# Hip waders



## San Dimas (Oct 3, 2013)

Hello everyone;
I don't know if this belongs in the trailering section or not but here goes. Where I launch if I'm by myself I have to wade into the water to get in my boat start the motor and drive it over to the dock, tie up and then go back to the car and move it off the ramp. My question is, does anybody know of some kind of a hip wader they can pull over their shoes easily and then take them off easily when in the boat? The water is only 2' deep at most. In the summer it is not a problem but in he winter it gets pretty cold. I don't want to have to take my shoes on and off all the time.


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## Colbyt (Oct 3, 2013)

Over sneakers anything large enough should work. Though I don't have a clue how to estimate a size.

I have the same problem and have been discouraged by the high prices both in the stores and online. From what I have learned so far they fall into the following classes; knee waders, mid thigh, hip and chest. Mid thigh seems to be about what we both need except I never wear a belt when fishing.


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## PSG-1 (Oct 3, 2013)

I work around oyster reefs as a commercial harvester, we deal with deep pluff mud, and most of us use hip waders with the felt bottoms, as regular lug soles get cut up pretty bad. Sometimes, the first trip out, if you step next to a cluster of blade oysters, they immediately cut through the sole and the boots start leaking. :x 
Anyhow, we use hip boots because chest waders can be very dangerous if you fall overboard or step into a deep hole over your chest. About 25 years ago, we had a guy drown out here in the creek because he did exactly that, stepped into a deep hole as he was walking along the creek bottom. It was the middle of December, the guy panicked when his waders filled up, and that was the end for him. His friend who was out clamming with him, was not far behind and when he came around the corner, he saw the bubbles coming up from the deep hole, and pulled him out, but it was too late. That story was enough to convince me to stay with hip waders, and to carry a knife, in case I have to cut my way out of them.


Now, as for launching, why wade into the water when you launch by yourself? Admittedly, I did this for many years before I figured out the easy way, then kicked myself for not figuring it out sooner. 

THIS TRICK ONLY WORKS IF YOUR TRAILER HAS BUNKS, DO NOT ATTEMPT THIS IF YOUR TRAILER USES ROLLERS!

Get a section of good rope, the length of your boat. When you get to the ramp staging area, unhook your trailer strap hook, tie this rope to your bow eye, and tie the other end to the winch post of the trailer, then, lay the slack line up on your bow. When you back down, if you do it right, the boat will slide off the trailer and the rope will pay out. Then, as the slack is pulled from the line, slowly and carefully pull up the ramp for about the length of that rope, and then stop. Your bow should slowly come to rest on the ramp, right behind your trailer. 

Don't stop too soon, or your boat will crash into your trailer, and don't stop too late, or you'll be giving your hull a serious micro-derm abrasion, particularly if it's a concrete ramp. :shock: 

But once you do this a few times, you'll get the hang of it, and launching alone will be 10 times easier. Practice it at a ramp during off-hours, or when there's not a crowd of spectators.


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## TNtroller (Oct 3, 2013)

I usually do what PSG 1 suggests, however, my rope is longer than my 17.5' boat and I usually stop somewhat suddenly when launching so the boat just slides right off the bunks and some backward momentum so it clears the trailer quicker, then I pull up, get out and lead the boat over to the dock. I leave this rope clipped to the bow eye and usually store it in one of the storage compartments after it drys out. I have learned from owning this same boat for 9 years as to when I have the boat in deep enough and can stop suddenly so it slides off the bunks. I also have a carbiner on the end I attach to the trailer so its easier for me to unclip the rope from the winch post area.

I actually have a break down tongue on my trailer so I just clip the carbiner to the clevis pin ring which makes it easier for me to detach the rope from the trailer.

I have another boat (fiberglass, sorry guys) that I have to wade in to launch or load, so I have purchased some chest waders with neoprene booties from cabelas on clearance for this boat as I seem to have to wade in somewhere from knee deep to waist deep. I plan on wearing some Tevis watershoes with the waders. I have used some knee high rubber boots in the past when launching my kayak which has worked well, but there is the issue of paying attention to the depth so the boots don't fill up, especially in winter time temps, would be bad.


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## San Dimas (Oct 3, 2013)

PSG-!. That's a good idea. So the boat is not resting on the concrete ramp and I can walk down the now dry trailer to get in. Is that the idea? At my boat boat ramp, it's not pssible to pull the boat over to the dock with a line. It has to be powered over to the dock.


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## San Dimas (Oct 3, 2013)

I would hate to run my aluminum hull up onto the concrete. :shock:


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## PSG-1 (Oct 3, 2013)

[url=https://www.tinboats.net/forum/viewtopic.php?p=331198#p331198 said:


> San Dimas » Today, 20:20[/url]"]PSG-!. That's a good idea. So the boat is not resting on the concrete ramp and I can walk down the now dry trailer to get in. Is that the idea? At my boat boat ramp, it's not pssible to pull the boat over to the dock with a line. It has to be powered over to the dock.




If it's rigged correctly, when you pull up and stop, your trailer should be completely out of the water, and your boat will be straight behind it, with several feet of line between the end of your trailer and the bow of your boat. At which point, you simply pull the line and bring the boat to the ramp, if it hasn't already settled in position.


As for carabiner hooks, I used to use that method, with big heavy stainless carabiners, but I caution against it, unless they are locking carabiners. One day, I launched my boat, and I don't know exactly how it happened, but the carabiner ended up unhooking itself, with the boat floating across from the ramp and coming to rest at the edge of the marshgrass. I had to run back to the house and grab my kayak to paddle across to get my boat. After that day, I stopped using a carabiner, and instead tie it off. Knots don't come loose.

Another way of rigging this (and really the BEST way) is to use a length of rope just long enough to go from your bow eye, to a tie-off point at the rear left corner of your trailer. This gives you just the right amount of line, and putting it on the back corner gives you enough distance that you can go ahead and pull up until the rear of your trailer is out of the water, and there's still enough length in the line, you don't have to worry about pulling up too far and dragging concrete with the hull.

When it's tied off to the winch post, you have to go very slowly, to avoid jerking the boat into the trailer when the slack pulls out of the rope, and to avoid running the boat up onto the ramp.

Either way works, but in my opinion, tying to the back left corner is the best under all conditions, as far as variables in wind, current, ramp configuration, etc.


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## spg (Oct 4, 2013)

+2 on the rope to the trailer. I have a 14' and use about 30 feet of line. This way I can pull the trailer out of the water and still have the boat in the water and not banging against the concrete. Once the back of the boat floats clear of the trailer just back up a little and punch the brakes. It will slide off and you'll won't have to get your feet wet. A lot of guys where I put in use this method since the docks are a good 100 feet from the ramp they just use a longer line. Slide boat off and walk over to docks and pull your boat over. don't have to get your feet wet at all.


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## PSG-1 (Oct 4, 2013)

The main thing, regardless of length of rope or where it's tied off, is to use the rope. 

It's too bad you can't just set the winch to free spool and do the same thing, but I've tried this with numerous boats and trailers, and it never seems to work, the winch just won't free spool enough for the boat to make it all the way off the trailer. 

Rope works every time, unless of course, you have luck like me and your carabiner comes loose, and you watch your boat float away from the ramp LOL :shock:


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## New River Rat (Oct 6, 2013)

If you talk to guys on here, you'll get mostly good advice. My advice is change your rope every couple of years, at most.



https://www.tinboats.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=29695


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## TNtroller (Oct 7, 2013)

I've been using carbiners on the rope for several years now, no issues with 'em coming off or loose, etc. Every boat and trailer is a bit different imo, so it just takes trying different variations of using the rope, or backing the trailer in just the right depth, and then "driving" the boat off using reverse, or walking down the trailer tongue and pushing the boat off the trailer and climbing in over the bow and then taking the boat to the dock. 

The majority of the ramps I use around here have a dock in the middle of the wide ramp making the ramp "two lanes" so to speak, and I can use my method. I have seen some guys back in to a certain depth for their rig, un-hook the winch strap, and push off, or climb in and start up the big motor and back off the trailer. 

Try different methods to find one that works for your rig.


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## PSG-1 (Oct 7, 2013)

[url=https://www.tinboats.net/forum/viewtopic.php?p=331453#p331453 said:


> TNtroller » Today, 07:03[/url]"]I've been using carbiners on the rope for several years now, no issues with 'em coming off or loose, etc.




Obviously, you don't have the rotten, lousy luck that I have! Still can't figure out how the heck that carabiner unsnapped itself, but that one time of it happening was enough to make me abandon the use of a carabiner.


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## San Dimas (Oct 7, 2013)

My dock has a raised bridge that goes out to the dock so you can't pull a line over to the dock. You would hve to pas it around trees and poles and all kinds of stuff. By myself the boat has to be started and driven to the dock. If anyone out there fishes Puddingstone Lake in Southern California you know what I'm talking about. :roll:


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## TNtroller (Oct 7, 2013)

I would try finding that magic spot where the boat is not yet truly floating but can be backed off the trailer with the engine so you can just then drive it over to the dock and tie up, go park the truck & trailer and off you go in your situation. Or find that magic spot where you can push it off the trailer and climb over the bow as the boat is backing away from the trailer. I can climb over the bow if I need to but with my TM, rod holder and FF cluttering up the bow, it can make for a potential fall into cold water during winter months so I try to avoid that method 99.9% of the time so I won't be in the habit of using it.


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## JMichael (Oct 8, 2013)

For the last 4-5 years I've been using the second method described by PSG. I bought a 20' piece of double braided dock line. I attached a carabiner to one end and attach that to the bow eye. The other end comes with a pre formed eye, which I reach through the eye, grab the line and pull it back through the eye, making a slip knot of sort. I drop this over the trailers tail light and snug it tight on the post between the light and the side bunk. This is enough rope so that when I pull my trailer out of the water, the boat is floating a few feet from the end of the ramp and I just have to secure it. 



Last summer I installed bunk slicks on my trailer. Now, anytime I'm on a ramp with a decent slope, all I have to do is back my boat down until the back end is in the water. I attach my dock line, disconnect the winch strap and give the boat a good push. It slides all the way off the trailer and into the water so all that's left to do is secure the boat while I go park my truck. On the flatter ramps with less slope I still use the other method.


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