Hi guys,

Does anyone have experience (good or bad) with launching boats with an ATV?
I just got a new car and I thought that instead of installing a trailer
hitch on my car I would like to get an ATV with a trailer hitch to launch my
boats. (besides it's a good excuse to get a new toy!!)

It's at my cottage and the launch is on my own property, so I do not have to
go very far to launch the boats, so I'm thinking that an ATV would do the
trick and I'd like to get an ATV to launch the boats rather than using a
regular vehicle.

The boats that I would like to launch are a sailboat weighing about 1,200
pounds (not including trailer weight) and a 15 foot small fiberglass
bowrider skiboat that would be say 1,200 to 1,800 pounds roughly (not
including trailer).

The launch is a standard launch, etc, with normal grade and angle to the
lake etc.

Will a standard ATV be powerful/strong enough to launch and remove the boats
from the lake? What should I look for in an ATV to make sure that it will
do the job? Will 4 wheel drive be necessary?
I would appreciate any comments, especially from those who have experience
launching with an ATV.

The last thing I want is to buy the ATV and get to the lake and discover
that it's not strong enough or it gets stuck or can't handle the weight or
something similar.
Thanks!