Recovering your boat into your trailer. - I just cant seem to get the hang of it.

[Taxus812]

I have trailered my boat probably a dozen times (pretty green still). Unloading is piece of cake. Walking the boat onto the trailer is no problem from a dock (If I couldn't do that then I would just sell it ). The boat launch near me is steep and doesn't have a dock, so you have to drive it onto the trailer (or get really wet).


Driving the boat onto the trailer (without power loading), I just cant seem to get the hang of. The issue is I line up with the trailer and something (winds, current) knocks me out of alignment. I end up going perfectly straight in and three feet away it all falls apart. the boat ends up at an angle to the trailer or to far to one side. I get uncomfortable with the approach, and have to put it in reverse and go around again. The low speeds I cant seem to maneuver.
Yesterday I was in a local river\reservoir we had some good wind and it was picking up speed. The launch was totally empty so I made a few attempts.
I couldn't get the boat to line up at all with he trailer. I ended up going upwind and just letting the boat approach at an angle, a few feet before the trailer I turned the bow to line up (kinda like I would an airplane, crab it in and straiten out just before touchdown) .
Is that right ? (I was worried about impacting the bunkends and bending them)

 

[HalfFish5087]

Yesterday I was in a local river\reservoir we had some good wind and it was picking up speed. The launch was totally empty so I made a few attempts.
I couldn't get the boat to line up at all with he trailer. I ended up going upwind and just letting the boat approach at an angle, a few feet before the trailer I turned the bow to line up (kinda like I would an airplane, crab it in and straiten out just before touchdown) .
Is that right ? (I was worried about impacting the bunkends and bending them)

Is this the right way, I don't know but it seems to work for me. As far as speed coming in, I tend to feather it. Put it in gear while idling and take it back out rather quickly to keep my speed slow. I also sounds like you may be backing the trailer in too far. If so the bow slips over the bunks and won't hold the keel in place. Every trailer/boat setup is a little different, but on mine I back till the front trailer tire is about 2-4 inches under and that seems to be the sweet spot. Just takes so time to get used to it and some patience.

 

[Texasmark]

First of all, you have to get good at guessing wind/wave drift. You have to guess a spot to line up on such that by the time you get to the trailer, the wind/waves/current will have moved your boat over to the sweet spot and you can hit the throttle and get her on.

In addition, the wide keel rollers (10") help on every cross member. Guide boards/rails/posts as far back on the trailer really help. If your hull has steps in it, like lifting strakes on deep V hulls, the "bunks" upon which the boat rests (in most applications) should be just outside the lifting strakes if that's possible with the boat-trailer setup. This helps give your boat something to "settle into".

Another approach is to ensure that your "guides" are rugged enough to accept it and just get the bow (front) of the boat between them, using them as a support and then swing the stern around and as you do nudge forward in an attempt to get the keel in the first roller (they are sloped inward to help this occur) and continue till lined up and proceed on.

With the accessories I suggested initially, you can do a lot of wiggling on the trailer without having to back off and try again.

HTH,
Mark

 

[Taxus812]

No Title

Thank You

I am trying to move like the diagram on the left but it ends up like the diagram on the right . I suppose it works.
I just cant seem to keep it parallel. Everyone else makes it look easy.

I have to keep a pretty good speed to keep steering. ( If I had two props I could use that to steer )

 

[gtochris]

Some good advice given here, With a bunk, I recommend backing in far (to get the boards/ carpet wet), and pulling forward so it is nearly 1/2 out of the water before approaching with the boat, It worked for me with my Stingray but EVERY boat/ trailer and ramp combination is different...

 

[Captain Caveman]

I have an anchor rope that I use for landing my boat - albeit on my roller trailer, but I think this could be helpful for you as well. I hate driving onto the trailer for several reasons. After backing my trailer into the water, I clip the carabiner on the anchor rope to the bow eye on the boat. Most of my rope as equally spaced knots that provide me grip. I then pull the boat up to the trailer and then clip the winch strap to the bow eye, removing my anchor rope. I rarely get wet doing this as I can just stand behind my truck and the water's edge and pull/float the boat to the trailer.

The last step is to winch the boat onto the trailer. Since you have bunks, you'd just need the trailer in deeper but can pull it straight in between the bunks. Voila

 

[haulnazz15]

Is this the right way, I don't know but it seems to work for me. As far as speed coming in, I tend to feather it. Put it in gear while idling and take it back out rather quickly to keep my speed slow. I also sounds like you may be backing the trailer in too far. If so the bow slips over the bunks and won't hold the keel in place. Every trailer/boat setup is a little different, but on mine I back till the front trailer tire is about 2-4 inches under and that seems to be the sweet spot. Just takes so time to get used to it and some patience.

/Thread. Aim for a point that will account for the wind/current drift by the time you reach the back of the trailer. Chances are high that you have the trailer backed in too far. When the bunks are too deep at the back of the trailer, they don't touch the hull so they can't guide the boat onto the trailer. The steeper the ramp, the more difficult it becomes due to the back of the trailer being lower in the water.

 

[smokeonthewater]

HERE is something else that will really help you.... Offset your body and more importantly your head to the very center of the boat while idling toward the trailer.... When you "line up" if you are on the right side of the boat and sighting off the bow you will put the boat too far to the right every time and then when you correct it wil be too late and often you'll end up going off the left side of the trailer at the last minute... Sound familiar? ;-)

 

[midcarolina]

First.......do you have guide posts on the end of the trailer? If not those will really help you. also it is a trial and error kind of thing, plus will really help if you watch others with a boat simular to yours.......I do not have guide posts I back trailer down to about 18" of the front of the bunks are out of the water......speed on approach is critical.....too slow and you will get bow wander, too fast not good either, at close to the correct speed the exposed bunks will stop and straighten out the boat

 

[Starcraft5834]

buy some guide posts, those really help a lot....with those in place, get your boat going up the center line, crank your winch and up she comes, perfectly centered every time.. as for power trailering? what ever that is.. I suspect that might be using your engine to drive up on.. I've seen that done,, I would never do it... just get guide rails... a good pair is about $100

 

[Taxus812]

No Title

You guys have given me a lot of confidence !!!!!!! I think I have a good idea of what im doing wrong now.

1) ) Im going too slow (eeking my way in because I don't want to break something) and the bow is drifting all over the place

2) I think im putting the trailer in just a little to deep. I was putting the water line just below the side guides. Worrying about not being able to crank the boat up the rest of the way. should I have the front most bunks just under the water? (I was planning to try and take note of how deep it is when I back down and it starts to slide into the water)

3) I am sitting in the drivers seat and Im shooting to the side then trying to correct to late and too slow.

I have a standard 4 Winns single axle trailer similar to this one (although longer side guides). I kina have the 250 Acer lake to myself most of the time. (There are only 10 parking spaces for the entire lake). I'll have to go to a bigger lake to watch people

 

[Starcraft5834]

Tax.. yea. getting in to deep (We've all done that) boat's not resting on anything so it "floats away"..... that's most of the problem....if you have good guiderails.. dont get so deep,, your good!!

 

[H20Rat]

Sounds like you nailed it.. I can't count the number of times I've seen someone back in too deep and struggle to get the boat on. #1 problem! And although I'm hesitant to say it, too slow can cause problems, especially with some types of boats. (inboard ski boats... nearly need to load those things on plane!) The key is just knowing when to put it into reverse and kill the forward speed, and how hard you are going to have to do it.

 

[Captain Caveman]

As gtochris mentioned, get those bunks wet first so that the boat can be winched up easier.

 

[bruceb58]

2) I think im putting the trailer in just a little to deep.

Yep, that's the problem. Just remember as you start winching it up on the trailer, you can always back it in slightly more if its too far out. Once you figure out how deep is optimal, you will put it in perfect the first time.

 

[grumpy67]

I agree on the bunks halfway in the water, then drive it like ya stole it unless power loading is not allowed. From there you can adjust the best place for bunks to be with some practice. Practice, practice. Nothing like a day on the water. Been doing it since the biggest motor Mercury made was a 140 hp or before.

 

[grumpy67]

I agree on the bunks halfway in the water, then drive it like ya stole it unless power loading is not allowed. From there you can adjust the best place for bunks to be with some practice. Practice, practice. Nothing like a day on the water. Been doing it since the biggest motor Mercury made was a 140 hp or before.

 

[Bifflefan]

You can also try using a drop hitch to lower the front of the trailer. This helps make the trailer flatter in the water and thus easier to load.
Most of all it takes practice. First time out this year in high wind, she went right on like a pro. The next time, calm, no current and I messed it up.
Don't feel bad about an aborted approach, just don't approach the trailer any faster than you intend to hit it.

 

[smokeonthewater]

no you should not have the front of the bunks in the water... for a starting point back in till the tire is halfway submerged..... that probably won't be deep enough but once the boat is started onto the trailer it's easy to hook up the winch and back in a couple more feet

 

[Bifflefan]

You can also try using a drop hitch to lower the front of the trailer. This helps make the trailer flatter in the water and thus easier to load.
Most of all it takes practice. First time out this year in high wind, she went right on like a pro. The next time, calm, no current and I messed it up.
Don't feel bad about an aborted approach, just don't approach the trailer any faster than you intend to hit it.