very impressive launch

[avenger79]

Just wanted to make a note of a guy I watched launch this weekend. My boat is in the shop so I went to the lake with the dogs to play.
Guy pulls up to the lot, diddles around a little, then backs up to the water. He jumps out of the truck and into the boat. His wife jumps in the drivers seat. She backs him into the water, he is gone and she pulls out. Took no more then 45 secs. then his son came down with a boat and family. The first wife jumps in his truck, slides them into the water and goes to park.
Looked like a very well orchestrated system. Talked to the the first guy when he came to pick up his wife. He said they are going to Canada next week fishing and they do this all the time. I think he launched two boats in less time then it takes me (and most people I've seen) to launch one.
I have to start practicing more.

 

[Limited-Time]

Re: very impressive launch

Thats the way it should go................every time.

 

[Bob_VT]

Re: very impressive launch

Do a big organized Bass Tourney some time...... you get ONE shot at the launch or back of the line!!! Practice....Practice.... Practice

 

[avenger79]

Re: very impressive launch

yeah I'm getting there. The backing up part is a piece of cake (doing that forever with too many trailers) . Being new though I have to stop and double think, plug in - check, motor up - check, keys in - check. etc. Only takes a few minutes but definitely not as smooth as this guy. However I haven't seen anyone else at the ramp as smooth as that either. I mean most people back down nice and slow, she didn't go fast but she wasn't dilly dallying either. It was straight down stop straight out. You could tell she had done it many times. She knew exactly where to stop, wait two seconds for boat to float off and go.

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: very impressive launch

you do all the double checking while waiting in line. load the coolers at the house before leaving. tell the wife to leave purse and all that stuff they carry at home, all she needs is an id, and credit card. everything it the boat before getting to the ramp. i tie my bow line to the trailer back in, boat floats off, i pull up get out, she takes the truck, she will not back.

 

[Tacklewasher]

Re: very impressive launch

I'll stop on the ramp to unhook the winch strap and put on a rope. The rope isn't on before hand as I never know which side of the dock I'm on until I'm backing up. So in a minute that I'm out of the truck, I undo the winch and hook the line to the bow and stern, hand it to my wife and then back in the rest of the way. Boat floats off, thumbs up from the wife that she has it and I go park.

2-3 minutes tops.

Recovery is not as quick but I'm getting there. Only had this boat 3 weeks now and only been out 5 times.

 

[i386]

Re: very impressive launch

I crank it in a barrel before I leave the house. Every time. That way I know it starts.

Then just like the original poster said, I'll back it in. Then jump in the boat while she gets in the driver's seat. She parks the truck and trailer and I meet her at the dock. It's pretty quick.

On the take out, she'll back the trailer down sometimes if I can talk her into it. Otherwise she holds the boat at the dock while I get the truck. Once it's back on the trailer, she drives me back to the parking lot out of everyone's way while we finish strapping things down.

It's not a very busy ramp anyway. It takes me a little longer when I'm alone. I used to let folks go ahead of me just to be nice, but after being nice to too many slowpokes I gave up on that strategy.

 

[oops!]

Re: very impressive launch

as said...the trick is practise......

an empty parking lot on sunday night is an exellent backing practise lot.....
spend two hours driving around in circles backwards...and youll have it down pat....

as for the launch it self......once the truck is in the water....i can get the boat off, tied, and the truck out...by my self without getting my feet wet in just over 60 secs on a calm wind day.....

like td says...just make sure every thing is prepped when your waiting in line.

 

[Uraijit]

Re: very impressive launch

I've been backing trailers for years, so it's pretty simple for us too (aside from the first launch where we left the rear straps on).

Nowa-days, we take the cover and straps off in the pre-launch area. The wife (and whoever else is with us) all jump into the boat, and I head to the ramp and back i in. Once the boat's in the water, I put the truck in park and set the brake, and undo the winch, and give it a shove. The wife fires the engine, and pulls the boat to the dock. I park the truck, and run back to the dock.

It can't take over a min. or two from the time I start backing in, to the time I'm pulling back out... If I was a little braver, and undid the winch strap before backing down, we'd be SUPER fast, because I wouldn't even have to get out of the truck... Just back in, let it float off, pull back out... Maybe someday...

 

[LadyFish]

Re: very impressive launch

His wife jumps in the drivers seat. She backs him into the water....

This is why it went so smoothly. nuff said LOL Oh, and let me guess....they were both blonde.

 

[MikDee]

Re: very impressive launch

Launching is not much of a problem, It's retrieving,,, that's the problem!

 

[KeyWestBoater]

Re: very impressive launch

I have everything loaded at home or before my turn to back in. Plug's in, lines and fenders out and ready, keys in. I back it in, unhook the winch and hook, jump in lower the motor give the primer a couple of squeezes and start 'er up. Signal the wife she backs a bit and bumps me off. I wave her off and she pulls out and parks. I never timed it but can't take more than a minute or 2. While she parks I dock and her and our son get in. Maybe I'll time it next time for fun.

 

[heycods]

Re: very impressive launch

This is why it went so smoothly. nuff said LOL Oh, and let me guess....they were both blonde.

I`m gona let that pass just this once!