This week?s article comes to us via a recent online newsletter from Sea Tow?
Kate’s Korner: The Newbies Guide to Trailering
To catch some of you up, last winter our family bought our first boat, then got our safety certifications and joined Sea Tow last March, prepped the boat with the safety equipment mandated by the U.S. Coast Guard last April, then what?
May rolled around and it was time to get the?Kiss Me Kate?in the water! Since we were on a budget we decided to trailer our boat for the season, (the boat came with a bunk trailer.) Our first (and probably worst) trailer ?incident? occurred early in the season. On this day, the ramp we decided to launch from was located at a public beach so the pavement was covered with a thin layer of soft sand both in and out of the water which made it difficult to see. The ramp had a gentle incline and was shorter in length than some of the other ramps in the area.
The water level at the ramp was low, which is no good when you have a bunk trailer, plus the layer of sand made the ramp difficult to see and back up straight so the left trailer tire slipped off the ramp and got stuck in the sand. Our trailer and boat was at the end of the ramp so the tire got caught on the lip of the ramp and our truck was unable to haul it out (ugh!). We had no option but to try to launch from where we were. The incline wasn?t steep enough for the boat to slide off the trailer when the winch cable released (a roller trailer would have had no problem), and it was low tide so the boat couldn?t submerge enough to pull itself off the trailer. We managed to rock and push her off the trailer with the help of our friends, get the truck and trailer free. Finally we got underway and had a super fun day!
Last summer proved to be a learning experience, but we learned as a family and had an amazing time. In the end that?s all that really matters!
New to Trailering?
Kate?s Top 10 Trailering Tips for Newbies
- Decide which trailer works best for your boating needs
o Bunk trailers