Launching

[Adrian @ JB Solutions]

If she doesn't like to walk the boat back, then just back the boat up until it floats, jump in the boat and have wife unhook chain and winch strap, and then have her go into reverse for a foot and slam on brakes. We used to do the push off the trailer but it's a PITA, brake check works great.

 

[biffdotorg]

Here is some reality with bunk trailers. Most boats will not slide very easily on "dry" bunk trailers. That doesn't mean it cannot happen, as they will and there are scenarios when they have slid off as each ramp angle is different.

That being said, I drove up to the first boat I have seen that slid off of a bunk trailer on the boat ramp yesterday. We literally were driving up to drop the Tritoon in, and found this elderly couple with their 18ft aluminum fishing boat laying on the landing confused as to how they were going to get it back on, or in the water.

I stood in amazement as I said, I have never seen a boat slide off of a bunk trailer. At that point she admitted, "oh I had backed the boat in, and realized I was too close to the dock and pulled back out to re-align. But then realized the bunks had gotten wet, and I had already released the winch strap. She slid right off onto the concrete!!

So the point of this is, going in, there is very little chance of these boats sliding, till they start to float or those bunks get wet. But always easy to get the boat over the water, and take the few seconds to then jump out and release the winch and safety chain.

And when pulling them out, it does help to dip the trailer much deeper to wet the bunks, then pull it back up to the proper fender level you have settled on for good alignment. This process really makes winching or power loading where legal much easier.

 

[2kwik4u]

Everyone and everything on board, rear buckles off, safety chain off, plugs double checked, fan on before hitting the turn around. I back down till the fenders are covered. By the time I jump out of the expedition my wife has the engines started. I let loose the winch and she powers off and I am back in the vehicle and gone to park.
Our ramp that we use can get busy and is a single trailer at a time, you will get a hard time from others (mostly from people you know) if you mess around at the bottom of the ramp.
When retrieving I sometimes don’t back as deep if there is a crosswind or a lot of wakes hitting the ramp area. With the Fulton F2 as long as my wife gets it lined up I can winch it all the way up.
At this point my wife is better than I am at putting the boat on the trailer. Which she reminds me often ?

I came to type this. I mean almost completely word for word how my wife and I handle the ramp. Loading and unloading. It's safe, easy, and efficient.

 

[hapyfishrmn]

My wife had never launched a boat before. I found this video that had a good walk-through and this is the procedure we follow. I do leave the safety chain on and it comes off with the winch. Sometimes if the boat isn't coming off the trailer, we give the trailer a little quick bump with a quick stop. This helps to gets some movement in the right direction.

 

[hapyfishrmn]

One thing to add would be unplugging the lights to your trailer if they are the bulbs and not LED

 

[Austin-BR]

Spray Silicone on the bunks and watch out. Good generous helping of silicone spray on each bunk, and they become very slippery and the boat slides right off. You unhook only a foot before you want it off the trailer, then back it in that foot and step on the brakes gently...it slides right off.

THIS!
I had the same issue and found this idea in this forum. After spray silicone on the bunks, the boat slides off w/o engine, just myself pulling with a dock line. I can do the same o bring in and crank all the way easily.

 

[Dixie Highway]

Haven't seen it said yet, but the reason I personally don't unhook the winch strap is this: Let's say you unhook it, get the trailer in the water, boat starts floating, and the engines don't start for some reason. Now your boat starts drifting backwards and off the trailer with no power, wouldn't it have been easier to just pull back up the ramp? Now you have to attempt to get the boat back on the trailer, etc. On the FSH models once the engines are started I can easily reach the bow eye by leaning over the anchor locker. I then pull off the trailer and wait off the dock 25 yards while she parks the truck and trailer. Swoop in, pick her up, we are gone. Oh, and as much as she might resist, if you teach her to drive either the truck or trailer your launching/retrieving will be the envy of the ramp. A couple 2 way radios to communicate is also pure gold, no yelling through open windows.

 

[HangOutdoors]

@Dixie Highway Don't you test start the engine real quick while staging?

 

[crazy4life]

If she doesn't like to walk the boat back, then just back the boat up until it floats, jump in the boat and have wife unhook chain and winch strap, and then have her go into reverse for a foot and slam on brakes. We used to do the push off the trailer but it's a PITA, brake check works great.

^^^^^^THIS^^^^^^^
Works every time for me. Slides right off the trailer.

 

[Dixie Highway]

@Dixie Highway Don't you test start the engine real quick while staging?

Typically not, a modern computer controlled and fuel injected engine should start every time as long as everything is plugged in and there’s not mechanical damage. If something goes wrong enough to prevent the engine from starting it‘s going to be either really easy to fix or really hard to fix. I will generally key on, check voltage and fuel level, etc. Now, the reason I started leaving the strap on is because in the carburetor days it wasn’t always a given that even test starting an engine meant it would start again on the water.

 

[Matt Phillips]

Some of the ramps out this way at the reservoirs can be REALLY long and REALLy Steep. Best practice says don't unhook that safety chain and strap until you're about a foot from the water. If you're having trouble getting the boat off the trailer, just back it down a little deeper (don't get your light connection wet though) ad it'll eventually float off.

Then when you get it back on the trailer and all cinched down on the trailer -- and before you leave the parking lot -- get going 5-10MPH and do a hard stop. Then go back and tighten everything on the trailer again. I guarantee your boat buckles will be loose. This is because there's some give in the winch stands on our trailers. This panic stop (as I call it) will force the boat forward one time...rather than having it slide around 1-3 inches on the trailer.

 

[sunbyrned]

Some of the ramps out this way at the reservoirs can be REALLY long and REALLy Steep. Best practice says don't unhook that safety chain and strap until you're about a foot from the water. If you're having trouble getting the boat off the trailer, just back it down a little deeper (don't get your light connection wet though) ad it'll eventually float off.

Then when you get it back on the trailer and all cinched down on the trailer -- and before you leave the parking lot -- get going 5-10MPH and do a hard stop. Then go back and tighten everything on the trailer again. I guarantee your boat buckles will be loose. This is because there's some give in the winch stands on our trailers. This panic stop (as I call it) will force the boat forward one time...rather than having it slide around 1-3 inches on the trailer.

I don’t have that slack in my belt after trailering. I crank it up as snug as I can get it and it stays there. Do you think yours is due to the really steep ramps and cranking it is just difficult to make it snug? I’m not debating you. I’m just curious if I should try it. Maybe it will ride even better than I have it now.

 

[PeterB]

We use liquid rollers - very slippery- the boat will slide off of you unclip the bow before you’re in the water but makes it very easy to load and unload

Marykate Liquid Rollers Trailer Bunk Boards Lubricant, 10 oz.

Marykate Liquid Rollers Trailer Bunk Boards Lubricant makes loading and unloading easy while dramatically reducing friction.

www.overtons.com

As for my wife backing the trailer or driving the boat-I back in and jump on the boat- she then gets in the truck to park once I pull the boat off the trailer - we are very fast doing this and all involved stay happy with this arrangement!!
We have all straps disconnected other than the bow strap and chain before backing down the ramp - we also have a key in the run position so the connect boots up before we are on the ramp - keeps the other boaters happy!

 

[buckbuck]

 

[AZMark]

I back the trailer until the fenders are just underwater, start the engines, unhook the winch strap, and then 100% of the time I am 2 feet short and stuck. I either stand on the trailer tongue and nudge it loose or have my wife back down a couple more feet if she's there. It adds all of 15 seconds to my launch so not a big deal compared to most of the lunacy and delays you see at a public ramp.

It seems like it's just the sharper angle of the hull up towards the bow getting caught in the front bunks when the stern floats up.

 

[KC-AR240]

We get everything loaded including passengers in the parking lot, unhook everything except the chain then I position the boat and line it up to back in the water. A few feet from the edge of the water I put truck in park and set the brakes, unhook the chain and back in until the water level is touching the swim platform. Wife then starts motors and then I'll back up a couple feet more and stab the brakes. Momentum takes her in a straight line past the docks. Less than a minute and I'm backing in to my parking space.......30 years of driving big trucks ?

 

[NORCAL-GAS]

I wouldn’t try driving anywhere without my chain or strap secured.

 

[HangOutdoors]

Wow, I felt my chest tighten once the picture loaded. That is gonna sting a bit. Ruins the day. Gonna wait till she is in the water before I take off the Winch. Never had an issue, but it only takes once. I have been releasing the winch when the back of the boat is at the waters edge. Moving forward would rather be safe than sorry.

 

[AZMark]

I wouldn’t try driving anywhere without my chain or strap secured. View attachment 126629

That doesn’t look like a very steep ramp! That took some seriously aggressive gas pedal in addition to no strap.

 

[Ratket]

Ramp angle is really going to dictate how deep you have to go. When we retrieve the boat, my wife fully dunks the trailer “ Lube up the bunks” “ helps to activate the liquid rollers”and pulls it up so the top front of the fenders are out of the water, even with this much exposed, the back of the boat is floating so much I struggle to get the boat sucked all the way up to the bow roller. I will add this, bow rollers regardless of manufacture, get real squishy/ Soft in 115 degrees and up heat.