Launching a boat from a beach / jetty / ramp
Discussion
I've often wondered how you go about launching and retrieving a small boat which is trailered to the sea (so a sub 8m boat / dinghy).
Does the trailer actually go into the water for the launch / retrieval ? Can you drive down the beach yourself or are there tractors available (saw this in France, you park up the car and borrow a tractor to tow the trailer to the sea but not sure how it works here!)
Should be moving closer to the sea soon so I was quite interested in maybe getting a little fishing boat
Thanks!
Does the trailer actually go into the water for the launch / retrieval ? Can you drive down the beach yourself or are there tractors available (saw this in France, you park up the car and borrow a tractor to tow the trailer to the sea but not sure how it works here!)
Should be moving closer to the sea soon so I was quite interested in maybe getting a little fishing boat
Thanks!
Monki said:
Cheers, and when bringing the boat back in do you reverse the trailer in and then pull the boat in with ropes? Or would a winch on the trailer be useful ?
Again I've no experience of boating yet so was just hoping to clear up some questions which I am unsure of
Thanks again
Depends on the size of the boat. but for anything of a decent size, or which you can't man handle yourself, you'd want a winch - nothing fancy, just a simple hand operated one will do.Again I've no experience of boating yet so was just hoping to clear up some questions which I am unsure of
Thanks again
Thanks a lot, and in general are there parking areas nearby for folk using the ramps? and how do you keep the boat in place without it floating away whilst you park the car/trailer up? Do you simply use tethers to keep it close to a wall and are these generally near to the ramps?
(again sorry for asking what might be obvious!!!!
)
(again sorry for asking what might be obvious!!!!
)If you are new to launch/retrive forget the beach.
I would take a look at the slip first without your boat consider things like tide, how deep the ramp goes into the water, where it ends, where to moor it once launched and where too park car/trailer. Observe others, you will soon see how to and how not to launch.
Launching is not difficult but does require common sense and is quicker with two people one to drive the car and one the boat.
Rig the boat off the slip ie, remove trailer board covers etc.. and remember to put the bung in!
Back the trailer into the water until it is deep enough to lower the drive into the water fully.
Remove winch strap only when the stern of the boat is in the water so it can not fall off the trailer onto the slip (very bad).
Get in the boat start up and reverse off the trailer.
Find nearby mooring tie up and go park your car/trailer (this is where a second person is handy).
Retrevial is the reverse power loading is easy and quick and in most places the only option, just don't forget to raise the drive before the car pulls the boat up the slip and ensure winch strap is attatched.
If your rig is fairly heavy use a 4x4. Do not expect a frontwheel dive family car to pull 1500kg boat 500kg trailer plus kit up a steep slip without much scrabble action unless you want to get more than your feet wet.
Keep in mind with a hard boat a couple of feet in length makes a big difference in weight. Ribs are lighter and easier for a smallish car to handle.
I would take a look at the slip first without your boat consider things like tide, how deep the ramp goes into the water, where it ends, where to moor it once launched and where too park car/trailer. Observe others, you will soon see how to and how not to launch.
Launching is not difficult but does require common sense and is quicker with two people one to drive the car and one the boat.
Rig the boat off the slip ie, remove trailer board covers etc.. and remember to put the bung in!
Back the trailer into the water until it is deep enough to lower the drive into the water fully.
Remove winch strap only when the stern of the boat is in the water so it can not fall off the trailer onto the slip (very bad).
Get in the boat start up and reverse off the trailer.
Find nearby mooring tie up and go park your car/trailer (this is where a second person is handy).
Retrevial is the reverse power loading is easy and quick and in most places the only option, just don't forget to raise the drive before the car pulls the boat up the slip and ensure winch strap is attatched.
If your rig is fairly heavy use a 4x4. Do not expect a frontwheel dive family car to pull 1500kg boat 500kg trailer plus kit up a steep slip without much scrabble action unless you want to get more than your feet wet.
Keep in mind with a hard boat a couple of feet in length makes a big difference in weight. Ribs are lighter and easier for a smallish car to handle.
The best way to launch ( slipway )
1.Prepare boat straps off, lighting board, bung etc apart from trailer winch.
2 If possible and launching in high tidal area try and run the engine on the land with the muffs to warm and then now it will start first turn.
3.Back the boat some way down the slip, chock it as handbrakes never work if dipped regularly.
4.Attach a long solid tow rope to the trailer and car.
5.Take up the tension and remover chocks.( This stops the car from ending up on the slippy stuff on the slip if the tide is some way out.)
6.Making sure all clear behind back the boat down with somebody steering the trailer via the jock wheel ( if not quite straight).
7.Get the boat some way in the water but not enough to float off.
8. Chock the car.
9.Get in the boat start it .
10. Let the car driver release the winch on the trailer.
11. Helm tries to drive the boat off the the trailer.
If the boat will still not go the trailer will have to go deeper. Depends if you have roller coaster trailer or just beds. Launch and recovery is much easier on roller coaster.
Beach :-
Speed it critical. very long rope to the tow bar (all slack in nice coil), get the boat on hard sand , have the winch release ready and push the boat in at speed. the gradient on the beach should help. The recover the trailer by taking up the tension on the rope after the boat has floated off.
Note :- When pulling the boat out its the reverse procedure, but never try and pull the boat out in line with the boat have the car at a 30 degree angle to the boat and trailer. You then break 1 wheel out of the sand first and then the other not 2 at once.
In both these cases the car never get to close to the water.
Also never dip the trailer bearings straight in the water after a long journey, given them time to cool down as they are more likely to get water ingress when hot. Try and flush the drum after use. Some modern trailers have built in hub flush systems. Also the sealed for life bearings are a mith.
The best thing to do is a RYA powerboat level 2 course, it will in time become mandatory and can help with insurance premiums. In some place in Europe they will not let you launch without ICC cert which can sorted after RYA PB2.
If you are in the North West/Wales get me via email and I can sort it for you
1.Prepare boat straps off, lighting board, bung etc apart from trailer winch.
2 If possible and launching in high tidal area try and run the engine on the land with the muffs to warm and then now it will start first turn.
3.Back the boat some way down the slip, chock it as handbrakes never work if dipped regularly.
4.Attach a long solid tow rope to the trailer and car.
5.Take up the tension and remover chocks.( This stops the car from ending up on the slippy stuff on the slip if the tide is some way out.)
6.Making sure all clear behind back the boat down with somebody steering the trailer via the jock wheel ( if not quite straight).
7.Get the boat some way in the water but not enough to float off.
8. Chock the car.
9.Get in the boat start it .
10. Let the car driver release the winch on the trailer.
11. Helm tries to drive the boat off the the trailer.
If the boat will still not go the trailer will have to go deeper. Depends if you have roller coaster trailer or just beds. Launch and recovery is much easier on roller coaster.
Beach :-
Speed it critical. very long rope to the tow bar (all slack in nice coil), get the boat on hard sand , have the winch release ready and push the boat in at speed. the gradient on the beach should help. The recover the trailer by taking up the tension on the rope after the boat has floated off.
Note :- When pulling the boat out its the reverse procedure, but never try and pull the boat out in line with the boat have the car at a 30 degree angle to the boat and trailer. You then break 1 wheel out of the sand first and then the other not 2 at once.
In both these cases the car never get to close to the water.
Also never dip the trailer bearings straight in the water after a long journey, given them time to cool down as they are more likely to get water ingress when hot. Try and flush the drum after use. Some modern trailers have built in hub flush systems. Also the sealed for life bearings are a mith.
The best thing to do is a RYA powerboat level 2 course, it will in time become mandatory and can help with insurance premiums. In some place in Europe they will not let you launch without ICC cert which can sorted after RYA PB2.
If you are in the North West/Wales get me via email and I can sort it for you
Edited by Rum Runner on Wednesday 20th January 10:35
Or use the approach I saw in West Wales many years ago...
Two blokes. One in an old landrover, one in the RIB they were launching, with the engine already running.
First bloke backs the landrover down the slipway at speed...
... as the water comes over the top of trailer wheels he jumps hard on the breaks and the second bloke throws the engine into full reverse. The landie stops instantly, momentum starts the boat sliding off the trailer and the engine does the rest with a big roar and a lot of white water. Job done
Two blokes. One in an old landrover, one in the RIB they were launching, with the engine already running.
First bloke backs the landrover down the slipway at speed...
... as the water comes over the top of trailer wheels he jumps hard on the breaks and the second bloke throws the engine into full reverse. The landie stops instantly, momentum starts the boat sliding off the trailer and the engine does the rest with a big roar and a lot of white water. Job done
A former colleague had a large cruiser which he trailered with a Mondeo V6.
As the boat was so big he ended up backing the car into the water, up to the boot, luckily it was freshwater.
He was going through about 3 sets of rear wheel bearings a season, when the car came up for sale internally within the company, nobody would touch it with the proverbial.
As the boat was so big he ended up backing the car into the water, up to the boot, luckily it was freshwater.
He was going through about 3 sets of rear wheel bearings a season, when the car came up for sale internally within the company, nobody would touch it with the proverbial.
fadeaway said:
Or use the approach I saw in West Wales many years ago...
Two blokes. One in an old landrover, one in the RIB they were launching, with the engine already running.
First bloke backs the landrover down the slipway at speed...
... as the water comes over the top of trailer wheels he jumps hard on the breaks and the second bloke throws the engine into full reverse. The landie stops instantly, momentum starts the boat sliding off the trailer and the engine does the rest with a big roar and a lot of white water. Job done
Fadeaway was this at Abersoch beach in sand coloured landie and blue Avon. If so thats our NONE RYA launch method when busy as you like trying to get about 15 boats ready in morning. Works ok with rooler coaster trailer. Takes a bit of practise to not end up with the boat parked on the sand .....Two blokes. One in an old landrover, one in the RIB they were launching, with the engine already running.
First bloke backs the landrover down the slipway at speed...
... as the water comes over the top of trailer wheels he jumps hard on the breaks and the second bloke throws the engine into full reverse. The landie stops instantly, momentum starts the boat sliding off the trailer and the engine does the rest with a big roar and a lot of white water. Job done
If we had a £10 for every car we had pulled out we could have bought another boat. Plus people who take things like new X5 up to the doors in salt water....... Nice car care.
Edited by Rum Runner on Wednesday 20th January 12:02
F i F said:
I'd argue that when recovering or launching it's not too bad an idea to have a back up to the winch strap to be doubly sure to prevent the boat sliding off the trailer when you are half way up/down the slip. Not good when that happens. Really really not good.
Always !!!!, seen the ratchet jump off many times and the handle come back whizz round and smash wrists/hands. Got one in the eye socket once mmmmmmmm, that did hurt.Always always.......... check the hitch is properly locked as well, we nearly had a owner launch one off the Menai Bridge last year from 200ft. Faulty hitch lock.
Edited by Rum Runner on Wednesday 20th January 16:30
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