boat sliding off the trailer?

[WakeGirl]

I've never personally experienced that one, but have heard that it can happen.

[Tracktor]

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.

Nothing harms your gel coat like unexpectedly coming in contact with a boat ramp!..............

[spinxt]

Both my skiing partners have lost their Malibus off the back of the trailer. One because he was lazy and unhooked the winch strap from the bow eye before he backed down the ramp. The boat slid off the trailer and landed on the rudder and skegs. The other guy (through no fault of his own), lost the boat off the back of the trailer at an intersection. The locking mechanism on the winch failed and as he pulled away from the stop light his boat slid off the back. Moral of the story:

Don't trust the winch....always have some type of second protection whether it be a chain or transom straps.

Edited September 27, 2007 by spinxt

[Bill_AirJunky]

We lost a Mastercraft off the trailer a number of years ago.

For years we did the "Air Santa run" the day or week before Christmas. One year we had the Seattle MC dealer involved & he talked us into doing it everyday for the whole week.

- Monday - dropped the boat in the water without any problems...... other than it was cold as he11 out. Santa skis & is frozen.

- Tuesday - unhooked the boat from the trailer winch, backed the boat in, boats floating, but trailer is frozen to the boat. Took like 10 - 15 minutes for the trailer to fall. We guessed that the wet bunks froze the day before & froze to the hull. Santa skis but is a bit late.

- Wednesday - unhooked the boat. Dealer gets in his truck & my brother jumps in the boat. Boat slides right off the trailer & lands on the ramp, propped up on the rudder & prop. We guessed that the wet bunks froze the day before & for some reason did not freeze to the boat. We manage to get the boat back on the trailer & replaced the prop. Santa's run is way late.

Thursday & Friday we decided to leave the winch hooked up till the boat was in the water..... just in case. Santa skied on schedule.

Years later I bought a 205 & decided that the winch was a POS. So I installed a chain & hook to truly secure the bow eye to the trailer. Then after witnessing a minor fender bender where a 20' boat slipped off the trailer & caused major damage, I decided that maybe transom straps weren't such a bad idea either.

[hiexpo]

I have owned this boat since 1990 when it was new, and never had the strap on it when launching it, only thing it is good for is to hold the boat up when pulling it out of the water.

More than half the time when I got home the strap would have come un latched any ways and I don't like putting that much presure on the front eye of the boat. It's not gonna slide off but to each is own and if you rear end someone its coming over the top anyways. Have you ever had to slam on your brakes with the boat back there and noticed the boat slide forward on the trailer ? And also I don't use the cinch down straps on the back either all they do is scratch up your boat and maybe hold down the boat if you hit a large speed bump doing 60 and most of I know have better sense than that, atleast I would think anyways. This is just my personal opion though I have been in a boat now for 30 years and have yet to lose one of the trailer.

[SacRiverRat]

I have owned this boat since 1990 when it was new, and never had the strap on it when launching it, only thing it is good for is to hold the boat up when pulling it out of the water.

More than half the time when I got home the strap would have come un latched any ways and I don't like putting that much presure on the front eye of the boat. It's not gonna slide off but to each is own and if you rear end someone its coming over the top anyways. Have you ever had to slam on your brakes with the boat back there and noticed the boat slide forward on the trailer ? And also I don't use the cinch down straps on the back either all they do is scratch up your boat and maybe hold down the boat if you hit a large speed bump doing 60 and most of I know have better sense than that, atleast I would think anyways. This is just my personal opion though I have been in a boat now for 30 years and have yet to lose one of the trailer.

Its ok if your opinion is based on luck- figure you don't wear your seatbelt either.. you can just put your hands out and stop yourself going through the windshield

[WakeGirl]

I keep seeing people on this thread & others basing what they do on the fact that "it's never happened to me". That's not the point & frankly it's just silly to think that way. Just because it hasn't happened doesn't insure that it won't.

[Scootertrash]

I keep seeing people on this thread & others basing what they do on the fact that "it's never happened to me". That's not the point & frankly it's just silly to think that way. Just because it hasn't happened doesn't insure that it won't.

Exactly, It had never happened to me either, until the day it did!!!!! In a funny way, boating and using the ramp is like a game of "avoid the accidents".

There are so many things that can go wrong on a ramp, keeping your boat tied tight until at the water is a no brainer. We used to unhook our boat before backing down to save time, then we used the silicone spray, and our boat slid down the ramp and splashed into the water! Needless to say, we tried our best to wash it off, and always keep the winch strap attached and tight until the trailer is in the water.

[vlxjeff]

This picture seems appropriate for this thread...

[woody]

This picture seems appropriate for this thread...

That looks like M-dude's boat.

[vlxjeff]

I heard MRS. M-Dude sprayed some Liquid Bearings on the bumks.

Whoops!!!

[kiley]

This picture seems appropriate for this thread...

As fas as having your boat ready to launch, I think this is going a little further than the sign suggests. I dont think they mant have it disconnected from the trailer.

[electricjohn]

Was at a 125 boat get together last weekend in CT. A "go fast" boat outing up and down the CT. river. Surprisingly, half the boats launched that morming backed in without the boat tethered to the trailer. All 125 boats were launched in 35 minutes on a two lane ramp. Driver in the boat, parner or valet in the tow vehicle. Went like a well oiled machine.

[malibuwaterdog]

My local ramp, Lewisville TX, I drop totally unhitched. A word to the wise, safer is always better and when in doubt stay hitched.

[WAKE-RIDER-01]

we always leave ours unhooked, makes it easier to unload when somebodies in the boat, they don't have to get out.

[Steck]

This picture seems appropriate for this thread...

This is at our local lake, San V. I heard this happened but never got to see the pics. btw I always go unhooked on this ramp. Maybe I should reconsider.

Edited November 4, 2007 by Steck

[BlastRlxi]

Saw the picture of the Malibu on the ramp in Trailer Boats magazine a year or two ago. Definitely a good illustration of why not to take the bow strap off before the the boat is in the water.

[Woodski]

Just to add a little variety to the boat launching saga: a local marina had an old truck for all the members to use for launching boats, great for those that left the boat on a trailer at the marina and did not always have a truck or hitch. Well, it turns out that at some point, someone swapped the 2" ball for a 1-7/8" ball! Along with a relatively steep ramp, we got to witness a couple pulling their boat out of the water and just as the truck crested the top of the ramp the trailer nose managed to raise up just enough to uncouple from the truck and (you guessed it) since the chains were not attached, back she came. Perfectly, I might add, straight as an arrow right back in to the water. Unfortunately still hooked up to the trailer.

[Hwood]

Unfortunately still hooked up to the trailer.

Unfortunately???

Depends on the ramp. Our usual, flat ramp w/o any bumps is fairly safe and I can unhook before dropping and pull out w/o hooking up. New ramps or steep ones I usually loosen up a bit but leave it hooked so nothing snaps when the back end floats.

[spinxt]

Guy's I don't get these threads about unhooking the bow strap that come up all the time. Most of those who frequent this board have spent anywhere from $20-$80K on their boat(s). Furthermore, most of us are seasoned boaters, meaning it most likely doesn't take more than 2 minutes to launch/rechieve their boat. That being said, why to we even have this discussion about bow straps? How much time can you possibly save by backing down/up with the bow strap unhooked? Now I'm a cost vs. benefit kind of guy....are the seconds/minute you may save worth damaging your $20-$80K boat ,and potentially injuring/killing someone in the process??? I sure don't think so!!!

JMHO

[txwakejunkie]

Guy's I don't get these threads about unhooking the bow strap that come up all the time. Most of those who frequent this board have spent anywhere from $20-$80K on their boat(s). Furthermore, most of us are seasoned boaters, meaning it most likely doesn't take more than 2 minutes to launch/rechieve their boat. That being said, why to we even have this discussion about bow straps? How much time can you possibly save by backing down/up with the bow strap unhooked? Now I'm a cost vs. benefit kind of guy....are the seconds/minute you may save worth damaging your $20-$80K boat ,and potentially injuring/killing someone in the process??? I sure don't think so!!!

JMHO

[Hwood]

If you're on a flat ramp, the driver of the truck will have to get out and walk through the water, behind the vehicle and unhook the boat. Not a great idea to have the truck driver out of the vehicle at all IMO. If you have a closed bow, now the boat driver has to climb up over the windshield and then lay down to reach the hook. In my case, the driver leaves with the trailer and the boat takes off as well to meet up back at the other side of the lake. People stay dry, truck stays dry, and you're both on your separate ways in under a mintue. There are situations where it's 99.9% safe to unhook just before backing in that last 25' on a relatively FLAT ramp. I'm not going to tell anyone to unhook their boat, it's their boat but I do quite often.

[bsoss]

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

I believe it also depends on what kind of bunks you have. All of mine have been on carpeted bunks in Eastern Washington. I have a buddy on the West side and his boat (not a ski boat) had plastic bunks because of the salt water, or so he was told. He has to keep it secured while launching. I, on the other hand, always disconnect mine so my wife can hit the brakes hard and let the boat float out.

Just chiming in.

[Helinut]

I was first and still am a little on the side of always have the bow strap secured until at least the rear of the boat is in the water. I'm starting to lean towards unstraping it though. It'd take one helluva big push to get it off the bunks without being in the water.

[Bill_AirJunky]

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

Over the years I've had two winches completely fail. Once pulling the boat up the trailer at the ramp & once just sitting on the trailer. Obviously the winch was under load & I assume the boat must have shifted, increasing the load till something had to give.

If your of the mindset that you should have the winch connected to be safe, then you should probably take it one step further & have a safety chain/cable attached too.

I do if I'm not familiar with the ramp or feel like it's very steep. But if I know the ramp is not steep, then I unhook early, back in & hit the brakes.

Edited April 9, 2008 by Bill_AirJunky