Boat Trailer Parking - Crowded days!

OK, so I've been boating now for over 5 years and LUCKILY!!... I've always managed to make it to the ramp before everyone else decided to show up and have not had the problem of parking in one of the very last open spots at the ramp! However, I am fearful of that day coming! So my question for you guys is!... (drum roll please!)

How in the WORLD do you wiggle and park a 23 ft tandem axle trailer in a tight opening, trailers on all sides of you? Forward, backward, side and side. I've never actually watched it be done! but I have been so tightly squeezed in from other folks that I had to take my trailer off (it was a single axle) and finagle that thing around just so I could get my truck out. I've searched the web, searched YouTube, but all I find is trailer parking advertisements and "how to back your trailer." I feel I've pretty much mastered that part of it as I can put that darn thing anywhere in reverse!! It's just the whole pulling into a REAL tight parking space with NO room to swing out.

I don't know if you guys have the same maneuver space as we do here on Lake Allatoona but man it gets tight sometimes. And when that last space is the only space you legally can park in without getting ticketed!

The few times I have gone and it was super busy at the ramps, the first thing I do is actually find my space I want to park when I launch the boat.

I tend to take the last space so no one can park on the side of me.

Also IDK maybe I am lucky enough in OR that we have pretty decent sized parking lots for the boats.

When I do have to park it in crowded areas I will <example the space is between two others and center row, on my Left> drive down the isle, as fare on the right as I can. I will slightly drive past the space I want turning the truck very sharply to the left, just missing my truck to his trailer. This will allow your trailer to turn slightly wide and come into the space lined up. Then i drive through the space as much as I can and I can normally back it up some to center the trailer in the space.

I honestly hate parking between others because then they leave if they turn to sharply they might catch my truck with your trailer.

He's got it right there. It's about all you can do. We only have a couple days a year when they use all the parking and those are days I usually stay home cuz the coppers are all over.

I'm going to give that a try sir! I have a parking lot behind my house. Thinking about taking it up there, marking off some cones and giving it a shot!!

I hate having to park near someone else too especially in the middle of folks for the fear if being hit too, but when that's the only spot you can go, sometimes it gets complicated!..

Bump steering and practice..

Mike has it right. take a wide turn so you have the best hopes to get your trailer as lined up as possible. Best thing to do is practice, practice, practice and take it slow. You are not in a race. The more you drive with your trailer the better feel you have on were your turn points will be.

Now remember you can do everything right and have the trailer in the perfect position to back out and idiot to your right can mess everything up and be so jacked up and blocking your trailer that you have to unhook it from the truck and push the trailer out then back the truck out.

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Originally Posted by jester

Mike has it right. take a wide turn so you have the best hopes to get your trailer as lined up as possible. Best thing to do is practice, practice, practice and take it slow. You are not in a race. The more you drive with your trailer the better feel you have on were your turn points will be.

Now remember you can do everything right and have the trailer in the perfect position to back out and idiot to your right can mess everything up and be so jacked up and blocking your trailer that you have to unhook it from the truck and push the trailer out then back the truck out.

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You speak from experience? LOL

I had it happen once last year where I got there early and parked fine. the lot filled up as it does regularly during peak summer weekends. They designed it poorly IMO and it was SUPER stressful to get out. I swung as wide as I could to start my left turn out of my spot. I backed and jockied a lot. In the end, I had to have the suv (light green in the diagram) move their gear that they had put on the pavement just behind their car AND had to have people spotting me. my trailer cleared the trailer to my left (black in diagram) by INCHES. It was nuts. and that was with a midsized truck and a trailer for a 21 foot boat.

Short of pulling out and turning right and driving out of the parking lot to turn around and drive back in (and get further back in the already building line to pull the boat out) there wasn't a ton of available options. I was really thankful I didn't have to unhook the trailer.

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-b...800/Merwin.jpg

The lots around here are pretty tight but designed well enough to be functional at the very least. The overflow lots use some parallel parking spots perpendicular to regular pull-in spots. These are definitely more exciting.

The best thing you can do in really tight places is to use a spotter, but it has to be someone that you are used to working with and have a system. It won't help to have someone back there just waving their arms saying "you're good on this side" - that's almost more stressful.

Keep in mind that your truck's wheel base plays the biggest factor in how your trailer handles. I'm not saying that you should go buy a new truck but if you have a 4 door long bed dually, realize that the cards are stacked against you. You might need to use a shorter truck/Jeep for the tightest maneuvers. If it's possible to get totally jammed, I'd have one of those hand trucks available or put a hitch on the front of your truck. I've used a Jeep with a front hitch to wiggle in the tightest garage spots.

Pull in with your truck and get a couple buddies to help you pick up the trailer and straighten it out


Sent from my iPhone

Get there early next time and take up two spaces-- SKREW EM!

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Originally Posted by kaneboats

Get there early next time and take up two spaces-- SKREW EM!

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Around here you'll get a ticket for taking two spaces plus there will be a jet ski trailer pulled by a Geo Metro who can manage parking in the 1/2 spot.

Perfect plan. Too many times my "buddies" are 12 and 13 yrs old so picking up the trailer is not an option.

I as on the receiving end of some jackwagon swinging too tight a few years back. Nice deep scrape on the trailer step, torn off marker light and rubber streaks up over my fender from their tire basically riding up over it is what I found at the end of the day. Left a note? Yea right...

If jockying around doesn't look promising, especially in a long bed crew cab, I'll just head out whatever way is easiest, wrong way, whatever, let em scream at you - blame it on the guy next to you if you feel like it. Then go find a spot to swing around and be stuck a few further back in line. Much less stress/frustration than body work and paint.

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Originally Posted by bergermaister

I as on the receiving end of some jackwagon swinging too tight a few years back. Nice deep scrape on the trailer step, torn off marker light and rubber streaks up over my fender from their tire basically riding up over it is what I found at the end of the day. Left a note? Yea right...

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You didn't get the note I left you???

http://funnyaussiesigns.com/wp-conte...8/car-note.jpg

Funny - and sad but true

Last summer at a resort we put the (empty) trailer in one of those tight back in spots with the truck (Chev Tahoe) when we went to leave there were other vehicles closer by and a garbage truck waiting for us to vacate the balloon drive, I could not hook up too sharp a cut. Out of frustration I grabbed and tugged on the (empty) trailer by the tongue and it started to move, so my two sons and I just dragged it out straightened up and dropped it on the ball, took like 10 seconds. I am not sure if you can shove it backwards though without the electrics hooked up. If so I could fit it anywhere. Normally I look for a pull through spot facing into the balloon even if I have to walk a long ways.

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Originally Posted by Blueliner

Last summer at a resort we put the (empty) trailer in one of those tight back in spots with the truck (Chev Tahoe) when we went to leave there were other vehicles closer by and a garbage truck waiting for us to vacate the balloon drive, I could not hook up too sharp a cut. Out of frustration I grabbed and tugged on the (empty) trailer by the tongue and it started to move, so my two sons and I just dragged it out straightened up and dropped it on the ball, took like 10 seconds. I am not sure if you can shove it backwards though without the electrics hooked up. If so I could fit it anywhere. Normally I look for a pull through spot facing into the balloon even if I have to walk a long ways.

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If the trailer is unhooked you can push it backwards. The brakes only engage in reverse due to the tow vehicle pushing the Hitch Coupler in and making the trailer think you are actually slowing down.

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Originally Posted by Blueliner

Last summer at a resort we put the (empty) trailer in one of those tight back in spots with the truck (Chev Tahoe) when we went to leave there were other vehicles closer by and a garbage truck waiting for us to vacate the balloon drive, I could not hook up too sharp a cut. Out of frustration I grabbed and tugged on the (empty) trailer by the tongue and it started to move, so my two sons and I just dragged it out straightened up and dropped it on the ball, took like 10 seconds. I am not sure if you can shove it backwards though without the electrics hooked up. If so I could fit it anywhere. Normally I look for a pull through spot facing into the balloon even if I have to walk a long ways.

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What is a Balloon drive?

Kind of like the hyperdrive on the Falcon.


When sitting on relatively flat road I've pushed my trailer w/ boat on it back about 12 ft by hand to make hitching up to the motorhome easier. No turns though. I imagine pushing/pulling forward would be no different, and much easier with no boat.

Well, I move mine in and out of the garage with the boat on it all the time.

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Originally Posted by kaneboats

Get there early next time and take up two spaces-- SKREW EM!

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no door dings this way

SKREW EM

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Originally Posted by bergermaister

Kind of like the hyperdrive on the Falcon.

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Would that be the Millenium Falcon?

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Originally Posted by trayson

What is a Balloon drive?

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An oval driving lane around a parking lot, sometimes its one way, maybe there is pull through spots in the middle, the back in spots are around the edges. Its what I call it anyway cause it looks like a balloon on a map maybe.

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Originally Posted by trayson

You didn't get the note I left you???

http://funnyaussiesigns.com/wp-conte...8/car-note.jpg

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I watched someone take out another person trailer in an empty parking lot. As soon as they noticed they got in the truck and went too the other lot like nothing happened. Kind of hard to not notice that I watched the whole thing go down since there was only three trailers in the lot and I was getting my boat ready. Good thing I know the park ranger and he was able to get their information.

A while back by brother's Alumaweld fishing boat's trailer was hit by a guy. Tore his tail light almost completely off. Dude backed up and parked 4 spots down and continued about his business. Another saw it and left my brother the guy's license number.

My brother is a cop and has lots of friends in the department as well as neighboring cities, sheriff, etc. so you can imagine how this is going to turn out.

That afternoon there were 3 officers standing on the guy's porch asking if he'd like to come with them to explain himself or get his check book out and go pay my brother a visit. Too bad they don't all turn out that way.