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View Full Version : Safest spot for young kids while launching?



freddofrog
20-06-2007, 06:34 PM
Hi all

Where do you think is the safety spot for kids to be while launching (mine are 3.5 and 5yrs old)?

I normally put the kids in the boat (with lifejackets on) while launching. My rational is the only other places to keep them is in the car, the jetty or the carpark/general launching area.

Obviously carpark/general lauching area is out. The jetty is out as many are too narrow and they may fall in themselves or be nudged off by someone squeezing past. I used to keep them in the car but have stopped this as in the the last 6 months I have see 2 cars submerged to the roofline from launching/retreiving boats (one which my brother had to dive down and rescue - car that is, everyone out safely)

Your thoughts???
ff

juju
20-06-2007, 06:40 PM
I still reckon the safest place is in the car.....for a car to end up under water either it hasnt be parked on teh ramp correctly or the boat behind it is too big....carry a choc in the back when you get out to put the boat in put it behind the back wheel.......i would rather have the kids with me than in the boat...i came in one day as i guy had left the kids in the boat and it had drifted of the beach...the kids were real upset....

FNQCairns
20-06-2007, 06:40 PM
It's a hard case, suspect our quality police force would have something to say about children riding on a moving trailer. It's the best option though just protect yourself from the law before doing it, with a good stickybeak.

cheers fnq

Kleyny
20-06-2007, 06:52 PM
IMO on the bank.
Why? the other two options have consequences. (as stated above)

My kids are 5 & 6 i get them to stay on the bank about 5-10m from the ramp on the grass if there is any.

whilst I am getting the car they walk with me, then get out at the chosen spot whilst launching or retrieving.

If you are not happy with my option then you have to weigh up the other two.
get a fine for having the kids in a moving trailer OR
Possibly lose your kids due to park brake failure or driver error.

Not that hard really

neil

disorderly
20-06-2007, 06:53 PM
I reckon put them in the boat before launching for sure.
Then they are out of harms way.No chance of slipping over on the ramp or risking getting caught in between cars and boats being launched and retrieved

Scott

Brumby
20-06-2007, 07:47 PM
I reckon put them in the boat before launching for sure.
Then they are out of harms way.No chance of slipping over on the ramp or risking getting caught in between cars and boats being launched and retrieved

Scott

I'm with you on that one - my 6yo goes into the boat on the ramp immediately before I put it in the water. Sits down on the seat - that way I can keep an eye on him and he feels as though he's doing something important too. Might be a different call if my missus wasn't with us to look after him and the boat while I park, but we tend to go out as a family anyway.

breamexplorer
20-06-2007, 08:12 PM
Im with Honky Dory, my young bloke waits at the top of the ramp but to the side not on it, here he is in full view and being 7 he is responsible enough to stay there, You will be surprised how well behaved the kids are when you tell them if they move the fishing trip is over..

wheelerdog
20-06-2007, 08:25 PM
I reckon put them in the boat before launching for sure.
Then they are out of harms way.No chance of slipping over on the ramp or risking getting caught in between cars and boats being launched and retrieved

Scott

kids are taken from car and put in boat with me before final reverse in by wife, they sit on the rear bench while i move the boat off the ramp and don't move while my wife parks the car.

i have tried getting them down the ramp after parking car and the slippery conrete and sharp rocks make it far too dangerous.

seatime
20-06-2007, 08:41 PM
I prefer to have the kids standing off to the side of the ramp area where I can see them. Make it very clear to them they must stay clear of the ramp, ramp approaches and carpark. Ramps are dangerous places for kids for sure, so is the car and so is the boat. I drive on/off, the safest place for my bunch is out of the car or boat IMO. Seen boats come off trailers when reversing, and drift away when launching, and don't fancy leaving them in the car while beaching the boat. I look for a safe spot for them to wait until we're ready to leave in the boat, same when retrieving, kids out first to wait till the boat's on the trailer parked in the rigging area. They're 5, 8, 12 & 14, though it's near impossible to get the 14 yr old daughter to come fishing.
The worst ramp I've come across for pedestrians nearly getting run over is opposite the Grand Hotel, Labrador, family groups will stop in the middle of the ramp to look out over the Broadwater, one day?

PADDLES
21-06-2007, 10:32 AM
i leave our 2yo in the car. have never considered the car going backwards into the water though. i guess we're both there (me and wifey) when we chuck the boat in and hopefully we'd be able to get the little chumba wumba out in a hurry if we needed to.

Greg P
21-06-2007, 11:11 AM
Never in the car unattended - always either with me or their mother as close as safely possible. There is no way you will get your kids out of the car in time if they are strapped in seats and the car goes under - not worth the risk IMO

litenup
21-06-2007, 11:21 AM
All ideas have pro and cons. Depends on age of kids. My daughter left them (3 & 5 yo boys) in boat with her while hubby went to get trailer. Took eye off them for the old 2 seconds, found one hanging from bow rail and younger one on front deck, following his brother. Motor in gear, scarred mum, with husband watching from bank... My advice was kids in car with dad before this event, then mum can concentrate on manouvering boat. But of coarse they had to do it different, what would dad know. I still think at this age kids in car. This happened at Moreton Bay trailer boat club in Manly. Cheers Pete.

freddofrog
21-06-2007, 12:34 PM
I have at times left the kids on the adjacent beach though the idea of leaving young kids unattended near any water, if only for a few minutes, doesn't sit well with me.

Chris Ryan
21-06-2007, 01:38 PM
I put my 5yr old in the boat with my wife. I launch and park the car, then retrieve etc later on with them in it. My boat is a little bigger though and my bloke has been taught to sit still and wait since we had the boat. He knows if he steps out of line, he doesn't get to go out. I think it is all what as Parents we think is the best and safest for our children.

Argle
21-06-2007, 03:12 PM
Both mine are in the car until the boat is in the water. Both under 4 so telling them to stay put on the bank or the boat is not always going to work. I always make sure that the car is turned off and the transmission is in Park as well as the park brake on, so its not just the brake to be reliant on to hold the car and boat/trailer.

Cheers and Beers
Scott

pebble_monkey
21-06-2007, 04:31 PM
I have 4 y.o. twins that we take out nearly every weekend now. My prefered place is by my side, off to the side of the ramp. We go over to the side while Peter puts the boat in and I put the jackets on the kids. If Peter needs a hand with the boat then they definately stay in the car. I can not count the number of (fortunately not to serious) injuries i have seen at the ramps to kids left in the boat while launching by either taking the safety off to early or simply being on a slightly steeper ramp than normal and the boat comes flying off the trailer and kid go crashing over seats and gear in the boat. As for being on the ramp beside me while launching the boat, this is my very last option. The only reason i am on the ramp in the first place is if Peter needs a hand, and if this is the case, i can't possibly have my full attention on the kids (i'm good, but not that good) and if your kids are anything like mine (and my kids are pretty good) the one time they don't listen, is the time they really need to and some people putting their boats in at ramps are not very considerate at the best of times. The last thing i want or need is to be hanging on to the boat winch with kids at my side (maybe) while some jerk intent on getting his boat in, come hell or high water, comes tearing down the ramp. I guess it's a matter of what you trust more, your car holding in position on the ramp, or the countless other people trying to get their boats in and out of the water.

Gee i ramble don't I;D

Summing up IMO:
1. Off to the side of the ramp with me (upon saying that, last week my son not 2 inches from me, saw a crab, ran towards it, slipped on the side of the ramp, and landed face first in the mangrove/mud/water. ........ was kind of funny though:-X ..... well not to him)
2. In the car
3. In the boat (close call for me between 3 & 4 but i think the boat wins)
4. Beside me on the ramp (just too many things that can go wrong)

Good to hear other peoples thoughts though, if i read enough comments i may even rethink my order.

Petra

gone_fishing
21-06-2007, 05:16 PM
i agree with honky dory
but every situation requires a different idea depending on what the area is like
but which ever way you deside i believe that you

keep them in full view at all times

even adult passangers and stop if you lose site of one of them

clone trooper
21-06-2007, 07:11 PM
i agree with honky dory
but every situation requires a different idea depending on what the area is like
but which ever way you deside i believe that you

keep them in full view at all times

even adult passangers and stop if you lose site of one of them

well said
I work in the contruction industry and we are always using something perhaps all of might of heard of " risk assessment". because every situation is different and everyday is different. I also believe routine is important not just for the kids but for yourself ( launching and retreiving) . so just before we launch the kids have already got there life jackets on and I do a small risk assessment in my head. and a big one is " don't rush to get your boat in the water"
great thread like to hear more from other parental fishers.
chreers brad.

snave15
23-06-2007, 09:13 AM
In the boat with me while wife backs the trailer down the ramp & then releases the boat for me to back it off the trailer

freddofrog
21-08-2008, 08:35 AM
Reason why I don't have kids in the car while launching & retrieving.
http://hotbite.giqforums.com/forum_data/viewtopic.php?p=45440#45440
This just happened at one of our local ramps. No details as yet.

goldfish
21-08-2008, 09:13 AM
very good thread & hopefully makes a few mums & dads think a little. the amount of times i have had un supervised kids run behind the trailer while backing down the ramp horrifys me..
when our kids were little they waited on the bank/grass ect with thier mother/mate while i launched. and were never taken only by myself till ther were old enough (7 or 8 i guess) to sit & stay in the boat as i launched. now my boy 13 he gets in then i reverse down launch tie off , he then starts the boat & lets it warm up while i park the car. to this stage we have never had a close call (touch wood) doing it this way & have never been warned by police.

coucho
21-08-2008, 09:22 AM
My lad goes in the boat with his life jacket on while i go park the car and he knows I will be watchin I see him off that seat while I am gone and he will be in trouble he is gettin older now though and its not such a worry. Was the same deal when he was younger though.
was funny one time i launched the boat and left him in. I tied the bow rope off to a tree but he must of not seen me and thought he was floating away on his own. That was the only time he didn't stay in his seat he went and through the anchor over the side. He never tied it off but in his mind he had saved the day he was so proud and at 4 years old it was quick thinking too.

Benno1
21-08-2008, 09:24 AM
as a family that fishes together as often as humanly possible...the safety of our kids comes first...9 times out of 10 the kids have there life jackets on in the car...(on the ocassions they dont Dave takes care of that on the ramp)...Dave backs the trailer down within about 6/8 feet of the water...the kids stay in the car whilst we attend to the bungs and trim the motor...when thats done...Dave gets into the boat...then i pass our 3 kids (7,5 and 3) up to him...he seats them on the floor...i reverse the trailer down the remaining few feet...release the boat...then park the trailer up...(im getting better at reversing our trailer and retreiving the boat)...i think its about keeping the "routine" the same and keeping it fun...i agree with Clone Trooper..."dont rush to get your boat in the water"...i just wish that other ppl on the ramp would think like that too :D

(Mrs Benno1)

garman1
21-08-2008, 10:10 AM
I have read this thread for a while and it warms my heart to see that every person here has thought of what is best to keep their kids safe. I also bet that after reading different threads there has been the "oh yeah I see there could be a problem there" moment.

I work in a retail environment and find that people "at times" are happy to go shopping and leave their kids/animals in the car and are furious if you announce over loud speaker their rego number and the fact that they have left their kids/dog in the car etc.

I just wish everyone here could be with me when I face that furious customer who wants to let me know that it is none of my business how they look after their kids.............! Mind you the police have been interested in the way they looked after their kids sometimes though................

Always safety first on or near the water........ good to see

Cheers Garry

trueblue
21-08-2008, 12:30 PM
my younger boy (10 yr old) waits near the pontoon out of the way and where I can see him. The older one (14 yrs old) is in training for helping to launch and retrieve the boat.

In all cases though, I don't do anything unless I can see both of them.

cheers

Mick

FNQCairns
21-08-2008, 09:56 PM
I have read this thread for a while and it warms my heart to see that every person here has thought of what is best to keep their kids safe. I also bet that after reading different threads there has been the "oh yeah I see there could be a problem there" moment.

I work in a retail environment and find that people "at times" are happy to go shopping and leave their kids/animals in the car and are furious if you announce over loud speaker their rego number and the fact that they have left their kids/dog in the car etc.

I just wish everyone here could be with me when I face that furious customer who wants to let me know that it is none of my business how they look after their kids.............! Mind you the police have been interested in the way they looked after their kids sometimes though................

Always safety first on or near the water........ good to see

Cheers Garry

;D;DGood job keep it up!;D;D;D

cheers fnq