I saw the same thing a few months back when launching my rig.  a 25/27 foot fibreglass cabin cruiser it seemed had similar issues, the safety chain was off and it seemed from the attention the winch was getting it was dodgy, sure enough it goes down and off she comes.

nice sterndrive leg buggered and plenty of gel coat off too, i was gonna take a pic but didn't feel that would be good karma for the day, but seeing 5 guys standing around scratching their heads was a little humorous.

i had just bought my 2nd boat (my first was only a 14fter) a leeder 710 a few years ago, and joined a prominent yacht club in perth, had the boat on hardstand, and got the club tractor, hitched up the trailer and reversed it down the ramp (forgetting 2 major things) firstly to put the bung plug in, and secondly, to take off the jockey wheel from the trailer...

 Got half way down the ramp when the trailer(with boat secured) detached from the tractor and rolled about 10m into the water. ended up with a massive crowd laughing their heads off while i was working out how to retrieve a 2t boat and trailer that was semi submerged in water.

 Had to swim out to the boat, let it loose from the trailer, power it up and move it to a jetty, then swim back out to the trailer, tie a piece of rope around it, and haul it up to the surface with the tractor....was not much fun

 all the meanwhile everyone was doing alot of laughing and not much helping.

anyways,  i think that it has gone down in yacht club history....

 needless to say i have learned alot since that VERY embarassing day.

I took my brother out a few months ago to chase a squid & KG's on the Bay - launched from the Vasse boat ramp behind Monahagns - accompanied by him nagging me not to block the ramp ginning around ( not one other boat in sight! ) and being Mr Knowall, he unhooked the safety chain and the winch locking pin - result a fairly battered 4.4m dinghy sailed down the ramp for a bit more battering - luckily the motor was fully up or else he would still be out in the bay with concrete boots on.

But apparantly some chaps tried to launch a yacht at Ocean Reef last weekend by wheeling it down the ramp on a trailer - using a rope to try and slow it down. Unfortunately it got away from them and flew down the ramp until the keel dug in. Apparantly it was a pretty dangerous episode and, in Sherb's opinion, the yacht would have sustained a fair bit of damage.

doesn't matter how experienced you are, last trip to Leeman, old fart launches boat, bit stiff to get off, so reversed back put foot on brake, me standing in the water with the guide rope, next minute looking at the boat/trailer, in the water, battery/electric winch getting soaked, yelled out, what the %$#@ are you doing old fart, he got out the car, ^%$## what did I do, guess what he forgot to put the tongue down on the tow ball, one lost electric winch/battery.  Went fishing got in and put boat on by hand winch.  Got back to Perth to by a new electric winch/battery.  Lucky we needed a new battery for the boat, so boat battery went on the winch and new battery in the boat.

I saw a near new Trail Craft C/C up at Coral Bay being launched over the correct part of the beach with an incomming tide,by a near new Nissan Patrol,the boat came off,the driver tried to take off but the trailer had bogged,the driver haveing a 4x4 tried to pull out,and bogged the Patrol up to the fuel tank,(it could not go further)water in tail lights,brakes and rear doors,I offerd to put a rope on and help but the driver said,:no thanks mate,I forgot to lock the front hubs,once done,the trailer and car left the water I mean beach,two days (nights) later I saw the Patrol at the pub,water still in the tail lights?

Same place different year,I saw 2 guys launch a boat with a Chrysler Regal sedan (lovely car) the water went over the wheel arches,I suggested they try and find some fresh water to wash the car down,thier reply,No worries Mate,its off the car lot: they were salesman?

A friend of mine launched a brand new Regent Princess on the Ocean Reef ramp when it first opend,just as well it was a sollide boat,,,,,,,.Lets Face it,we can all make mistakes, and learn from them,thats human,but to be bloody stupid?jersey 

Gday Cuz,

When r ya taken me to the boat ramp... 

Hahahaha

G'day mate, once this house has sold plenty more time up my sleeves to do the concrete launch! All home opens at the moment... real bitch. Got some good ground on the GPS so go service ya Penn reels  

not exactly funny but....

saw two blokes comin in to the bent st boat ramp in safetybay in a 16 odd foot alli boat nice boat too, over a year ago, the guy drivin was approachin the ramp fast when he decided to turn around n start again as his positioning was a bit out, he quickly locked the steering to the right, the ass end swung around and smashed right onto the corner of the jetty coz it was a realy high tide, huuuuuuge dent. it appeared that it wasnt his boat either it was the other guys.  0   0

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CPBA - first dat it was launched, a certain Eagles player when seeking to winch the boat back on the trailer had threaded the winch rope UNDER the rollers on the trailer (which in itself was probably a feat worth watching.  We were just winching our boat on as the well built eagle put his back into the task ..........and we watched as the bow dipped and dipped and dipped and the stern rose until the cable hook hit the roller.

It was about that time as I was about to fall in the water laughing that they woke up and with red faces started again - the right way

Funny as!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  Oh yeh and I was a sort of Eagle supporter at that time so it is not as if I was a Dockers @@##$$

Was doing some maintenance on pro boat on the mooring at Hamelin bay when a bloke in a real flash fibreglass boat about 25 foot pulls up.He asked what was the safest way to pull thye boat out as there was a big swell running.

Told him if it was mine I would get to get his decky to swim in and drive car and trailer down to the Flinders bay ramp in Augusta.

Watched his decky swim in then back the trailer down the ramp and they tried to drive the boat on.The boat surged forward on a wave ,hit the back of the cruiser then swung round so it was sideways across the trailer,nearly wiping out the decky.After two more attempts the decky go back in the car and drove off.The bloke driving the boat drove over again and asked for the safest route around the cape to Flinders bay.

One Easter Monday years back it was better than Funniest Home Videos with a big swell running and all the boaties having to go regardless of the conditions.They only had to look at all the pro boats still on the moorings to see that it was unsafe.Nearly everyone in the caravan park was sitting down at the ramp watching the action.Broken trailers,boats dented and swamped cars plus a broken arm said it all.