Single person loading

[fshrman-r72]

I admire you for asking for tips and suggestions. You are going beyond your duty keeping out of others way when you could be loading/unloading your boat. I must admit I do that sometimes but not as much anymore. You need to not be so timid and do your work and not worry about the other guy.

Whenever someone gets cranky with me I just smile and go bout my business.

[sdhusker]

Originally Posted by Jimmy Jig

Tie up the boat, get the trailer in the water. Get in the boat and drive it on to the trailer. When it is clear on the trailer let the motor keep running with the motor in gear. Walk up front lean over and hook the chain on the boat and walk back and shut off the motor and tilt it up. By the way tilt the motor half way up when driving it on the trailer so that the motor does not hit the bottom. Climb off the front and get in vehicle and drive out............... That how I do it all the time. Yes, it is easier if someone else handles the hook up and drives out. If it will not work this way get a smaller boat! The way you are doing it, God help the people waiting in line.

This is how I've done it. Sometimes if the shoreline is right I'll slowly pull the bow into the shore off to the side of the traffic area just far enough so it doesn't go anywhere, hop out the front, run and get the rig, back it in, and then hop back in the boat and drive it on. That way, my boat is not interfering with any others at the ramp trying to get in or out.

Maybe I'm dense, but why would there be a prohibition on powerloading? I fish mainly in SD, and I've never run into that.

[wiredog]

If your fishing where there are long and deep cement ramps there isn`t a prob. But in Minnesota most of the public ramps the cement is just long enough for the back wheels of your truck to sit on. Now when you power load it washes a hole in the sand and a hump right behind the hole. Now when you back a larger rig in one side will go in the hole wich makes the trailer lean to one side and the boat won`t load right. And when the hump gets high enough you can`t get the boat off and or when loading the boat will drag on the hump and or the prop ends up hitting and getting chewed up. Wiredog

[perchjerker]

Originally Posted by wiredog

If your fishing where there are long and deep cement ramps there isn`t a prob. But in Minnesota most of the public ramps the cement is just long enough for the back wheels of your truck to sit on. Now when you power load it washes a hole in the sand and a hump right behind the hole. Now when you back a larger rig in one side will go in the hole wich makes the trailer lean to one side and the boat won`t load right. And when the hump gets high enough you can`t get the boat off and or when loading the boat will drag on the hump and or the prop ends up hitting and getting chewed up. Wiredog

...and...if enough of the lake bottom gets washed out from under the slab, the slab can sink or break and ruin the ramp altogether

I have seen some ramps like this so it can and does happen

[Wade B AKA: Ruger2506]

SD, Wire and Perch pretty much summed it out. The landings should be built for power loading. It's efficient and keeps the flow at landing going. Thankfully most the places I fish power loading is a non-issue.

One other major side effect is that when the hole washes out at the last slab. When you back in to far your trailer wheels fall in that hole. Then when you go to pull it out you can tear the axle off the trailer.

It's a pain when I'm in WI and most landings say NO POWER LOADING.

[sdhusker]

Probably something that should be implemented on a lot of the ramps I use.

I'm guessing that there is plenty of concrete at the Oahe ramps, considering that the corps presumably built them to handle massive fluctuations in water depth.

[Explorer]

ffishman is dead on. This way makes it so easy. Using this method means never having to powerload anywhere you go. If you are by your lonesome just keep the trailer close enough to the dock so you can step back on to the dock to pull the boat out of the water.

[GBS]

My home lake, for example, is near impossible to launch from using normal methods. Water is extremely low. Very hard to back in far enough to float the boat at all, before the wheels run off the end of the ramp and into the blowout hole dug by the powerloaders. I have had to tie the boat to the dock, and literally drive the trailer out from under it to get it launched!
Further out, the hump that has been created has grounded the boat a few times.
On that launch, I have to push out at the end of the dock at an angle away from the launch lane to avoid the hump. I drop the trolling motor so it is barely in the water, and troll around and out, until I am in deep enough water to drop the main engine, then can finally start and go.
On loading, I again have to troll in with the main all the way up. Foregone conclusion about getting wet - have had to wade out almost to the rear point of the fender, because the boat stops floating at that point. That is a hard winch, pulling it uphill, out of the water, for almost its whole length!
And with no snow this winter, the levels will be even lower this spring.......

It is kinda cool to see the skiiers/tubers with the 250 hp motors using their power to force themselves over the hump, and up onto the trailers. The huge fountains of mud and sand they throw up are impressive. I would curse them and how they make my launching so difficult, but then I just admire how much their engines are ingesting......

[Wade B AKA: Ruger2506]

Originally Posted by GBS

My home lake, for example, is near impossible to launch from using normal methods. Water is extremely low. Very hard to back in far enough to float the boat at all, before the wheels run off the end of the ramp and into the blowout hole dug by the powerloaders. I have had to tie the boat to the dock, and literally drive the trailer out from under it to get it launched!
Further out, the hump that has been created has grounded the boat a few times.
On that launch, I have to push out at the end of the dock at an angle away from the launch lane to avoid the hump. I drop the trolling motor so it is barely in the water, and troll around and out, until I am in deep enough water to drop the main engine, then can finally start and go.
On loading, I again have to troll in with the main all the way up. Foregone conclusion about getting wet - have had to wade out almost to the rear point of the fender, because the boat stops floating at that point. That is a hard winch, pulling it uphill, out of the water, for almost its whole length!
And with no snow this winter, the levels will be even lower this spring.......

It is kinda cool to see the skiiers/tubers with the 250 hp motors using their power to force themselves over the hump, and up onto the trailers. The huge fountains of mud and sand they throw up are impressive. I would curse them and how they make my launching so difficult, but then I just admire how much their engines are ingesting......

GBS, sounds like the DNR is leaving you hanging on that one. If it's that bad they should be out there addressing those issues. Perhaps a phone call is in order.

[orchard frank]

The bolt-on step pads that go on the trailer make walking out to hook up the winch much easier and quicker. Been solo launching and loading for 30+ years, 21' right now, have had bigger and smaller, see no reason or advantage to power loading. No doubt that it damages ramps, but if it is legal,it's your choice. I do mount a cleat that will route my dock line so it pulls from the center of the bow, untie it from the dock, pull it onto the bunks, tie the rope off to the winch stand, walk out, hook up the winch, pull it in and go. Have to figure out the correct depth for each trailer/boat combo, some variation in ramp angle, but the same basic procedure.