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

bruceb58

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Every trailer is different and the amount of bunks sticking out will also be different.
 

Pony

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I put some fiberglass rods on my fenders with flags on the top....they just screw on to a set of pipe threads that I bolted on. I remove them when towing and just store them under the back seat of my truck. I have found that they help me see where the trailer is since my side bunks and trailer are black and in a chop they can be tough to see.

The other biggest thing I have learned (which someone else noted here) is to lean into the middle of the boat so that I can aim for the winch post and not figure out what the offset is from the steering wheel.

With my trailer, 3/4 of the bunks with 1/2 the side bunks under is my sweet spot.

I also try to keep my trim down if possible for better control. I will back off the dock and give myself plenty of room to get lined up....and then go in at a pretty good no wake speed to keep straight.
 

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Captain Ollie West

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I learned how to powerload with a 21 foot jet sled. The interesting thing with these boats is that in order to steer, you must be applying power. The boat had a large profile with its top (think sail) and a relativly flat bottom so the minute you back off the throttle yopu would drift all over the place. It was very intimidating at first. You had to approach at a failrly fast speed to keep control. Pretty scary stuff when it is your dads brand new very expensive boat.

With my last boat, a 19 foot Seaswirl Spyder, I just had to get the keel between the bunks. One I had the keel in place, I could back off the power a bit. The boat would then center itself. I would then slowly apply power and she would slide into place. I would walk to the bow, lean over and clip on the winch line. The key as most people have mentioned is not too back the trailer in too deep. If it is too deep, your boat will not center properly. Also, make sure you trim your outdrive up. Your prop and skeg will thank you.

Once you get the hang of powerloading, you will never want to crank your boat on the trailer again. Just make sure it is allowed at your ramp. Some places don't allow it do to the errosion it can cause.
 

Taxus812

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Powerloading is very much illegal here in CT (they make us take classes :) ) so I have to stop when I hit the bunks. No power allowed to drive it up. I don't mind that part at all. I just don't want to have to make three passes to get on the bunks :)
 

midcarolina

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Also do a search on you tube for loading boat on trailer..............You will find a bunch of video's of how to do it, and prolly just as important a bunch of video's of how NOT to do it........
 

haulnazz15

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Powerloading is very much illegal here in CT (they make us take classes :) ) so I have to stop when I hit the bunks. No power allowed to drive it up. I don't mind that part at all. I just don't want to have to make three passes to get on the bunks :)

I don't think he's using the term "powerloading" in the same sense you are. He just means using idle power or so onto the trailer. He isn't referring to running the engine up to 2500RPM trying to make it climb up the trailer.
 

edthearcher

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Sep 22, 2007
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I will give my 2 cents, i dont believe in driving a boat on to a trailer, its unsafe in spite what a few of you will say, ( i do it all the time) 1am 76 soon to be 77 i have owned 16 footers up to a 30 foot with a flying bridge. only one trailer had a power winch. at present i have a 22 foot sea ray pachanga. i crank this up on the trailer, the previous owner drove it up on the trailer busted off the hold down stop dented the front of the bow. which soon will be fixed. i have bunkers with delron runners, makes it go on really easy, even my jon boat at my cabin i crank that on also, i dont mind getting my feet wet
 

smokeonthewater

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"driving a boat onto a trailer WHEN DONE CORRECTLY is no more unsafe than powering into a slip, under a bridge, past another boat or through a waterway..... You don't break things unless you do it wrong..... I would LOVE to see you try to put my 28'er on the trailer by hand in the ohio river with a 6 mph current 10 mph wind, waves coming from one way and wakes from tugboats n barges coming from another......
It can be almost impossible with a jetski sometimes.
.
BTW, boat trailers don't have bunkers.. Bunkers are holes in the ground
.
.
They are BUNKS as in beds IE where the boat lies or sleeps...
 
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haulnazz15

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Agreed. Driving a boat onto a trailer isn't unsafe unless done improperly. Again, no one should be powering onto a trailer even at full idle speed. It should be just fast enough to maintain forward motion and some rudder control. Probably 1-2mph at the most. Never approach anything in a boat faster than you are willing to hit it.
 

bruceb58

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At my launch ramp in Tahoe and one in Big Bear, power loading is not allowed and you can be fined if you do it.

It's also just wrong to ruin the ramp for others to use.
 

Captain Ollie West

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In Eastern WA state, cranking on is the exception rather than the norm. Most people drive their boats on around here. In my opinion, it is faster and it done correctly, causes little to no erosion. I see far more damage done to ramps by novice boaters and 2WD tow vehicles.I would be very disappointed to see these laws make their way into my area. With my new boat, it wont be an option though. I can't imagine driving a 27 foot boat onto a roller trailer. Good thing it has an electric winch!
 

midcarolina

Chief Petty Officer
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Jul 16, 2013
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Driving a boat on the trailer and power loading are two distinctly very different things........many boats are sold new with " drive on " trailers......It's funny how those that choose to stand in knee deep water behind a vehicle that no one can see cranking on a winch is somehow safer than using a properly outfitted drive on trailer for it's purpose........

I guess it's human nature.....that's why many vegans are not happy with just being a vegan, they insist on EVERYONE be a vegan same with many who drive electric cars and so on and on.
 

bruceb58

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Driving a boat on the trailer and power loading are two distinctly very different things.
Please explain the difference.



In case people don't understand what happens. It's not a safety issue, it's a ramp damage issue:
http://www.twincities.com/localnews/ci_12971212
http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/water_acc...erloading.html

Of course this is only a problem where the ramp concrete does not go deep into the water beyond where the prop wash is especially during drought conditions.
 
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midcarolina

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Well let's see, I load my boat all the way to the bow stop at no more than idle speed plus the outdrive is trimmed up......in case people dont understand that, it means what little thrust there is... is not pointing towards lake bed........I do NOT do what your linked article describes as gunning the throttle! nor do most boaters!
Atleast down here.....can't really speak to what folks up your way do

maybe your DNR should fix your ramps to work with what they call in your linked article modern boats!
 

oldjeep

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May 17, 2010
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Well let's see, I load my boat all the way to the bow stop at no more than idle speed plus the outdrive is trimmed up......in case people dont understand that, it means what little thrust there is... is not pointing towards lake bed........I do NOT do what your linked article describes as gunning the throttle! nor do most boaters!
Atleast down here.....can't really speak to what folks up your way do

maybe your DNR should fix your ramps to work with what they call in your linked article modern boats!

That is loading under power, not power loading. That is the way I have to load my v-drive, in gear at idle.
 

midcarolina

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I think my last post came off very rude........ I apologize for that, I just get irritated when laws are passed that affect all of us...In this case it's because there are a few ass hats that do not know how to properly load a boat on a trailer
 

smokeonthewater

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With my new boat, it wont be an option though. I can't imagine driving a 27 foot boat onto a roller trailer. Good thing it has an electric winch!

Don't knock it till you try it... My 26' carver flybridge boat was on a full roller trailer... to launch I would start it up and put it in forward gear with the drive trimmed up and at idle... then unhook the winch... I would pull it to neutral and it gently rolled off the trailer... Then to load I would idle onto the trailer and it would stop about 3" from the bow stop.. I'd leave it idling in gear (again trimmed up) for a few seconds while I hooked the winch and snugged it to the bow stop and go back n kill the engine.... I was almost always faster in and out than the other boats.... Constantly got compliments at the ramp... I never told them that it really WAS as easy as it looked..

My 28'er on lubed bunks launches n loads the same way except it takes just a little blip of throttle both off and on and I don't have to leave it in gear to work with the winch.
 

Taxus812

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Aug 5, 2013
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So I got some time in this weekend to try things out. Yeah that was awful I actually got worse - LOL. I had the ramp to myself so I got to play a bit.

I realized my Four Winn's Horizon 180 OB doesn't go strait at low speeds, period. The bow wanders left \ right with no real pattern I can "feel out yet". So what happens next is absolutely my inexperience I turn to course correct for bow drift and loose where center is. When I pop it in reverse to slow myself the motor is left or right of center It throws the bow the wrong direction.

To make things worse :) , My ramp is steep so when the bunks are partially (about 3/4 ) submerged the rear is far under. So what that means the rear of the bunks don't help to center the boat on the trailer. You need to be dead nuts on. That said the side rails take the brunt of any drift and you can easily put the bow over one side (almost did that).

You cant walk the boat on the trailer. There is no dock and because of the steep ramp you are chest deep to get around a jersey barrier they put on the side of the ramp. You HAVE to motor it on the trailer or swim to walk it.

Here are some pictures when the drained the lake for work on the dam last September. The barriers start at the water line
 
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