SLIPWAY ETIQUETTE Draft ...

[SPR]

This is the Slipway Etiquette Guide i did last year...again comments, as i said in other post this served the purpose i intended!

S.


SLIPWAY ETIQUETTE

Remember the Slipway is not your personal Slipway and that other users do use it. The following will stop any conflicts or potential damage to your boat or 3rd party’s boat.

LAUNCHING:

1) Park away from slip, and prepare boat for launching, this gives your wheel bearings time to cool down as well as giving you time to load boat up, remove trailer board, remove most of the straps, leave one on bow, don’t not rely on Trailer Winch by itself. Insert Drain Plug!
2) Pay Harbour Master for Launch, use machine for parking, if you don’t have season tickets*
3) When Slip is clear/your turn, reverse boat down and launch, this should be at least a two person operation, one for car and another to drive boat to Harbour IMMEDIATE after Launch. Depending on your vehicle you might want to use ropes to lower boat down slip.
4) Park Trailer in designated Area this is usually at the grass at top of slipway, or where Harbour Master tells you.

THE HARBOUR BAY IS A NO WAKE ZONE (Lowest speed you can go without losing the ability of steering)

RECOVERY:

1) Drop of the car driver at Harbour to get trailer and Car. Wait few minutes then head to Slip.
2) Check to see if another craft is being launched or being recovered before coming into the slip. The Slip at Elie is very narrow with rocks at either side, and another craft coming in can cause serious problems. If in doubt stay out and wait offshore for few minutes to judge what is happening. Most Launch/Recoveries only take 5/10 minutes at most if done correctly.
3) Once slip is clear, your driver will place your trailer in water ready for recovery, once on trailer, secure it with at least one over method other than winch strap and tow to quiet place to unload and secure fully, grease wheels and attach lights etc.

IF COMING INTO SLIP FOR ANY REASON, PLEASE FOLLOW POINT 2 ABOVE.

It is important that anytime on the slipway or slip access is to the minimum, this allows other users to use the slipway when you are doing other tasks that don’t require slip access.

[9D280]

Of interest, points L1 & R3 are "forced" upon you at Balloch (Loch Lomond) where they have 2 lanes for prep & recovery work so the slips are kept for exactly that - launch & recovery. I think on busy days the rangers "traffic manage" the feed & recovery queues.

Part of the reason I only use it in the depths of winter for engne testing!

[RRIBS]

As before, thank you.

[Jizm]

A nice little guide, if only all the slips I use had a handy harbour to use. We usually end up wading in to waist depth.........
and I'm a tall chap!

[wavelength]

yep all slips are different and some of that is obviously specific to a certain slip wherever that might be. However the bit about preparing the boat away from the slip so you dont block it for others is something that most of us do automatically but is a courtesy some self centered ******** seem quite unable to grasp! rant over

[Jizm]

Originally Posted by wavelength

yep all slips are different and some of that is obviously specific to a certain slip wherever that might be. However the bit about preparing the boat away from the slip so you dont block it for others is something that most of us do automatically but is a courtesy some self centered ******** seem quite unable to grasp! rant over

You're not wrong, lost count of the times we've had to wait while some numpty attempts repairs on the slip....

[Jizm]

Maybe an idea to post this on the jetski forum...

[Nos4r2]

Originally Posted by Jizm

Maybe an idea to post this on the jetski forum...

Can jetskiers read?

[Jizm]

Originally Posted by Nos4r2

Can jetskiers read?

not when it matters......

[SPR]

Originally Posted by Jizm

Maybe an idea to post this on the jetski forum...

feel free it was a jetski that inspired me to write this, since he decided to come into slip as I was launching...