How many of you drive your boat onto the trailer?

[Huron Angler]

Re: How many of you drive your boat onto the trailer?

A very good alternative to "driving up the trailer" or the notoriously damaging "power loading" is to buy an extending pole with a hook on it so that you can attach the winch to the bow ring without getting on the trailer or in the water.

Especially nice for deep landings and big boats. Once it's hooked step back and flip the power winch switch or start a-crankin'

Using the bow rope to pull the boat onto the trailer seems to be a pretty normal way to do it as well...not sure why people need to blast the boat onto the trailer.

 

[a70eliminator]

Re: How many of you drive your boat onto the trailer?

Easy loader trailer i/o yes, my older runabout with flat trailer trailer no.

 

[pmat1]

Re: How many of you drive your boat onto the trailer?

I never drive it onto the trailer, but i do drive it off, mostly to make sure the engine will start before i get it off.

 

[lowell7963]

Re: How many of you drive your boat onto the trailer?

Pontoon so I power up till it it the stops. My fear is a motor problem that I have to load the big boy (24Ft) by hand. Never seen anyone load a pontoon by hand. Maybe I'll have to try it before a motor problem.

Of course if I do have a motor problem, Mr. Murphy will make sure it is high current, high wind and high traffic at the ramp.

Has anyone floated a pontoon on by hand?

 

[RWilson2526]

Re: How many of you drive your boat onto the trailer?

Same as some of the other guys...if I am at a ramp with docks paralleling the ramp I do it all with lines, no power. If I cant I drive up on slowly which usually gets me to within about 3-4' of the bow stop. I leave it in gear (forward) while I hop off and attach the bow hook otherwise it wants to float back down the trailer. After I attach the bow hook I jump back in, turn it off, raise the motor and then winch it the rest of the way. (I have an electric winch that makes it pretty easy) Its a lot of climbing in and out but I have it down pretty fast....

 

[hazwild]

Re: How many of you drive your boat onto the trailer?

I always have driven on.My wife drives up to it almost reaches the bow roller then i clip and winch it tight.

 

[bad_boy]

Re: How many of you drive your boat onto the trailer?

This is an old beaten topic and like everything else on here has as many opinions as there are people that comment. The only proven fact in any of this is that powerloading RUINS ramps and is a horrible idea. I have a heavy boat, 5500 pounds and I have a manual winch. I have never powerloaded or driven on the trailer, because I have respect for the other people who use the facilities and the people who have to maintain them. I have never had a problem loading the boat. So, as far as I am concerned loading manually is the ONLY way to do it correctly...

 

[cwhite6]

Re: How many of you drive your boat onto the trailer?

This is an old beaten topic and like everything else on here has as many opinions as there are people that comment. The only proven fact in any of this is that powerloading RUINS ramps and is a horrible idea. I have a heavy boat, 5500 pounds and I have a manual winch. I have never powerloaded or driven on the trailer, because I have respect for the other people who use the facilities and the people who have to maintain them. I have never had a problem loading the boat. So, as far as I am concerned loading manually is the ONLY way to do it correctly...

I do not agree with this at all. You CAN drive a boat on without power loading. Get a some momentum going from back a little ways and drift onto the trailer. If done right you can get the boat almost all the way on never having gone above idle speed. This does not damage the ramps. It's the folks that are going onto the trailer and then running the engine at full throttle trying to put their boat further on that is the problem. Use a small bit of throttle to get going a decent ways back and let the boats weight make some momentum and carry you on. I think this may be a regional thing also as I have never seen anyone load a boat by hand cranking it all the way on the trailer here.

 

[gmac316]

Re: How many of you drive your boat onto the trailer?

I drive my boat right up till it just about touches the bow stop. I try not to go too fast nor do I create alot of wake in the process. I get it real close and my wife or daughter connects the hook and chain, tightens up the winch, and we head up the ramp to strap it down.

 

[Numlaar]

Re: How many of you drive your boat onto the trailer?

I always drive my boat on... I don't think I have ever actually had to winch it up... (maybe a few inches if I miss judge the throttle and don't quite hit the bow stop..)

I guess I'm lucky, because All of the ramps I go to here in FL are all pretty nice, and concreted pretty far down... I have never dropped a trailer off the end.

As with all things it just takes practice, but I've been doing it for almost 30 years, so it is second nature to me...

Back down, hop in boat, idle up, when you hit the rollers, hit the gas, zip up, good to go, attach winch and tighten, pull out, and off I go to the tie down spot!

If you work it right, you don't have to "floor it" to make it up the trailer, it just takes having the trailer down far enough that you can center and go, but not too far that you end up uneven...

In fact, my current trailer is a magic tilt, and not set up to drive on... I just added a second set of bunk supports, and made new bunks for it, converted it TO a drive-on so I can do just that!

I hate winching a boat up! (call me lazy)

 

[Boss Hawg]

Re: How many of you drive your boat onto the trailer?

Driving it on and power loading are two different things to me. I drive mine up on the trailer, but do not powerload. I get enough a head of steam and I shut the motor off when it hits the bunks and the boat scoots on up the bunks. Then I reach over the bow and clip the winch on. Jump off onto the front of the trailer and tighten the winch up. Takes 20 seconds.

I do about the same- If i'm a little off i just winch it up
Besides, my wife is the one who gets her feet wet if i'm a bit off

 

[SS MAYFLOAT]

Re: How many of you drive your boat onto the trailer?

I only launch and load once each year. My boat is 8700 pounds. I motor onto the trailer and with the weight of the boat, the inertia of the weight of the boat gets me almost to the winchless tower. Yes, I do not have a winch as my boat is so heavy, the bow eye will fail. For the remainder 3 or 4 feet, I use my boom on my bucket/tow truck to lift the bow up and pull it up the rest of the way.

My first year of loading it, I powered up and pushed the trailer and my 3/4 ton service van up the ramp. Then found out that the bow eye was about to pull out when using the winch to get it the rest of the way. Finally I ran two ropes to the stern cleats and used them to get it all the way on. I just have to remember that when the boat sits in the water all season, the growth on the bottom acts like grease on the trailer bunks....Slides real easy

 

[BaileysBoat]

Re: How many of you drive your boat onto the trailer?

Drive on. My bunk trailer has large guide bunks and 2 bunks per side that grab the strakes an reverse chine. 30 seconds with someone in the Suburban.

 

[CAVU V]

Re: How many of you drive your boat onto the trailer?

When I lived in VA I would walk it along the dock to and float it on the trailer, now that I am Lake Allatoona there is no dock so I let the momentum of the boat float it on the trailer. Would much rather float it on from a dock.

 

[redone4x4]

Re: How many of you drive your boat onto the trailer?

Drive on. My bunk trailer has large guide bunks and 2 bunks per side that grab the strakes an reverse chine. 30 seconds with someone in the Suburban.

i guide the driver in just far enough...i know when it will slide on easily or not, then i just coast it up there. unless its really windy, then i'll winch the last 1/4 up or so. almost always hit the bowstop dead-on and never had any issues.

 

[BWR1953]

Re: How many of you drive your boat onto the trailer?

I always drive my trailered boats onto the trailer.

As for jumping in and getting my feet wet.... uhhh... no. Learned when I lived in Spokane, WA that jumping into 40 degree water is NOT fun! LOL!

 

[wellsc1]

Re: How many of you drive your boat onto the trailer?

I position the vehicle, trailer, and boat in the ramp and let my wife back up the last 10 feet or so straight back while I have motor idling in reverse. WHen it starts to slide off, she stop and I ease the rest of the way off. She parks the trailer and vehicle.

Loading the boat, I position the vehicle and trailer like before and let my wife back up the last 10 feet or so again while I have the boat idling into the trailer. With engine tilted up a bit, she drives off while I strategically shut off the motor before it leaves the water.

Works quite well and no real ramp washout initiated.

 

[foxtrotboss]

Re: How many of you drive your boat onto the trailer?

I load my by hand mainly because when I first got it, the motor wouldn't idle. But I learned the sweet spot on the trailer wher the bunks guide the boat on and the boat floats just above the bunks 1/8" so it is lined up and the bow is right there all the way on. No winching no fighting current the chines wont let it slide around hardly all I do is hook the winch up and latch it and pull out. It takes me now less than a minute to load and unload next to a dock. I also back my trailer pretty much under the boat bow so I have maybe 15 more feet to go.

 

[642mx]

Re: How many of you drive your boat onto the trailer?

I NEVER drive my boat on the trailer........


...... my wife does it!

Why winch it on when you can blip the throttle and be done with it?...

 

[WAVENBYE2]

Re: How many of you drive your boat onto the trailer?

You CAN drive a boat on without power loading. Get a some momentum going from back a little ways and drift onto the trailer. If done right you can get the boat almost all the way on never having gone above idle speed.

Yep Same here!!