Launching Boat at Iced in Ramp

[Surprise]

It appears that this cold snap may bring some freezing at the launch. Many of us have faced this for years.
Here is a process that can be easy and successful without damage to Taillights, license plate, trailer fenders, transducers or motor.





Put someone aboard the boat, with motor raised back down over the ice. Leave your boat hooked to trailer. With a shovel or long handle tool break a path for the trailer gear. Continue to break this path for the transducers and motor.

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When there is sufficient depth, lower and start the motor. After it has warmed and the pee hole has thawed put into forward gear. The turbulence of the water will cause the ice to start moving up and down with enough motion to cause it to start cracking and pushing back and away from the boat. Do this at low RPMs at first as ice can get sucked back into your prop. Increase RPS as the clear area gets larger. Back the boat in more and turn the motor back and forth to make a larger clear area.




Bring boat back up on the ramp allowing trailer to drain in the lake so that you don't ice the ramp. Unhook the boat and launch,
If successful you should then have a area to turn the boat around and go out bow first.








Here was Tucker getting out.






Have fun, Stay Safe,

[Gecha (Gerry)]

Thanks Randy.
This info can save from breaking parts of trailer or boat trying to break the ice.

[Reelax]

Its funny, I think I may have been the guy at the wheel when Tucker was holding up his arms because we finally broke it open.... What a memory.. Thanks for sharing Randy..

Boy Tucker was sure hard core, I hated that top!

[TUnamas]

"That top"??! I recall Randy putting pictures of us up when I was fishing with Sea Ark several years ago. No top, open console, and from the pictures we were closer to the water than it seemed from on deck. Sea Ark is a great boat, very safe, but not warm! Any top is better than none. There are a few captains I'd want to explore true FrostBite conditions with. You are one. Sea Ark is another!

[Detritus]

"That top"??! I recall Randy putting pictures of us up when I was fishing with Sea Ark several years ago. No top, open console, and from the pictures we were closer to the water than it seemed from on deck. Sea Ark is a great boat, very safe, but not warm! Any top is better than none. There are a few captains I'd want to explore true FrostBite conditions with. You are one. Sea Ark is another!

Is Sea Ark a person, and does he live in Charlotte?

[TUnamas]

Jack - Sea Ark is Chris Davis. He does. He isn't active on this board, but he runs a tight, safe ship (retired Fire Chief) and he's a great angler with many days on the lake. He's a great friend, and fishing partner (though we can't get as many days together as we'd like). He's also a good fly angler.

[Detritus]

Jack - Sea Ark is Chris Davis. He does. He isn't active on this board, but he runs a tight, safe ship (retired Fire Chief) and he's a great angler with many days on the lake. He's a great friend, and fishing partner (though we can't get as many days together as we'd like). He's also a good fly angler.

I thought that's who you were talking about. I know him pretty well. He's been my boss for the past 17 years, haha.

I haven't seen him post on here, but, like a lot of other guys, He reads the fishing reports quite often. I will admit him and I get sidetracked from the task at hand occaisionally talking about fishing.

He's got a really cool boat. The hull of that thing is going to outlast all of us. He was out there with the fleet a few weeks ago.

So the question now is, who are you? I'm sure I've heard about you through him, as I've heard about a lot of his fishing buddies.

[TUnamas]

Chris is a good angler. His boat is shallow, but totally safe! "Who am I?" I live in Charlotte, I've been a member here forever and have made some great friends. Try this, if you don't wander from Reports it was previously posted in General: http://www.lakechamplainunited.com/foru ... um.php?f=3
Let's share a day or two on the water!

[digitroll (ron)]

Looking at the 10 day forecast getting cold again next week with a number of days in the single numbers and highs in the teens during the day. Maybe mid March? Last year our first launch was March 22nd. Not far away in the grand scheme of things! February normally flies by! Were having a very average February for temps and snow not as mild as first predicted. Glad to have gotten out 2 days (1/14 and 1/15) after a month off the water thinking our season was done. Maybe another chance in a few weeks?

[Detritus]

Chris is a good angler. His boat is shallow, but totally safe! "Who am I?" I live in Charlotte, I've been a member here forever and have made some great friends. Try this, if you don't wander from Reports it was previously posted in General: http://www.lakechamplainunited.com/foru ... um.php?f=3
Let's share a day or two on the water!

Absolutely.

I heard about your boat today from Sea Ark haha. Did you ever see the fly rod he made? That was some cool stuff. You also know my sister's husband pretty well I'm sure. I know Thorny knows him.

We might give it a go Sunday if Liam or Brody wants to go, and the wind doesn't kick up.

[TUnamas]

Jack - I'm putting the pieces together. Chris and Ray are good friends. Good luck Sunday! If you are running and need an extra deck hand, please call!

[Detritus]

Jack - I'm putting the pieces together. Chris and Ray are good friends. Good luck Sunday! If you are running and need an extra deck hand, please call!

Definately both good guys.

I will, when this Covid thing calms down. We have to be extra careful at our house, not so much because of risking our own family's exposure, but minimizing the risk of exposing other people. My wife and I have 4 boys and 2 girls, ranging in age from 14 down to 6. Each kid is in a different grade, in two different school buildings. So, with all of the different people that my kids have indoor contact with at school, we pretty much keep to ourselves outside of school and work for now, in case one of these little runts brings something home from school. All of them do a great job of being safe about it. We've had some distant family, and other people we know die from it already, so they're all taking it plenty seriously.

But, we're always on 68 to talk to everybody out there, 3 seasons of the year. Kind of busy out there in the summer to be broadcasting too much specific information on the bite.

Nice to meet you on here, look foreward to meeting you, and all of the other guys in person at some point in the future. I can tell you one thing, if you guys ever do the DYP derby, or the frostbite derby again, it will be our first one, and it's going to be a lot of fun for us. Knowing so many of the guys online for so long will make the in person meeting that much more fun. Liam has already been asking about doing the DYP derby "someday".

Plus, with this past year of about a hundred fishing trips that we did because of Covid, we've gotten good enough to sort of be able to hang with some of the fishermen on here.

[TUnamas]

Jack- Understood with Covid issues. My wife Chairs the School Board, so even though our own kids are grown and gone, we remain sensitive to exposures. I applaud you for getting your kids involved in the local fleet. We'll connect. Stay well.