On
Maneuvers: Easy Entry and Exit
By Dean Travis Clarke
Launching and loading a boat isn't that difficult, especially if you use
these angst-saving ideas.
Steering
...My
grandfather taught me a trick I still use all the time out of habit.
When backing a trailer, it can be confusing to figure out which way
to turn the wheel to get the trailer headed in the direction you want.
Inevitably, you twist your body around to look out the back window,
making hand-eye coordination difficult. It's this simple: If you put
your hand at the bottom of the steering wheel, then the trailer will
move in whichever direction you move your hand.
Two-Way
Mirrors
...I
have two different settings for my side-view mirrors. When towing, I
want to eliminate the blind spot on each side of the rig. I accomplish
this by leaning my head against the driver's window, then adjusting
the driver's mirror outward until I can just see the side of the car.
Likewise, I lean my head to the car's centerline and adjust the passenger
mirror until I can just see that side of the car. With this done, from
the driver's seat you no longer have any blind spots between your rear-view
and side-view mirrors' coverage. It takes a little getting used to,
but once you do, you'll never adjust your mirrors normally again.
At the launch ramp I adjust both side-view mirrors inward to see the
sides of the boat when backing.
The
Box and Ladder
...I
always buy a lockable diamond plate box and bolt it to the trailer just
under the bow of the boat — it's great for storage of lines and
tools. More importantly, though, when I back down the ramp and need
to get up onto the boat or climb back down, the box makes a convenient
step.
When up in the parking lot, it's often easier to climb aboard at the
transom, but even that can be a real problem. Make sure to affix your
ladder to the clip if yours isn't built-in. Better still, Garelick makes
a ladder that you can deploy from the water, and it lives in a 4-inch
diameter tube through the transom itself. Besides being a fabulous safety
feature, it ends all your problems of getting on and off your boat on
land.
Current
and Wind
...Make
a point of checking the current and wind in the launch-ramp bay. It's
always easier to launch your boat with nature's forces pushing it against
the dock rather than away from it. If you're the least bit antsy about
launching, it's worth waiting for the ideal launch bay to open up.
Set
Up in Advance
...I
often launch by myself. Before I back my boat down the ramp, I attach
a bow line and extra-long stern line to the cleats on the side where
I intend to tie up after launching. I tie the ends of those lines to
the back of my vehicle and then back the trailer into the water just
until the boat starts to float. Then I untie the lines from my vehicle,
walk them over onto the dock and tie up the boat. I never have to climb
aboard to back the boat off the trailer. Once the boat is secured to
the dock, I park the trailer, concluding a totally one-person operation.
Originally
Published: March 2005 © 2005 World Publications, LLC
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