Tips on loading boat

At the risk of sounding pathetic, any tips on loading ?
I have an 2008 Outback DD with a tandem boatmate trailer.
I have launched and loaded my previous boat ( a i/o runabout) without fail.
I am finding that if the water is just at or under the fender the bow wants to slip under the roller, obviously not good.
My previous boat had a deeper hull and was lighter cranking it on was easy.
Just wondering if it is a matter of adjusting to this new setup.
I can get it on, don't get me wrong, but it seems like alot of heavy cranking and the top of the bow just seems to be flirting with the roller more than I am used to.
I have not powered it on due to this.

Same launch site btw.

Thanks

Ramp angle and water level have a lot to do with how easy it is to load/unload the boat. Given your discription, I have a similar ramp situation, back the trailer down with the fenders slightly under the water, slowly bring the boat up and ensure you will have the bow over the front roller. Next, pull the truck/trailer forward until the fenders are slightly out of the water, then power the boat forward to the stop. I have a boat buddy, so no cranking. Using this method, you should not have to crank at all, just attach the strap and tighten.

Sounds like the ramp angle is steeper than most I load on. That would cause the bow to want to slip under the roller. As maxpower states, just don't back down as far. Try loading with trailer out a bit. You can back in and dunk the bunks in the water and then pull back out. That's what I would try.
Some of my ramps the angle is so flat that I damn near have to have the entire trailer in the water :)

I just have the wife and kids move to the back of the boat so I get enough bow lift to get it over the roller. After my wife gets it close to the roller that is.

Ron

Hey Alberta Boy,

I have the same issue with my 03 Outback. I just lower the trailer so the tops of the fenders are in the water. I can then float right up to the winch and hook up, crank and good to go. The bow of the outback is low, but once you do it a couple of times, it really is no problem.

Richard

with my 05 I have to have fender tops just out of water to get over roller. I drive on slowly then hook up and have wife back in a little to make cranking easier.

I have the same issue at one of my regular ramps i use and so i bring boat up till its almost on, atach starp then back in trailer more,Making tugging the boat up easier. Then boat is almost floating over trailer. Now the trick is to have driver pull out slowly and try to centre boat as it comes out. Sometimes a couple trys but its a lot easier on the crank.

Really depends on the ramp.....

Thanks all. I was hoping it wasn't just me.
Guess I just need to dial in a system.

Well another somewhat frustrating experience last night (compared to my old boat) but it seems that having the fenders slightly above the surface is the only way, at least on the launch I use. If the fenders are under there is no way to get the bow over the roller. I had the nose up to the roller and tried back it back in a bit to make cranking easier but it seemed to start putting tons of pressure on the roller and the nose. With them above it seems like cranking is very difficult, but I can at leat get it on. I think I just need to get the bunks wet and learn to power it up more as maxpower suggested. Just new to this powering on thing.
Not used to being the guy at the ramp that doesn't look like he has a clue. :oops:

I have had success wetting the bunks and then playing with how far out to bring the front bunks. Soon I found that every ramp was different and even different water levels during the year change the equation again. All the while each screw up costs my boat and trailer. I especially enjoyed having to power the hell out of it to unload since if you miss that depth the bow slams off the boat buddy. I even started backing in deep to float the boat and wet the bunks, then pulling out to the proper depth to unload. Still having to shove it off while wifey guns the crap out of it.

I then did some more research and found some were putting their rear truck tires about six inches into the water and finally the boat is deep enough to float on and off the trailer. Frustrated I went for it. The first thing I learned was to make sure the winch is tight or while backing in it will drop off the boat buddy before you are deep enough. Now with the winch tight I get to that depth, unhook, and float off. For loading I read to put a fist between the rub rail and trailer pylon to center the back of the boat, which works perfect but I've found pulling out slowly centers it most of the time.

We don't have too many people in the boat when we launch and load most of the time and with one in the truck and one in the boat I can't get bow lift by moving bodies. I like power loading when it goes smoothly but its no longer something I'm going to do. I considered adding front bunks which would cure the problem by lifting the bow and not letting it drop, I could go back to the old days of coming in unhooked and dumping quick. For now I will probably only add more front bunks if I run into too many shallow ramps, but so far I haven't found one.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by AlbertaBoy

Thanks all. I was hoping it wasn't just me.
Guess I just need to dial in a system.

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What lake are you having these problems at? I have an Outback DD and have never had an issue at any lake. Wife backs trailer into water until just last foot of bunk is showing and I just drive up, tie up, snug up, and go.

I wonder if your bunks need any hieght adjustments?

It is the public launch at the north end of Pine Lake.
Just not finding a seemless way to load yet.
I will maybe look at the bunks.
I have not even consdiered if it is dropping hard off the bow roller when I launch as I am in the truck. :eek:

Well tonight was a success at the launch. With the fenders just showing I brought it up then powered her up to within inches of the stop and tightened it up.
Thanks everyone for the suggestions.
Now for the next ramp with a different angle.:)

Powering on 😓


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Originally Posted by rdlangston13

Powering on

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Yup me too. If I don't at the dock I've been launching from it becomes a 3 man operation. I've found out ramp angle is the deciding factor. I've adjusted the tow point on the boat as low as possible with my existing hitch and if I go with what the manual says the bow still ends up below the bow stop. I might end up modifying the bunks a bit higher, but at that point I'll have to put the trailer deeper in the water.

If you haven't seen it already, there is another thread on this.

https://forum.moomba.com/showthread....-help-required


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Never really considered what powering on could do to a launch until reading the above thread, although the launch I use sucks pretty bad anyways.
But now that I have the trailer position dialed in at this launch I will maybe try just driving it up without much power and see if I can easily crank it up the rest of the way with the bunks wet.

I am guilty of idling on but not over revving. I idle up close enough that I can get the winch strap connected without a while lot of stretching. Our ramps locally are concrete for a long way into the water to allow for changes in water levels. Not much to hurt there.

The ramps we used in NC were short and I never powered on there. basically the rear traile wheels were at the end of the ramps. Powering on there would send the bottom material everywhere.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by AlbertaBoy

Well another somewhat frustrating experience last night (compared to my old boat) but it seems that having the fenders slightly above the surface is the only way, at least on the launch I use. If the fenders are under there is no way to get the bow over the roller. I had the nose up to the roller and tried back it back in a bit to make cranking easier but it seemed to start putting tons of pressure on the roller and the nose. With them above it seems like cranking is very difficult, but I can at leat get it on. I think I just need to get the bunks wet and learn to power it up more as maxpower suggested. Just new to this powering on thing.
Not used to being the guy at the ramp that doesn't look like he has a clue. :oops:

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I would suggest trying this method:

1. Back the trailer down until you can float the boat over the bow roller and secure the bow eye.
2. Have two people on the boat center it on the trailer by sitting on the sun deck and holding the boat off the guide poles an equal distance on each side.
3. Slowly pull the trailer up until the boat settles evenly on the bunks.

This way, there is no need to power it on the trailer and no issue with the nose being below the bow roller.

I don't see much wrong with idle power loading, I do that. Just those people who rev it up so much it throws a rooster tail at the launch get on my nerves.


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I sink the trailer to the until about an inch of of the bow bunks are still showing, the wife idles towards the trailer, puts if in neutral when the bow crosses the guide poles, the boat floats on, I hook up the winch and tighten it it and we usually need the wife to give it just a touch of power to get the bow up and firmly in place on the roller while I crank it up a bit more to keep the strap tight. We don't throw rooter tails but we use a touch more power than idle for a second to finish off the loading.

This thread is old, I realize, but I'm dealing with same issue. We either have to power load or crank a LONG way to get my supra 21V loaded. And if I go where I can get the boat in easily then the bow goes under the roller.

It seems the boatmate trailers don't have the bow stop the correct height. Some people have lowered it, but that means major structural welding and I'm not comfortable with that, so this summer I'm going to try and raise my bunks with spacers to see if that helps.

Very frustrating. My bow is showing gel coat damage due to the weight of the boat on the roller. It's totally smashed as we get it loaded, it shouldn't be that way.

Back the trailer way in, pull the boat all the way up so the tip of the bow is maybe 1" from the roller and hook up and lock the winch. Pull the trailer forward just enough to raise the bow over the roller. Crank the winch the rest of the way.

I had your problem all the time, then I started doing it this way, now its easy as pie.

You can burry your rear truck tires 6" into the water and float on and off every time, only thing you have to worry about is the boat centering, which by pulling out slowly it centers most of the time. I could easily weld front bunks on my trailer but since I started doing it this way I have no need to.

I feel your pain on the loading. I bought my 05 outback last year and had same issues. as mentioned above I back in and sink the fenders to wet the bunks then pull up just till the fenders peek out of the water and its perfect.

Same as mine. Don't have much problem

Power load it. Much easier..

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Originally Posted by parrothd

Power load it. Much easier..

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And destroy the boat ramp!

At least that's what it does in south east TX


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Must have soft concrete in TX.. Hehehe

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Shallow ramps. Probably 4-5 ft at full pool and nothing is ever full pool. A couple years ago I walked down one ramp, just under chest deep at the end of the concrete then a straight drop off o about a foot and a half or so. 3 feet father back it was thigh deep...

Powering on washes out the ground at the end of the ramp and then builds a sand bar right behind the ramp. Don't do it in shallow lakes...


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Quote:

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Originally Posted by rdlangston13

Powering on washes out the ground at the end of the ramp and then builds a sand bar right behind the ramp. Don't do it in shallow lakes...

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I dinged up a brand new prop backing off the trailer due to this a few years back. Not a happy camper but our water level was way low. However I'm guilty of power loading 99.9% of the time so maybe I deserved it.