I demoed a Max today

Ideally it’s most efficient to have someone retrieve the truck and trailer and some dock the boat.

Technically you are supposed to drop off someone to get truck and trailer and that dictates when you get a dock space.

My reality is I am the only one currently in my crew that can back the trailer or dock the boat.

I wait until a dock spot opens, have my crew hold boat against dock, I grab truck and back in trailer and crew guides it onto the trailer, I crank it on, everyone jumps in truck and we pull to the tie down area.


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We never pull up beside the dock. I pull the nose of the boat up to the dock, wife jumps out, backs the trailer in, I pull the boat up on the trailer and she pulls us out without ever getting out of the Yukon. Takes a matter of a minute at most and we are gone and the next guy can get in. I told my wife when we got the boat she either had to learn to back the trailer or had to bring the boat onto the trailer. She chose to learn to back. It annoys the s**t out of me when one person is monopolizing the dock because they have to do it all while everyone in his group sits and watches him.

Oh man yall are lucky your lady will back your truck down the ramp! I could only dream mine would get over the fear. I'm one of those people that has to do the truck and boat but we are usually in/out pretty quick. Actually quicker than most people who have a team so those guys like to chit chat are the back of the truck for whatever reason. Our dock also has a secondary dock off to the side from the main dock which helps as I usually put my boat there to not take up a faster crews time.

I do applaud y'all who have a team that just rolls in and rolls out like the breeze. Maybe one day I'll be so lucky lol. I'm hoping my wife will like driving this boat better than my jet boat. Not sure if anyone has drivin a jet before but they such at low speed and will wander a lot at the slightest breeze. It always made my wife nervous. When I drove the Max it literally felt like I had rails by comparison so I'm hoping she will like driving it much better and maybe even can load the boat for me in the trailer one day. My wife tries to help where she can or feels most comfortable but right now it's neither docking or loading the boat. I'm just glad she helps and of course gave the green light for the new boat lol.

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Originally Posted by twkoehn

We never pull up beside the dock. I pull the nose of the boat up to the dock, wife jumps out, backs the trailer in, I pull the boat up on the trailer and she pulls us out without ever getting out of the Yukon. Takes a matter of a minute at most and we are gone and the next guy can get in. I told my wife when we got the boat she either had to learn to back the trailer or had to bring the boat onto the trailer. She chose to learn to back. It annoys the s**t out of me when one person is monopolizing the dock because they have to do it all while everyone in his group sits and watches him.

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That is awesome your wife can back trailer! Full props right there.

My wife would never be able to do that I promise you. I have great hope that my 16yo son can soon. He takes his final drivers test tomorrow.

I certainly don’t feel bad doing it all. I am efficient and can back trailer scoop and clear in less than 2 min. Probably takes me longer to run and get the truck and trailer 5 min max

Our Ramps are too steep around here to pull boat out with bow strap attached. Would never try that.
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I agree. I spend more time running to the truck than anything else. I park on the side dock for that reason. Once I'm backed down I can be in and out in no time. I do wish these trailers came with front boarding steps as an option on the build.

I spent 3 hours in an old kmart parking lot years ago and taught my gf how to back a trailer. she's probably better than me at it. funny all the looks she gets as she drops us in and picks us out. only time she ever balked was at the depere wi launch ramp in the dark as it was not lit real well.

we have the same routine as twkoehn and it works.

I have all the patience in the world for those that are doing it all themselves IF there is a sense of urgency with them. the guy that does it all with the family sitting idly by watching and then proceeds to load the boat, pack it up and do everything else while the ramp is full annoys the crap out of me. or the one that offloads his boat just off the trailer, ties it up at the dock so no one else can back in until he parks and comes back while his family stands on the dock....
some people really have no consideration for others.

I am with Larry I never back down the ramp or pull the boat up the ramp with out the winch and safety line hooked. I have seen way to many boats sitting on the ramp to mess around with that. That being said I don’t have a problem being patient with people who are trying to back a trailer at the ramp. I am sure they have practiced else where but for some reason the “pressure” builds at the ramp. What bothers me is the people that sit in their truck and get pissed at someone trying and don’t get out and try to help. I always feel that the rush at the ramp is nonsense anyways. I mean I get it in a fishing tourney situation but also just show up early enough to launch your boat. Lol.

For those that do have an issue with getting a person to back the trailer you, Ford has a solution to your problem on the F150 and the coming 2020 Super Duty [emoji6]

Being a Ford guy I had to throw that in there lol


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I guess I missed that step above, I jump to the front and attach the bow strap and crank it tight before my wife pulls us out. However, when we unload I usually unhook the strap before backing down the ramp. That way we back in, whoever is in the boat, usually my 14 year old, takes the boat off the trailer and I pull the trailer out without getting out of the Yukon. Entire unloading process takes 30 seconds once we are on the ramp.

We have a slightly different approach. My wife drives the boat on the trailer and I back it down. She expressed long ago that she has no desire to learn how to back a trailer but she is very good at driving the boat on and off. Now we too, use the strap until the boat is floating and attach it as soon as the boat is on the trailer. I've seen people do it the other way and it is slick watching the boat just slide off the trailer as soon as the truck stops but with my luck the boat wouldnt started and my wife would be adrift all by herself at the launch lol. And yes, I have also seen those pictures of boats sitting on the concrete at the ramp.

i would NEVER take the strap off and back down the ramp. That is a recipe for disaster unless you know your ramp or its not steep. I recently saw someone do this and the boat came off right on the ramp. Needed a bobcat to move it.