Went to Aquilla to catch bait Friday evening and backed down the ramp hit my brakes as usually to let boat slip off trailer a little, ( using slack from wench strap) SNAP!!! Strap broke, boat slides off trailer and is drifting off. I start to swim out and notice a couple of guys getting ready to launch. I pull up and they offer to take me out to my boat. Of coarse they are fellow TFF ers and made me promise to post this.

DOH!!!!!!!!!!!! Now i don't feel so bad for all the times I've launched mine without the plug in it, or even better when I put the plug in the livewell drain opening.

Bob

I know the feeling well! I had to swim to get mine 2 weeks ago. That Lake Austin water is cold.

Well it is good you got it back without swimming. I hope that you would have worn a life vest if you had gone swimming after it.

According to the Sixoldgeezer site a man drowned this past weekend at Texoma swimming after his boat that was adrift.

Back in the 90s my dad came down to go fishing with his son the professional fishing guide on PK.I backed the boat down south dd ramp and away it went with the wind blowing the oppisite direction. Its march.I strip down to my underwear and In I go with my dad laughing his butt off.

Then theres the time I got both anchor ropes in the prop.... The list goes on. Its great that you can laugh about your screw ups.

Lets here about the fish.

Being that you are a High Tech Redneck and the strap on the front of your boat is not Hightech it must be the straps fault!!

Now that is funny.

I was so tired Sunday I crawed in the boat -- Joann finished backing me down the ramp I heard a funny noise just before I started the engine. I turned around and the bilge pump was running = forgot to put the plug in...that's ok as the boat was still on the trailer.

Redneck,

It is a nice soothing picture of the boat .

Have it enlarged at Walmart (those little machines in front of the development center) with the caption.

"WISH I was HERE"

Personally I have tried to launch, moving further back to get the boat off the trailer, but I forgot to remove the rear straps. Floated the trailer right off the ramp, and I had to get out..wade and push the rig back on the ramp. Then 'run' back to the truck and pull it up and remove the straps.

My wife was not very encouraging. If she is around, she has to back to boat down the ramp. I am afraid to have her in the boat, because she would probably do a better job at it than me. The next thing you know, she will take the boat out without me.

The Axman will probably say just blame it on the "stupid" strap...


this is funny, not at the time, but now it is....right??

Think it's enough to justify one of those remote electric troll motors that at the push of a button it puts itself in the water and with the push of another button it turns on and propels itself back to you?

Man, having one of those...I'd purposely let it drift out off the trailer just so I could show off that remote troll motor. Be my luck the remote battery would be run down and I wouldn't have another with me...

Nice picture, Randy...gotta say something good about this, ya know....

Redfin, that would be a scary toy to play with.
I lost a boat while duck hunting once. Swimming in December (35deg mind you)is not fun.

Done it. One very cool early Spring morning, I unhooked my winch strap and backed my boat in the water and tapped the brakes to slip the boat back on the trailer just a bit as I had done many times before. However, this morning I had backed a little too far and the boat floated off out to sea. I almost jumped in to swim to it before I came to my senses and realized that the water was so cold I would probably die of the cold before I got to it. I was the only one at the boat ramp and trying to figure what to do. Luckily someone drove up about 15 minutes later. Being such nice people as most fishermen are, they gave me a ride to it and all was well. I now have a safety rope tied on the winch mount and hooked on the front horn cleat. I remove the rope when I climb in the boat.

Well im guilty to. Brother backed me down the ramp, asked me if i had the plug in, told him im sure i did. Sitting there waiting on my keys to come back , noticed tackle box floating up passed my ankles. I had put the plug in the wrong hole, DUH.

Snapped my winch strap in January 2004. Sure was a nice cold, clear morning and nobody else on Texoma. Kinda of funny. I had just finished telling myself that I got to take it easy shooting my boat off the trailer when I glanced in the mirror and got a sick feeling to see my boat heading towards the opposite shore, several miles away.
Hopped out of the truck and headed after the boat. As the water went over my boots I grabbed my wallet and phone and chucked them up on the shore. Grabbed the bow eye as the water approached my chest but the Red Fins momentum soon pulled me into water over my head(steep ramp). I made my way to the rear of the boat and safety as I had installed a ladder back there several summers ago and had tested it.
NOT!!!Kinda forgot how heavy wet water-logged 2XL sweaters, jeans, bibs, sweatshirts and knee high boots can get.
A bit nervous at the end and was back in dry clothes a little over a hour later.
I DO launch a little gentler now.