Advice for solo launching?

JimmyG wrote:
I"m really close to upgrading to a 17 ft G3 aluminum boat with a 60 HP
Yamaha from my 14 ft johnboat with 8 HP evinrude. I have not been
able to identify any devoted fishing buddies (yet), so I usually fish
alone. When launching and landing the boat, I seek out very small
ramps that are less crowded. Most of these don't have docks, so I
just drag my boat on the bank. I'm thinking that I'll have to start
using the deeper water ramps now and they are sure to be crowded. Any
advice for the solo launcher?

Thanks,

J

I launch solo a lot and the most important thing I was taught is to use
the wind to your advantage whenever possible. When launching, use the
wind to blow the boat towards the dock. When coming back to the dock,
do the same. I never drive the boat on or off the trailer. I have
upright roller boat guides on the back of the trailer that serve two
purposes. First they let me know if I've driven the trailer deep enough
into the water (top of guides about 2 or 3 inches out of the water) to
allow the boat to be easily winched onto the trailer. Also they help
guide the boat straight onto the trailer. Once the bow of the boat has
passed the rollers I can usually pull the boat onto the trailer
straight fairly easily.

http://www.westmarine.com/webapp/wcs...roductId=33759

Make sure you have plenty of grippy stuff on the tongue of the trailer
too. Your dry shoes will thanks you. Go a few times on weekdays to
practice and before long you won't bat an eye at launching solo on a
jam packed 3 day weekend.

-phish

Thanks for all the replies. The strategies that were described are
the same that I use for launching my 14 footer. I'll just have to get
used to being on the crowded launches and working in traffic.

Thanks,

J

On 9 May 2006 12:10:28 -0700, wrote:


JimmyG wrote:
I"m really close to upgrading to a 17 ft G3 aluminum boat with a 60 HP
Yamaha from my 14 ft johnboat with 8 HP evinrude. I have not been
able to identify any devoted fishing buddies (yet), so I usually fish
alone. When launching and landing the boat, I seek out very small
ramps that are less crowded. Most of these don't have docks, so I
just drag my boat on the bank. I'm thinking that I'll have to start
using the deeper water ramps now and they are sure to be crowded. Any
advice for the solo launcher?

Launching can often be the easiest part. Recovery can be a killer on a hot
Sunday, with lots of people launching and recovering. I've made a couple of
additions to the trailers for my two Carolina Skiffs. ( 16 and a 17 footer).

1. I added PVC poles in the stern. Nothing like their assistance when trying
to position a boat on a trailer.
2. I cut up and added PVC lattice onto my carpeted bunks. Now.... the boats
slide on and off easily. Rollers are not recommended for foam-filled CS
skiffs, so the sliders, made of lattice, are a good alternative.
3. I bought an extendable boat hook.

With the assistance of the PVC uprights and the PVC lattice on the bunks...,
I point her at the trailer, power her in and she slides in, right up to the
bow stop. If I am on a "no power loading" ramp, I use the same procedure
but kill the engine far away from the dock. The boat still moves forward on
her own momentum, and partially slides up the PVC lattice-covered bunks. I
have a boat -hook extended and ready at all times.

For launching...

I added a very long "launching rope, and I wrapped a couple of bungee cords
around the top of the PVC poles I thread the launching rope from the
forward cleat, back the length of the boat; into and out of the bungees
(with just a free-loop) and then tie the launching line onto a cleat on the
dock. Back her in; stop; pop the boat off; let her drag line out past the
bungee loop ( which pulls off freely by itself) and go park the vehicle,
......or I get out quickly and pull the boat up and re-tie it on the backside
of the dock if necessary.

harder to describe, than to do..
--
RichG manager, Carolina Skiff Owners Group on MSN
http://groups.msn.com/CarolinaSkiffOwners
..