Novice boatie’s blunders leave ute, boat, submerged in Manukau Harbour

A man’s first time trying to launch a boat, which he was trialling to buy, turned to disaster after rookie mistakes left his boat and a top-of-the-line Ford Ranger sinking in an Auckland harbour.

A local waiting to use the Weymouth boat ramp in South Auckland watched the ill-fated launch unfold, saying it happened too quickly for him to help the novice boatie.

The witness, who wished to remain anonymous, said the man’s first mistake was not making sure the boat’s bung was in.

The second was forgetting to put the handbrake on after backing the boat down the steep ramp.

“It all happened so fast,” the bystander said.

“It immediately went backwards, the boat pulled the ute in, there was nothing anyone could have done to stop it.”

Photos posted online showed only the ute’s bonnet above the water and the fishing boat slowly starting to sink.

Another image supplied to the Herald showed the craft filled with water.

The boat filled with water.

Commenters were quick to joke about the man’s misfortune, telling him he “can’t park there, mate”.

The local said it was clear the man was inexperienced.

He was not surprised when he told him he did not own the boat, he was trialling it, and it was his first time trying to launch a boat.

The bystander said he did not want to waste the morning and continued with his trip out fishing.

When he returned, a large group of people had formed on the shore, and the boat and ute had vanished beneath the water.

All that was left of the boat when the other boatie returned from his fishing. Photo / Supplied.

He lent the driver a wetsuit and snorkel so he could hook up a tow rope to the ute. It was eventually retrieved by another 4WD vehicle.

“Someone related to the guy was yelling about how the ute would stay dry because they put all the windows up. I guess that shows how much they knew.”

He said when the doors of the ute were opened, “tons of water” poured out.

It was towed away.

“The Ford Ranger was built for a lot of things, but it was not built for swimming.”