I dont wanna look like a jack*** at the ramp, NEED ADVICE!

[QC]

Re: I dont wanna look like a jack*** at the ramp, NEED ADVICE!

I always considered loading the boat with the engine power loading, no matter how little bit of throttle you use.

I guess I am confused . . . Do you row your boat to your trailer? Is it power loading if I idle to the bunks and then shut off?

 

[ck85abc3]

Re: I dont wanna look like a jack*** at the ramp, NEED ADVICE!

I guess I am confused . . . Do you row your boat to your trailer? Is it power loading if I idle to the bunks and then shut off?

Well, with me the short answer is yes...

The long answer stems from childhood.

When I was a yough child my dad always left the boat next to the dock, went and backed the trailer into the water, and then winched the boat up. From my memory, which is very poor since I was so yough) everyone used to follow the method my dad did. Over the years though, I noticed more and more people driving there boat up on the trailer. (memory good now) Then after I was old enough to drive I told my dad one day to back the trailer in and I will drive it up. Ever since then he backs the trailer in and I idle the boat in almost all the time. There are a few times where I have to give it a little more throttle. The extra throttle is used when there are situations where you can't back the trailer in as far as you would like.

That is why, to me, that using the motor at all while loading a boat is power loading.

 

[QC]

Re: I dont wanna look like a jack*** at the ramp, NEED ADVICE!

I do what your Dad did when I am alone, I do what you do when I have a partner . . .

 

[studlymandingo]

Re: I dont wanna look like a jack*** at the ramp, NEED ADVICE!

No "life partners" here . . . )

Care to explain this?!​

 

[Zim]

Re: I dont wanna look like a jack*** at the ramp, NEED ADVICE!

hahahahhaha

 

[QC]

Re: I dont wanna look like a jack*** at the ramp, NEED ADVICE!

Wow!!! Digging deep for that one there stud man . . .

Yeth, let me exthplain . . . Thatth Jeff and Danny and the big guy ith Bobby . . . We are off to Brokeback Cove and we told the girlth they couldn't go with uth

 

[studlymandingo]

Re: I dont wanna look like a jack*** at the ramp, NEED ADVICE!

LOL!!!!!

Sorry QC, I saw that pic again the same day as this post and just couldn't resist. At least RubberFrog isn't sitting on the bow in his hat and hot pants!!!​

 

[valkyr]

Re: I dont wanna look like a jack*** at the ramp, NEED ADVICE!

Remember, there is a tradeoff between everything you decide in life. If people don't power there boats on it goes from a 15 minute wait to a 30-45 minute wait.

We might as well say experience allows you to load fast. I've seen both engine loaders and winch loaders take forever.

Boy I should have read this thread earlier.

I'm a newbie boat owner. I admit it. But 30-45 mins? No way. 15 mins? Nope.

I have a 22' 10" runabout/bowrider. We park the boat at the dock. I hope out and hustle to the Jeep. Back it down into the water till the tail pipe (of the Jeep) almosts hits the water. Hop out and jump in the boat. Back away from the dock, line up the boat and forward onto the trailer. Typically I idle onto the trailer which gets me almost all the way up to the winch. I then hop out, hook up the winch and winch it up. Attach the chain to the bow eye and out we go. From the time the jeep is backing down to the water to the time the jeep pulls away from the ramp is no longer than 5-7 minutes and I'm a newbie. HOWEVER, I haven't had to trailer in high winds or anything that might cause me to miss the trailer or anything plus I have the guide bars on the sides of my trailer which help.

I'm pretty sure a super majority of people would choose the 15 minute wait and a little bump in the water.

NO NO NO. That "bump" in the water is much more serious than that. (Meaning those people who power on their boat using alot of prop wash). That "bump" can seriously skin up people's gel coats and that would seriously **** me off. Also that "bump" is silt/sand removed from the bottom of the ramp. So not only do you have a bump away from the ramp, you have a HOLE at the end of the ramp. If you back your trailer tires off the end of the ramp, your're stuck. That doesn't happen often but it does happen at shorter ramps.

 

[ck85abc3]

Re: I dont wanna look like a jack*** at the ramp, NEED ADVICE!

Boy I should have read this thread earlier.

I'm a newbie boat owner. I admit it. But 30-45 mins? No way. 15 mins? Nope.

I have a 22' 10" runabout/bowrider. We park the boat at the dock. I hope out and hustle to the Jeep. Back it down into the water till the tail pipe (of the Jeep) almosts hits the water. Hop out and jump in the boat. Back away from the dock, line up the boat and forward onto the trailer. Typically I idle onto the trailer which gets me almost all the way up to the winch. I then hop out, hook up the winch and winch it up. Attach the chain to the bow eye and out we go. From the time the jeep is backing down to the water to the time the jeep pulls away from the ramp is no longer than 5-7 minutes and I'm a newbie. HOWEVER, I haven't had to trailer in high winds or anything that might cause me to miss the trailer or anything plus I have the guide bars on the sides of my trailer which help.



NO NO NO. That "bump" in the water is much more serious than that. (Meaning those people who power on their boat using alot of prop wash). That "bump" can seriously skin up people's gel coats and that would seriously **** me off. Also that "bump" is silt/sand removed from the bottom of the ramp. So not only do you have a bump away from the ramp, you have a HOLE at the end of the ramp. If you back your trailer tires off the end of the ramp, your're stuck. That doesn't happen often but it does happen at shorter ramps.

If you would have read and paid attention to the entire thread, you would realize that I was ill informed as to what power loading is. Due to my upbringing I thought power loading was loading your boat with any amount of engine power.

Also, you have it lucky like I do most of the time. However, take that 5 minutes and multiply it by the amount of people in line. Sometimes up to 15-30.

After realizing what powerboating is. I think the best way to load a boat is to put the trailer in far enough so that you can idel almost all the way up to the winch and then winch it up the last foot or so. There is no need to use lots of engine power to load a boat in normal situations.

 

[valkyr]

Re: I dont wanna look like a jack*** at the ramp, NEED ADVICE!

CK,

No offense meant especially since I DID read the entire thread and realized you didn't understand what power loading was. However, my issue was not with power loading but with some of the other things you mentioned.

Specifically:

The time it takes to load, the "little bump in the water". That little bump can be a huge issue for boats with deep drafts.

So you're measuring time it takes to load based on the number of people in line? It seemed that you were talking about the time time for each individual to load their boat onto their individual trailer if they didn't power it on. I apologize if I somehow misinterpreted you.

 

[EricR]

Re: I dont wanna look like a jack*** at the ramp, NEED ADVICE!

I'm new here and just read this thread-

I drive my boat, a 15' Glasspar vee hull of 1969 vintage, up on the trailer and I will tell ya why.

I boat in coastal, marshy Savannah Georgia. We have about a 6-8' tide swing here. At low tide, the ramps are muddy with slimy mud and occasional oyster shells that will slice your bare feet to ribbons.

There is a current flowing perpendicular (most ramps are on some sort of river or creek) to the ramp.

The ramps are busy, and have a floating dock with a ramp to it. The ramp is usually big enough for just one or two boats. When I took my boat out by myself, it was a pain. I had to leave my vehicle with submerged trailer blocking the ramp (usually two or more ramps, but very busy) while I circled round and round with the boat waiting for a spot to tie my boat up to so I could get off and pull my vehicle out to park it. Reverse the situation for loading.

My old trailer was what I could find at the time, and was really too narrow and built for a flat bottomed boat. If I tried to drive on, it would hit the frame and not the rollers. I had to "beach" my boat on the concrete ramp (UGH!) then get out over the side (not a bow rider) and manually line it up and put it on, then crank up the winch. Then I'd slip and fall in the slime, curse like a drunken sailor, end up bleeding on the oysters etc. then have to get in my nice clean car/truck and get slimy muck everywhere on the upholstery.

Now I have a nice, wider trailer. I set it up with long bunks like a bassboat trailer, so it self centers. It takes skill to estimate the cross current, if you start 30' out dead lined up to the center of your rig as you idle forward you will be four feet away from your trailer in that 30'. So you gotta take a couple dry passes at it, then when it's just right give 'er a little throttle and slide it up on.

My wife is so much happier that I have this trailer. Now that it's going well, my outboard has given me problems. Boating, ya gotta love it!

 

[martin47]

Re: I dont wanna look like a jack*** at the ramp, NEED ADVICE!

we think here in the uk ....power loaders are just ... lazy...... tell me if you were supposed to do this why are your straps on your winch longer than your trailers ??????????

 

[EricR]

Re: I dont wanna look like a jack*** at the ramp, NEED ADVICE!

Well I can see this is one subject that just creates argument- those who drive it on like me, and see nothing wrong with it. Our ramps are very steep and deep. I don't want to get into waist deep 45* farenhiet water at midnight with a stiff wind coming home from castnetting shrimp in November, and dont give a rats back side if someone wants to consider me "lazy" as a result. My boat literally glides up on my trailer with little use of power.

How about this- do whatever works for YOU, with YOUR trailer and boat setup, at your local ramp of choice in a manner that is safe for boat, trailer and ramp.

Also in this area a lot of marinas will hoist your boat on/off your trailer with a sort of overhead rig with straps- keeps the trailer out of the saltwater (lucky to get five years out of a heavily used in saltwater trailer) and you clean and dry.

 

[wewefirex2x]

Re: I dont wanna look like a jack*** at the ramp, NEED ADVICE!

Hey Zim, I know you asked for some pics a couple months ago but I was having some boat troubles. I will try an post some tonight for you.

 

[valkyr]

Re: I dont wanna look like a jack*** at the ramp, NEED ADVICE!

You know what I said about loading in about 5 minutes? About how I had been lucky not to have a crosswind etc?

Well Saturday was a COMPLETELY different story. Knew I shouldn't have said that about not having to trailer in a strong wind. Saturday was crazy, took me like 4 tries to get my boat trailered as the wind kept blowing me sideways past the trailer. As I like to come in nice and easy, I kept missing the trailer or hitting it sideways.

Finally got it loaded and kept thinking about this thread LOL

 

[ck85abc3]

Re: I dont wanna look like a jack*** at the ramp, NEED ADVICE!

CK,

No offense meant especially since I DID read the entire thread and realized you didn't understand what power loading was. However, my issue was not with power loading but with some of the other things you mentioned.

Specifically:

The time it takes to load, the "little bump in the water". That little bump can be a huge issue for boats with deep drafts.

So you're measuring time it takes to load based on the number of people in line? It seemed that you were talking about the time time for each individual to load their boat onto their individual trailer if they didn't power it on. I apologize if I somehow misinterpreted you.

I don't do the best job of explaining stuff, so I'll try explaining better.

Where I usually boat/fish I don't really care how people load their boat. There are plenty of places to dock and there are hardly any lines. However, some places that I go I would prefur everyone drives there boat on. Simply because if that saves 1 minute per boat, that reduces your wait by 5-15 minutes.

If people do winch there boat up though, I won't hold it against them because I do feel winching is the safest way to load your boat.

 

[ruf1967]

Re: I dont wanna look like a jack*** at the ramp, NEED ADVICE!

I have a Sea Ray 185 and don't powerload it. I always launch and retrieve by myself because I don't trust anyone else to do it. If a courtesy dock is available that makes it easier. Otherwise, I idle up to the bunks and let the idle speed push the boat onto the bunks. Kill the motor and don't forget to raise your outdrive if it's I/O. Then I'll just climb over the bow and winch it the rest of the way. Never had problems. Your going to have to experiment with how far to back your trailer into the water in order to float the boat. Each ramp is a little different.