Tips and Tricks for Loading and Launching

 

 

THE COOLER’S FULL OF ICE, the livewell’s full of baits, and you’re ready to launch that boat and enjoy a day of fishing. There’s just one problem: you still need to get the boat from the trailer into the water. And at the end of the day you’ll need to load it back up. No big deal, right?

Well, usually. But sometimes boat ramp snafus cause delays, difficulties, and even disasters. And while many of us have plenty of experience launching and loading, even experienced trailer-boaters sometimes run into issues. You want everything to go as smoothly as possible? Remember these tricks and tips for easier launching and loading.

LAUNCHING 

1. If you back the trailer tires off the end of the ramp, don’t try to pull back up. Depending on where and when you launch your boat, sooner or later you’ll almost certainly back off the end of a ramp one day. The natural inclination is to shift your vehicle into forward and pull forward—but don’t do it. Instead, shift into park and get that boat off while the trailer frame is sitting on the concrete edge. The thing to remember here is that with the boat in place, all of its weight is bearing down on the trailer. Try to muscle the tires up over the concrete lip and there’s a good chance damage will take place. Instead, get the boat off first and remove all that weight from the trailer. Then it’s usually very easy to pull the trailer back up over the edge.

2. When launching alone leave the winch strap attached to the boat until it’s secured to the pier. Just hold a bow rope and one day it’s likely you’ll drop it, or the momentum of the boat will pull it out of your hands. But if you leave the bow strap clipped on (and release the winch, of course), you can easily shove the boat off, yet you’ll always have a back-up line attached.

3. Put your drain plug(s) into the tow vehicle’s driver’s side arm rest when you leave home. We all dread the possibility of forgetting to put the drain plug in, and just about everyone does so at some point in their boat-launching career. If you put it in the driver’s side arm rest, however, when you open the door to step out at the ramp it will be right there staring you in the face. It will roll around and rattle as you drive to the ramp, delivering a constant reminder. And when you go to open the door after backing down the ramp it will be nearly impossible to miss if you forgot to put it in.

LOADING

1. Before loading in a current and/or wind, pull up near the ramp and sit there for a moment. Take the time to gauge the effect of the forces on your boat and then judge the approach accordingly. You’ll probably need to start your approach up-wind/up-current and may need to use a bit more throttle than usual to control the boat and put it on-target. But if you don’t take the time to assess the effect of the current and/or wind, you won’t know how much to move up-wind/up-current or how much throttle will be necessary to overcome these forces.

2. If your tow vehicle spins wheels and can’t pull out the boat, use the boat to help get it going. There’s a measure of danger in this maneuver, so use caution and be judicious with the throttle. Secure the boat to the trailer both at the bow and at the stern, even if it means wading in to attach transom straps. Otherwise, when you hit the gas the boat can bend or break the bow-stop and go crashing into the back of the truck—ouch. Trim the motor down as far as you dare so it will push the stern of the boat up, relieving some of the weight load on the trailer, and give it a bit of gas as the tow vehicle driver shifts into drive. Apply throttle as necessary to push the rig forward, and the moment it gets moving, shut the engine down and immediately trim it up so the skeg doesn’t drag on concrete. The procedure usually works, but again, a healthy dose of caution is in order.

3. When you have the boat on the trailer and the winch strap secured, pull well away from the launch area before prepping for the tow home. Yes, we know this is a basic rule that most of you already know, and it’s related more to courtesy than anything else. But an unpleasant confrontation can ruin a good day of fishing, and nothing gets some people irate like being delayed by somebody else who’s fiddling with straps and gear while they block off the ramp. Even if there’s nobody around when you pull out of the water it’s a good idea to clear the ramp for people who might suddenly show up. On the flip side of this coin, if someone else is holding you up by blocking the ramp remember that they probably have no idea they’re doing things the wrong way and approach them with a measure of politeness and respect.

BONUS TIP: On long hauls, tow with the fuel tank empty and fill up when you get close to the launch point. Gasoline weighs around six pounds a gallon, so a full 50-gallon tank adds 300 pounds to your load and a 100-gallon tank adds 600 pounds. That translates into additional wear and tear on your trailer tires, transmission, brakes, etc. Removing all the gear from the boat prior to towing will help reduce the weight load, too.

Email Lenny Rudow at ContactUs@fishgame.com