Proper side of a dock to launch from???

[Peckhead]

[QUOTE=Custom Eyes;6454286]At a launch with a single dock where you can tie up on either side, is there a perceived correct side to launch from and a correct side to load from? Had some guy lose his stuff over a situation yesterday. Nobody at the launch coming in or going out. No in or out lanes marked. I chose the left side (when looking at the water from land, right if you were coming in from the water) because it's easier to see backing in. Staged in the prep area for that lane, and just as I'm backing in, here comes some guy from off Lake Huron into the harbor, blasting his horn and screaming something. Thought he was in distress at first, so I stopped to see what the deal was. Nope, totally losing his cool because I was on his right side of the dock backing in. Proceeds to accelerate and came into the dock pretty hot, speed and temper-wise. I just shook my head and started to switch my dock ropes to the other side. Guy jumps off his boat and starts to berate me that the right side of the dock is for loading only, and that I should have seen that his dock ropes were tied off on his boat to tie up on that side. Forget the fact that I was already in my truck, getting ready to back in when he entered the harbor, and that he could easily see that I was already staged in that lane, backing in, obviously with my dock ropes set to tie up on that side. Anyone else have an unwritten or unmarked rule that one side of the dock is for launching and the other for loading? I've never heard of one. Even at marked ramps, I've seen the lanes go both ways. Left for launching sometimes, others the right side for launching.[/Q

[Peckhead]

Sounds like the guy needs an attitude adjustment. I load and unload on the windward side if possible. I don't trust my Ultera remote enough to do what the cool guys do!

Last week everyone was coming in before a storm. I was alone in my boat so I waited 40 minutes for the folks that had two or more people and could drop a guy off to get the trailer and they obviously motored back out until their trailer was backed in. I needed to tie up and go get my rig. I did so but some jack comes tearing into the side of the dock I was on even when the other was free and starts yelling I need to move my boat. Now it is blowing rain sideways and and they arrived well after I had started into tie up. I told him to calm down, it will be fine...just back out and wait a bit or go to the other side. Nope he wants to fight! I just ignored him and went for my rig and he sat there blocking the ramp. About six other boats arrived and wondered what he was doing. He finally pulled out and got back in line.

[Custom Eyes]

Originally Posted by egladding

Never heard of such a thing unless the lanes are specifically marked. This person obviously was ticked because he had his ropes setup for that spot. If he wanted to utilize that lane then he could have waited for a few minutes until you launched. I have actually done that since I had all my ropes and bumpers set up that way.

That's exactly what his problem was. Yelling at me because he said I should have seen his dock ropes tied off on that side when he wasn't even in the harbor yet. He came in from the lake with them already tied on that side.

I do the same also most of the time at that and other ramps. I like to tie up on the port side, so if there's someone in that slot already and I'm in no hurry, I just float out there and wait my turn, straightening up the boat, checking messages, or whatever. If I'm in a hurry, I tie off on the other side. Takes a whopping less than a minute to switch dock ropes. lol

[S.Larson]

Originally Posted by Dacotah Eye

I always run my bilge pump before leaving the launch basin just to make sure the bilge is dry. The pump wouldn't quit pumping water one morning so I had my wife back the trailer down the ramp and loaded the boat. We pulled it into the parking lot and let it drain out the bilge drain while the bilge pump kept pumping. It seems my wife put the plug in the live well drain instead of the bilge drain. I guess we're both getting a bit older and I usually don't need to check on her.

Get a Bail-R-Matic,.....Shouldn't ever have to worry about that again,...

[Anonymouse]

Hmmmmm, just seems natural to load and unload on the side closest to the steering wheel and controls - typically your boat's starboard and/or the right side of the dock, looking at the water.
Then again, using mirrors has never been an issue, though it's understandable that some don't entirely trust them.

Why is it that in America we sit on the left-hand side and drive on the right side of the road, but we drive boats from the right-hand side?