i've felt sorry for a few that were having trouble launching/trailering. I cringe when i see a trailer backed in to where just the winch tower is the only thing above water, knowing the bow of the boat is going to ram the winch or possibly the back of the tow vehicle, or even injure the person if they stand at the winch ready to 'hook up the bow rope' and wind.
I've experienced rejection most of the time if i offer to help or even toss out a 'trailer is too deep/shallow' offering. Seems not many want any part of someone else offering a help....guess it's human nature.
I'm blessed to have had a dad [long passed] that always had a boat and always let me 'help' with it, trailering included. As soon as i got my driver's license my first chore was to learn how to back a trailer.....and it seems 'trying many times over and over' is the only way to get used to it. It is a difficult thing to do and if a boat owner does not 'boat' that often then he is slow to learn how to deal with backing a trailer.
'helps' that were useful to me were:
1) move bottom of the steering wheel [tow vehicle] in the direction you want the trailer to go.
2) go slow
3) if you get out of whack, pull back up forward but not so far as you loose all the rearward gain you had made!
4) on average, a trailer should be backed in to where the bunks are about half way into the water. A tow vehicle driver can always pull up a bit if medium boat power does not get boat up to winch.
5) practise in an empty parking lot if you can, much better than trying to back a trailer with a half dozen anxious boaters waiting on you to get it done at the lake ramp!
6) if the trailer gets out of alignment more than just a little, don't keep backing up trying to correct it. Pull up a short distance and try again.
7) get your boat all ready up in the ramp parking lot, not when right at the ramp!!!! Remove all hold downs, motor trailering bar removed, gas bulb connected and squeezed, coolers in the boat, and leave the winch connected until you get the back of the trailer into the water [how embarrassing to launch a boat on the concrete!!]
i might be missing something but it just goes to show that most experienced boaters have mentally launched the boat before they ever get near the ramp.....thinking ahead of what all needs to be done before you get to and block the ramp.
And be careful...make sure your family/children get out of the way and know where you want them to be or wait on you. I've seen people back boat trailers and give all their attention to the trailer, not children or even adults that suddenly decide they need to be on the other side of the tow vehicle and trailer and will actually walk between the tow vehicle and trailer without making sure the tow vehicle driver knows where they are!
Ok, that's all for now : )
