# Towing A Boat



## Bass n Bows (Mar 8, 2008)

Since I am new to boating I just wanted to know if it is really difficult backing up a trailer and launching a boat? I am going to practice backing up the trailer in a big parking lot by my house. How do you launch a boat, how do you load the boat back up?
Sorry I'm asking so many questions, my dad isnt around to give me advice anymore and I don't know of anyone to ask.
Any advice would be greatly appreciated.


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## Salmon_Slayer_2008_Lund (Mar 9, 2008)

Bass n Bows said:


> Since I am new to boating I just wanted to know if it is really difficult backing up a trailer and launching a boat? I am going to practice backing up the trailer in a big parking lot by my house. How do you launch a boat, how do you load the boat back up?
> Sorry I'm asking so many questions, my dad isnt around to give me advice anymore and I don't know of anyone to ask.
> Any advice would be greatly appreciated.



Well its easy to get the hang of it. At the beginning you might seem like a slithering snake to keep it straight as your backing, but eventually you will be a pro. How I launch I put my trailer in the water covering both wheels on my trailer, and then as the boat is floating abit I have a partner hold it with the ropes and I do a quick dunk and let it float off the trailer as I go forward. Putting on the trailer I drive the boat up. For this I keep only the back set of wheels in the water so the rear of the boat dont go all over the place. My trailer has bunks rather than rollers.


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## Jim (Mar 9, 2008)

I do the same thing but I tie a rope to the tow ring. I back the boat into the water deep enough as to where it starts to float a bit off the trailer, then I unhook it from the trailer and push it off while holding the rope. Once it clears the trailer I pull the boat to shore, park the truck and hop in. Then I do the same putting it back on. My boat is 16.5 feet and weighs nothing, its real easy to do it this way by myself.


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## Captain Ahab (Mar 9, 2008)

Hey B and B:

It takes a little practice to do it correctly. I woudl suggest hanging out at the local boat ramp on a weekend for a few hours, not only makes for great entertainment but you will quickly pick up the dos and dont's of launching.

Make yourself a quick checklist of stuff to do prior to launching, you will be surprised about how easy it is to forget things once you get excited about putting the boat in.

1. Put in the plug;
2. Make sure you have a mooring line or two attached;
3. Make sure the towing safety chain or rope is off;
4. Check you PFDs, fire extinguisher etc, are on board;
5. Check your battery and connections, same with fuel line
6. Check the damn plug again!

Backing up is probably the most difficult thing, especially for a beginner. Practice in an empty parking lot, and give it time a few hours at least. Set out some cones or markers (anything will work, empty cardboard boxes, etc.) and practice backing up at least 50 yards and putting the boat square between the markers.

Finally, when you are ready for your 1st launch, pick a place with no current (not a river) and a windless day. Find a nice concrete ramp with a decent drop off. 

Good luck and post up any questions


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## redbug (Mar 9, 2008)

I hope you can picture what I am saying.
Backing your trailer can be real simple With practice it will become second nature.
The easy way to do it is to place both hands on the bottom of your steering wheel with your thumbs pointing away from each other.
Then as you start to back down just follow your thumbs,,,, to get the trailer to turn just raise the thumb that is pointing in the direction you want the trailer to go..
I hope you can understand this also go very slow to start off..
good luck 
Wayne


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## Waterwings (Mar 9, 2008)

Something I just thought of, and some people do it, and some don't. I unplug the trailer lights before launching, and don't plug them back in until I have the boat back on the trailer and out of the water. 

If your tow vehile is a pickup, and you have enough clearance between the tailgate and the front of the boat/winch post (even in real tight turns), you can put the tailgate down and it'll help you see the boat better when launching. Just check to see if the bow or winch post is gonna hit the tailgate first.

My biggest problem is seeing the empty trailer when backing-down the ramp to retrieve the boat. There;s a moment when the slope of the ramp puts the trailer lower than the rear of the truck. Putting the tailgate down eliminated that problem. I can do that with this trailer, as the winch post seems further away from the tailgate. With the Tracker, the winch post was closer and I couldn't make real tight turns with the tailgate down, or the winch post would hit it.


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## Salmon_Slayer_2008_Lund (Mar 9, 2008)

Waterwings said:


> Something I just thought of, and some people do it, and some don't. I unplug the trailer lights before launching, and don't plug them back in until I have the boat back on the trailer and out of the water.
> 
> If your tow vehile is a pickup, and you have enough clearance between the tailgate and the front of the boat/winch post (even in real tight turns), you can put the tailgate down and it'll help you see the boat better when launching. Just check to see if the bow or winch post is gonna hit the tailgate first.
> 
> My biggest problem is seeing the empty trailer when backing-down the ramp to retrieve the boat. There;s a moment when the slope of the ramp puts the trailer lower than the rear of the truck. Putting the tailgate down eliminated that problem. I can do that with this trailer, as the winch post seems further away from the tailgate. With the Tracker, the winch post was closer and I couldn't make real tight turns with the tailgate down, or the winch post would hit it.



I forgot to mention unplug the lights. I do it everytime. I give like a 10-15 minute wait for the lights and brakes to cool off.


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## pbw (Mar 9, 2008)

Guess I need to start unplugging the lights. I never do that. :shock:


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## redbug (Mar 9, 2008)

If i unplug my lights my trailer tires lock up. 
I havn't blown a bulb on my trailer so I'm not to worried about that and my brakes cool off while I'm unrigging.. 

I am thinking about swithcing to led lights they look cool

Wayne


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## Salmon_Slayer_2008_Lund (Mar 9, 2008)

redbug said:


> If i unplug my lights my trailer tires lock up.
> I havn't blown a bulb on my trailer so I'm not to worried about that and my brakes cool off while I'm unrigging..
> 
> I am thinking about swithcing to led lights they look cool
> ...



I have LED on my Shoreland'r.


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## pbw (Mar 9, 2008)

Salmon_Slayer_2008_Lund said:


> redbug said:
> 
> 
> > If i unplug my lights my trailer tires lock up.
> ...




ah! Sounds like a good thought.


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## Salmon_Slayer_2008_Lund (Mar 9, 2008)

pbw said:


> Salmon_Slayer_2008_Lund said:
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> > redbug said:
> ...



Thing with my trailer is that the brakes don't lock once its unplugged from the power source. The brake switch is where the reciever ball goes like right behind so the brakes only get applied when the spring is compressed. The trailer came with a lock to put in this gap so when you reverse the brakes aren't being applied.


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## boathauler32 (Mar 9, 2008)

good luck with the trailering. Its an art, not just a skill, and just remember the shorter the trailer is, the HARDER it is to back up (especially if you are pulling it with big truck that doesn't turn already)!!

I trailer boats for a living, Big boats, up to 34, 35 foot, and i can get them into some very small places.

Tyhe easiest way to start learning is to turn arround. place your left hand on the steering wheel, right hand on the passenger seat and turn your body arround. dont try to start using your mirrors until you have mastered backing up while looking directly at it.

also remember in reverse, YOU contrtol the trailer, you tell it where to go, try not to let it get away so you have to keep chasing it all over the place. if that happens, just stop, pull forwaard and start over. Its not a hard skill to master, just a bit tricky.

good luck bud...


Also, the led lights dont create heat and wont crack like a standard bulb being heated up and placed in cold water. I changed every light on my trailer over to led (about $600 worth) and havent chasnged a light in almost 2 years now, i used to change at least one every 2 weeks


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## Waterwings (Mar 9, 2008)

> ...just stop, pull forwaard and start over...



I've got the starting-over part down pat. There's been times in the past when I first started backing, and trying to get it straightened-out in the driveway, that I would stop, turn the truck off, go in the house and have a cup of coffee, smoke a couple of cigarettes, then go out and get it accomplished.


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## Salmon_Slayer_2008_Lund (Mar 9, 2008)

Waterwings said:


> > ...just stop, pull forwaard and start over...
> 
> 
> 
> I've got the starting-over part down pat. There's been times in the past when I first started backing, and trying to get it straightened-out in the driveway, that I would stop, turn the truck off, go in the house and have a cup of coffee, smoke a couple of cigarettes, then go out and get it accomplished.



Unfortunately I got weird neighbors. If I did that, there would be the city hall by law enforcement already writing up a nice ticket.


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## Waterwings (Mar 9, 2008)

Salmon_Slayer_2008_Lund said:


> Waterwings said:
> 
> 
> > > ...just stop, pull forwaard and start over...
> ...



Even if you left it parked crooked in your own driveway?


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## Salmon_Slayer_2008_Lund (Mar 9, 2008)

Waterwings said:


> Salmon_Slayer_2008_Lund said:
> 
> 
> > Waterwings said:
> ...



Ya man. I had calls for when my boat was parked half on my driveway and half on my grass.


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## Waterwings (Mar 9, 2008)

> Ya man. I had calls for when my boat was parked half on my driveway and half on my grass.



Well that sux! Do you live in a neighborhood that has a homeowners association?


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## Salmon_Slayer_2008_Lund (Mar 9, 2008)

Waterwings said:


> > Ya man. I had calls for when my boat was parked half on my driveway and half on my grass.
> 
> 
> 
> Well that sux! Do you live in a neighborhood that has a homeowners association?



Not that I know of. Just neighborhood watch.


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## Waterwings (Mar 9, 2008)

Ah.


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## ACarbone624 (Mar 9, 2008)

Putting the tailgate down is a must for me. Its so much easier to see the trailer when backing down the ramp. And make sure you unhook the boat from the winch.....don't do like I did last time I was out and pushed and pushed on my boat to get it into the water....I was like WTF....then my dumb ass realized I never unhooked the winch. After lots of practice, you won't have a problem. Good Luck!


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## Popeye (Mar 9, 2008)

I bought LED's for my trailer and am thinking about getting that string of 25 LEDs from Blue Water and mounting them under the last cross frame member and up to the wheel wells on each side. I plan on connecting them to the back up lights so when I reverse down the ramp I'll be lighting it as I go. Either that or put a switch on the trailer near the tongue so I can turn them on and leave them on for light while parked.

I practiced backing my trailer up between parked cars at the local exotic car dealer during working hours. Nothing like backing between a Lamborghini and a Maserati with a crowd watching to keep you focused. :lol:


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## Popeye (Mar 9, 2008)

As far as launching I make sure everything is ready to go before I get to the ramp. I normally go alone and people are usually more willing to help a lone boater _IF_ he/she is prepared. No putting the plug in or taking back straps off at the ramp. I attach two dock lines to my cleats on the side closest to the pier and then I back the boat down the ramp until the back of it starts to float. I get out of the truck and toss the dock lines on the pier, disconnect the bow strap and get on the pier. I manually pull the boat off the trailer and down the pier 2-3 boat lengths and tie it off. The pier I launch at is plenty long for that and allows other boaters to launch at the same pier while I go park the truck. Once I park the truck I removed the wiring harness adaptor (that 7 pin to 4 pin thingy or is 4 pin to 7 pin?) and the pin for my folding tongue and put them on the driver's seat. Seen too many of them stolen to want mine to come up missing.


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## Waterwings (Mar 9, 2008)

> ...and the pin for my folding tongue and put them on the driver's seat. Seen too many of them stolen to want mine to come up missing.



I did the same thing on my Tracker, and do it for this trailer also, and store it in the rear floorboard out of sight. I also put the rear tie-down straps there too.


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## Popeye (Mar 9, 2008)

I used to put the trailer pin and connector in the back but one day they got covered up with a jacket I tossed back there and needless to say, backing it up while the tongue is bending will remind you real fast. Now they go on the seat so I remember as I get in the truck.


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## Waterwings (Mar 9, 2008)

> ...needless to say, backing it up while the tongue is bending will remind you real fast.



Good point. The Lowe trailer has a different style "pin" than the Trailstar trailers. This one is actually about a 3/8" (guessing) diameter bolt with a plastic screw cap (about 2.5" dia). Once you put it into the hole in the tongue, you screw another plastic "cap" (same dia. as top one) onto the bottom, then put the clip through the hole in the bolt to ensure the bottom cap doesn't un-screw while in transit. I liked the Trailstar device better.


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## sccamper (Mar 9, 2008)

When I was a teen, my dad tricked me into trying to back the boat in the water by asking my to hold the brakes while he checked the plug. Everything was lined up and all I needed to do was back it straight back anouther 30yrds. Oh yea, it was 4th July weekend at the buisiest ramp in town. Well after listening to everyone yelling and cussing for 10 minutes, I shut off the truck and wandered down the river bank. 

I practiced every chance I got. Started to back up and down the driveway when we would come home, later back it in off the street and into the garage. Its second nature now. At times, I still get crossed up or to close to the curb and have to stop and pull forward. That usually happens when Im in a hurry.

When I launch, I have a 30' dock line attatched to the bow and clipped to the trailer. I back in till the boat floats, pull forward slowly till I can walk between the trailer and water line. Unclip the boat and push to the shore.
When loading, I slide on my knee high rubber boats and wade at the back bumper and drag the boat on the trailer. It works real good when Im by myself. If someone else is along, I just let them hold the dockline.


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## Waterwings (Mar 10, 2008)

Our local ramps are so shallow I've actually thought about getting some waders. I'm tired of usually/sometimes going home wet up to my knees (or a$$ on occasion) from manually loading the boat.


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## Fish Chris (Mar 10, 2008)

I've done it "by myself" somewhere around 1200 times, in the last 10 years.... so I guess you could say, I have had just a little bit of practice  I actually enjoy showing off, by launching my boat, or pulling it out, in seconds, rather than minutes.

But here's the funny thing.... I'm am SOOOO used to backing up with the boat behind me (steering left when looking forward, to make the boat go left, when looking back) that on the rare occasion when I don't have my boat trailer behind my truck, and I try to back up, I turn the wheel the wrong way EVERY dang time ! I can hardly turn it the right way, even if I think about it first ! Doh ! 
Sometimes I even come home, hop in my car, and still can't get it right ! 

Oh well,
Fish


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## Bass n Bows (Mar 10, 2008)

Thanks for all the advice guys! I just got my boat yesterday,(2000 14' Mirrocraft, '02 Yamaha 4 stroke 15 hp.) Now I just need to get a hitch on my truck and I'm good to go out and practice.


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## Jim (Mar 10, 2008)

Bass n Bows said:


> Thanks for all the advice guys! I just got my boat yesterday,(2000 14' Mirrocraft, '02 Yamaha 4 stroke 15 hp.) Now I just need to get a hitch on my truck and I'm good to go out and practice.


 :beer: :beer: :beer: 

ostpics: 



Good luck with her man!


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## Salmon_Slayer_2008_Lund (Mar 10, 2008)

Bass n Bows said:


> Thanks for all the advice guys! I just got my boat yesterday,(2000 14' Mirrocraft, '02 Yamaha 4 stroke 15 hp.) Now I just need to get a hitch on my truck and I'm good to go out and practice.


 Your boat will be a quick little thing with that 15hp lol


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## Captain Ahab (Mar 10, 2008)

Jim said:


> Bass n Bows said:
> 
> 
> > Thanks for all the advice guys! I just got my boat yesterday,(2000 14' Mirrocraft, '02 Yamaha 4 stroke 15 hp.) Now I just need to get a hitch on my truck and I'm good to go out and practice.
> ...



Someone help get Jim's fingers away from those icons!


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## Jim (Mar 10, 2008)

esquired said:


> Jim said:
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> > Bass n Bows said:
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I can't help it, They are new buttons and I want to use them. 

:LOL2:


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