Zen and the art of launching solo at crowded boat ramps

Boat ramps are a natural chokepoint, and therefore a constant source of irritation for boaters keen to get going. And after months of severe lockdown, Melbourne’s trailer boat fishing enthusiasts face the first weekend where the entire state is open to them.

With snapper season well and truly upon us, the pressures on the boat ramps this weekend are likely to escalate even the smallest delay to fuss-free launching.

Key points:

The people most at risk this weekend are the solo boaters, who need to launch their boat and retrieve their trailer from the ramp as quickly as possible.

Having experienced the pressure firsthand, here’s the boatsales.com.au guide to pulling off a stress-free short-handed launch.

It pays to be as ready as you can once you arrive at the boat ramp. 

The best start you can make on your boat is at home. Ensure everything that is normally in your boot or the back seat is loaded onto the boat well before you get to the ramp. 

Alternatively, even if you have to pull up a kilometre or so short of the ramp – assuming the queues aren’t stretching back that far – it’s better to do all the fussy stuff before you join the constantly creeping queue.

Once you’re in the queue and creeping along slowly, remove the tie-downs that keep the boat on the trailer, and check that the bow shackle’s pin hasn’t seized onto the shackle so it’s easy to undo once you’re ready to remove it.

Run through a checklist to ensure you’ve remembered all the important bits such as bungs, outboard engine support brackets and so on.

If you need to release a manual winch, ensure the winch handle is somewhere easy to access. A good tip is to install a sailboat’s winch handle pocket on the winch post of the trailer; it’s as though it was made for the job.

Tide can greatly influence how quickly a solo boater can get a boat off a trailer.

Not all launching ramps use a floating pontoon, so launching at high tide can be very different to launching at low tide.

What makes a difference here is the number of lines you need to use. When the tide is high, you potentially only need a single line tied to the stern and the bow to pull your boat back and give space to the next boat in the launch queue.

However, if the tide is low, you’re likely to need two lines – one at the bow, and a second at the stern – to pull the boat backwards.

Note, too, that it’s wise to move snapper racks and rods to the opposite side of the boat to the side facing the jetty, as near-vertical morning lines can wrap around and snag them, potentially flicking them out of the boat.

The same goes for VHF antennas; if you can keep them stowed while launching, it is less clutter to tangle with.

Use thick mooring lines if launching solo. They’re easier to grab and less likely to tangle or jam in narrow gaps than thin lines.

Generally speaking, boaters are a pretty understanding and helpful bunch. That means you can potentially ask anyone around you for a bit of help and you will get it.

Be clear on what you want people to do. If you ask someone to drag your boat down the jetty while you move your car, be clear whether they can drive it back to find a spot. A lot of owners get unnecessarily upset when they leave their boat in someone’s hands only to come back to find them driving it around as they hold off the jetty.

Likewise, you can ask someone to bump your car and trailer off the ramp while you tie up the boat. They can leave your car in the short-term car parking space normally used when boats are hauled out of the water until you’re tied up and ready to take over.

One of the biggest pains at a busy boat queue is the car that leaves its headlights on while backing a boat down the ramp and launching, blinding everyone in front of it.

Etiquette suggests you need to kill the headlights – parking lights are okay – so that they don’t upset the person parked at the top of the ramp and ready to reverse as soon as your car and trailer pull out.

Once your boat is off the trailer, ensure it is as far down the pontoon or jetty as possible, leaving plenty of room for anyone else that’s launching. Don’t be surprised if you come back to your boat and find someone has bumped it further back as the boats tied up behind you pull away.