Driveway logistics :/

[itsdgm]

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[Ribs77]

I think you should keep a front hitch in consideration. Your driveway doesn’t look very steep so an electric dolly maybe just what you need. Either is better than backing the trailer and boat in the old fashioned way (rear view mirrors and / or looking over your shoulder). In my case it takes a lot less time to hook up to and use the front hitch to move the trailer into position than the traditional way.

It's not a steep driveway, but it's a busier street than you're imagining. It's only one lane in each direction, but there's no parking and no margin for other vehicles to pass if one vehicle is stopped.

If I were backing a trailer in in the early morning or evening, I'd still want a spotter to stand out there and stop/redirect traffic.

To get a vehicle detached, turned around, then reattached is asking a ton on this street. I honestly think I'd have better luck getting the boat roughly onto the section in front of the two houses and then pulling back out/straightening as necessary.

 

[Ribs77]

is the street coming in the driveway, one way street or 2 way?

Two way street, very busy. On a weekday around rush hour, traffic backs up for several blocks. It would be impossible to put the boat in at that time. Fortunately, I can temporarily park it a few blocks away if needed. I just can't leave it there for more than 1-2 days.

 

[Bruce]

Just watched the front hitch video. Very cool idea, but it won't work for me on this busy street unfortunately. Even during less busy times, I won't be able to unhook the boat from the back and then attach to the front to push in.


This is the space I'm working with. Edit: It goes about 60' back beyond where that car is, so plenty of length. But the width is a bit tight. 104" from the line just outside the rocks on the right to the edge of the paved section on the left. 125" if you include the grassy bit, which is technically the neighbor's, so I'd need to make sure they're cool with it.

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Why not pull in then back out when you are ready to leave?

Would be good to have adult crew to watch traffic either way.

 

[Ronnie]

I’m thinking of a hybrid process, that is, back the boat in as far as you can quickly then use a vehicle with a front hitch or electric trailer dolly to finish the job.

i rarely put the boat all the way back during the season, just left it in the driveway, and almost never out it in the driveway after a full day of boating, just parked it on the street until the next morning. Backing or pushing a boat into a tight spot can seem so much harder when you are tired and it’s dark.

don’t forget to account for trailer guide posts if you plan to add them to your trailer. They only add 4” to 6” to the max width, but sometimes every inch counts.

 

[gthorson]

I'm going to go optimist. Make sure you are courteous. Don't underestimate how considerate most people are. They will generally give you reasonable time. Just have a traffic control helper. And get out of the road if it doesn't work after a minute.

 

[BlkGS]

Oh, sorry - I have no experience whatsoever! Will be learning from zero.

When you say you live on a busy street, you mean like your actual street your house and driveway is on, or just like, the entrance to the neighborhood is busy?

If the street your driveway is on is busy, honestly I'd forget about it. If you're new to this, you're going to be taking a LOT of time blocking most of the street to get the boat backed in. If there's any hills involved, that's gonna complicate it even more. Depending on what your tow vehicle is, that could be even worse.

Trying to back your boat into your driveway with a line of assholes.honking at you and making dangerous maneuvers to get around you while you struggle is a recipe for not enjoying a boat at all.

 

[BlkGS]

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The entrances to your driveway look super sharp too. To get the boat in you're gonna basically need to be lined up before you enter the driveway until you get really good at trailering.

 

[biffdotorg]

IMHO, this is being way over thought. Backing a trailer is purely practice. And in actuality, a dual axle trailer and length we are dealing with is 100% easier than if you owned a single axle Waverunner trailer.

With experience, you are going to find where that trailer needs to be setup to turn in and line those wheels up exactly with the concrete slab and mind the overhang. Backing in a straight line is stupid easy with these, as others have mentioned, they don't wander like a single axle trailer.

Don't bother with gizmos and the like, just learn to use your mirrors to spot those tires. And honestly, you have the "luxury" of a concrete edge on each side. You know at all times if you are too much to one side or the other. The same way I use the seams in my pole building as I park pontoons/boats 4 wide in a 40' width. (that's 120" instead of your 108, but you get the point. I still have to get them through one sliding door, and then into their lane. No parking on your street is going to be helpful.

I would be more concerned about what your neighbor is going to think about that big animal sitting outside their windows. It's not like looking over the top of your SUV every day. I good casual conversation about this topic may save you some headache in the future.

The traffic in the street is a non issue. Just like a boat landing, if the line is 2 or 200, they all have to wait for the guys doing his business. Same as those in the street. A spotter should be all you need.

Best of luck, but worry about the things that are in your control, and be ready for practice in parking lots.

 

[Thermobrett]

First trailer I learned to back up was my buddies dads single axle landscaping trailer. He lived on a small super busy main road and I needed to get it into the drive in one shot. The only thing he told me was, damage my truck and I damage you. Now I can whip a 5' jetski trailer down a mile long ramp if I needed to. Worst drive I was ever at was in Pittsburgh at the US Steel Tower. The loading dock is under the building and I had to back a 26' enclosed trailer down a corkscrew ramp to a turn table that they manipulate to back into your loading dock. Key Bank Tower in Cleveland was designed by the same guy, guess how that loading dock was made......

Just practice and you will be whipping it around in no time.

 

[Ribs77]

Why not pull in then back out when you are ready to leave?

Would be good to have adult crew to watch traffic either way.

I've been thinking about this. The problem is that we just have two vehicles. Either one could tow the boat, but we need to use them simultaneously a decent amount of the time, taking kids to sports practice, commuting, etc.

I'm thinking it through, though...

 

[Ribs77]

When you say you live on a busy street, you mean like your actual street your house and driveway is on, or just like, the entrance to the neighborhood is busy?

If the street your driveway is on is busy, honestly I'd forget about it. If you're new to this, you're going to be taking a LOT of time blocking most of the street to get the boat backed in. If there's any hills involved, that's gonna complicate it even more. Depending on what your tow vehicle is, that could be even worse.

Trying to back your boat into your driveway with a line of assholes.honking at you and making dangerous maneuvers to get around you while you struggle is a recipe for not enjoying a boat at all.

Yeah, the actual street I live on is busy. Fortunately there are no hills involved. Just a very gentle initial slope to the driveway.

It's busy enough that I wouldn't attempt to put the boat there from, like, 3-7 pm on a weekday. Weekends don't get quite as busy at any one time, but I do have the option of parking on a not-busy street a few blocks away and waiting out traffic.

 

[fatboyroy]

Yeah, the actual street I live on is busy. Fortunately there are no hills involved. Just a very gentle initial slope to the driveway.

It's busy enough that I wouldn't attempt to put the boat there from, like, 3-7 pm on a weekday. Weekends don't get quite as busy at any one time, but I do have the option of parking on a not-busy street a few blocks away and waiting out traffic.

You are most likely boating on weekends so no traffic issue (unless your day off are weekdays). On rare weekday outings you can always stop by restaurant with big parking lot and wait out the traffic or just stay late in the water and do sunset cruise before heading home.

EDIT: in addition, I go boating early in morning (5-6am) and be done by 11am (fishing) and I get tired too, the most I boated is probably 8 hours. You still don't know if you're an all day or half day boater but you can schedule your return based on your street traffic until you get familiar with reversing the trailer.

 

[Ribs77]

Yep, will mostly be doing weekend boating, but I hope to get out there on the occasional weekday as well. There aren't any restaurants with big parking lots in the area, but there is street parking a few blocks away that's pretty uncrowded - folks on the lake side of that block tend to have their own massive off-street parking. Must be nice!

 

[Thermobrett]

Any chance you know someone with a trailer that you can ride shotgun with while they drive and then practice so you have some confidence when the time comes? Apologies if somebody already asked this question.

 

[Ribs77]

Any chance you know someone with a trailer that you can ride shotgun with while they drive and then practice so you have some confidence when the time comes? Apologies if somebody already asked this question.

Not really. My one friend with a boat has his on a lift and lives in another state.

 

[Bruce]

@Ribs77 if you can find traffic cones you could setup a course at the dimensions of your street and driveway to practice before trying it on the busy street.

You may need to pull into the left lane or center the two lanes to start backing up.

 

[AlpharettaRK]

Rent a car hauler trailer from Uhaul for a day. They are 20ish feet long and twin axle so similar If a little shorter than boat trailer. Practice in a parking lot for 4 hours then go put it in your driveway. As commented backing a trailer takes patience, practice and more patience. It is not a race. I wouldn’t be afraid to back it in your driveway. You will need to block oncoming traffic so that is biggest issue but delivery guys do it all the time. And twin axle won’t matter, you will more or less jackknife either to get it in there

 

[Jim_in_Delaware]

Respectfully to some of the other posters, I would suggest that if the OP wants to practice, he practice with a single axle trailer and not a tandem (dual) axle, as both will handle differently when backed up. The single axle will be more maneuverable but it will also be more sensitive to slight movement with the steering wheel than the tandem. Better to first practice with a trailer similar to that with his boat.

Jim

 

[Judge]

Not really. My one friend with a boat has his on a lift and lives in another state.

Per my earlier suggestion, consider renting a U-Haul trailer similar to the trailer for your boat for a day and practice as I outlined. It will reduce your stress level bringing the boat home the first time.

And the suggestions from other posters about having a spotter to help with traffic is spot on. My wife would often get out on the road and tell people to stop or slow down when I was backing in. She would also be on her phone to me and I would have the Bluetooth speaker phone enabled in the truck so she could let me know of any big trucks, etc. coming down the road as I backed in.

Practice and experience in different situations is your best option and key to long term success trailing a boat to the ramp. You won't have the luxury of gadgets out on the road. The post above with the power dolly is cool..... but I backed up and parked my 9' wide 275SD in a 10' wide space in one pass. You will be able to do that too with enough practice and experience.