dont unhook trailer before backing down ramp

[mnypitboat]

Re: dont unhook trailer before backing down ramp

im sooo sorry......as im reading these posts......i cant beleive how many dont know how to launch a boat off a trailer......

when the boat is in the pre launch area...a simple walk around and check will prevent most mishaps....chain on...drive up, muffs off...plug in...tie downs off, key in....lanyard in, blower on...oil checked....battery on...

then launch.....

the key to the launch is positive control over the boat at all times. the boat is never unhooked from the trailer till someone has hold of the rope and the boat starts to float off the trailer.

back close to the dock....and one person can launch the boat and have it tied to the dock and drive the truck out in 90 seconds with out getting thier feet wet.

Well, some 20 years ago when we had our Chap, I tried several differant ways of getting the boat off the trailer. I left it attatched to the strap in several differant positions, but in order to get it to come off I literally had to roll down the ramp and jerk the truck a few times to get it to release, but then it would jam the strap so tight I couldnt get it to release. The only way to get it off the trailer while the strap was still attatched was to put the rear bumper of the truck completely under water. So I tried it once with no strap and it worked. We put the rope to a kleat far out on the dock in case the wife let it go. It worked perfect for probably 30 or so launches. At least til I got the bunk spray.

I was certainly unfamiliar with launching a boat. Prior to this all the boats I drove were left on the water and I never launched a boat. If I ever run into this situation again, I will get it off the trailer somehow and use the bunk spray in the beginning and use the winch to release it slowly. This is how we launch now, and how I tried on the Chap. It just didnt work on that one. But we all didnt know how to walk when we were born. It took a while to learn that too. Nowadays we have iboats to read up on our boats and how to use them before we buy them. Back then there was nothing like this.

 

[fishrdan]

Re: dont unhook trailer before backing down ramp

The OP had slicked up bunks, so the boat slid off, which shouldn't have happened.

I didn't state that right... With a slicked up trailer bunks, the boat can slide off. Though his boat shouldn't have slide off onto the launch ramp

I too cannot understand how leaving the chain hooked would help.

Your boat wouldn't have slid off the trailer and onto the ramp. It would have slid until the chain caught it, but it wouldn't have dumped the boat onto the launch ramp. Though, with slicked up bunks, you should leave the winch strap/cable tightened too.

Spraying the bunks with silicone makes the boat slide like greased lightening. It kind of turns the bunk trailer into a roller trailer, so now you have to treat the sprayed bunk trailer more like a roller trailer than a bunk trailer. I don't know of anyone who would totally unlatch their boat from a roller trailer and then attempt to back down the ramp.

 

[mnypitboat]

Re: dont unhook trailer before backing down ramp

I didn't state that right... With a slicked up trailer bunks, the boat can slide off. Though his boat shouldn't have slide off onto the launch ramp



Your boat wouldn't have slid off the trailer and onto the ramp. It would have slid until the chain caught it, but it wouldn't have dumped the boat onto the launch ramp. Though, with slicked up bunks, you should leave the winch strap/cable tightened too.

Spraying the bunks with silicone makes the boat slide like greased lightening. It kind of turns the bunk trailer into a roller trailer, so now you have to treat the sprayed bunk trailer more like a roller trailer than a bunk trailer. I don't know of anyone who would totally unlatch their boat from a roller trailer and then attempt to back down the ramp.

Yes, but having the strap on served the same purpose and then I could release it easily in stead of it sliding and snatching on the chain, then not being able to release it becasue it is tought. Trust me, with that boat, and just about any boat at this ramp, a chain would go tight and we would never get the chain off. That is why I said I cant see how leaving the chain hooked would help. Unless you meant you left both the chain and the strap on. I could see that. Since you are down there anyway you can unlatch the chain, then release the strap and unlatch that once its in the water. I can see that.

 

[Home Cookin']

Re: dont unhook trailer before backing down ramp

I always leave both the strap (cable) and chain hooked up until I am ready to push the boat off. The chain is loose and unhooks, then I loosen the cable a few inches and unhook it. Then I push the boat off, and down she rolls. a previous tilt trailer with bunks, same method. the newer float-on with bunks is a pain, because you have to have some float going on, so you go in deeper.

The only thing unhooked before launching are the lights. And if I'm alone and I think it's going to be a fast launch I have the bow line tied (loose) to the winch post so there's no chance it will pull out of my hands, that or I tie the lines to the dock before launching.

 

[fishrdan]

Re: dont unhook trailer before backing down ramp

Unless you meant you left both the chain and the strap on. I could see that. Since you are down there anyway you can unlatch the chain, then release the strap and unlatch that once its in the water. I can see that.

That's it.

I have a bunk trailer (no slicky stuff) and unhook the strap before backing down most ramps, but leave the safety chain hooked up. My boat's not going to slide off, but I leave the chain on there,,,, just in case. On steep ramps I leave the strap hooked up as the boat could slide and hit the chain.

 

[scooper77515]

Re: dont unhook trailer before backing down ramp

Hmmm, I never heard of spraying silicone on the bunks. Is that common practice?

It wouldn't affect my launching, but putting the boat ON the trailer would be easier.

I typically drive trailer all the way back so bunks get wet, then pull forward to my sweet-spot for loading the boat. Sweet-spot is where I can gently drive boat up onto trailer, it self-centers, and lines up with the winch, I leave a little gas on it til I can get up front and hook it up, and winch the last inch or two. Then kill engine and pull out, pull plugs, and secure everything down for trip home.

Yes, I understand that many places this is illegal. They don't like you to run your engine while on the trailer, as it causes a deep spot at the end of the ramp, and a sandbar after that. Which is why our boat ramp is now closed until the lake comes back up.

 

[mnypitboat]

Re: dont unhook trailer before backing down ramp

Hmmm, I never heard of spraying silicone on the bunks. Is that common practice?

It wouldn't affect my launching, but putting the boat ON the trailer would be easier.

I typically drive trailer all the way back so bunks get wet, then pull forward to my sweet-spot for loading the boat. Sweet-spot is where I can gently drive boat up onto trailer, it self-centers, and lines up with the winch, I leave a little gas on it til I can get up front and hook it up, and winch the last inch or two. Then kill engine and pull out, pull plugs, and secure everything down for trip home.

They sell a product called liquid roller and that is what made mine slick. You are probably gonna get some crap about powering your boat on the trailer.

 

[bassman284]

Re: dont unhook trailer before backing down ramp

Well, I guess everybody has their own way of doing things, but I cannot understand why you woul unhook anything before the boat is in the water. I have a roller trailer and I always leave both the strap and chain hooked up until the boat's in the water. When loading, I hook up the safety chain before pulling out.

I know this is rare, but a few years ago, a friend of mine (also with a roller) was pulling his boat up a fairly long ramp and the winch strap decided to give up the ghost about halfway up. Fortunately he also hooks the chain up before leaving the pond so he didn't lose the boat.

 

[scooper77515]

Re: dont unhook trailer before backing down ramp

Yes, I realize powering the boat onto the trailer is frowned upon in most areas. Not in Texas. We all do it here.

Now that the water has dropped, we can see the damage it does to the bottom contour.

 

[bruc12]

Re: dont unhook trailer before backing down ramp

With my Malibu I took pride in the fact that I would hook everything, my son would get in the boat and I would back down the ramp. When the boat hit the water it would float away and I would drive back up the ramp and park. I was only on the ramp 15 seconds. I see some others tie up the ramp way too long. With this experience I do things differently.

 

[greenbush future]

Re: dont unhook trailer before backing down ramp

The spray on slick stuff sure would scare me; I really want my boat to stick to the trailer. To me the only reason a boat would not eventually come off when launching is because you haven?t backed down far enough. Same goes for retrieving, if you back down deep enough, the boat should float close enough to only need to crank it up a few cranks.
As far a backing down, I leave both safety and winch tight, until I'm down and ready to float off, just too much risk, unhooking everything. I used to unhook everything, but witnessing a slide off, changed my ways.

 

[skargo]

Re: dont unhook trailer before backing down ramp

We prep our boat in the staging area, I back the truck up until the stern of the boat is well over the water, set my emergency brake, put it in park and turn my wheels. I unhook both my winch strap and safety chain then, and only then. The boat doesn't move, I have carpeted bunks and no way I'm putting anything slick on them. I get back into the tow rig, put it in reverse, undo the parking brake, straighten the wheels then slowly back up, as my wife has the bow and stern lines, with plenty of slack, in her hands. When the stern barely starts to float, I tap my brakes lightly and the boat slides off the trailer as pretty as can be. We launch quickly and efficiently!
When solo, I tie the stern line off to the dock, and wrap the bow line around the winch stand with plenty of slack, but otherwise it's the same procedure.

There is no way I would ever unhook my strap and chain unless the stern was over water. Heard and seen too many mishaps.

 

[jeffnick]

Re: dont unhook trailer before backing down ramp

Just an FYI
The safety chain may not be. My buddy couldn't power off, so I pulled up a couple feet in the truck...let her roll back down the ramp and hit the brakes. I heard a 'pop' as the boat slid off the trailer. The safety chain had been left on and the hook had straightened out. No damage otherwise.

 

[j_martin]

Re: dont unhook trailer before backing down ramp

With my Malibu I took pride in the fact that I would hook everything, my son would get in the boat and I would back down the ramp. When the boat hit the water it would float away and I would drive back up the ramp and park. I was only on the ramp 15 seconds. I see some others tie up the ramp way too long. With this experience I do things differently.

It depends on the ramp. On some I won't unhook till the boat's over water, and on some I unhook in the parking lot a block away. When 2 of us do the launch, I seldom tie up the ramp more than 30 seconds.

 

[mnypitboat]

Re: dont unhook trailer before backing down ramp

The spray on slick stuff sure would scare me; I really want my boat to stick to the trailer. To me the only reason a boat would not eventually come off when launching is because you haven?t backed down far enough. Same goes for retrieving, if you back down deep enough, the boat should float close enough to only need to crank it up a few cranks.
As far a backing down, I leave both safety and winch tight, until I'm down and ready to float off, just too much risk, unhooking everything. I used to unhook everything, but witnessing a slide off, changed my ways.

Like I said in one of my other posts, we sprayed the bunks because to get the boat to float off the trailer at this particular ramp we had to have the rear bumper of our Suburban 3/4 ton completely submerged. There is absolutely NO way I was doing that every time I launched. Anyone that does is a complete fool. We had launched the only way we could up til that point, and that was to completely unhook the trailer and jerk the truck several times to get it to break loose. It was the only way to do it without getting water in my rear hatch every time I launched.

 

[Silverbullet555]

Re: dont unhook trailer before backing down ramp

The key is that there are many ways to load and unload your boat. We all have our routines and the way we do it. In most cases, it seems to pay to keep something attached to the bow. The winch or the safety chain or both. Rollers are different than bunks and when you spray something on your bunks it changes what you are used to.

Anything can happen. A kid runs behind your trailer as you are backing down and you have to hit the brakes. Be prepared for it and have fun on the water. Don't prepare for it and have fun at the gelcoat shop.

 

[Home Cookin']

Re: dont unhook trailer before backing down ramp

I had the whole bow eye pull out, remaining firmly connected to the safety chain and winch cable, dangling in the breeze.

Just an FYI
The safety chain may not be. My buddy couldn't power off, so I pulled up a couple feet in the truck...let her roll back down the ramp and hit the brakes. I heard a 'pop' as the boat slid off the trailer. The safety chain had been left on and the hook had straightened out. No damage otherwise.

 

[Tetondan37]

Re: dont unhook trailer before backing down ramp

Im glad it wasn't more serious, but it was a very entertaining story. I had to share it with my son who helps me out on the ramp.

 

[haley]

Re: dont unhook trailer before backing down ramp

Again, I just did this a few weeks ago. It was the dumbest thing I've done. Prior trailering experience was with bunks - now I have a roller. I am real into the "boat is attached to trailer" until it is in the water now. 'Nuff said with all of the above.

I just wanted to share that I just today chatted with my insurance company and they made me feel slightly less of a fool with their questions:
Anyone hurt? No.
Damage to motor? None.
Damage to hull? Minimal.
Damage to trailer / tow vehicle? None.
Damage to marina property / other boats? None.
Fuel spill? No.
Boat submerged? No.
Need to hire a crane, lift, etc. to get boat back on trailer? No.
Need to arrange transport home? No.

Apparently it is common to have a few yes's in the above. I still feel like a fool - but I'm a darn lucky fool!

 

[sw33ttooth]

Re: dont unhook trailer before backing down ramp

same thing happend to me with my first boat it was on a roller trailer and i had never launched with it before, about 10 feet from the shore it went a rollin. luckly my ego is at large the only poeple around was my dad and me. also luckly it never damaged the fiberglass being a light boat on gravel.