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The Complete List of Tips for Towing Any Boat to Any Destination
There's a reason why professional truck drivers need to get special licenses. Driving a vehicle with a trailer is hard.
Now, driving your own truck or SUV (or one highly impressive sedan) with a boat trailer attached doesn't present the same level of difficulty as operating an 18-wheeler big rig with a multi-ton load of produce, ball bearings or other whatnot.
Still, though, safe and proper boat towing can be tricky. Don't worry, I'm here to help. And if my very first piece of advice is the only one you take, I'll still have done my little part here.
So, here's the first piece of advice: Until you're at least rather comfortable towing a boat, don't do it around other people.
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The Complete List of Tips for Towing Any Boat to Any Destination
Tips for Practicing Your Towing Skills
Yeah, let me hit home that very first tip. Practice steering, backing up, and simply driving around with your boat trailer.
Ideally, practice towing the trailer with the boat on it as well. Do this in a large and empty parking lot, on a road you know will have very little traffic or, if possible, on your own property.
Don't be embarrassed to use cones as you learn the characteristics of your boat trailer in a turn, as you reverse and so forth. Every crushed or knocked-over cone represents a time you won't cause a car accident later down the road.
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Tips for Choosing the Right Boat Trailer
We could spend an entire post (or two or three) talking about how to choose the right trailer to tow your boat, but today we're here to talk about boat towing tips.
So, suffice it to say this: Everything from the type of metal (aluminum or galvanized steel) to shape (bunk or roller) to gross vehicle weight (How big is that boat of yours, anyway?) to the number of axles plays a role here.
Choosing the right trailer means selecting one that best works with your boat and with the automobile that will be towing it. Take the time to make the right choice, and by all means, talk to a professional from a company that makes and/or sells boat trailers to get more information.
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Tips for Getting the Boat Off the Trailer
For those of us who don't keep our boats in the water at all times, every great boating adventure starts the same way: The launch.
Launching your boat off the trailer is less dramatic than it might sound. It's more like gently sliding the boat into the water than blasting a Saturn V rocket into space.
The key here is to always back the trailer and boat far enough into the water for a safe and smooth launch, without going in so far that the towing vehicle is at risk of submersion.
Once you have the boat in far enough, so that its water intake ports are submerged and it can achieve buoyancy, stop the automobile.
Put it in gear or park, set the parking brake, then turn it off. Now hook a bow line to the front of the boat and to the trailer winch (or a winch on the vehicle).
Unlatch the boat and lower it into the water until it's floating free of the trailer.
Disconnect the bow line as long as there's someone in the boat who's ready to take the controls. Toss them the line or use a boat hook to hand it to them.
For solo boat ramp launching, you'll need to do a bit of extra prep and practice.
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Tips for Getting the Boat on the Trailer
Before you worry about getting the boat on or even near your trailer, first get your trailer postponed properly. There's no magic formula here. Just make sure the back of the trailer is well submerged and the front of the trailer, including the winch, is well out of the water.
Never back down a ramp far enough that the tow vehicle is at all in the water. That's asking for trouble.
Until you're quite handy with boat trailering, it's better to approach the trailer very slowly using the boat's motor and then cut the power. Then, haul the boat onto the trailer using the bow line and winch.
Once you have it down, feel free to cruise onto the trailer and use the winch just for the last few feet. After pulling away from the ramp, be sure to attach the trailer straps.
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Tips for Steering While Towing a Boat
If you're only going to remember two things about steering a trailer, let them be these:
1. The trailer takes turns tighter than the tow vehicle. Your boat trailer will effectively turn inside of your turn, so you have to make your turns wider than will feel natural.
The faster you're going, however, the less true this is. As a general rule of thumb, when driving at speed, just give yourself a bit of extra room in turns but generally drive naturally. At slow speeds, like turning 90 degrees at an intersection, give yourself a lot of extra space.
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2. When backing up with a trailer, left is right. When you're backing up with a boat trailer, turning the wheel of your car to the left will make the trailer go to the right. And vice versa. Yep, things are reversed.
It's a tricky mental game just to keep that straight, and then even harder to execute. Just remember this: The main error people make when driving a trailer in reverse is to steer too far to one side or the other. Usually a slight turn followed by straightening out the wheel is the best bet.
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Tips for Achieving Balance While Towing
You have to have your boat properly positioned on the trailer in order to operate it safely. That means having its center of gravity on the center of the trailer, making sure it's properly attached to the frame and all that other logical stuff.
Don't overlook the fact that the way the boat itself is loaded can have an effect on things. Make sure any gear (including coolers, fuel canisters, fishing supplies and so forth) that are left in the boat during a tow aren't only securely lashed to the boat, but that they're positioned smartly.
A boat that's front-heavy or back-heavy is unsafe from the get-go, but so too is one in which gear can shift around, changing the balance.
You might think supplies stowed in a cabin are safe during a tow, but while they won't fall overboard, they might shift about and throw off the balance.
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Tips for Keeping It Safe and Legal
Your boat trailer must have lights that can be connected to the towing vehicle. These include the brake lights, turn signals and sometimes the reverse lights. That way, the drivers behind you can see when you intend to turn, when you're braking, and when you may be heading backward towards them.
Take the time to connect these lights every time you tow your boat. It's a matter of safety, which should be reason enough, but it's also mandated by law, which is also a pretty good reason to do things, if I may say so myself.
If your trailer doesn't have a working set of lights, get one, like the Optronics Combination Kit. The lights are essential.
Aside from them, there are other accessories you might need to consider adding to your trailer as well, including mirrors, wheel chocks and docks, safety chains and straps or even bunk glides.
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Tips for Taking Care of Your Trailer
Remember to rinse off the trailer and cover it up after use. Even a boat trailer made from stainless steel or anodized aluminum will rust and corrode eventually unless properly cared for.
After you've gotten your boat off the trailer and in the water, or once the boat and trailer are both safely back on your property, rinse the trailer off with fresh water, especially if the boat was in salt water. A rinse with a de-salt concentrate is always a good idea.
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Then, let the trailer air dry or take the time to wipe it down. For those long periods of inactivity, especially in a climate with cold winters that see precipitation, cover your trailer with a heavy-duty tarp to protect it from the elements whenever you can. It will last for years and years if you care for it well.
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