Loading Issues!

[jdkaeser]

Took the boat out yesterday for only the second time. Had the new CobraJetSteering on it. Definitely made a difference at low speeds. Felt a bit heavy at speed but want to test more, may make it come up at speed but I’ll play more before I do that. The lake was packed, the wind was heavy so I couldn’t really open her up all the way since the chop was so bad. Did get her completely out of the water once at about 35mph. No one on the boat seemed to like that!!

Went to get the boat out and I completely shit the bed trying to get it on the trailer! Ended up sideways twice!!! It was windy AF! No less than 100 people witnessed the event! Put a small scratch that I can fix pretty easily and bent the rub rail a tad. Gonna take that off and bend it back and make sure it seals as it is low at the transom. The dock I use is NS facing and the wind comes EW. So I’m going to switch docks next time to the one that faces East! Also gonna get some loading poles like @Hoyt has on his.

Just posting my failure to make any newbies feel at home!

 

[Babin Farms]

Thanks for the info. Guides will make a huge difference. I love our marina, no wind unless out of the south and no water movement. Easy loading. If I didn’t wet slip, I’d have poles on my trailer

 

[Dixie Highway]

Practice practice practice. Eventually you’ll get to where you can gauge the wind and use it to your advantage. Not sure if you had Bimini up or down but that makes a big difference. That thing is like a sail. You’ll get there amigo. Hell I consider myself “proficient” at docking and I had to take 2 shots at it yesterday. It was windy at the lake I was on too. I had her on the trailer, my co captain went to pull the truck out and we were sitting pretty crooked on the trailer. Backed her back down and repositioned. Happens to everyone.

 

[tdonoughue]

Putting on the trailer in wind is tricky! But we have all had those big misses.

A few tips for next time:
1) Make sure your bimini is stowed. That thing is a sail.
2) Approach, if you can, at an angle into the wind, then square up at the very last second. That is a difficult maneuver. Practice with no wind first, then you can adjust it when there is wind.
3) Make sure there are no lawyers on board. That is just extra wind and you don't need that. (I have issues there, as I are one)

 

[WildCatFan54]

Don't feel bad or alone ! I was on Cumberland yesterday and have been backing my 24' er into slip for 4 years . Not a pro but generally pretty good. Cross winds consistently 15-20 and gusting to 30 mph , took me 3 approaches . Felt like I had forgot everything I ever learned over the offseason ? I will be fine tuning my techniques next time out.

 

[JDRacing]

Putting on the trailer in wind is tricky! But we have all had those big misses.

A few tips for next time:
1) Make sure your bimini is stowed. That thing is a sail.
2) Approach, if you can, at an angle into the wind, then square up at the very last second. That is a difficult maneuver. Practice with no wind first, then you can adjust it when there is wind.
3) Make sure there are no lawyers on board. That is just extra wind and you don't need that. (I have issues there, as I are one)

Let me re-emphasize No. 3. I are one too. If possible, have the lawyer back the trailer into the water. It not only solves the 3rd issue above, but you'll get the satisfaction of having everyone pointing and laughing at a lawyer in a totally new setting.

Jeff

 

[jdkaeser]

The only silver lining was there was this hillbilly asshat screaming on his cellphone right were I was loading. Apparently he was upset yelling at someone that they “Built this Fu#%king thing” which I can only reference to his twin big block Baja style boat he was blocking the dock with! My piss poor attempts at loading was just the thing he needed to calm him down as I’m assuming he was thinking, “What the hell is this idiot doing!” I’m not a religious man but maybe the universe stepped in and decided a humorous siting would save this poor soul from having a heart attack! I much rather choose that explanation than blame my skills at loading!

 

[JDRacing]

Absolutely. I frequently blame the universe in lieu of personal responsibility. But, when some other asshat f's up, it's all on him.

Look at it this way: you didn't cause the strong crosswind. Sounds like a universe thing to me.

Jeff

 

[Beachbummer]

One loading method I think is highly under appreciated is a no power loading. pull the boat in with a rope on the bow and one on the stern controlled by a helper. easy and steady, then hook the strap and winch up the rest of the way. If the bunks are sprayed with silicone it's a pretty easy process, and repeatable every time. It seems slow because you winch for like 30 seconds to a minute, but I'm rarely ever beat on expediency at the ramp. I'm a bit out of practice with the Dry Dock at the marina, so I rarely ever need to trailer now,but this worked very well for me for 15 years prior.

 

[jEt_jAk]

Without trailer guides docking in wind is tough. I’ve been there several times. Maybe I should invest in some guides finally

 

[jdkaeser]

One loading method I think is highly under appreciated is a no power loading. pull the boat in with a rope on the bow and one on the stern controlled by a helper. easy and steady, then hook the strap and winch up the rest of the way. If the bunks are sprayed with silicone it's a pretty easy process, and repeatable every time. It seems slow because you winch for like 30 seconds to a minute, but I'm rarely ever beat on expediency at the ramp. I'm a bit out of practice with the Dry Dock at the marina, so I rarely ever need to trailer now,but this worked very well for me for 15 years prior.

I highly agree! I actually prefer to solo launch and retrieve and that is something I’ll be practicing real soon with this boat. Probably gonna take a mid week day off work when no one is there and practice. Unfortunately, there was no way to do that this time. This ramp is 4 lanes with 3 docks, 2 lanes each so no buffer between you and the boat next to you! There was 30 tow vehicles in line and about 40 boats all circling in the no wake. There was a boat every 40’ or so in every direction. Talk about having your head on a swivel! If I’d had tied up to solo load I would have blocked one of the ramps and people would have lost their minds as it took my buddy 30 minutes to get the trailer back in the water. It was about the most stressful loading scenario you can imagine!

 

[Beachbummer]

That sounds like a packed ramp! I've thankfully never been in that scenario but if you wait on the boat for the trailer to come in, It'd only an extra minute for the boat driver to dock next to the backed up trailer, and throw you the bow line and push the stern out. I'm typing this from the comfort of my air conditioned chair at home, so total couch quarterback here...I'm certain you did the very best that could be done in the circumstances, just sharing what I did before when there was a line (but i was never in as hectic situation as you describe, maybe 4 total waiting for 2 ramps!)

Kudos for making the best of the situation.

 

[portlandbucfan]

Hearing about the crowd on that lake. I dont think I would boat yikes.

 

[Hoyt]

Guides will make your life so much easier. We don't even power the boat on. Just use lines. Super simple, but in your case with that many people would have been an issue

 

[Rushfan67]

I definitely feel your pain.... Here in Charleston it is not only the wind but the current can really screw your day up. One time while trying to load the boat the current and the wind sent me sideways and I actually broke one of the bunks on the trailer. With the recommendation of several of our great forum members, I put the guides on the trailer and then Cobra Jet Steering. Both of these helped a lot but one other thing from a few members recommendations was to put the boat in No Wake mode while coming up to the trailer, this really helped also. I would approach at 2 clicks on the switch and then just before I came up on the trailer I would go to # 1. I literally hated coming back to the launch knowing I had to load the boat plus, the boat launches in Charleston are a complete and utter S*@T SHOW every weekend. Hope this helps.

 

[white2kstang]

I remember my first 18mph wind loading experience. It was out second time out. Just takes practice.

 

[Julian]

Guide posts really help....even just as a point of reference for lining up on the trailer! In a cross wind, I'll drive in much hotter and gauge the cross wind and how much it is pushing the boat. The more power you have, the less the wind will move you. But it takes confidence....the worst thing you can do is go in too slow and piss around....then you are doomed. I also keep a boat hook handy just in case things do go sideways....makes it much easier to gracefully grab the dock and secure things.

 

[Ronnie]

I still have bad experiences recovering the boat and have been a consistent owner and boater since 2001. I’ve modified my trailer to make launching, towing and recovery as easy as possible. However, if I can’t successfully powerload after two consecutive attempts, i fall back on the low tech/no tech old school method of walking the boat onto the trailer with the docking lines. Remember, you only have to get the bow between and up to the front bunks the winch can handle it from there. Sometimes this means getting my feet wet unexpectedly but it beats wasting time and being embarrassed, just have to be mindful of when to make the call, I don’t always try to powerload, it just depends on how I’m feeling as I approach the ramp. Having tall trailer guides will definitely help if you have to hand load in a cross wind. If you have a hard time winching the boat on try backing the trailer a few inches further into the ramp and / or replacing the winch with a two speed model.

 

[zipper]

I would have to say "VeVe Guides"...you will never crossload again. Get the pads. Together with the pvc tube, they act as a soft verticle roller and will line you up with the trailer in the worst conditions. You can lean on them pretty hard without bending.
We walk ours on with lines, hand crank for a few seconds.