Docking, putting the boat in the water and pulling out of the water.

[oldjeep]

If you can idle it to the bow stop, your trailer is WAY too deep and you won't be able to keep it centered.

Depends on the boat and trailer. If I can't idle to or at least pretty close to the bow stop then there is no way the boat is going to make it on the trailer. The guide posts and 6 bunks take care of keeping it centered.

With my old boat, it wouldn't have stayed centered and would have had a good chance of getting tossed over/beside the bow stop if a roller came in.

 

[Pony]

I was just gonna chime in and tell the OP to NOT power his boat on and off the trailer.

Doing this will dig a prop wash hole at the end of a ramp. If you've never seen a boat trailer drop off into a giant hole created by doing just that, it's not pretty. And will ruin someones day of boating. There is a lot of thrust coming off that prop even at idle. A sand or mud bottom doesn't stand a chance.

I know everybody has a different opinion on this particular subject, but regardless, it will dig a hole giving the right circumstances. Just saying...

Power loading and idling the boat onto the trailer and winching it up the rest of the way are two entirely different things. Most launches I use prohibit power loading, but many boaters will idle the boat onto their trailer. Thats what I do. I can get it to within a foot or so of the bow stop pretty much everytime and then just reach over the bow, hook it, and crank it the last little bit.

 

[Mischief Managed]

If you can idle it to the bow stop, your trailer is WAY too deep and you won't be able to keep it centered.

I don't idle up to the bow stop. I idle on onto the trailer, then winch to the bow stop, like I recommended elsewhere in the same post.

 

[Mischief Managed]

I was just gonna chime in and tell the OP to NOT power his boat on and off the trailer.

Doing this will dig a prop wash hole at the end of a ramp. If you've never seen a boat trailer drop off into a giant hole created by doing just that, it's not pretty. And will ruin someones day of boating. There is a lot of thrust coming off that prop even at idle. A sand or mud bottom doesn't stand a chance.

I know everybody has a different opinion on this particular subject, but regardless, it will dig a hole giving the right circumstances. Just saying...

My only advise to the OP, find a ramp that has a dock right next to it. Makes life a lot easier when loading/unloading. Get your trailer real close to the dock and you can walk the boat on/off. All boats, trailers, waters, currents, wind is different for all of us. You will just have to find what works for you.

I don't typically power off the trailer, but when I have, there's no hole created. I also always idle onto the trailer, and there's also no hole created. I us the same ramps over and over on clear lakes and I can easily see that I am not stirring up the bottom or creating a hole when I idle onto the trailer. I suppose that if I left the engine in gear after I came to a stop, this could eventually happen, but I don't, the shifter goes into neutral before I come to a stop.

 

[java230]

Tips from the most common mistakes/problems I see at the ramp
/snip
7) Learn to use your mirrors (all 3 of them). If you are looking over your shoulder then you are missing more than 50% of what is going on around your moving vehicle. Bonus points for folks who open their hatch because they can't figure out how to see the empty trailer in their mirrors.
/snip

I will have to disagree here. I know I am probably the minority, but I have a small boat. With the boat off the trailer, there is zero shown in any of my mirrors. If I can see it, its too late, and its sideways. I have to open my back hatch to be able to see it....

 

[oldjeep]

I will have to disagree here. I know I am probably the minority, but I have a small boat. With the boat off the trailer, there is zero shown in any of my mirrors. If I can see it, its too late, and its sideways. I have to open my back hatch to be able to see it....

In your case it makes sense, jetski trailers as well. I'm referring to a standard runabout trailer that is as wide or wider than a full sized truck. Saw a guy a couple weeks ago loading a 23ft wake boat - hatch open staring through it over his shoulder. There is no way he couldn't see all 4 wheels, the guide posts and almost the entire trailer in one of the 3 mirrors.

 

[JASinIL2006]

Not everybody is the same when it comes to all abilities. For some people, backing in using 3 mirrors is easy; for others, not so much. Whether one uses 3 mirrors, an open tailgate or some other visual aid to help get an empty trailer in the water is not important. The important thing is find some way to do it that allows you to master it, so you can do it quickly and efficiently. If you don't figure that out, trailering a boat is aggravating either for you, your fellow boaters, or both.

 

[BRICH1260]

Make sure your Kill switch is properly attached to your throttle control. I sat at the ramp and cranked and cranked wondering why my boat would not start, then looked down and the clip had popped off its attachment. I felt like an idiot.

 

[WellFast210]

I don't typically power off the trailer, but when I have, there's no hole created. I also always idle onto the trailer, and there's also no hole created. I us the same ramps over and over on clear lakes and I can easily see that I am not stirring up the bottom or creating a hole when I idle onto the trailer. I suppose that if I left the engine in gear after I came to a stop, this could eventually happen, but I don't, the shifter goes into neutral before I come to a stop.

How big is your boat? A smaller boats axles would never make to the end of the ramp. How would one know if a hole existed? But the guy who comes in behind you with his 30+ foot go fast boat might find it. And since your prop is, at least, 3-4 feet behind the axle/s, your prop could be digging while your trailer is safely away from ramp end.

I only complain because I know it happens and have seen/helped a poor guy that this happened to. About 5 hours of his day was wasted, ramp tied up for hours. And be forewarned, even with the boat off the trailer, it will take a monster truck to pull it out depending on many variables.

Someone else mentioned above that it wasn't allowed where they launch. Its not allowed where I launch either. Must be a reason why, you think? And they even get real bitchy when idling.

 

[Pony]

In your case it makes sense, jetski trailers as well. I'm referring to a standard runabout trailer that is as wide or wider than a full sized truck. Saw a guy a couple weeks ago loading a 23ft wake boat - hatch open staring through it over his shoulder. There is no way he couldn't see all 4 wheels, the guide posts and almost the entire trailer in one of the 3 mirrors.

Maybe, like me, their first 15 years experience backing up a trailer has only been with small boats. Old habits.

 

[tpenfield]

I used to open the tailgate to see directly out of the back of the vehicle as well. . . . Since my ramp is very shallow, I needed to get the trailer/vehicle deep. So, it was important to know how close the water was to touching the bumper. A steeper ramp would not have needed such a technique.

Each person, vehicle, boat and ramp creates a unique situation that may need adaptation.