Almost lost it at the launch ramp at Cattail Cove SP on Lake Havasu

[Robert92867]

I've been launching my boat with my 32' Motorhome for 21 years.  Never an issue until 2 days ago.  The ramp in question dropped off to about a 30 degree angle just 2' from waters edge.  Once my wife drove the boat off the trailer I put it in drive, gave it some gas, and released the parking brake when the torque built up.  To my horror the wheels started spinning and the RV slid back 3' or more.  After  a couple seconds of terror, the spinning wheels ground the algae off the slick ramp and slowly the RV crawled back up onto dry ground.  I was so shook up, I retrieved the boat (not letting the RV tires get wet). Parked in my campsite and poured a couple of stiff drinks.  I never put my boat back in the water that weekend.

[Tom Cherry]

Been there....not quite as spooky....but having to engage 4WD drive to get back up the ramp.  OK....going down and coming out, but sometimes if you go too far when bringing boat back in....your tires get in the "Muck".  I will also relate the most comical boat retrieval of almost 30 years of boating in NC. We have a lake near us that has a a set of ramps at the far, northern end of it.  Those ramps are frequented by individuals that are faculty, staff  or affiliated with a large liberal arts university.  We were up there once as our son and his friends were in a boarding HS nearby and we took them out on the lake for skiing.

When I was getting the boat back in, I heard a commotion in the adjoining ramp.  An individual was attempting to get a large sailboat onto the trailer.  The trailer was attached to a Jeep Grand Cherokee....probably had the small V8.  The individual yelled at his wife, the driver, to hit it.  She did and it spun mud and muck and water all over him.  BUT IT DIDN'T move.  Then they got into a heated discussion as to the issue and the corrective action needed to extricate the boat and trailer from the water.

He yelled at her, after getting somewhat "wet and muddy" to hit it again....but he didn't move.  He then tried to push the Jeep and that was to no avail.  Then he yelled...."Put it in 4 WD".  She said "HOW? and uttered some disparaging words".  His astute instructions were to "Push that 4WD thingie on the dash".  That was a direct quote.  She replied "Where is it? What does it look like?".  He retorted...."I don't know....the blankety blank salesman showed both of us....look on the dash and find it and get the blankety blank truck up the ramp...."  The further exchanges got more heated and profane and the situation deteriorated.

THEN he said.  "STOP....do NOT do anything else"  My urge to be a Good Samaritan and get involved and show the poor female where the 4WD button on the dash or else on the selector was was quickly squelched as I KNEW, being a grad of a rival Institution and getting my Engineering degree....and THEN after looking at the bumper stickers and their affiliation with certain groups that we would not be compatible....  LOL. I watched and my DW was now chuckling....

SO, the next move the gentleman made was to bang on the hull of the sail boat and yell...."EVERYBODY OUT....RIGHT NOW...."  Then approximately 6 - 8 teenagers, mostly male, but at least one two females popped up and jumped over the side.  He put several behind the boat and two (he smiled annoyingly) behind the wheels and then positioned himself behind the dual axle trailer and told his companion to HIT IT NOW....

She did and then there was an unbelievable amount of wheels spinning and mud (sand and clay) and algae and such emitted from the rear wheels....but it gained traction as the teenagers pushed and then it finally left under its own power.

I resolved NEVER, EVER again to use that particular set of ramps... and never came back....  

[DavidL]

I haven't towed my boat with an RV yet, but have considered it and thought about the ramp....

Came to the conclusion that it was probably better to get aligned with someone with a 4wd SUV to assist with the drop.

Well, maybe when RVs get electric they will have 6 wheel drive and we can consider them as a boat ramp vehicle.

 

Tom's story is about poor prep from the husband and wife....you never "hit it" because that's instant loss of traction.  Roll up to the exact point of spin is max traction.

And the vehicle should already have been in 4wd before they reversed down the ramp.

Most guys I know don't know how to put their vehicle into 4wd either.  Most SUVs live their lives in AWD (which is not 4wd).  Driving home from Spring break we ran into a wall of rain water with near zero visibility.  I was so intent on trying to find the road ahead and not run into the vehicle ahead that locked up their brakes that my wife had to figure out how to turn the hazard lights...not my daily driver so wasn't familiar where GM hid that switch...

[Dr4Film]

Lots of "humorous" videos on YouTube of people attempting to either launch or retrieve watercraft at boat ramps. When owning my boat, I was never in any questionable situation as at that time I owned a 4WD Jeep and ALWAYS had it locked in.

Never owned a boat while owning my RV's and would NEVER think about using my RV on a boat ramp.

Some people even have trouble keeping their RV on their site!

Edited April 15, 2023 by Dr4Film

[cbr046]

28 minutes ago, Dr4Film said:

Lots of "humorous" videos on YouTube of people attempting to either launch or retrieve watercraft at boat ramps. When owning my boat, I was never is any questionable situation as at that time I owned a 4WD Jeep and ALWAYS had it locked in.

Never owned a boat while owning my RV's and would NEVER think about using my RV on a boat ramp.

Some people even have trouble keeping their RV on their site!

I doubt a dog did this one, but "The dog did it!" is not something you want to hear.  Previous owner put a 2" plumbing cap over the air brake control for just that reason.  Our dogs were small but figured a good idea and practice. 

- bob

 

[JDCrow]

Uggg, super sorry! Been the that ramp many times. Site 6 on the island is even worse. 
 

I’ll be in Havasu Monday! Looking forward to the heat. 
 

Did you fish? 

[Rich Cutler]

Dog did do it.  Just closed on our used RV at LazyDays in FL and went for dinner.  Came back and the dog ran the generator into the drivers fender of the toad. No damage to the slide but a nick, and a dent in the fender.   I immediately put a plumbers cap on the brake and disconnected the generator slide from the inside of the coach.  Dog was only 20lb but enough to operate switches on both sides.  Now have covers for both and slide still disconnected.

[Tom Cherry]

Not knowing how you mounted of just popped on a cap, perhaps  a more fool proof solution for the parking brake is a short lengthy, maybe 3/4” long piece of 1/2” CPVC or PVC or PVC conduit.  You cut out a slot in the sidewall, maybe 3/16 - 1/4”.  That will slip under the release button, at least on mine….and your button may be different.  I just experimented with the lengthe and knocked it down with a grinder or file.  It is a nice “semi friction” fit under the button and small so you can easily store it.  Some have made wedges.  The insert or safety lockout under the switch if robust and foolproof….

[Dr4Film]

When we had the Windsor and our Golden Retriever, Cody, I always used a snack chip clothes-pin type clip to place under the Park Brake. I did that after we came back to the coach after having lunch one afternoon and found the generator slide part way out and Cody laying in the driver's seat.

[Rocketman3]

There is an easier solution for the dog taking off the park brake…

Just have enough air leaks that the air pressure drops to where the brake automatically engages (so it can’t dis-engage).😆

[Ivan K]

I think similar to what Tom described, I've been using this 2 piece contraption and we had a 120lbs sheppard. The white piece snaps over the stem and lock nut and the gray snaps over it and doubles to prevent the mushroom from being pushed down. Of course there are commercial locks also as theft deterrent for $$.

[waterskier_1]

For the first 35 years of motor home ownership, I used it primarily to tow my ski boat to lakes to waterski.  Between Memorial Day Weekend and Labor Day Weekend, I was at the lake from Friday afternoon to Sunday evening.  I launched with my motorhome.  When I had smaller ski boats (less than 8.5 feet wide) I had to put "bike flags" on the trailer to see it through the rear window.  Oh, those motorhomes were all gassers with rear windows.  I would loose view of the empty trailer upon retrieval until I saw it in one of the side view mirrors.  Then it was too late to correct without pulling forward.  The "bike flag" allowed me to see where the trailer was.  I never had any problems with loading and launching, but also had USCG training.  I knew my local boat ramp well, including with large lake level variations.  I would always "walk" the ramp at a new boat ramp to ensure it didn't drop off (very common with low lake levels - and the ramp just "ends".  Also, I've been to lake ramps where the ramp is flat...no appreciable slope.  It's funny to see vehicles 200 - 300 yards in the water and the water isn't touching the bottom of the boat on the trailer.  You had to learn to launch off the side of the ramp.  All this said, the main reason I didn't have much problem launching/retrieving was due to the gasser MH.  I always joked that you could easily tell the difference between the diesel pusher and a gasser because the gasser has the drive axle in the middle of the coach.  I literally had 8+ feet between the drive wheels and the rear of the coach.  I could have the ball mount 8 feet in the water, and the rear wheels were still on a dry (visible) ramp.  I have not tried towing or launching my boat with my diesel pushers, because most of my boating was at Lake Powell, UT, where we had a Houseboat, so no need for a coach and I used my diesel P/U Truck to tow and launch.  That said, a fellow friend in the Coast Guard routinely used his Navigator to tow and launch his 28-ft Cuddy Cabin all over the USA.  Of course, he always checked out the ramp before backing down.  You can learn a lot about the ramp by watching others launch and retrieve.

I do have a funny story too.  My Dad took his boat out one Friday afternoon to a local lake as part of his office picnic there.  All went fine, except he waited too long to retrieve the boat - normally not a problem with me or my brother along with him, but we weren't.  My little sister was in the back seat of the 1967 Ford Country Squire 10-Passenger Station Wagon (dual facing rear seats in the back).  At that time my Mom didn't know how to drive the boat, or back the car.  Dad backed the trailer down, went to the dock and got the boat, but couldn't see well enough in the dark to get the boat centered on the trailer.  He yelled through the open rear window for Mom to "turn on the back-up lights".  She asked how to do that.  He responded "put it in Reverse".  From the passenger seat, she reached over, and "put it in Reverse", throwing my Dad off the trailer tongue and out of the way.  She backed the car into the lake, from the passenger seat.  When Dad finally got to the car and stopped it, it was in so far that the headlights were under water.  The engine was still running.  Dad ran up the ramp looking for someone to help him.  The only person he found at 9:00 PM was a guy with a CJ Jeep.  He said he'd help Dad pull the car out.  When they got to the ramp, he looked at the car with the headlight shining through the water and asked Dad "Mr., do you have a trailer on behind that?"  Dad said he almost clocked the guy for asking such a stupid question (who would back a car down a ramp if they didn't have a trailer?).  Anyway, when I got home from a late college class and a couple beers around 11:00PM that night, I found Dad still up, past his bedtime, bailing water out of the footwell of the dual facing rear seats.  I looked to the sky and asked him "did it rain".  He said "NO".  I asked how the water got there, and he responded "Ask you d*** Mother" (Dad never cussed) so I new I better just shut up and go to bed.  We ended up changing all the fluids, (fuel, rear axle, transmission, engine) and it continued to serve us for many years.  Oh, Dad also insisted Mom learn to drive the boat - and tow it.  Fond memories of 50 years ago.

  -Rick N.

Currently in Tucson, AZ

[96 EVO]

37 minutes ago, Ivan K said:

I think similar to what Tom described, I've been using this 2 piece contraption and we had a 120lbs sheppard. The white piece snaps over the stem and lock nut and the gray snaps over it and doubles to prevent the mushroom from being pushed down. Of course there are commercial locks also as theft deterrent for $$.

I've found the large clothesline style clips used for holding a tablecloth to a picnic table, just the right height to fit under the brake switch.

[Rich Cutler]

Those home made devices for the brake sound great, especially for the brakes not on a level surface, such as the Windsor being level and easy to accept the end cap.  I found the PVC end cap easy to put on and off and it sits there.  Now a habit, even though the dog has passed, and only a few light weight cats remain tramping around.  We are using store bought tray, upside down, for the switches on the passenger side, and the few unpowered on the drivers, we ignore until we startup.

I'm enjoying the funny stories, although they are not so funny, like ours, when it happens.  It is funny to tell it now.  That scratch on the front still exists 17 years later to remind us of the event.  It was three toads ago, but still have that same used coach, which we did not expect to purchase on our visit to LazyDays.  It had 4000mi and 11months on from the original owner, and our trade of our 98' single slide HR Endeavor (which we also bought from LD used in 98) after discounting the Windsor, they gave us what we paid 8 years earlier on the HR.  

Forgot to mention, things moved fast in those days at LD.  We bought the Windsor the day it arrived as a trade and they sold our trade the day we transferred our materials from the HR to the Windsor.

[Bill R]

5 hours ago, Rocketman3 said:

Just have enough air leaks that the air pressure drops to where the brake automatically engages (so it can’t dis-engage)

I have a question about this, why not just do this anyway purposefully, regardless of air leaks.  Bleed down system where E Brake is engaged regardless of plunger position.  My Valid air leveling system is separate from the air tank system for the brakes, so it doesn't affect my air bags or leveling system.

[Bob Schmeckpeper]

8 hours ago, cbr046 said:

I doubt a dog did this one, but "The dog did it!" is not something you want to hear.  Previous owner put a 2" plumbing cap over the air brake control for just that reason.  Our dogs were small but figured a good idea and practice. 

- bob

 

I found that a clothes pin works. Pull the plunger up, clothes pin under the plunger on the shaft. 

[herbstark]

M

My buddy always towed his boat with a two wheel drive pickup.  I asked him if he ever had difficulties getting up a ramp without 4X4.  His comment was I do not need no stinking 4 wheel drive.  This is a picture of me pulling him and his boat out of a ramp with my 4X4 Grand Cherokee.

[throgmartin]

I nearly ended up with my coach in a deep ditch one time. I was at a gas station fueling and had just finished when a lady walked around the front of the coach saying " oh look at those gorgeous dogs ". She proceeded around to the drivers window just as I was reaching for the door handle to go inside. All of a sudden the door handle was not near my hand anymore and I realized the coach was heading towards the ditch. I ran and opened the door and launched myself across the drivers seat and pulled the emergency brake switch on all while the dogs were going bat-crap crazy. The lady apologized and I kindly told her " never approach a vehicle with German Shepherds in it. That is their domain and they WILL protect it ".

I had a dummy see my 2 GSD's and walk up to my pick up and went to reach his hand through the back window to pet my big boy ( 120 lb GSD ). King nearly nailed the guy. The guy actually got PO'ed at me and berated me for having a vicious dog in my car. I told him my dogs are not vicious, they just don't like dumb aZZes like you.

All of this leads me to one of my favorite sayings - " The more I know about people............. The more I love my dogs ". 🙂

[W7BE_Bob]

I saw an absolute beautiful sight of a cars headlighs illuminating a launch ramp at night. Only a minor problem with the lights below the water!

[TomV48]

On 4/15/2023 at 6:26 AM, cbr046 said:

I doubt a dog did this one, but "The dog did it!" is not something you want to hear.  Previous owner put a 2" plumbing cap over the air brake control for just that reason.  Our dogs were small but figured a good idea and practice. 

- bob

 

So I do not have a dog, but any time I park  for any protracted period of time I release  the air pressure.  But yet I still feel a lot better with this thing on my emergency brake knob. Helps avoid accidents and it's one more layer of theft deterrent.   https://www.globalindustrial.com/p/universal-fit-air-brake-truck-lock-single-knob-keyed-differently

Edited April 18, 2023 by TomV48

[Steven P]

And we can't forget this RV boat launching...

https://youtu.be/7H4v-z31oh0