Postby amr40509 » Thu Mar 26, 2009 10:05 am
We have a smaller boat (22' deck boat), but launch it every weekend in the summer. We trailer it about 100 miles in the spring/fall and leave it in storage (on the trailer) and launch every weekend. We also pick it up and take it to different lakes 1-2 times a summer). We used to trailer it everywhere and I'd say my Pathfinder had towed it 5000-6000 miles.
We have it down to an art. My wife gets in the boat at the top of the ramp, while I take off the transom straps and put in the plug and loosen the winch on the bow strap (just a little bit, maybe 3-4inches). I then back it in, she starts the motor, I take off the safety chain from the bow and then loosen the winch to let it slide back into the water. We have a bunk style trailer so I then get in the truck, back up about a foot and hit the brakes...the boat then floats freely back.
Loading is just about as easy. I back in (MUCH easier to back w/o the boat back there, you can actually SEE) deep to get the trailer wet, then pull out so that I'm not in too deep. She lines up and drives onto the trailer. I hook the bow winch and crank it up while she holds about 1000RPMS on the motor to give me just a little help. Motor off and up. Park and finish strapping and wipe it down.
We take 1-2min total to launch after it's our turn, then probably 3-5min to load (have to wait for her to make her approach to the trailer after I back in, so it adds a min or two).