Solo launch & haul out

This is not a brand new topic but I was entertained by all the funny postings ...so I decided to correct and add to an archived one I just read .

I have been solo launching/ retrieving all my boats for decades and honestly in all those years have never had to get my feet wet or use a winch one single time. It easy , safe and remarkably fast too.

Large deep vee pleasure boats to pond hoppers and sometimes on ramps with screwed up pitch or approach angles with large tidal fluctuations involved. .

There are a couple disclaimers here based on other folks setups.......I have an open bed pickup ...or at minnimum a step bumper ....and have put some non skid tape on the trailer . The trailers have been bunk " drive on " or roller type ...or float on which I have added a guide roller.

The difference to doing this VS wading or falling in is patience ....and not getting in a hurry if others are waiting to launch. The reason why is carefully backing down close enough to the dock , bulkhead or whatever to literally step off and tie off to it once the boat is loose......and tying a rope to the boat ...prior to doing so. Or shallow enough to step off on the gravel /pavement of the ramp from the back of the truck .

(1) I tie a rope to the front that is long enough to clear the trailer as I back down ....and tie off securely to the back of the truck . For very small craft I usually just hold the rope from the cab ...VS tying off . Length & method of securing is different for each boat and will require experimentation for others....just be careful.

(2) Once all the usual preparations are done prior to launch ...BOAT PLUG ...KEYS IN IGNITION .....TIE DOWNS REMOVED......putting gear or anything you wish to bring along n the boat such that it won't interfere with boarding .
Back trailer / vehicle down and carefully line up very close with what ever you plan on docking to ( no dock ...nothing in the way ..no worries.)

Stop once the rear of the boat is just over the water and before the transom touches .....Practice will show you what is right for your rig.

(3) Now get out and unhook the winch strap or what ever else is holding it to the trailer . Make sure the rope is secured with enough slack to clear the trailer or in hand with slack for the appropriate sized boat . Roller trailers can be a dicey at this point and only experience can tell you with each launch ramp whether it is a safe bet or not . They can self launch ...which is fine you just skip the next step .

(4) Get back in the truck allow it to roll back ( rarely need to touch accellerator to do so ) while watching the boat in your mirror .....as soon as the boat floats off or is " wet " stomp the brakes on your truck . The boat will very gently float back slowly ...and with experience and practice and timing stop with absolutely no contact or damage to anything at all.

(5) Now take the rope ..in hand or untied from truck and tie it off to the dock , bulkhead or a nearby tree or immoveable object . ....out of other folks way using the launch.

(6) Go park & secure your truck and trailer .....

(7) Depending on fishin holes ...either step off and in ....or gently pull the bow of the boat to shore and climb aboard to go fishin.


Upon return

(1) Tie back off to dock as above ....but mindful of the walk and others who may need the ramp .Go get truck and prior to backing down make sure to leave the winch strap accessible with a foot or so slack and off the bow roller .
Line up once it's your turn and carefullyback down in position on the ramp

Stop once the rear bunk ends are submerged ....the trailer tires hit the water or are partially submerged ....the rear rollers are submerged ...etc. This will all be different with each trailer and to the ramp angle at launch . Once again this proceedure and depth will be different with each trailer / boat and location only experience will show you what is right. . Too deep is how things get screwed up and hulls get damaged.

(2) Ok ...<U>KNOW THY RAMP .... uneven bottom ...big rocks , floating wood/logs..debris..or ruts at tires under trailer tires can spell disaster for your lower unit or prop. </U>

Get out of the truck ....get in to the boat and motor around with enough running room such that you are lined up straight with the trailer . [B]Make certain of your trim / tilt so that you don't bury the transom and screw your prop .

<U>Very slow and gentle approach are the key</U>

Gently glide up until the bow is loading properly ...and push the throttle foward ... as you do so the boat loads itself . With the throttle as is ......momentarily step forward to the bow and reach down engage the winch hook to the bow eye ...twist the handle until snug . Step back and center the throttle to neutral .....shut down and raise the motor.

(3) Now either step off on to the dock / bulkhead next to the boat ...or off the front on to the trailer ...or depending on ramp angle of launch ...on to the rear bumper or perhaps bed of truck and out on really shallow ramps.

(4) Pull up out of other folks way to secure the boat for travel and storage .


This method has served me well for decades and as I said never a problem or wet feet . Save for one occasion I did suck a firewood sized piece of wood up into a prop and sustain some minor damage to an expensive SS chopper style prop.

Some may have safety concerns about stepping up front with a running motor ...etc. etc. ...and that my methods are fraught with dangerous advice.
Perhaps that is the case for some and for those wet feet and slow launches may be the best bet. When done properly this whole process is a thing of beauty and seamlessly gets you in and out so quick it is unbelievable. I cannot tell you how many slack jawed boaters I have seen gawking and wondering ...how'd he do that ...or have taken the time to walk way up the hill as I strap the transom to ask in person.


Well ..good luck to all ...be safe and don't catch all the bigguns before I get there ....Hugh

Great info. My only problem is that I cannot leave the throttle "as is", since I have hot foot and it returns to idle speed.....which sometimes is not enough to keep boat from sliding back. Additionally, I actually have to get out of the boat to reach the winch handle, since it is on the same side as the trolling motor and my arms are not long enough to crank it from in the boat. At my age, it is difficult to get back in the boat....

Any ideas for me? Thanks...

I never have to leave the throttle engaged. I just run the trailer a little shallow, tilt the motor WAY up (not out of the water, but nearly) and goose it as the bow approaches the front roller. The extreme angle of tilt will cause the boat to "wheelie", if you will, onto the front roller and load itself. Run the boat as far up as possible, throttle back, turn off, walk up and hook the winch.

It's not hard, honestly, In fact, it's much easier than trying to run back and forth from bow to cockpit.

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by tnjavelin &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">I never have to leave the throttle engaged. I just run the trailer a little shallow, tilt the motor WAY up (not out of the water, but nearly) and goose it as the bow approaches the front roller. The extreme angle of tilt will cause the boat to "wheelie", if you will, onto the front roller and load itself. Run the boat as far up as possible, throttle back, turn off, walk up and hook the winch.

It's not hard, honestly, In fact, it's much easier than trying to run back and forth from bow to cockpit.</TD></TR></TABLE> thats the way I do it!

I just back my trailer in enuf to wet the bunks, pull back out until the back end of the bunk is about 2" out of the water and motor up to the trailer. When I feel a slight bump when I touch the bunks I gun it and the boat goes right up to the bow stop. Turn the motor off and jump off the bow and connect the boat to the trailer. On a bad day I MIGHT have to winch the boat as much as a foot to the bow stop.

I kinda felt bad ...after reading my post as most folks have been doing this just as long as I have. ...opened a can of worms sounding like a know it all. Sorry about that folks .....not usually my style .

As you did ask for advice and no one else replied ....figured I would pass along something that may make your life easier. It is a self-latching bow chock called a " Boat Buddy " . Replaces the chock or roller on your trailer ....as you pull up ..it triggers and a heavy duty metal pin enganges through the bow eye of your boat. They make two sizes based on your hull shape.

Saw it a BPS up in Maryland this past weekend for $48

I have considered buying one myself ...but haven't yet ....so I can't tell you how well it works. I imagine you have to remember to (edit) the thing before backing down or screw up something if you don't ???

Most steep ramps I use ....my boat would slip back while I hustled up to latch the winch .....and concerns about leaving it running briefly while I reach down to do so is one reason why I have considered buying this gadget . Another reason ... cocktail sipping luxury boat slip renters nearby that don't want transient ramp users around .

Don't wish to stir up the residents and lose ramp access to a good fishin hole.

This is sort of funny now, though it wasn't Sunday morning when it happened. Several months ago, I replaced the bunks on the trailer of my Stratos 201 Pro. I had just refinished the hull and I didn't want to get it scratched. Found this cool product called Liquid Rollers. Sprayed it on liberally like the instructions stated. For months, never a problem. Yesterday, went to back in and let boat float off (I had another boater that was going to carry me to my boat). Ramp was not that steep, but it had bumps cut in it for winter traction. Those dang bumps shook the boat just enough for it to slide off the trailer! Before I could hit the brakes, the boat was standing almost straight up in the air. When it fell forward, it landed completely in the water and the only damage suffered was some scuffed gelcoat at the back of the pad and some road rash on the bottom of the lower unit. Talk about exciting! The only bad thing was, there were about 30 boats hanging around waiting to blast off for a tournament. No worries though, they were gone by the time I got back from parking the truck. Moral of the story...danged if I know but that durn Liquid Rollers is slippery and greased eel sh...well, you know what I mean.

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by fotoman &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">
Most steep ramps I use ....my boat would slip back while I hustled up to latch the winch .....and concerns about leaving it running briefly while I reach down to do so is one reason why I have considered buying this gadget . Another reason ... cocktail sipping luxury boat slip renters nearby that don't want transient ramp users around .

Don't wish to stir up the residents and lose ramp access to a good fishin hole.

</TD></TR></TABLE>

I used to struggle with this myself. I use a lot of very steep ramps and, as you said, the boat would slip back as I was racing toward the front to latch it.

The boat buddy system is pretty sweet, unless you're trying to use it on a big wakeboarding boat, such as Moomba, Xtreme, etc. My friend has broken three of them. But for bassboats, should be great. I've been meaning to get one myself, but keep forgetting about it.

Something I did to control the slide-back was very simple (even though it took me a while to think about it lol). I just keep the trailer a little more shallow than normal and "wheelie" the nose up onto the front roller. Just trim the motor up super high, get the nose pointed in the right direction and give it a little romp. Works like a charm, everytime.

http://xs-s.com/zf/images/smile/emthup.gif

Good Info..
I have a Large deep "V" Tracker. The bow is over 5' from the ground when trailered. It is not possible to get in or out of the boat from the bow while loading or unloading. http://www.bassboatcentral.com/smileys/eyes.gif
I have been thinking of getting a set of EZEE Boat trailer Steps.

http://www.ezeestep.com/

Has anyone ever tried these?

Thanks Rick

Wow, I like those! I don't even have a deep V, but that's pretty sweet!

I especially like it for stepping down, moreso than stepping up.