PowerLoading

[alwims]

I don't understand the problem with power loading. I do it all the time with my bassboat. I guess my concern is, why in the world would you even consider power loading without your motor trimmed up? First of all, I've got a lot of hard earned money tied up in my prop and lower skeg to take a chance of hitting the bottom while loading. Second, with the prop pointed up, it lifts the bow onto the trailer and if you back your trailer in to the correct depth all it takes is a little nudge to get the bow eye to the winch.

I'll admit, I never gave a thought to the damage power loading can do to the back of the ramp, but done properly it is a lot more efficient way of loading a boat. Also with your motor pointed up, your not going to be digging any holes in the back of the ramp.

 

[LongLine]

Re: PowerLoading

No problem - IF it's done properly. Note the BIG IF. Heavy on the throtle & you smash the winch stand, also stain the truck transmision/parking brake with the sudden jolt. What if your not perfectly centered on the trailer? Run the engine without water circulating? Little extra strain on the transom. "Big stetch" getting out of boat to reach the dock? Boat sits on trailer unsecured for 30 seconds or so while you make the stretch? (ever roll back? before you realize you should have secured the trailer chain before you got out of boat)

Too much can go wrong IMO - all to save 3 minutes?

On the plus side, it puts on a good show for the spectators. They need a good laugh once in a while.

Tom B.
(LongLine)

 

[109jb]

Re: PowerLoading

The only real problem with power loading is the ramp erosion. All of the other stuff mentioned in the second post is a personal preference and a matter of doing it right.

I have been boating my whole life and with my own boat for 20+ years. I always drive on at idle power. I see no benefit to mashing the throttle just to get the last few feet up the trailer. I may give a little nudge just to make sure the boat won't slide backward but that is all that is required.

 

[JB]

Re: PowerLoading

I agree. The "problem" is that most boaters do it in such a manner that it causes expensive damage to ramp runoffs.

Of course, it is strictly forbidden at many ramps and even outlawed on others.

Don't remember where I saw it, but I remember one ramp that had a very large and prominent sign:

Launch fee, $3.00. POWER LOADING FEE $25.00

 

[Titanium48]

Re: PowerLoading

I agree. The "problem" is that most boaters do it in such a manner that it causes expensive damage to ramp runoffs.

How does this happen and why is it bad? I would think that washing any accumulated sediment off the ramp would be a good thing. Ramps that flatten out below the waterline can be a PITA.

 

[vote4me4pres]

Re: PowerLoading

The problem it the sediment after the concrete portion gets washed away. It means there is a severe drop off at the end leading to trailer damage and expensive tow trucks if you back up to far. My Dad had it happen when a friend backed his boat in too far at a washed out ramp. Larger boats can't use this ramp during really low tides anymore either.

Also means that the end of the concrete deteriorates at a faster speed and repairing boat ramps is pretty low on the budget priorities list in many places.

 

[RoryDominick]

Re: PowerLoading

I've never heard of power loading being illegal here nor have I even thought about it.

 

[109jb]

Re: PowerLoading

There is an animation at the bottom of the page in the following link that shows why powerloading can be bad.

http://www.boat-ed.com/mn/course/p2-4_trailering.htm

 

[tmcalavy]

Re: PowerLoading

Powerloaders are selfish butts, no matter how it's done. I dropped my trailer into one of those holes at my favorite lake/ramp and spent the rest of my day at the lake extracting it from the hole made by some idiot too lazy to load their boat properly. If you want to powerload, do it on your private lake/ramp.

 

[rentprop1]

Re: PowerLoading

Powerloaders are selfish butts, no matter how it's done. I dropped my trailer into one of those holes at my favorite lake/ramp and spent the rest of my day at the lake extracting it from the hole made by some idiot too lazy to load their boat properly. If you want to powerload, do it on your private lake/ramp.

I feel your pain, I also dropped off a public ramp where about every other boat is power loaded, now I pay a fee to use a private ramp , but still see folks do it there

bottom line until more folks become aware that its a real problem nothing will get better, same as people driving slow in left or middle lane.....lol

 

[URDADDY]

Re: PowerLoading

All that has been said about ramp damage is very true. I grew up on a lake with our own ramp. Evidently 20+ years ago nobody even knew the damage it caused. Our ramp ended up cracking and eventually breaking off from all the dirt removed below it from power loading, and unloading. Plus Im sure the current didnt help either. I now owna stern drive and do not even power on the trailer at all. It isnt worth the damage to the ramp or boat. and if you know ur boat and trailer u know how deep to put the trailer and no issues at all.

 

[kenmyfam]

Re: PowerLoading

Not a fan of power loading myself. Never do it personally. If you know your outfit then there is no real need to do it.
If you need some entertainment go watch some of the "experts" doing it on a long weekend while they destroy your local ramp.

 

[Yepblaze]

Re: PowerLoading

Too many variables to make any kind of general assumption about it.

water/ramp condition
trailer/boat setup
speed, or power level while doing it
operator


Why is it even an issue? Is it banned at some ramps, and what you prefer?

Perhaps the liabilities involved with some drunk buffoon, 250+HP, a public ramp with children and the like present, and past presentations might limit it.

 

[kend301]

Re: PowerLoading

I never powerload , not worth the risk of damage it can do . Saw one guy do it , miss the center of the trailer and rollers , kept going , Still put the bow strap on and pulled out of the water , Hull was all scuffed up and it made a stomach churning scraping noise when he backed it back in and tried to unload to center it . Bet he never does it again.

 

[alwims]

Re: PowerLoading

I still say if you know your setup and have got your trailer backed in correctly, powerloading is safe, simple and not damaging to the ramp. I get a lot of looks from non locals around here when my partner backs the trailer in the water and I glide onto it, then gently nudge the boat up to the eye with the motor, shut it off, tilt it up even farther and tell him to pull out without me ever leaving the drivers seat. Of course, I use one of these, which, by the way, is a bassboaters best friend, http://www.basspro.com/webapp/wcs/s...1_1052_225010004_225000000_225010000_225-10-4

 

[capt sam]

Re: PowerLoading

my trailer is setup for the ramp I use 90% of the time but not so much for the other dozen ramps I use occasionally, one of which requires me to power on and off the trailer, there are times when it's necessary like a heavy wind or current also so never say never guys.

 

[JimKW]

Re: PowerLoading

I sat at the public ramp yesterday for about an hour and watched people load and unload their boats. Power loading is what most of them do. One guy had this real big boat for the lake I was at. First of al he pulls his boat up to the dock while another guy is all set to back down and blocks that entire side of the ramp. And it is supposed to be a double. The other guy has to go to the other side of the dock. There is a coutesy dock where most people tie up while they go get the truck and tailer, but not this guy.

Then the guy with the big boat goes to get his truck and leaves his wife (I'm assuming wife) standing there holding this big boat. He was gone for about 10 minutes and comes back in the really nice Suburban and spends about 10 minutes trying to back the trailer down the ramp. So at this point he has tied up that entire side of the loading area for 20 minutes.

Once he gets the trailer in the water, he goes to his wife and they act like they are going to just pull this boat onto the trailer. But he finally gets on the boat and drives onto the trailer. It doesn't go on very far so he guns it and gets it on fairly far, but not all the way. He keeps getting out and looking at how far it is and then getting back in the boat and gunning it some more. When he finally got it up fairly close he guns it a few more times and I see the Suburban moving down the ramp.

I literally got up and ran over and said you are really making you truck move down the ramp when you hit it that hard. He says that's normal and not to worry about it. I look at the distance between the winch and the boat and it's about 10 inches. I say put the winch on the boat, back the truck up a little more to float the boat a little bit and winch it the rest of the way in. Wife says that's a good idea. Don't think he liked the wife liking my idea at all. He starts to get in the truck without putting the winch line on the boat. I say winch it first before backing up. He does then backs the truck up little. Then he gets out of the truck and gets back and start powering the boat.

I just walked away. He obviously didn't think he should have to crank the winch at all and would not do it. He still can not get it all the way on, so another guy comes over and cranks the winch and they finally get it on the trailer. Over 45 minutes of tying up the loading ramp at 7:00 pm on Sunday night on Memorial day weekend. As they were going up the ramp he didn't even look at me but the wife did and smiled and waived at me. She knew.

 

[JimKW]

Re: PowerLoading

I hate to do this after the rather long post, but there was another group of young people trying get their boat off the the trailer last night. They didn't have their boat down very far and the kept gunning the boat to back it off the trailer. I mean really gunning it!

So I walk over and tell them to unhook the winch line, back the trailer up just a little and float the boat off. So he starts to get in the truck and I say no loosen the line first. The line is so tight they can not get it off the boat. So I show them how to loosen the winch. He walks down in the water and takes it off the bow hook and the boat just floated off the trailer.

Yes they were trying to power it off the the trailer but didn't know how to unhook the winch from the boat. At this point I just left the ramp.

 

[CATransplant]

Re: PowerLoading

Powerloaders have ruined two of the ramps I use regularly. These days, I have to use the tilt feature on my trailer to unload and load, since you can't back down the ramp far enough any more. The concrete sections have sunk into the hole from the powerloading.

Don't powerload. It's that simple. You ruin the ramp for everyone else.

 

[DJ]

Re: PowerLoading

General assumptions lead to general rules which fit nobody in general.

There are other factors that undermine ramps. Some of those being: wave action, tides, ice, run off, improper underlayment, currents.

You cannot absolutely blame powerloading as the only culprit to ramp damage.

If done PROPERLY, powerloading has no adverse effects. I emphasize the word PROPERLY.

As I've mentioned before, when I load, my propwash never goes anywhere near the ramp underlayment.

The best, most efficient, ramp I've ever visited was a private/paid one with a "Rampmaster". Some referred to them as: "RampNazi's".

That person directed traffic and kept things running smoothly. They encouraged powerloading. Go figure. It was their ramp and their livelihood.