Underwater Lightning

[BC Lightning]

be careful when launching you boat this summer

http://www.nloc.net/vbforum/gen-2-lightnings/171354-underwater-recovery.html

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y7/MichaelBic38/IMG_6004.jpg

[wesman]

Looks like his boat launched him....dumbass:hammer:

--wes

[L8 APEX]

Something just isn't right with that picture. Once it hit the water it would have gone very slowly.The trailer may have even stopped in the mud at the end of the ramp. Hard to believe the ramp had slime on it this time of year. They usually don't get slick until the water heats up. Hard to understand looking at it.

[BC Lightning]

Launched truck at Black Point yesterday , put it in park and got out of truck to tie boat to the dock and truck lost all traction, probably a total loss !!!
Will insurance company let me part truck out ??


Parking prake was on and boat was off the trailer , I went to tie it to the dock , the damm truck weighs more then the boat, 16ft. checkmate with 200 Merc. outboard


Had Toyo Proxies all way around !! Low tide did not help , either !! and tires were in good shape !! The county people said one car/truck a week goes in the water , last month a excursion went in with 2 kids in the back with their seatbelts on !!! Kids were pulled from car when someone cut the seat belts !!!


Saw the adjuster today !!!!!!!!!!
TOTALED !!! Once water reached the dashboard the adjuster said :no:they would total her !!!:(:(:(

:eek2:

[L8 APEX]

I have never launched in the brackish waters. Maybe Fred knows of this phenom since he is by way of the Florida seas.
A car a week sounds a little suspect. I have seen a few go in to the beds or doors but never all the way. Someone always is there to jump in, yell to you, run over from the dock or jump out of the boat etc..

[my2002lightning]

I feel bad for the L and owner, no matter the cause. :o

[tiffo60]

Something just isn't right with that picture. Once it hit the water it would have gone very slowly.The trailer may have even stopped in the mud at the end of the ramp. Hard to believe the ramp had slime on it this time of year. They usually don't get slick until the water heats up. Hard to understand looking at it.

could have had a very long boat ramp, most boat ramps get extended every time the lake gets low, so if thats the case here and the lake was full the ramp could have went a good ways into the water

[Silver_2000]

I launched at quite a few ramps with my lightning and had good results - the wide tires did well on the fresh water ramps. But then I was exceedingly careful ...

[SILVER2000SVT]

I've been boating all my life. My number 1 rule is to never go out alone. I always have someone to stay in the truck while I launch the boat. Even if I drive to the lake by myself I alway wait for the friends or family I'm meeting before launching the boat. Depending on their skill level I will sometimes let them park the truck and trailer or if it's my wife I just have her wait until I come back to the truck.

[GoldLS1]

I've personally seen two vehicles "drowning" (a jeep and a dodge p/u). Both were the mistakes of the operator. I also saw a near drowning when a 2wd ford p/u couldn't pull its bigass boat back up the ramp. Ended up hooking a 4x4 dodge to the ford and pulling them both up!! True story, don't hate me for stating the truth!! However the fords brakes were still enough to hold the boat and truck from going out to water while they were figuring out how to fix the situation.

I've launched many boats and seadoos in my short life, I just dont see how it couldn't have been operator error. Even in really thick moss on steap boat ramps all my vehicles have held. Hell I docked one boat where the water was almost up to the top of the front tire w/ no problem!! Lakes were really low and rivers had the steapest damn boat ramps you've ever seen, no problems here. Maybe he was just unluckly that day... I dunno.

[GoldLS1]

I've been boating all my life. My number 1 rule is to never go out alone. I always have someone to stay in the truck while I launch the boat. Even if I drive to the lake by myself I alway wait for the friends or family I'm meeting before launching the boat. Depending on their skill level I will sometimes let them park the truck and trailer or if it's my wife I just have her wait until I come back to the truck.

I have a good one if your all alone. I dont reccomend doing it with a big boat... but with a seadoo or small boat get everything unhook right off the edge of the water. Back up REEEAAAAAAAL fast, nail the brakes, shift to D and GAS IT!! The seadoo/boat will fly off and float a few yards offshore until you can park your truck and run down to get it!! Kinda redneck I guess?? BUT IT WORKS!! And people will look at you like what the **** did you just do!?!?! Specially them old folks!!

[tiffo60]

usually once your parked your good, which is whats confusing me. Im guessing either he didnt have it far enough in the water when he started backing the boat and it tugged on the trailer some or he forgot to unhook the boat all together and just pulled the whole rig in when he started backing the boat up, im sure were are not getting the whole story

[dboat]

Maybe another reason not to run Toyo's... they just dont have the traction that the F1's and Nitto's do.. cant speak to the Hankook's

[Silver_2000]

I guy posted that his office overlooks the ramp and he sees it happen all the time

If it was happening that often I would find another ramp

But it would also be wise for the ramp owner to make modifications to stop the carnage

[tiffo60]

Maybe another reason not to run Toyo's... they just dont have the traction that the F1's and Nitto's do.. cant speak to the Hankook's

toyos wasnt the problem, I launched my bassboat with my old lightning many times with out any issues and it had the toyos on it:cool:

[dboat]

toyos wasnt the problem, I launched my bassboat with my old lightning many times with out any issues and it had the toyos on it:cool:

ok, that is why I said maybe.. but if you had good luck, then thats good enough for me.

[dboat]

I guy posted that his office overlooks the ramp and he sees it happen all the time

If it was happening that often I would find another ramp

But it would also be wise for the ramp owner to make modifications to stop the carnage

Well, that just aint right.. :nono:

[Mark #2]

I have witnessed this 6 times that I can specifically recall.

I almost did it on the Brazos in a 2 wheel drive 1/2 ton Chevy, once the rear tires hit the slime you have no recovery path.

I bought the K5 the next week and then always launched in 4 wheel drive.

Many people get away with 2 wheel drive on boat ramps their entire lives, I decided it wasn't a good idea.

[FRDRCING]

That sucks. Hope the city shuts down that ramp and get it fixed before someone else has that happen to them.

[Moonshine]

I've seen it happen once. My college roommates 1 ton SRW Chevy. Same as Mark said. With the rear tires in the slime, and the truck unoccupied it just slid right down the ramp. Sunk his to the roofline. And there were stories about others having the same issues at that ramp.

[PUMP]

Check out this one. Must be more common than one would imagine.
http://www.dubspeedracing.com/forums/showthread.php?t=9750

[PUMP]

snip ...
I almost did it on the Brazos in a 2 wheel drive 1/2 ton Chevy, once the rear tires hit the slime you have no recovery path. ... snip


I always thought that's why we had a boat anchor.:rll::rll::rll:

[Mark #2]

Check out this one. Must be more common than one would imagine.
http://www.dubspeedracing.com/forums/showthread.php?t=9750

This is very very easy to do with 2 wheel drive truck, hit the slime and you are done.

The only reason mine didn't do the same thing is that we saw it and threw the firewood we had under the front wheels.

Then we pulled it up the ramp with a 4x4.

[Ohmsby]

I have launched as many boats as her queens navy and like any other activity a little common sense will save you from looking like an asshat

[L8 APEX]

The slickest ramp I ever used was North Lake in Irving/Coppell. The power plant kept it warm/hot year round and they had a ton of hydrilla in there. I am amazed I never split my wig or sliced a leg open. I have seen a few guys cut badly at Lewisville slipping against their trailers. I always use two folks and 4wd. Sometimes it is fun to see the minivan one wheeling trying to retrieve a boat. :D Some folks have no sense it takes them 20 minutes to back down the ramp. Or the ones that don't use the worn tracks and get off in the slimy new stuff. In the dry months the ones that drop the trailer off the end of the ramp then use all their might to bend it up instead of lift the trailer up...:rolleyes:

[PUMP]

The slope of the ramp probably has the most impact. I launched a 22-foot Wellcraft cuddy cabin (around 3500-pounds) 20 imes a year for 8 years at Lowes Highport on Texoma using an Explorer with posi-traction and never had a problem. That ramp has a relatively gentle slope.