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SportsBoat_F7G10.book Page 186 Wednesday, June 14, 2023 9:23 AM

Trailering

Keep the following points in mind when sible, have a second person stand aside
backing up as an observer. Stop when the wheels
 Back slowly. Make steering adjustments in are at least halfway submerged. Set the
small steps. parking brake.
 Turn the towing vehicle’s wheels opposite (5) Remove the bow line from the bow eye.
the direction you want the trailer to go. (6) Back the trailer farther into the water until
 After the trailer begins moving, turn the just the tops of the fenders show, and
towing vehicle to follow it. then reset the parking brake. Board the
 Have a second person stand by to help di- boat and start it. If possible, remain on
rect you with hand signals. the trailer until the engines are warm and
are responding to throttle.
Launching (7) Back the boat out into the water, watch-
As a courtesy to other boaters, prepare your ing carefully for people, other boats, or
boat for launching before using the ramp. obstacles.
Each launch may have particular differences,
such as ramp angle, prevailing wind, waves, Loading
and water currents. If possible, watch a cou- (1) Disconnect the trailer lights from the
ple of boaters launch their boats first to notice towing vehicle.
any problems. While every boater develops a (2) Back the trailer down the ramp as close
preferred launch procedure, here is a recom- to 90° to the shoreline as you can. If pos-
mended general procedure: sible, have a second person act as an
observer while standing to the side of the
trailer. Stop when the tops of the trailer’s
fenders are about 3 inches above the
waterline.
(3) With the boat moving at the slowest idle
speed, guide the boat onto the support
rails. Use throttle only if necessary for
steering ability. WARNING! Using too
much throttle can cause the boat to
jump over the front of the trailer,
(1) Perform the pre-operation checks which can result in injury to the boat
shown on page 157 that can be per- operator and bystanders.
formed on land. (4) Make sure the boat is centered on the
(2) Remove all trailering tie-down lines from support rails and is headed straight for
the boat and attach your docking lines the bow stop (bumper board). Ease the
and fenders, if used. boat forward until the bow rests against
(3) Disconnect the trailer lights from the the bow stop. NOTICE: The winch line
towing vehicle. is not designed to pull the boat onto
(4) Back the trailer down the ramp as close the trailer.
to 90° to the shoreline as you can. If pos-

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