of the sled is exerted, it has to be more than 15 feet behind where the wheels of any trailer is going to be, let alone the truck that pulls it.

This is because, a) the trailer for a sled is at least 2 feet longer than a drift boat trailer, b) the motor is at least five feet behind the trailer wheel, c), the boat is about 16 inches off the ground when on the trailer, and c) the force of the jet comes out in a narrow stream that doesn't expand to 32 inches until 8 or 10 feet behind the boat.

So, any pothole you are seeing where it counts for you, isn't being caused by a jet boat. Sorry. I think the potholes are more likely to be caused by people spinning out as they pull out.

Maybe a better proposition might be to identify sites where powering on is specifically a problem, and restrict the use there. They do this at Hammond, for example.

I also wouldn't mind my trailer having a tax graduated to the size of my boat, and therefore to the impact of my use on the ramp. To the extent that I'm a heavier user, I'm pay. But conversely, since you use the ramp as well, you should pay, too. Bankies and other non-users shouldn't have to pay for the service we need.

Or should they? What do we think?

speaking as a banky fishermen, hell no! i have enough problems dealing with a-holes on the bank. don't need to pay for problems i never use! boy, if i ever get a boat i will be sure to practice plenty as not to piss you pro's off, and i'll bring a hammer for the headlight thing.

chumster

Last winter i witnessed this guy "working on his motor" on the ramp at Blue Creek. It was a busy morning and we were waiting for one of us to finish up in the outhouse. This guy had a mercury pump on the back of a very nice sled. Everything looked brand new. He was pulled up out of the water and was revving the motor and looking back at it for like a minute (seemed like forever) I started to say he was gonna blow it when it started to puke and belched out steam. Instead of shutting down he throttles up untill we heard the unmistakable sound of rod coming through the case. everyone was just looking around in disbelief untill he started trying to restart it. we laughed all day. If it was you -sorry for laughin.

Silver Hilton, I'm talking about intertidal boat launches mostly, where the jet sled powered on at high tide for sure tears the ramp up at low tide elevations. But I'm not just blaming jet sledders, plenty of prop boaters also feel the need to power the boat onto their trailer, with similar results. At Hoodsport during shrimp season I watched a nitwit in an Arima try to load his boat about 10 times this way before he got it on straight enough and far enough to suit him, and it dug such a big hole at the end of the ramp that it was impossible for anyone to use that side of the ramp the rest of the day. I also followed a huge black V8 jet sled in at Cathlamet and watched him dig a hole right into the concrete ramp (which was already posted no power loading) that went right through into the re-enforcing mesh and left a hole over a foot deep in the middle of the ramp. I was so stunned that I didn't even think to get his boat number and turn him into the marina before he was gone. I'm sure many others have seen similar things. Jet or prop, power loading ruins ramps and increases boat launch fees. Please use your winch or get an electric one if you can't muster the energy to crank it <img border="0" alt="[fragile]" title="" src="graemlins/fragile.gif" />

Spawnout, it sounds like we agree 100%. It's pretty easy to tell which ramps might be affected this way, and then to mark them. A stiff fine for offenders under those conditions is perfectly appropriate.

I also think a lot of guys don't realize that they can burp the boat up onto the trailer and then kill the throttle to minimise impact on what's around you.