Launching Singlehanded
 

Here's my plan for my first singlehanded launch. The boat is a Sea Ray 185
Sport. Trailer has bunks.

The dock will be on the port (left) side of the boat.

Arrive and prep boat for launch. Drain plug in. Fenders over port side.
Transom tie downs removed. Stern and bow lines attached to boat. Bimini
down to allow more access to boat. Load stuff onto boat.

Back trailer down to dock (I can get real close). Back trailer into water
until stern floats. Unhook bow safety chain. Release winch hook (or should
I keep it attached and just let out several feet of winch strap). Grab bow
and stern lines and walk boat back along dock and tie off to dock cleats.
Park truck/trailer. Start bilge blower. Start motor. Have a nice day on
the water.

Tie boat off at dockwith fenders and dock lines in place. Retrieve
truck/trailer. Back trailer alongside dock. Walk the boat onto the
trailer. Attach winch strap. Winch bow to bow stops. Attach safety chain.
Pull trailer out of water watching boat for centering.

Perform my solo act on a slow weekday.

Have I got it? Did I miss anything?

Bryan
Sea Ray 185 Sport

Check Gas and Oil, while doing that check bilge with your nose for gas
fumes. Let bilge blower run for a few min. before cranking engine.


"Bryan" wrote in message
...
Here's my plan for my first singlehanded launch. The boat is a Sea Ray
185 Sport. Trailer has bunks.

The dock will be on the port (left) side of the boat.

Arrive and prep boat for launch. Drain plug in. Fenders over port side.
Transom tie downs removed. Stern and bow lines attached to boat. Bimini
down to allow more access to boat. Load stuff onto boat.

Back trailer down to dock (I can get real close). Back trailer into water
until stern floats. Unhook bow safety chain. Release winch hook (or
should I keep it attached and just let out several feet of winch strap).
Grab bow and stern lines and walk boat back along dock and tie off to dock
cleats. Park truck/trailer. Start bilge blower. Start motor. Have a
nice day on the water.

Tie boat off at dockwith fenders and dock lines in place. Retrieve
truck/trailer. Back trailer alongside dock. Walk the boat onto the
trailer. Attach winch strap. Winch bow to bow stops. Attach safety
chain. Pull trailer out of water watching boat for centering.

Perform my solo act on a slow weekday.

Have I got it? Did I miss anything?

Bryan
Sea Ray 185 Sport

I disconnect my trailer lights before backing into the water (to each their
own). The boat will sit proper on the bunks (and rollers) if the trailer is
level side to side in the water. I see the occasional boater with trailer
one side higher than the other going up and down the ramp, in and out of the
water, with the wife and kids trying to push that 3000 lb boat level ...
good luck with that. And after a year or two, you won't be so particular
that it sit "perfectly" on the trailer :-). I leave the drain plug in the
boat while it's in the laneway (except over winter) mainly so I don't lose
track of it, or forget it. And before leaving home for an outing I check the
bilge for rainwater, whatever, and then drain accordingly checking that no
debris is preventing the bilge from completely draining ... and then replace
the plug :-). I keep the boat key in the boat toolbox ... one of those small
rubbermaid things ... that comes into the house when not in use ... and put
the key in the ignition before leaving home, and install the fish
finder/depth sounder. If you haven't, you should consider a toolbox ... and
spare prop, and hub in my case. And that fish finder is excellent company
.... shows a nice rolling picture of the bottom ... along with the depth ...
nice to know. Since I put locking nuts on the trim cylinders, I am no longer
concerned about losing them ... almost lost one, new standard locknuts too
.... got back to the dock and it was hanging by the front mounting point ...
scary. So maybe give the outdrive a quick look for loose, missing parts :-)

Oh yeah, make sure the outdrive's trimmed down after launch, and trimmed up
before retrieval :-)

And I guess the main thing is to take your time ...

"Bryan" wrote in message
...
Here's my plan for my first singlehanded launch. The boat is a Sea Ray
185
Sport. Trailer has bunks.

The dock will be on the port (left) side of the boat.

Arrive and prep boat for launch. Drain plug in. Fenders over port side.
Transom tie downs removed. Stern and bow lines attached to boat. Bimini
down to allow more access to boat. Load stuff onto boat.

Back trailer down to dock (I can get real close). Back trailer into water
until stern floats. Unhook bow safety chain. Release winch hook (or
should
I keep it attached and just let out several feet of winch strap). Grab
bow
and stern lines and walk boat back along dock and tie off to dock cleats.
Park truck/trailer. Start bilge blower. Start motor. Have a nice day on
the water.

Tie boat off at dockwith fenders and dock lines in place. Retrieve
truck/trailer. Back trailer alongside dock. Walk the boat onto the
trailer. Attach winch strap. Winch bow to bow stops. Attach safety
chain.
Pull trailer out of water watching boat for centering.

Perform my solo act on a slow weekday.

Have I got it? Did I miss anything?

Bryan
Sea Ray 185 Sport

Bryan,

Sounds like a plan. I like to lower the tailgate during launch/recovery and
backing. Just find it easier. Also keeps my feet dry while getting to the
winch strap. Depending on conditions I'll board the boat from the bow using
the tailgate and trailer tongue as stepping points. After disconnecting
the strap I hook it to the front cleat if I plan to power launch. When my
boat reaches the rear PVC trailer guides while power launching I attach the
winch strap to the guide for easy recovery when I return. It's easier to
position the winch strap to the guide when you move the truck trailer to a
parking space but YMMV.

BTW, it's also possible to single hand power load if you can then easily
move from the boat to the trailer tongue or tail gate. Sounds hairy but
it's not too bad after a few attempts.

Good luck.

Butch
"Bryan" wrote in message
...
Here's my plan for my first singlehanded launch. The boat is a Sea Ray
185 Sport. Trailer has bunks.

The dock will be on the port (left) side of the boat.

Arrive and prep boat for launch. Drain plug in. Fenders over port side.
Transom tie downs removed. Stern and bow lines attached to boat. Bimini
down to allow more access to boat. Load stuff onto boat.

Back trailer down to dock (I can get real close). Back trailer into water
until stern floats. Unhook bow safety chain. Release winch hook (or
should I keep it attached and just let out several feet of winch strap).
Grab bow and stern lines and walk boat back along dock and tie off to dock
cleats. Park truck/trailer. Start bilge blower. Start motor. Have a
nice day on the water.

Tie boat off at dockwith fenders and dock lines in place. Retrieve
truck/trailer. Back trailer alongside dock. Walk the boat onto the
trailer. Attach winch strap. Winch bow to bow stops. Attach safety
chain. Pull trailer out of water watching boat for centering.

Perform my solo act on a slow weekday.

Have I got it? Did I miss anything?

Bryan
Sea Ray 185 Sport

"Bryan" wrote in message
...
Here's my plan for my first singlehanded launch. The boat is a Sea Ray
185
Sport. Trailer has bunks.

The dock will be on the port (left) side of the boat.

Arrive and prep boat for launch. Drain plug in. Fenders over port side.
Transom tie downs removed. Stern and bow lines attached to boat. Bimini
down to allow more access to boat. Load stuff onto boat.

Back trailer down to dock (I can get real close). Back trailer into water
until stern floats. Unhook bow safety chain. Release winch hook (or
should
I keep it attached and just let out several feet of winch strap). Grab
bow
and stern lines and walk boat back along dock and tie off to dock cleats.
Park truck/trailer. Start bilge blower. Start motor. Have a nice day on
the water.


Other good suggestions already, but I'll add one more. I would make one
significant alteration to your launching plan. Under your existing plan,
you make no attempt to start the boat's engine until the truck and trailer
are parked away from the ramp. What if all is not well, and the engine
refuses to fire? I make it a point to never untie my boat from either a
trailer or a dock until the engine is running. It doesn't mean that you
have to sit there for five minutes and wait for it to come up to operating
temperature. Just turn it over and get it running. At that point, if it
was me, Id just drive the boat off the trailer and maneuver it to the dock
under its own power. You may be more comfortable walking the boat to its
docking place.

Another important thing to do before the boat leaves the trailer and while
the engine is running is to do a quick bilge inspection. Lift the motor
cover and stick your head where you can look for water, oil, or fuel leaks,
and give a quick sniff for fuel vapors. This inspection should take no more
than about 15-30 seconds, including the time to open and close the engine
access cover. Again, the time to find out that your engine doesn't want to
start, or that it does start but is spewing a fuel or water leak, is when
the boat is on the trailer, not after the trailer is parked away from the
ramp in the parking lot. This inspection will also reveal if you've
forgotten to install the drain plug (it will almost certainly happen
someday), and again, you want to realize this faux pas when the boat is on
the trailer, rather than after returning from the parking lot and 15-20
minutes has gone by with water entering the bilge.

RG

Also, since you will be leaving the truck unatended on the ramp for a brief
period of time, be sure and set the parking brake.

RG

Bryan wrote:

Have I got it? Did I miss anything?

If you eventually retrieve after dusk/dark on a multi-lane ramp please
turn off your headlights so others can share the ramp without being blinded.

-rick-

I turn on the blower before I back down the ramp that way I know it has run
at least five mins. When I know the ramp will be very busy I will run the
boat at home with the muffs on to warm up and check for oil/water leaks and
spin the prop at low speed to check for noise e.t.c. with drive down turning
outdrive left to right.
When I launch motor is warm and ready to go.
I always beat the time to load/unload that most can do with help.I do the
same as you , float on/off. If the boat sits off centre, the first bump and
it falls in place. I have boat guides on the trailer so I just have to use a
bow line to pull the boat back on. Wind cannot blow the back of the boat
away with them.
For safety and sure footing I put safety tread tape on the trailer anyplace
I might step on so not to slip off.
"Bryan" wrote in message
...
Here's my plan for my first singlehanded launch. The boat is a Sea Ray
185 Sport. Trailer has bunks.

The dock will be on the port (left) side of the boat.

Arrive and prep boat for launch. Drain plug in. Fenders over port side.
Transom tie downs removed. Stern and bow lines attached to boat. Bimini
down to allow more access to boat. Load stuff onto boat.

Back trailer down to dock (I can get real close). Back trailer into water
until stern floats. Unhook bow safety chain. Release winch hook (or
should I keep it attached and just let out several feet of winch strap).
Grab bow and stern lines and walk boat back along dock and tie off to dock
cleats. Park truck/trailer. Start bilge blower. Start motor. Have a
nice day on the water.

Tie boat off at dockwith fenders and dock lines in place. Retrieve
truck/trailer. Back trailer alongside dock. Walk the boat onto the
trailer. Attach winch strap. Winch bow to bow stops. Attach safety
chain. Pull trailer out of water watching boat for centering.

Perform my solo act on a slow weekday.

Have I got it? Did I miss anything?

Bryan
Sea Ray 185 Sport

What if all is not well, and the engine refuses to fire? I make it a
point to never untie my boat from either a trailer or a dock until the
engine is running.

That was to be my suggestion exactly. It only takes one time to park the
boat and trailer only to discover the boat battery has only 5 or 10 seconds
of cranking power available (ant it aint enough), then back up the hill to
get the rig to pull it back out. It's only happened to me once, and ever
since I have one of those portable battery packs to jump the boat...just in
case. Wouldn't ya know it, I've never needed it.

I single hand my boat quite often.

--Mike

"RG" wrote in message
news:H_bKe.29613$HV1.19667@fed1read07...

"Bryan" wrote in message
...
Here's my plan for my first singlehanded launch. The boat is a Sea Ray
185
Sport. Trailer has bunks.

The dock will be on the port (left) side of the boat.

Arrive and prep boat for launch. Drain plug in. Fenders over port side.
Transom tie downs removed. Stern and bow lines attached to boat. Bimini
down to allow more access to boat. Load stuff onto boat.

Back trailer down to dock (I can get real close). Back trailer into
water
until stern floats. Unhook bow safety chain. Release winch hook (or
should
I keep it attached and just let out several feet of winch strap). Grab
bow
and stern lines and walk boat back along dock and tie off to dock cleats.
Park truck/trailer. Start bilge blower. Start motor. Have a nice day
on
the water.


Other good suggestions already, but I'll add one more. I would make one
significant alteration to your launching plan. Under your existing plan,
you make no attempt to start the boat's engine until the truck and trailer
are parked away from the ramp. What if all is not well, and the engine
refuses to fire? I make it a point to never untie my boat from either a
trailer or a dock until the engine is running. It doesn't mean that you
have to sit there for five minutes and wait for it to come up to operating
temperature. Just turn it over and get it running. At that point, if it
was me, Id just drive the boat off the trailer and maneuver it to the dock
under its own power. You may be more comfortable walking the boat to its
docking place.

Another important thing to do before the boat leaves the trailer and while
the engine is running is to do a quick bilge inspection. Lift the motor
cover and stick your head where you can look for water, oil, or fuel
leaks,
and give a quick sniff for fuel vapors. This inspection should take no
more
than about 15-30 seconds, including the time to open and close the engine
access cover. Again, the time to find out that your engine doesn't want
to
start, or that it does start but is spewing a fuel or water leak, is when
the boat is on the trailer, not after the trailer is parked away from the
ramp in the parking lot. This inspection will also reveal if you've
forgotten to install the drain plug (it will almost certainly happen
someday), and again, you want to realize this faux pas when the boat is on
the trailer, rather than after returning from the parking lot and 15-20
minutes has gone by with water entering the bilge.

RG

"Bryan" wrote in message
...
Here's my plan for my first singlehanded launch. The boat is a Sea Ray
185 Sport. Trailer has bunks.

The dock will be on the port (left) side of the boat.

Arrive and prep boat for launch. Drain plug in. Fenders over port side.
Transom tie downs removed. Stern and bow lines attached to boat. Bimini
down to allow more access to boat. Load stuff onto boat.

Back trailer down to dock (I can get real close). Back trailer into water
until stern floats. Unhook bow safety chain. Release winch hook (or
should I keep it attached and just let out several feet of winch strap).
Grab bow and stern lines and walk boat back along dock and tie off to dock
cleats. Park truck/trailer. Start bilge blower. Start motor. Have a
nice day on the water.

Tie boat off at dockwith fenders and dock lines in place. Retrieve
truck/trailer. Back trailer alongside dock. Walk the boat onto the
trailer. Attach winch strap. Winch bow to bow stops. Attach safety
chain. Pull trailer out of water watching boat for centering.

Perform my solo act on a slow weekday.

Have I got it? Did I miss anything?

Bryan
Sea Ray 185 Sport


Put the fenders on the side that the dock is on. You will launch at places
where the dock can be either side, depending on amount of boats and lanes.
I tie the bow rope to the trailer. Bow rope should be a little shorter than
the bow to the prop, so if it falls in the water, it does not tangle in the
prop. I then back down until the back of the boat is in the water a little
and the front of the boat is still over dry ramp. Do not have to get the
feet wet to unchain and unstrap boat. Do not forget to remove rear tie
downs in prep area. I then back the boat up until it is floating and pull
forward just enough that I can get the bow rope without getting feet wet. I
also launch in salt water at times and cold winter waters. Walk boat to end
of dock and tie off. Then pull truck and trailer out to the parking lot.