Sit near an urban boat ramp on a busy weekend and you'll witness a comedy of launch and retrieval, boating errors that would be funny if not for the bottleneck that trickles down to other boaters.
   

Visit enough ramps and you'll eventually see a towing vehicle submerged off the end of the ramp or a boat driven over a trailer into the bed of a pickup truck. At the very least, you'll witness threats and a possible fistfight among frustrated boaters waiting to launch.
   

Here's a checklist to keep angry glares to a minimum and maximize the pleasure that should be the reason for any boating experience:
   

• Practice backing your boat trailer until you can accomplish the task with ease. A crowded ramp is no place to learn how to back a trailer. Those practice sessions should take place in a I.arge, empty parking lot. It helps if you have traffic cones or other mobile barriers that can be placed about the right distance apart to simulate the width of a launch ramp. If you haven't launched a boat lately, a practice session is definitely in order.

• Long before you tow your boat to the water, make certain the battery is charged and all working parts are functional. Don't park on a ramp, then turn the key for the first time in months and be surprised by a dead battery.  If such a catastrophe does occur, immediately remove your boat from the ramp and allow others to launch.  It's called a launch ramp, not a repair ramp or a maintenance ramp.

• Before heading for the Bay, Sound or Lake, check your boat to make certain it contains all necessary safety equipment, including a Coast Guard approved flotation device for everyone aboard.  If you plan on skiing, load your skis and tow rope into the boat before you leave home.  The same applies to ice chests, fishing tackle, etc.  Do not park on the ramp, then move your gear from the towing vehicle to the boat.  

• Make certain the drain plug is firmly in place before the launch.

• If you drive an economy type towing vehicle, pick your boat ramp carefully.  A small, underpowered (for towing) car may have trouble pulling a boat up a steep, slick ramp.

• Launching works best if you have at least two experienced people involved.  One person gets in the boat while the other person stays in the vehicle and backs the boat down the ramp.  When the boat is deep enough in the water, start the engine while it's still on the trailer and use the engine to ease the boat off the trailer.  Your driver may have to back down a little farther to help this process. Back the boat out away from the ramp while your partner parks the towing vehicle, then slowly approach the ramp, which ideally has a dock, and pickup your partner.

• Retrieving the boat from the water is essentially a reversal of the launching process and should be equally well thought out.  Once the boat is secured to the trailer, pull it out of the water and out of the launch ramp traffic flow.  Only then should you attempt to unload gear from the boat and tie it down on the trailer.