getting the boat out

[keith slack]

Unfortunately for me I have a 2wd Dodge Ram 1500 and not a 4wd. Putting the boat in... Never a problem, but out, I'm limited to concrete ramps and they are far and few where I live.<br />So I'm wondering if any of you have advice aside from me getting a 4wd for me to try. <br />My thoughts are a winch, an extender bar between the trailer and the truck to get farther from the water line to dryer soil, boards under the wheels? .....<br />Any ideas would be helpful.<br />ps the boat is a 24' Rinker

 

[splugeeman]

Re: getting the boat out

I have a 4-wheel drive and still have problems at times.

 

[neumanns]

Re: getting the boat out

Your from the north so tire chains should be readily availabe, I have not tried this but they are less expensive than a winch and once you do it a few times they are not to toufgh to put on. The extender bar just does not sound like the solution to me. A plus of this is then you have a set when it gets nasty. Pretty place your at there my wife is a Newfie.

 

[roscoe]

Re: getting the boat out

OK, this is going to sound wacky, but it works.<br /><br />First my brother in law, then dad, now I have done this.<br /><br />We have 4 cheap rubberized doormats, the kind you might put infront of your house. They are thin, cheap, have plastic fibers imbedded in them.<br /><br />When the trailer is half way into the lake, I throw 2 of them down behind each wheel of the van. Then continue backing, taking care not to go off the back of the last mat.<br /><br />This has always gotten me out of the landing, including some soft sand beach landings up in Ontario. They keep the tires from digging into the sand.<br /><br />This being said, let me ad that I have never done this with a rig that weighed more than 1400#.<br />It may not be the answer for you, but maybe it will help someone else.

 

[poolshark38759]

Re: getting the boat out

if your launching off of sandy beaches all 4wd could do is get you more stuck..just be careful and not spin tires too much.. winch may not be good because lack of good anchor point to pull on...i would try the rubber mats and/or boards with the hitch extender.

 

[Lark40]

Re: getting the boat out

You mentioned getting a winch. I assume you mean a power winch. With a 24' boat, a power winch can make loading a great deal easier and faster.<br /><br />Plus, you will not have to back into the water quite so far. They cost several hundred dollars, but that's much cheaper than injury and well worth the convenience.

 

[senoj]

Re: getting the boat out

I dont know if this will help, but I put someone in the boat and start her up, put her in gear and out she comes.

 

[Bondo]

Re: getting the boat out

Back in the 60s my Dad put a hitch on the Front of his truck.... We launched in many unimproved sites in Maine..... It makes turns Real Easy,+ the back wheels are up on better ground.....

 

[jeff_nicholas]

Re: getting the boat out

My experiences lead me to believe that if I had more weight on the back wheels of my pickup I might have less trouble on steep/slippery ramps. The next time I head toward those challenging ramps I will carry a flexible water tank with a high volume bilge pump. That way I can temporarily put several hundred pounds of extra weight (water) in back end of the pickup. <br /><br />I'm not sure how well it will work, but I figure I'll give it a try next time I head south. <br /><br />I almost tried inflating my 2 man dink in the back of the truck, then filling it with a bailing bucket, but I was at the ocean and I didn't want saltwater splashing around in the bed of my new truck.

 

[enriquepagan]

Re: getting the boat out

Read up on Bondo's reply ,, I recently saw someone with that hook up and guess what.. he lauched and retrieved his boat faster, safer, and more stable than anyone else in the Marina....

 

[bubbaboater]

Re: getting the boat out

My friends dad used a ball on the front of his car and did better than 4WD trucks at the ramp.

 

[Mikevn1500]

Re: getting the boat out

I have a 2wd Chevy with a locker type rear end, a good set of 31-10.50 15 aggressive type tires and I dont have any problems at all. I have had to pull out of the ramp in snow before(worried the hole way back to the ramp) bairly spun a tire. If your truck does not have a posi-trac rear end then you should get one you will not regret it.

 

[keith slack]

Re: getting the boat out

Well I was fortunate enough to get the boat out with out incident today, I backed up deep enough to get a bit of a run and get to a bit of concrete. The tires squealed up the ramp like a pig! When I tried to take it slower to get traction she would just spin, at least I got fwd movement.<br />What I thought for a winch wasn’t for the trailer, It was for the truck, and was thinking either hooking on to a tree, post in the ground or even use the anchor beyond the truck for a little grip (but not to pull the whole rig just a little help so the tires wouldn’t spin).<br />I think I like the tire chains idea and the mats / boards I’ll keep’em ready for x time.

 

[Lou C]

Re: getting the boat out

Another thing you can try, which is an old four wheelers trick, is to air down the rear tires to get more traction, but you should carry an air inflator so you can pump up the rear tires after you get the boat out. I have a front hitch on my Jeep, and let me tell you it makes backing the trailer so easy, it is hard to believe. But for you, the light rear of the pick up would still be a hinderance on boat ramps even with the front hitch. I'd try airing down, and adding weight to the bed, and see how that works. Eventually you could also add a limited slip rear, or a good locker (like the Powertrax no slip) at least that way, both rear tires will get equal torque. Tires can make a big difference too, like a set of BFG AT's, if you have the Goodyear RTS, they are basically usless on a wet ramp.