Any Tips For Launching on a VERY steep ramp?

[FloridaFlyer]

Some of the ramps in Florida are built on a berm that was man made to form the sides of the lake. The ramps are very steep. I can launch there but the rear of the boat floats up first and then when the bow slides off the roller there is one heck of a drop. Once it tore off the plastic piece in the front of the trolling motor bracket. I can't see a way to avoid this on a VERY steep bank but am open for advice.... Thanks.

[XingEyeballs]

Some of our rivers are this way, only thing I’ve found is letting a couple cranks of the winch loose so its still attached but allows it to shift as the back comes up... just don’t go too fast or it’s going to come back and hit the trailer...

[Bassnailer]

Try not backing in so far. Back the boat in just deep enough the boat wants to float off the trailer a little, this will wet your bunks and make it easier for the boat to slide off. Then, pull the boat and trailer out some, so your boat isn't quite floating. You'll probably need to experiment to find the sweet spot. When you trailer your boat, do the same thing. Dunk the trailer to lubricate the bunks, then pull out far enough that your boat doesn't float when over the trailer. Use power or the winch to pull the boat on the trailer instead of floating up on it. It's always easier to trailer your boat with less trailer in the water than more, especially on steeper ramps.

[Beallright]

On steep ramps, I loosen my bow strap by about 1-2 feet, slowly enter the water and when I see the rear floating I jab the brakes and it usally jerk off the trailer and is caught by the slack and then finishing it backing in.

[FloridaFlyer]

Thanks... I don't use these ramps a lot but when I do, loading and unloading are a hassle.. just looking for a better way. I am looking at new or late model used boats and trying to think about what's coming when I swap for something real nice and how not to tear it up.

[Skeeterbait]

Launching is not that big a problem using some form of rope or loose winch strap and ease back till it slides off the winch post on its own. Problem is recovering. It is hard to get it lined up and if in too deep, some will hit the nose of the boat into to winch.

[basscfo]

Try not backing in so far. Back the boat in just deep enough the boat wants to float off the trailer a little, this will wet your bunks and make it easier for the boat to slide off. Then, pull the boat and trailer out some, so your boat isn't quite floating. You'll probably need to experiment to find the sweet spot. When you trailer your boat, do the same thing. Dunk the trailer to lubricate the bunks, then pull out far enough that your boat doesn't float when over the trailer. Use power or the winch to pull the boat on the trailer instead of floating up on it. It's always easier to trailer your boat with less trailer in the water than more, especially on steeper ramps.

This times 10- it is the only thing you need to figure out for unloading and loading on steep ramps. All the advice about 1 or 2 feet of slack in your line will no prevent you from dropping off the front bow roller if you have backed to far into the water.

[LewStulePH.D.]

MickStix put this list together of the Flori-Duh boat ramps. You can then look at the map and get an idea for Your approach. This may also prove helpful in finding another launch that would suit Your purposes better.

http://www.bbcboards.net/showthread.php?t=98304

[Nova Kaw 650]

Trailer shallow when loading; winch it on.
Unloading without hitting the trolling motor might be an issue. As someone suggested, back in with the strap still hooked up to get the bunks wet, pull out, unhook the strap and back in again.

[Ohio Archer]

Chock one of you wheels. No need for everything to end up in the water. Also, watch how far you back in...some of those ramps end well before you expect them to.

truckboatinwater.jpg

[cart7]

I launched at the city ramp in Arnold on the Meramec river a couple times, damn ramp was so steep the trailer drug at the ramp breakover point. So steep that I had a helper walk along as I backed down with a decent size rock in order to toss it behind a tire in case I started sliding. River silt could make those ramps really slippery. I only used the ramp when the river was right up to the top of the ramp.

[boatinpete]

Perfect working emergency brakes really important.

[12many]

I go till boat lifts off bunks in rear.unclip . crawl in start boat. put in reverse and go sit on cowl stand on transom.. that's usually enough to float it off nose up.

[JR19]

When unloading on steep ramps I get the trailer barely in the water. Then I stop and unhook the bow. I have a rope with a large D-ring that I snap to my bow eye and have several feet of slack I have attached to my truck bed. When I start backing in the rest of the way I go very slow and pay close attention to when the boat starts to slide on the trailer. I make a mental note of how deep the trailer is so when it comes time to load I know that I want to be just a tad bit more shallow than when the boat started to slide on the trailer when unloading.

Even if you don't use the rope method you can still watch the boat and see when it starts to slide and make a note of the trailer depth. Actually this is the method I also use when loading/unloading other people. 99% of the time I can get the loading depth right on other peoples boat by just watching it while unloading. If you know what depth the boat starts to seperate/slide on the trailer when unloading then it makes judging the loading depth a lot more easy...just load a tad bit more shallow than it unloaded.

[franktank009]

Best thing to do on steep ramps is to drive the boat off the trailer. Only put the boat in as far as you need to be able to drive it off. This will prevent the boat from falling off the bow roller really hard.