Driving boat onto the trailer

[Mojo4fishin]

Having said all that Paikea, you need to give consideration to the trailer depth, steepness of ramp, tide, wind, current, your own setup, other idiots around causing wakes.

I check all these things continually and once right it,s all about speed and timing.

I dunk my trailer until my second last roller is just under the surface then come in from the down wind/tide side of the trailer about 30meters out very slowly in and out of gear lining the centre of my bow with the centre of the trailer and once my keel hits that roller I tilt engine up a bit and power up steering the boat up the trailer stoping about a foot away from the winch post, i lean over bow connect winch strap and safety chain, stop engine and winch the rest of the way.

99% of the time it works a treat.

Once I missed the rollers because of a idiots wake on a jetski causing a dirty big gouge on my hull.

I'll post a pic.

Hope this helps but thats the way nearly everyone does it depending on there set up.

Preperation, timing, practice, luck.Those are the keys.

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Mate I have experienced the same.. Asshole on jetski and missing my trailer. Lucky a bloke helped me put the boat up.

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[Scienceman]

Another benefit of winching on is that you dont have to back your trailer so far into the water, although the steepness of the ramp affects how far you need to go for drive on. I try to keep my axel and brakes out of the briny which has enabled my trailer to last 16 years before the rust got hold of weak spots at the very end of the trailer. (new one under construction just in time for Xmas - yay!).

[sleepydragon]

Hi Guys,

I'd like to add another point here. Get the boat can handle the bang like mine (Polycraft), I banged it many times to the trailer and of course my trailer is designed to drive on too.

[brad_tate]

I have a drive on trailer for my 5m Quintrex CoastRunner, here are my tips.

1. As others have mentioned, angle of ramp is important. With a very flat ramp and shallow approach you may need to winch as you need decent clearance for the motor as the boat stands up before gravity takes over and the boat sits down on the glides.

2. Pay attention to the crosswind. If it is blowing right to left, then start your approach a little right of the centre roller with the rear also a little out to the right. By the time you make contact and are in position to drive up, you will have been blown around to the left. If you are blown too far, back off and start again. If it is too blowy, beach the boat to the right of the trailer, have a second man (or lady) on the winch and winch it on. Reverse if the crosswind is blowing the other way.

3. Learn the correct depth for your trailer. In my case I need my last roller just under water for the guide system to work properly. Too deep and the catch guides don't contact the bow and straighten up the boat. To shallow and it is too high to get the boat up on the glides easily.

4. Trim out your motor before driving on. My dealer told me to trim out nearly all the way before it stops trimming and starts to lift. In calm conditions I start the drive on, catch the bow and once stable, trim out and drive up. In blowy conditions I trim out before I start.

Good luck.

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Edited November 30, 2015 by Tastee

[The Incredible Hull]

Driving a boat onto a trailer, takes a couple of practice goes, and its pretty easily and quickly self taught.

What's a pain the @ss, is when there's current or wind that you need to deal with. Examples are Windang bridge ramp or Belambi ramp, you have to almost come in on a 45deg angle to your trailer to get it on straight. I don't think there's no easy way around this.

[Fab1]

Driving a boat onto a trailer, takes a couple of practice goes, and its pretty easily and quickly self taught.

What's a pain the @ss, is when there's current or wind that you need to deal with. Examples are Windang bridge ramp or Belambi ramp, you have to almost come in on a 45deg angle to your trailer to get it on straight. I don't think there's no easy way around this.

Try to angle the trailer into the wind/current.

[jgrant666]

Fab asked;

"Can you explain to us your launching and retrieval technique when winching on/off solo."

I do not launch and retrieve the boat on my own, that is what I was aiming to do by learning to drive the boat onto the trailer.

Cheers

Paikea

Hi Mate,

I have a 4.6m glass boat and recently launched and retried it on my own for the first time (thanks tofellow raiders for some tips on that!) It wasn't as bad as I thought but I certainly wouldn't be keen to try driving it on by myself (mine's a half cab so very difficult to get at the trailer post from inside the boat anyway). I launched at tunks but any ramp with a pontoon next to it or in the middle should be ok. (mooney bridge, apple tree, drummoyne etc). As long as you've got a reasonably long mooring rope to the front I found it quite easy to just use a rope from the front and slowly pull it in to the trailer from the pontoon until you could get your winch strap hooked up and winch it on. The feet got a bit wet since I don't have a fancy trailer walkway like Fab (must look into that by the way!) but it was easier than I thought. Just pick your days and your ramp I'd say, I wouldn't be game to try it in high winds or a strong swell/current but I imagine you'd be checking the forecast before heading out anyway.....

I've found other boaties to be generally pretty helpful too if you really do get stuck, despite the occasional @$$hole

[Fab1]

Hi Mate,

I have a 4.6m glass boat and recently launched and retried it on my own for the first time (thanks tofellow raiders for some tips on that!) It wasn't as bad as I thought but I certainly wouldn't be keen to try driving it on by myself (mine's a half cab so very difficult to get at the trailer post from inside the boat anyway). I launched at tunks but any ramp with a pontoon next to it or in the middle should be ok. (mooney bridge, apple tree, drummoyne etc). As long as you've got a reasonably long mooring rope to the front I found it quite easy to just use a rope from the front and slowly pull it in to the trailer from the pontoon until you could get your winch strap hooked up and winch it on. The feet got a bit wet since I don't have a fancy trailer walkway like Fab (must look into that by the way!) but it was easier than I thought. Just pick your days and your ramp I'd say, I wouldn't be game to try it in high winds or a strong swell/current but I imagine you'd be checking the forecast before heading out anyway.....

I've found other boaties to be generally pretty helpful too if you really do get stuck, despite the occasional @$$hole

Getting to the winch post to put on the winch strap/safety chain will be a thing of the past in any boat when driving on with the poor mans boat catch.

Make up a length of rope that reaches from the winch post to your mid cleat/rear cleat (mine was right beside the helm)plus about 2 foot with a loop spliced into either end.

Attach the said rope and undo your winch strap/safety chain when launching(don't worry the rope will keep the boat onthe trailer as it can only roll back 2 feet).

Back trailer in water,start engine/s and realease rope on cleat and hook on side of trailer for retrieval.(if boat slides back on trailer it will only move back 2 feet and the rope will take up tension)Drive forward and realease as above.

I had a hook made up on the side of my old trailer to store the rope on that had a float attached.

When driving on I'd put the boat on the trailer lean over the side to grab rope/float,attach to cleat,shut down engine,hop out and winch the other 2 feet on.

I did all this solo without ever going near the bow from the helm as I installed a cleat right near the helm for this purpose.

To easy.

Cheers.

Edited December 3, 2015 by Fab1

[Commodore]

I have a 6m ally boat and drive it up on the trailer. The trailer is well in the water with the back rollers underwater. I bring the boat in slowly with the motor clear of the ramp. I then nudge it into the first set of rollers. My crew then attaches the winch strap and starts to pull it up, once the boat is set in position I slowly drive it up the trailer until it is secured. Very fast and very safe for the boat.

[The Incredible Hull]

Try to angle the trailer into the wind/current.

Omg I feel so stupid LOL thats a great idea Fab cheers!

[Frantic]

Mines on dumbier supa roller so no keel rollers at all use keel guards as well pretty much only drive on or off if she screws to a side on way up just let off throttle a bit and she centers then straight up to post does take practice and takes about 2 mins to retrieve boat off ramp while others are winding and winding and winding

[Spudly]

you need the right trailer to be driving on and off, i know from experience.. Had this one built a few years ago now and love the reaction I get from people at the ramp who watch me load up single handedly and drive off