Launching and Retrieving your Trailer

Some of the most terrible and embarrassing things can occur while launching and retrieving. Murphy's Law states: "If anything can go wrong, it will." And it seems there's invariably a huge audience on hand to witness such humiliation.

But in recent times, significant development in trailer technology has made life easier for boaties (eg. the ability to drive off and then on again using engine horsepower rather than elbow grease on the winch handle).

Having acquired a good trailer, whether a drive-on/drive-off type or a basic roller keel line model with side skids, it is important that it be maintained so that fuss at the ramp is minimised.

Soft rubber rollers are often black in colour and will retard the speed that a boat travels on them, compared with the polypropylene types which are quite hard and do not allow the keel line to sink into them. The former are easily damaged by sharp keel strips and should be replaced before the axle inside is exposed, which may cause damage to the boat keel. They also compress over time and the flat edges where they contact the hull provide an obstacle to getting the boat to slide off the trailer smoothly.

On either type of roller the pin should be removed and greased (or oiled) regularly, and the point where it sits in its yoke also lubricated. Seized rollers will result in using vehicle brakes to 'shunt' the boat off the trailer.

When shunting, safety lines and chains are removed from the boat so that it will run free once the grip on poorly maintained rollers is released. Occasionally I have seen this method used and as the trailer is accelerated in reverse toward the water, things have gone dreadfully wrong in the steering department of the towing vehicle. Trailers have veered across the ramp and the only option for the driver is to hit the skids to prevent colliding with those using the same launch facility or the wall of the ramp. You guessed it; the pride and joy shoots off the trailer onto dry concrete!

When launching any boat, it is common-sense to have the engine leg tilted up to its maximum travel until ready to start the motor when the boat is in deep enough water. Materials that have been left behind by others using the ramp at low tide, and now submerged behind, might damage engine leg skegs. I am referring to the likes of Besser blocks and similar objects for use behind vehicles and trailers with insufficient brakes to launch and retrieve correctly.

Provided there is enough gradient on the ramp to allow the transom of the vessel to float as it comes off the trailer, it is an advantage not to submerge wheel bearings as this will greatly reduce maintenance at a later date. Unfortunately, many drive-on/drive-off trailers require the wheels to be submerged for an easy launch and retrieve.

For drive-off launching the trailer train should be positioned at launching depth before releasing the cable and chain holding the boat to the winch post.

After the engine has warmed sufficiently, placing the motor in gear and pushing against the 'V' block on the winch post will allow your helper to release the clips and 'D' shackles without getting fingers pinched and squashed.

The scenario changes when retrieving boats onto their trailers. Drive-on trailers should be at a point where the boat drives on without too much lift at the bow, which is caused by the boat trying to mount the rear-most rollers and climb over them. This is a problem created by shallow angle ramps where the trailer isn't far enough back. The engine in forward gear pushes the transom down and causes the propeller to rotate very close to the ramp surface, often striking it.

With centre keel roller trailers it is advisable to winch on rather than drive on. With this type of trailer the rear-most roller on the centre line should be at water level. This allows the vessel to stay centred at the point of entry on the trailer. Going deeper than this may allow the keel to miss the first roller and the axle and split pins holding it within its yoke will gouge the hull of your vessel.

The downside of this style of retrieve is that wind and tide on the sides of the vessel will cause it to veer, in which case it pays to have a helper on stand-by.

Once sitting correctly on the trailer, use the safety chain from the winch post to the towing eye of the vessel. Don't rely on the cable alone as they can break, as does the entire winch post on occasions when the rig is pulled from the water. If rust is a problem in your winch post it is time for major trailer maintenance, as chances are it will be firmly entrenched in the rest of the trailer. But that's another story...