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wheel to the right: to make the trailer go left, move your hand to the left.
Stop when the rear of the trailer is a few feet from the water's edge; put
your gear shift in "Park," set the parking brake and place chocks under the
front wheels of the tow vehicle. (Caution: The lower ends of ramps are often
wet and slippery.)
3. Prepare for launching - Attach a bow line to your boat and detach trailer
tie-downs. If your boat is an outboard or stern drive, tilt up the lower unit. If
your trailer has a tilt bed, then release tilting mechanism.
4. Launching - Remove wheel chocks, release brake and back trailer to the
water. If at all possible, avoid submerging trailer wheels. Reset parking
brake, gear shift and wheel chocks. Unlock winch and push boat slowly but
firmly off the trailer into the water. Be sure you (or your partner) have a
firm hold on the bow line.
5. Final Steps - Detach winch hook and line from the boat, crank it back up
and lock it in place. Using the bow line, walk the boat to the loading site,
away from the ramp. Remove wheel chocks and park your car and trailer
where they will not obstruct access to the ramp.
To load the boat on the trailer, simply reverse the above procedure. Before
loading, clean any dirt or sand off rollers or bunks. Sand on bunks or rollers
can abrade the boat's bottom while trailering.
Loading and Capacities
(See checklist on page 1)
POWERING AND LOADING: Boats under 20 feet in length, built since 1972,
are required to have a capacity plate. On outboard boats, the plate must
show maximum recommended horsepower for the outboard motor. If the
available, usable passenger seats are less than the indicated capacity,
reduce your passenger load accordingly.
An overloaded boat can become sluggish and hard to handle. Overloading
can also reduce freeboard and increase the danger of flooding or swamping,
To avoid flooding and swamping your boat, before launching be sure the hull
drain plug is in place and tight.
To avoid injury if the winch line or hook gives way, stand to one side when
winching the boat onto your trailer.
Do not exceed these capacity ratings. An overpowered boat can become
unstable, sometimes resulting in a loss of control or capsizing.
