Stateline Ramp this morning

[Marina Bum]

In Havasu you launch 3' from the next guy or you're wasting time. Everybody is doing the same. Get within 8'+ at Powell and people freak out.

I agree completely about efficency of launch and retrieve operations, the lakes around Phoenix were the same way back in the day as you describe Havasu. This ramp at Stateline now is narrow and things were better before the barricades clogged it up; It’s oddly spaced now.



I also feel like boats are getting bigger, there are a lot of direct drive boats with very high gunnel conditions, some 8 or 9 feet high on their trailer and it’s disconcerting to have someone three foot away from you when you can’t see over their boat. That makes me wonder if the driver even knows I’m there, it makes me nervous.

Then there are those with the obsession with protecting the finish of their boat at any length which to me is kind of a new development. Shrink wrapping you entire gunnel? Are you going to use your boat like this all week? Should you even have it out of your garage? With so many of these boats at Powell and with proclivities like this out on a tiny ramp with barricades it feels even smaller. These guys are obviously hyper sensitive and seem to demand a lot of room to protect their finish.



I try to muster a bit of empathy for others on the ramp. If you boat a lot and have been doing it all your life it’s easy to forget that about half the people there are scared and stressed out to one degree or another about launching and retrieving on a busy day or at any time.

 

[Rivergoer]

Having large gaps where there should be steel boiler plate is a big waste of concrete. Why pour a solid ramp capable of handling 7-8 lanes then limit it to 3?

 

[Marina Bum]

Well I started this thread as State Line Ramp This morning. Maybe I jinxed myself, pulling out my old fuel boat last evening one of my tires blew, welcome to Powell. I had to change it on the side of the ramp and one by one I was the last boat left. I’m thankful I had all the tools I carry in my truck, especially my headlamp and Lithium Ion half inch impact. So much faster and easier. Anyway here is what it looked like last night. It’s a three lane deal but there was not any line to speak of last evening.

 

[Rainbowbridge]

Well I started this thread as State Line Ramp This morning. Maybe I jinxed myself, pulling out my old fuel boat last evening one of my tires blew, welcome to Powell. I had to change it on the side of the ramp and one by one I was the last boat left. I’m thankful I had all the tools I carry in my truck, especially my headlamp and Lithium Ion half inch impact. So much faster and easier. Anyway here is what it looked like last night. It’s a three lane deal but there was not any line to speak of last evening.

View attachment 36294View attachment 36293

Your post so goes with: Boat Captains...regardless of size.....should either be multitaskers......or multi millionaires......



Question: Can you set torque values for the Li-Ion impact wrench to tighten? Or is it just for removing ?

 

[Rivergoer]

Pothole, sliced sidewall or just an old tire that was overdue?

 

[RichieW13]

Last Saturday (Jul 25) while I was waiting in the hour-plus long line to retrieve the boat, some guy just cruised down the ramp past all the people waiting in line and dipped his trailer in the water and pulled his boat out - cutting past everybody. So infuriating!

 

[Marina Bum]

Your post so goes with: Boat Captains...regardless of size.....should either be multitaskers......or multi millionaires......



Question: Can you set torque values for the Li-Ion impact wrench to tighten? Or is it just for removing ?

The tire was off the rim. It’s a tandom axel trailer and the knuckle connector tipped over so the U bolts for the shackles from springs to axels were dragging on the ramp. So there was no way to loosen the lugs with a star wrench, without the impact I’d been stuck. I torqued them sequentially and incrementally as tight as I dared with the impact going back. Before I haul it again I’ll take torque wrench to them. I think the heat had something to do with it, then the cold dip. And yeah Rivergoer it was a 5 year old tire that had been in the Page Sun. Oh my gosh is it hot and muggy at Powell right now. I was on the far end of the ramp towards rentals so it’s not known to have a pot hole but who knows!

Like the sigh says

 

[RichieW13]

I was on the far end of the ramp towards rentals so it’s not known to have a pot hole but who knows!

If you mean on this end (north) of the ramp, then yes there is a dropoff of about 2 feet about 10 feet into the water. I was pushing a Sea Doo onto the trailer and fell into it (twice ) last week.

 

[Marina Bum]

If you mean on this end (north) of the ramp, then yes there is a dropoff of about 2 feet about 10 feet into the water. I was pushing a Sea Doo onto the trailer and fell into it (twice ) last week.

View attachment 36299

No baracade, weird. Yes, exactly where I was. To make matters worse I had a guy park in front of my exit path to unload, him and grandpa parked two abreast, it was getting dark and they were obviously a multigenerational operation. I’ve been there, the guy was probably stressed to the max, you never know what reaction you would elicit if you asked WTH? (A bit of empathy I guess) I had to drop into four wheel drive and hit the gas to get out veering left. I did fell a pop as I came out and then a drag, upon inspection the sidewall is slashed.

 

[Marina Bum]

State Line Auxilary ramp this morning.
This is exactly where I was when my tire got eaten, grateful it didn’t damage my trailer. Hopefully repairs can be done by tomorrow or it’s going to be an interesting weekend with only two lanes launch from on the entire lake. Get out to launch early or late or you may be waiting a long time. Plus it’s been very hot and humid mid day, nasty hot. I’m glad to be back in rainy cool Flagstaff!

 

[Ryan]

Shrink wrapping you entire gunnel? Are you going to use your boat like this all week?

The idea of this is to give a barrier between your cover and your boat so that when trailering it eliminates scuffing from the cover. It’s very effective on long tows especially in areas where there is a lot of dirt/dust. I’ve never seen or head of someone who keeps it on when the boat isn’t being trailered.

I feel like taking pride in ownership, especially with the cost of new boats, is a positive thing.

 

[Marina Bum]

The idea of this is to give a barrier between your cover and your boat so that when trailering it eliminates scuffing from the cover. It’s very effective on long tows especially in areas where there is a lot of dirt/dust. I’ve never seen or head of someone who keeps it on when the boat isn’t being trailered.

I feel like taking pride in ownership, especially with the cost of new boats, is a positive thing.

My photo was taken in Wahweap marina. Enjoy the lake and treat your boat however you want to, no right or wrong way to enjoy lake Powell. It just looks like too much effort to me

 

[Ryan]

It just looks like too much effort to me

Ounce of prevention vs pound of cure. 5 minutes to wrap/unwrap around the rub rail to prevent an hour of buffing to get chafing out if you’re cover doesn’t fit well. Makes a lot of sense to me in the right situation but I also see a lot of boats at the lake I wouldn’t bother doing it with either. My guess is this is the former.

 

[Marina Bum]

And it looks like the poop show has begun today, plan to launch late or early tomorrow if you must. At this moment one lane of one ramp for launch and retrieve on all of LP.

 

[Trix]

And Ryan posted this morning’s announcement that ramp will be closed for about 4 hours Friday or Saturday for salvage operation. Will be following closely for our trip in two weeks.

 

[jeepsterryan]

No baracade, weird. Yes, exactly where I was. To make matters worse I had a guy park in front of my exit path to unload, him and grandpa parked two abreast, it was getting dark and they were obviously a multigenerational operation. I’ve been there, the guy was probably stressed to the max, you never know what reaction you would elicit if you asked WTH? (A bit of empathy I guess) I had to drop into four wheel drive and hit the gas to get out veering left. I did fell a pop as I came out and then a drag, upon inspection the sidewall is slashed.

that happened to me the last time the lake was low and we had to use state line. Tires must have come off of the steel plates and the sidewall caught a corner on the way out. I also had my impact, which the guy in front of me with the same exact issue was super happy to borrow from me

 

[T.kidd]

Last Saturday (Jul 25) while I was waiting in the hour-plus long line to retrieve the boat, some guy just cruised down the ramp past all the people waiting in line and dipped his trailer in the water and pulled his boat out - cutting past everybody. So infuriating!

takes all kinds to run a world, patience Grasshopper.

 

[Marina Bum]

that happened to me the last time the lake was low and we had to use state line. Tires must have come off of the steel plates and the sidewall caught a corner on the way out. I also had my impact, which the guy in front of me with the same exact issue was super happy to borrow from me

Love it, best $200 bucks ever spent even if I never use that cordless impact again. It saved my butt on the ramp in the dark.

Also I went to my tire guy of over 30 years, Alex at Tires to Go in Flagstaff who is a good mechanic and boater with Powell experience to buy a new tire.
When he heard my story he suggested a used trailer tire in good shape for fifty bucks out the door vs. one hundred fifty for a new quality tire if I was going to launch and retrieve yet this year; It might happen again he said. Good advice, love that guy! He’s retiring in September and moving away, he will be greatly missed.

My used tire launch ramp sacrifice, screw low water, I’m going up lake anyway, it’s still amazing!

 

[Jyboat]

Love it, best $200 bucks ever spent even if I never use that cordless impact again. It saved my butt on the ramp in the dark.

Also I went to my tire guy of over 30 years, Alex at Tires to Go in Flagstaff who is a good mechanic and boater with Powell experience to buy a new tire.
When he heard my story he suggested a used trailer tire in good shape for fifty bucks out the door vs. one hundred fifty for a new quality tire if I was going to launch and retrieve yet this year; It might happen again he said. Good advice, love that guy! He’s retiring in September and moving away, he will be greatly missed.

My used tire launch ramp sacrifice, screw low water, I’m going up lake anyway, it’s still amazing!

View attachment 36310

Over the years I've noticed a practice here in the west that is good for a citation back east. Powering forward on the ramp when retrieving the boat. On concrete , probably no big deal. But when on temp boiler plates beyond the edge of the concrete, contributes to washing out the substrate holding up the plates, then underwater "potholes" appear along with a repair bill. Just my observation.

 

[VikingRanch]

Over the years I've noticed a practice here in the west that is good for a citation back east. Powering forward on the ramp when retrieving the boat. On concrete , probably no big deal. But when on temp boiler plates beyond the edge of the concrete, contributes to washing out the substrate holding up the plates, then underwater "potholes" appear along with a repair bill. Just my observation.

My boat and my trailer on the ramp angle available will not pull out with the boat sitting on the trailer correctly, unless I power up the last foot. Tried for years to just float it on. If the ramp angle was shallower it would work.