Loading boat on trailer.

[roscoe]

Re: Loading boat on trailer.

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http://forums.iboats.com/showthread.php?t=571161

 

[UncleWillie]

Re: Loading boat on trailer.

... I thought there was a difference between power loading and driving your boat onto the trailer. Apparently I was wrong...

I think there IS a Difference.
Power Loading is Driving it on all the way to the bow stop, no matter what it takes!
Driving On is Idling onto the trailer and it Stops wherever it Stops, Winch the rest of the way.

I will "Drive It On" or "Lead the Horse" depending on my mood and the crowd.

The Admiral is OK with wading out to snap the Winch Hook onto the Bow Eye.
She does the easy part of starting to winch it in until I can get there to do the difficult last 4 feet.

The secret was to keep a gallon plastic jug of clean water in the back of the truck for her to wash off the sand and "Dirty water".
That made all the difference. If the Admiral "Ain't" Happy, "Ain't" Nobody gonna be Happy!

 

[2300max]

Re: Loading boat on trailer.

Today the family and I spent pretty much the entire day on the boat. Tubing, swinning, cruising, we even docked at the state park and hung out on the beach for a couple hours. All in all a great day. When we got back to the ramp to load up, I backed the trailer down the ramp, then instead of trying to drive the boat onto the trailer, I simply took the bow rope and pulled the boat up to the trailer. It worked great for me, I was able to line it up perfectly to the winch roller, and it was much faster and easier than trying to line it up to the winch post under power. I didn't even have to winch it on, just hooked up the strap and pulled it tight to the roller. Does anyone else find it easier to load your boat this way? Or do you guys prefer to pull your boats up to the trailer using the engine? I'm sure there's a size limit to being able to load it this way, but for a little 17' on a bunk trailer, it worked great.

I load mine (24' cuddy) using the winch...I just make sure trailer in far enough and it just winches up with no problem. I tried power loading and just could not get the hang of it, and besides I think it's kind of tough for me because I cant see the winch to center the boat.

 

[tkz]

Re: Loading boat on trailer.

Being new to the boating game, I have found that the method you describe works the best for me also, I leave about one quarter of the bunks out of the water, pull the boat up to the winch hook and reel it in, last two times it was a one try load perfect centering. I found out before that I was getting too much trailer in the water and floating all over, having a hard time keeping the boat centered. Been working great!

 

[Home Cookin']

Re: Loading boat on trailer.

back to the OP's question, and leaving aside "using the motor to move up on the trailer":

If you can hand-pull your boat all the way to the winch stand, you are sunk deeper than most people would. If the ramp has any slope to it, you then often have problems keeping the boat straight, especially if there's wind or current. To get that deep, you often have your vehicle in the water and probably have difficulty at the tongue without getting your feet wet. And the more you sink a trailer, the more problems you have down the line with rust and wiring issues, especially in salt water. but if it works for you, fine.

On the other hand, the less you have the trailer in the water, the more you must use the winch and the straighter the boat loads. Your trailer lasts longer. Your feet stay dry. It's simply a balance of ease and effort, and the advantages or disadvantages of each. For every boater, those factors may or may not be important--for example, for those of us who boat when the water is cool, wading is never part of the process when done correctly. Or here, where it is better not to sink a trailer in salt water often, people invest in a power winch for a larger boat; they winch up a smaller one. The boat loads straight, your feet are dry, your trailer lasts, your ramp lasts. Many problems solved with one device.

Ask why are all trailers equipped with winches and why do they have cables that reach all the way to the end of the trailer?

 

[H20Rat]

Re: Loading boat on trailer.

It's also funny to see grown men dance around the water at the local ramp...as if it's cuastic liquid or something. I know you've seen it...standing on trailer tongues, pick-up beds, bumpers etc...all that just so they don't get their feet wet! Can it be a little dirty? Sure. But c'mon Nancy...a little oil/dirty water isn't gonna kill you.

Ironically, fisherman are by far the worst at powerloading, and in turn, avoiding the water like it is battery acid. The go fast bass boat guys are top of the scale, lots of them come equipped with the remote control bow latches, so they powerload it with a 250 merc on the back until its all the way up on the trailer, no winching ever required.

 

[babbot]

Re: Loading boat on trailer.

My First boat was a 19' with a float on trailer from the late 70's. It didn't have a winch by design. I hated loading it. I drove it slowly put in neutral, run up to the bow and check where i am. hit the gas a little, check again. lean over till my ribs hurt to attach bow. try to jump out without killing myself. It had a high bow with rails and the dock would be far away since it is on the trailer.
My newer boat is smaller at 17' but it is MUCH easier to pull the line and winch it up maybe a foot or so. i am done in less than a minute. Yeah i get my feet wet but unless there is a shark passing by i don't think it will kill me. I have sandals in the back of the truck just for loading and unloading.

 

[extremez]

Re: Loading boat on trailer.

I float on for 2 reasons.

1- the powerloading issue. I don't want to contribute to someone else's misfortune with a stuck trailer.

2- I'm much more comfortable floating it on because it guarantees I kill the engine and trim up.