How to Launch a Boat Here's the correct way to launch any boat that you can pull

behind your vehicle on a trailer. This technique may have to

be adapted to the style of ramp and dock you are using. For

the sake of this article, we're going to imagine that there's at

least one dock and a boat ramp

Preparing the boat

1

Prepare the boat. Prepare as much as possible while the

boat is on the trailer, and on dry land. Prepare the engine,

fuel, safety gear, mooring lines, fenders, etc. You should be

ready to drive the boat off the trailer right after it's backed

down the ramp. Other people want to launch as well, and

tempers will flare if you use dock time to do things you could

have done in the parking lot. It is a good idea to have your

own written checklist

2

Make a plan together. If bringing along guests, brief them on

where to go and what tasks to do. If bringing along children,

forbid young children and pets from playing or loitering on a

boat launch ramp as this is a roadway that transitions into a

waterway. Keep children and pets supervised by an adult in a

different area than at the boat launch ramp. NEVER let

children or pets play or be unattended at a boat launch ramp.

At the launch site

1

Unplug the trailer towing light assembly. Unplug the trailer

towing light assembly from the vehicle's electrical system.

2 Put the drain plug in the boat. This is very important!

3 Undo the hold down straps. Undo and stow the hold down

straps, but leave the winch hook in the bow eye

4 Have your dock lines and fenders ready to go for

immediate use.

5 Back the trailer down the ramp. This is easiest done with

two people: one driving and one as a spotter. With a truck or

SUV it can be easier to see when backing up if you put the

tailgate down or open the rear hatch/door/window. Drive

slowly, making tiny fine-tune steering corrections as you go.

How far to back the boat trailer into the water depends on

many factors - type of trailer, depth of the water, type of boat,

etc. A good rule of thumb is to back in until the water is just

above the hubs on the trailer. Be careful about backing in too

far otherwise the tow vehicle might become stuck.

When backing down the ramp, have the vehicle in neutral.

This makes it easier to control the vehicle quickly. If

something fails, quickly put it in gear and go forward.

6 Ensure that your tow vehicle has the parking brake set

before exiting the vehicle.

When getting out of the vehicle on the ramp, apply the

handbrake first, check that it is holding fast, and then put it in

park. When the vehicle is sitting in park, the whole weight is

sitting on a little piece of metal in the trans (parking pawl).

Should this break and the park brake doesn't hold, you launch

the whole rig.

Launching the boat

1 Lower the lower unit (for boats with outboard and

inboard-outboard engines).

2 Turn on the bilge blower to remove any gasoline fumes

that may have accumulated in the bilge.

3 Ensure that no person is near the engine when starting

and that no person or boat is in your path before you put

the boat in reverse.

4 Pay attention to currents, wind and waves that can easily

pull your boat off course and into a collision course with

another boat or dock.

5 Crank the engine. Make sure the engine is in the water, and

turn it over. Once it's running, undo the winch hook from the

bow eye, and back the boat out of the trailer. For smaller

boats, you can just push the boat out while holding a mooring

line.

6 Secure the boat to the dock. Tie the mooring lines to cleats

on the dock. Use fenders to prevent the hull from being

scratched.

7 Slowly pull the vehicle out. Boat ramps can be slippery with

moss and algae and it is important to not let the vehicle's tires

spin. If your tow vehicle is equipped with four-wheel drive, this

can be useful if your back tires start spinning. Once the boat

is afloat and secured to the dock, drive the vehicle back up

the ramp and park it at the landing, in the designated parking

area.

8 When pulling away from the dock, it is important to

understand that unlike a car, the stern of the boat is

pushed to one side or the other, whereas a car's pivot

point is in the front. Do not turn the boats steering wheel in

the opposite direction of the dock, with the boat a mere few

inches from the dock, and just hit the throttle - or your

engine's outdrive will push your boat right into the dock,

scratching or gouging the gelcoat in the side of the hull. Make

sure that you have pushed away several feet from the boat

dock before driving away, so that your stern has ample room

to turn the boat without scraping the boat alongside of the

dock.

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