boat sliding off the trailer?

[Steve16r]

the reason i ask this is because my winch that holds the boat on the trailer makes a lot of noise while on the ramp. I was wondering if my winch broke would my boat slide off the trailer

[SCOTTDOMINE]

Depends on how steep your ramp is, but it's unlikely that it would "slide" off the trailer. However, you can never be too careful though. I have my winch and a safety chain as well, just in case. That way I never have to worry aobut it.

[SacRiverRat]

I'm pretty sure mine would slide off most ramps. I slack up my bow strap about 2 cranks, and then ensure it is locked in place.. the strap is always tight by the time I get the back of the boat to the water, to release it for the 'dip'

I do use liquid rollers - sure makes the loading process easier, and the boat find its way onto the trailer exactly every time

[Brad B]

I have been trailering and launching our family's boats for 25 years.

I have never had a boat slip off its trailer while launching.

But I have never launched without the bow eye tethered in some fashion.

Coincindence?

Probably not.

[68Slalom]

My best friend's mom had an old 84' Ski Naut. that had no winch, we would drive it up onto the trailer as we were pulling it out of the water and then chain it up. This is how the boat came from the factory, I don't know how we never lost it but we didn't. The point is we were always pretty careful and for those 8 years, even on the days of some heavy drinking we never had an accident. I guess we were lucky, or we knew the chances of loosing it so we were more aware of it.

I never back down the ramp without the safety strap hooked up, in fact had a guy this weekend tapping his foot because I was taking to long to unhook my straps from the trailer and I almost had a few words with him until I saw what he was backing up. Then I realized the had pride in what he owned I took my time and just smiled!!

[NvBoarder]

Stays hooked up until I am in the water. I have heard of at least one person in this group almost losing there boat when backing down the ramp. I don't want to be that second person.

[SacRiverRat]

I was taking to long to unhook my straps from the trailer

How long does it take to unhook one clip off the bow? You probably could undo the transom straps and load your gear at the top of the ramp in the staging area..

[johnsvt]

One time I unhook bow safety chain and my boat slid off into very shallow water. I will always leave it hooked until ready know...better safe than sorry.

[WakeGirl]

Stays hooked up until I am in the water. I have heard of at least one person in this group almost losing there boat when backing down the ramp. I don't want to be that second person.

Yeah, at least one person.

Seriously, the boat doesn't go down the ramp without both the winch as well as the safety cable hooked up. Winches are known to fail, straps break, human error, you name it. IMO you need to have a back up just in case, just because it's never happened to you doesn't mean that it couldn't. We've got our share of experience under our belts & still escaped a major catastrophe by the skin of our teeth.

Oh & I didn't vote because there was no option for both the winch strap & safety chain. If the next boat doesn't come with one, it will be the very first thing that I add.

[electricjohn]

I leave the strap hooked since most of the ramps I use are fairly steep and I have to start the boat off the trailer very slowly because the bow eye will hit the trailer, besides there is to much expensive gear under the boat to take any chances. My trailer did not come with a safety chain, so I use a heavy duty turnbuckle between the trailer and boat for traveling.

[GrahamH]

Last season sliding the boat off the trailer bunks began to get difficult. I read somewhere to spray the bunks with furniture polish. Luckily I also read somewhere else to keep the boat hooked to the trailer at the front. It was incredible how slippery the boat became on the bunks. If it had not been hooked up at the front, my one year old boat would have ended up on the concrete for sure. I will never ever unhook the boat before the trailer is in the water.

Graham

[68Slalom]

I was taking to long to unhook my straps from the trailer

How long does it take to unhook one clip off the bow? You probably could undo the transom straps and load your gear at the top of the ramp in the staging area..

Oh man, I should have thought of that. Hahaha, I have one of those chain link types that you have to unscrew like 15 times around and it only comes off if its perfectly lined up. Plus I was waiting for someone else and it looked like I was just standing there, I do need to get a clip type or grind the clearance on the one I have now so it's easier to take off. I do like it because it seems to be much stronger than a quick clip but I only remember everytime I have to take it off (lol) I really should go out to the garage right now and take it off and fix it but it is about 10pm right now

[Faceplant409]

I did not vote but I always leave the strap hooked up. *** I am changing policy to keep the safety chain in place also, until in water. I launched from our normal spot on Sunday but the lake is getting low and the ramp has gotten much longer and I recounted Tracie's description of their fiasco with every gentle push of the brake pedal......

Pat

[jtrovato]

I always leave both the winch strap locked in place and the safety chain connected until the boat is in the water. I am actually on my third winch this year. I broke 2 of them on the same ramp earlier this season. The ramp is VERY steep and when pulling out of the water, just the weight of the boat pulled the winch right over the locking gear. The gear ended up bending and breaking one of the teeth and the boat slid back about 6-8 inches on the bunks on the pull up the ramp. The dealer has been nice enough to replace both of them free of charge since the service manager told me he broke the clip on his winch strap on the same ramp the same weekend I broke one of mine. His advice to not break another one was to never use that ramp again. Tough to do since it's the only place to launch to get to my friend's house on an island on Lake Winnipesauke. Just have to be REALLY careful and drive very slow with no sudden movements on the way up the ramp.

[KTM_FortyThree]

wow.. never even thought of that. I have always unhooked all of the straps and backed down with my family in the boat so they could motor away when they hit the water. No more of that. I can only imagine how bad it would be to have the boat slide off the trailer while my family was in it. From now on I'll only unhook the straps at the back. I can't beleive I never saw the danger in what I was doing.

[Chia]

we have a very shallow launch area here and getting the boat off is not always easy. I have not been able to find liquid rollers, and am wondering if silicone spray lubricant or pledge or something else would help the boat slide off? sorry if this was a hijack.

[Mike00LXI]

SOWISA baby...SOWISA....

[Chia]

SOWISA baby...SOWISA....

Subaru Outstanding Woman In Science Award

SOWISA

Edited August 14, 2007 by Cervelo

[Mike00LXI]

SOWISA baby...SOWISA....

Subaru Outstanding Woman In Science Award

SOWISA

strap on when it seems appropriate

[WakeGirl]

we have a very shallow launch area here and getting the boat off is not always easy. I have not been able to find liquid rollers, and am wondering if silicone spray lubricant or pledge or something else would help the boat slide off? sorry if this was a hijack.

Use Pledge in lieu of the Liquid Rollers, don't use silicone.

[SacRiverRat]

we have a very shallow launch area here and getting the boat off is not always easy. I have not been able to find liquid rollers, and am wondering if silicone spray lubricant or pledge or something else would help the boat slide off? sorry if this was a hijack.

Use Pledge in lieu of the Liquid Rollers, don't use silicone.

Or order the liquid rollers from West Marine, or other on-line retailer. I've had good luck with the stuff - slippery, but not crazy slippery

[oldfooter]

Use Pledge in lieu of the Liquid Rollers, don't use silicone.

I have read this before and questioned it, but never got a response. Why would you not want to use silicone?

[Killer]

very difficult to happen because when the boat hits the water, the force of it pushes the boat back towards the trailer until it is free completely. It would depend on how it sits on the trailer though.

i always put the boat in until the winch is at the enge of the water. get out and then undo the hook and winch. boat just slides right off and is already in the water so nothing can happen

Edited August 14, 2007 by H20ski Dude

[WakeGirl]

Use Pledge in lieu of the Liquid Rollers, don't use silicone.

I have read this before and questioned it, but never got a response. Why would you not want to use silicone?

Because you can't get rid of it once it's there, & it's very, very slippery. Much more so than Pledge or Liquid Rollers. Trust me on this one.

[oldfooter]

Use Pledge in lieu of the Liquid Rollers, don't use silicone.

I have read this before and questioned it, but never got a response. Why would you not want to use silicone?

Because you can't get rid of it once it's there, & it's very, very slippery. Much more so than Pledge or Liquid Rollers. Trust me on this one.

Thanks....I was thinking you may have known about some harmful affects to the gel coat.