RWD Tow Vehicle Launch Issues?

[poconojoe]

My salty boating pal taught me the maneuver. His Toyota AWD Highlander 6 cyl doesn't have the stones to get his 202 Captiva started up the marina's steep ramp. It just grunts like the park brake is on.
So he went through the process with his wife who took the helm. Same story as yours. She got the power up right, but got flustered and forgot to trim up, or turn the boat off.
The boat engine roaring caused him to stop. The Highlander crept back enough to turn the drive and tear the skeg off of his Alpha II. I know his wife well and couldn't believe he tried this with her, but I kept my mouth shut. He saved me the trouble of the comment: "It's on me. I shoulda knowed better".

Wow
I can picture the carnage.
Sad story.

 

[airshot]

Years back we were retrieving my boat after a family outing, we could hear and see a runabout heading toward the dock/ ramp at a high rate of speed. We could hear the husband yelling and screaming at his wife who was at the controls. Obviously frustrated, she just put her hands over face and here they came up the ramp at over 25 mph. The husband who was standing behind the wife hanging on the the top was launched up over the bow and face planted on the pavement. I ran over to turn the key off to stop the OB which was screaming at wot. The husband with a bloody face was still screaming and cussing out the wife. She finally got out of the boat and told him to fu** off and started walking home!! He was still yelling as we pulled away and headed home. Ahhh...fond memories of the launch ramp !!!

 

[jhande]

My son and I were at our local lake years ago just searching for eagles. The lake only had one public boat launch and it gets busy. A husband and wife pulled up near the ramp and the husband swam to shore leaving his wife on the pontoon. When it was his turn he backed down the hill and made the sharp turn left getting the trailer sideways into the water. As he was pulling the rig forward to back it in straighter his wife went for it full throttle. She got the pontoon half out of the water and the prop was trying to dice n slice the concrete ramp. The husband jumped out of the truck yelling "what the f@ck were you thinking?" She replied "I put it in forward gear but couldn't find the gas and brake pedals".

 

[tpenfield]

I launch & retrieve my 14,000 lb rig with the '4WD Lo' enabled, but not sure I really need it. . . just easier not to have to set it while on the ramp. Off-road tires are your friend
.


.
This ramp is shallow, and there is a steeper ramp a few miles down the road that probably would need 4WD Lo and a few prayers to go along with it (sandy concrete )

 

[Lou C]

Well….
I used to complain about having to get the boat bottom painted & doing the outdrive myself each year but after hearing what a nuisance trailering is every time you use the boat I’m glad I live 1/4 mile from the beach and keep it on a rotating mooring. That and the trailer stays in very good shape for an old galvanized trailer. If I had to trailer every time I’d sell it & buy a hot rod!

 

[harringtondav]

We trailered 200+ miles round trip every boating weekend for 14 yrs. I started with a '94 Dodge Caravan 3.3L FWD. After loosing traction on a steep dry concrete ramp I installed a weight distributing hitch to give the front tires extra traction weight, as well as the electric brakes I put on the trailer. These worked great. Two years later we got a Dodge Durango 4x4 5.2L. The Caravan got 16 mpg towing a 3000# rig. The Durango was 10 mpg, but the extra peace of mind was worth it.
For the last 12 yrs we've owned our river house with a boat lift. Now it's one round trip and two visits to the ramp....mid week so we can have the ramp to ourselves. Life is good.

 

[Lou C]

We trailered 200+ miles round trip every boating weekend for 14 yrs. I started with a '94 Dodge Caravan 3.3L FWD. After loosing traction on a steep dry concrete ramp I installed a weight distributing hitch to give the front tires extra traction weight, as well as the electric brakes I put on the trailer. These worked great. Two years later we got a Dodge Durango 4x4 5.2L. The Caravan got 16 mpg towing a 3000# rig. The Durango was 10 mpg, but the extra peace of mind was worth it.
For the last 12 yrs we've owned our river house with a boat lift. Now it's one round trip and two visits to the ramp....mid week so we can have the ramp to ourselves. Life is good.

Sounds like the best of all worlds. Next season I’m going to use the local boat yard’s water taxi service because I’m about done with rowing out in a dinghy to get out to the boat.

 

[JimS123]

Well….
I used to complain about having to get the boat bottom painted & doing the outdrive myself each year but after hearing what a nuisance trailering is every time you use the boat I’m glad I live 1/4 mile from the beach and keep it on a rotating mooring. That and the trailer stays in very good shape for an old galvanized trailer. If I had to trailer every time I’d sell it & buy a hot rod!

I have good ramps, good full roller trailers, power winches and a garage big enough to park the towcar with the boat still attached. Launching and retreiving for me is less effort than it would take to put on a cover if the boat were moored. Plus, with the boat at home I can polish it whenever I chose and the hull stays in showroom condition.

 

[airshot]

I have good ramps, good full roller trailers, power winches and a garage big enough to park the towcar with the boat still attached. Launching and retreiving for me is less effort than it would take to put on a cover if the boat were moored. Plus, with the boat at home I can polish it whenever I chose and the hull stays in showroom condition.

I have to agree, my trailer is set up so boat is easy to load and unload. My only real issues are the idiots at the launch ramps that hold up everyone else. I did moor by boat for a few years and they were the hardest years of all. Wat to much work during docking

 

[JimS123]

I have to agree, my trailer is set up so boat is easy to load and unload. My only real issues are the idiots at the launch ramps that hold up everyone else. I did moor by boat for a few years and they were the hardest years of all. Wat to much work during docking

When all the covid idiot boaters hit the scene, we decided to do all our boating on weekdays. The ramp I use most often has the ability to launch 4 boats at a time. This past year, other than mine, the most trailers I have seen were 2.

 

[WIMUSKY]

When all the covid idiot boaters hit the scene, we decided to do all our boating on weekdays. The ramp I use most often has the ability to launch 4 boats at a time. This past year, other than mine, the most trailers I have seen were 2.

Been quiet around my heck of the woods too....

 

[Lou C]

I launch & retrieve my 14,000 lb rig with the '4WD Lo' enabled, but not sure I really need it. . . just easier not to have to set it while on the ramp. Off-road tires are your friend
.
View attachment 371113

.
This ramp is shallow, and there is a steeper ramp a few miles down the road that probably would need 4WD Lo and a few prayers to go along with it (sandy concrete )

Given that your boat is, well, a bit heavier than the truck is rated for, using 4-LOW is highly recommended, it reduces the strain on the auto trans by virture of the much lower gear ratio overall and that reduces the amount of torque converter slip necessary to get started.
When driving off road in the beach sand out on Long Island we do the same thing with all 3 Jeeps. Two are automatics, one is a standard shift, all benefit from LOW range starting off in the sand, and on hills, because on Jeeps 4 low gives you an addition reduction of 2.73:1 overall gear ratio. The automatics can start off with very little torque converter slip and the standard shift Wrangler, very little clutch slip needed in fact it can start in 2nd gear on flat areas, 1st on hills.
While my 07 Grand with the 5.7 doesn't need low range to pull out our small boat, if I towed it with the Wrangler 6 spd I for sure would use it to reduce strain on the clutch. If I had to pull it out with old '98 4.0 liter six I'd use 4 LOW just out of deference to the age of the drivetrain. It does have a big trans cooler fitted.

 

[jimmbo]

When all the covid idiot boaters hit the scene, we decided to do all our boating on weekdays. The ramp I use most often has the ability to launch 4 boats at a time. This past year, other than mine, the most trailers I have seen were 2.

At least the smarter Boaters were being careful and keeping distance, not breathing each others Snot. Anytime someone, especially if not masked, got within 8 ft of me, I would commence with a few shallow coughs. That usually would send them scurrying, like Cockroaches exposed to light, to a safer Distance. If they didn't retreat, the coughs would get more intense.

 

[Lou C]

I found that wearing my half face 3M respirator with P-100 filters (I used it for fiberglass work) was good at keeping people away from me during the worst of covid. I really did wear it going into stores, got a lot of strange looks but P-100 is better even than what MDs got!

 

[dingbat]

When driving off road in the beach sand out on Long Island we do the same thing with all 3 Jeeps. Two are automatics, one is a standard shift, all benefit from LOW range starting off in the sand, and on hills

So you’re the one making those obnoxious hop-hop trails up and down the beaches…lol

When I first started surf fishing 40+ yro, 4 WD vehicles were few and far between. Most used rear wheel drive vehicles and proper beach driving techniques to get around.

I have never used or even considered using low range on the beach. Heck, don’t really even need 4WD except on “sugar” sand.

 

[froggy1150]

I do the resperator/fit testing at my work. (Asbestos among other things)We use a bitterant smoker and have this paragraph to read. You would not believe how hard it is to keep a good seal to a face. You know when the subject breaks seal due to coughing and crying. Paper mask filters just limit the volume of contamination. There is always bypass. And as the the filter gets dirty or moist the bypass increases. Covid virus is similar to asbestos in the way it behaves so the floating airborne stuff will get thru.

 

[poconojoe]

I do the resperator/fit testing at my work. (Asbestos among other things)We use a bitterant smoker and have this paragraph to read. You would not believe how hard it is to keep a good seal to a face. You know when the subject breaks seal due to coughing and crying. Paper mask filters just limit the volume of contamination. There is always bypass. And as the the filter gets dirty or moist the bypass increases. Covid virus is similar to asbestos in the way it behaves so the floating airborne stuff will get thru.

Yep, and no beards allowed.
Before working at ground zero in Manhattan after 911, we were not only fit tested for our respirators, but also had a lung capacity test and a lung x-ray done.
Anyone with a beard had to shave it or leave.

Being "in the know" and witnessing all the Covid mask rhetoric, we could only shake our heads when we saw all the misuse of masks.
Masks loose, under the nose, full beards...

It always amazed me when I saw people driving alone with the windows up and people walking, completely alone with masks on.

 

[Lou C]

So you’re the one making those obnoxious hop-hop trails up and down the beaches…lol

When I first started surf fishing 40+ yro, 4 WD vehicles were few and far between. Most used rear wheel drive vehicles and proper beach driving techniques to get around.

I have never used or even considered using low range on the beach. Heck, don’t really even need 4WD except on “sugar” sand.

Huh? we don't even go over 10 mph, more like 5 most of the time.
I'll tell you what. I'm going to do a test next time I go with one of the automatic Jeeps. One run in high range, one run in low range & then take a reading of the trans temp off the pan. We'll see then....
The whole point here, is that you don't want your torque converter to have to slip any more than necessary. Starting up on sand with aired down tires puts a lot of resistance against the drivetrain, therefore the converter must slip more and builds heat.
On the manual trans Wrangler the difference is dramatic. Much much easier on the clutch.
Don't know where you drive but where we go there are a lot of hills. Sore Thumb Beach on Jones Beach Island NY. Starting on hills = torque converter slippage....

 

[bruceb58]

I launch & retrieve my 14,000 lb rig with the '4WD Lo' enabled, but not sure I really need it. . . just easier not to have to set it while on the ramp. Off-road tires are your friend
.
View attachment 371113

.
This ramp is shallow, and there is a steeper ramp a few miles down the road that probably would need 4WD Lo and a few prayers to go along with it (sandy concrete )

Hope you don't tow that very far with an F-150. You use a WDH I hope!

 

[harringtondav]

Hope you don't tow that very far with an F-150. You use a WDH I hope!

...only if the 4H is full time...with an interaxle differential. Else you're putting a strain on the entire driveline and tires, especially on curves and turns.
Our old Durango 5.2 would top a long steep paved hill doing the "I think I can" wheezing. Thinking I was smart I started pulling over and put the gearbox in 4L to get the extra granny gear torque. It worked fine except before long the silent chain in the New Process tranfser case began slipping in 4L.
Lesson learned after a new silent chain and drive pinion which I replaced. Even on a straight road front and rear axles want to do their own thing. OK for sand and slippery surfaces. Not so much when the tires are glued to the pavement.