Tin Can Bay Boatramp

[sunshinecoasting]

This may be a good one for Fresh to answer but anyone with experience is welcome. I took my motorbike for a ride to TCB yesterday for no particular reason other than it was a great day for a ride. I did want to check out the boat ramp for access by the

I took some photos too, the ramp isn't very steep and even fish guys with small tinnies had trouble getting their boats wet, the one in front in the photo had to push his off the trailer as the hull wasn't even touching the water but the car was as far down the ramp as he could go without getting it too wet. I wondered how successful I would be in launching or more importantly retrieving on such a shallow ramp?

[bartmac]

We checked that ramp last year and came to the conclusion you'd be getting the tow vehicle's wheel in the water for sure...that is to launch a Mac....retrieving would be interesting

[Fresh Breeze]

Hi Dennis,

By the photo you posted, the tide looks like it's at half tide.
We have no problems launching or retrieving at half tide but the current is a factor. Our trailer is fully submerse with the water right up to the rims on the car and be aware that the ramp has a drop off at dead low tide, not recommended to use the ramp below half tide.
The marina has a ramp you could use for a fee but it also has a drop off at low tide.
As for fisho's getting their boats wet it's local thing they just don't like to get their feet wet!
When we are retrieving our they look on with amazement to how far the trailer goes in the water and when the boat is motored onto the trailer and the Admiral hooking up the bow and then driving to the top of the ramp to let out the ballast, the normal comment is "Gee you got some leak there, I get that fixed real quick!" so our kind of boats are not well known down TCB
It's also a local thing for a gallery to gather and sit on the bench's to watch the boats coming and going of an afternoon it's the local entertainment .

Cheers

[sunshinecoasting]

Thanks Fresh, an old trick I have used on previous boats (but not the Mac yet) is to put the jockey wheel on and disconnect the trailer at the water line and using the boat winch hook connected to the shackles on the tow hitch on the car you can ease the whole trailer in to the water, float the boat off and then winch the trailer back to the car. If you do this you need to wash your jockey wheel assy well. You can also retrieve the same way. The car stays dry but you get wet working the winch. This ramp may be an ideal location to test this method on the Mac. Cheers, Dennis.

[Fresh Breeze]

Dennis,

I'll keep that in mind next time. If I use the admirals car (F250 4x4 LWB with a extra long H&R tow hitch) we would not have a problem at all with getting wheels wet, but she won't leave it at any boat ramp over night or longer, so my car is the tow vehicle (Colarado 4B).
I also have a motor bike. I don't get to ride it as much as I would like to

Cheers

[sunshinecoasting]

Hi Fresh, no one gets to ride as much as they want to, mine however is my main form of transport and used to and from work (when not unemployed) but that is still quite different from going for a pleasure ride, I do have a car but don't use it as much as the bike. I think you have to make time for bikes, they are great escape machines when life gets you down a bit. Cheers, Den.

[Nautek]

I launch my X at Carlo Pt boat ramp at Rainbow Beach it is a lot steeper ramp
I used to launch a fixed keel ts at Tin Can years ago and used to run the trailer back on a rope
I haven't launched the X there as the current can be too strong without a pontoon there

Allan