Re: Launch questions.
Thank you Mark. I will definitely keep those tips in mind. I like the idea of lowering it in and then bringing it up for a check out. I think I need to pick up a little more dock line before I try this to make sure I have a way of controlling the boat from the dock also.
You can use one LONG bow line that should be able to reach from the bow to the stern along with a few feet of extra slack. You loop it around the dock piling closest to your bow and then around the dock piling closest to your stern and then finally to one of your stern cleats. That will keep it from floating off perpendicular to the dock.
After making sure I have the plug in and the transom straps off, I back down the ramp with the safety chain off, the winch in neutral, and the bow line tied to an anchor point in the bed of my truck. Once it's floating I unclip the winch strap, untie the bow line from the truck and walk the line back the length of the boat to wrap it around two pilings as previously described. Once it's secured, I go park the truck.
Jump in the boat and get it running. Since I use a battery maintainer I know my battery is always fully charged. Back before I got the maintainer, I always made it a practice to crank the boat in my driveway on muffs before I towed it to the ramp. I would let it run on the muffs until the thermostat opened, then go to the boat ramp immediately. Since I don't do that any more, I leave the boat running but out of the way at the ramp for a few minutes until the thermostat opens. If I don't I have a problem with idle speed being too fast, which can be a problem when maneuvering around a dock.
I never let my line go until the engine has warmed up and I'm ready to actually leave. The key to getting away with occupying space for that long is to get your boat out of the way as soon as it's in the water. I walk mine down to the end of the dock and then around the corner so I'm not blocking the ramp.
One of the best things you can do as an out of practice boater is to hang out at the ramp one busy afternoon and watch how everybody else does it. You'll see what works and what doesn't.