How should you prepare your boat for sailing?
In this article, we teach you how to do it right even when you’re alone to prevent accidents caused by carelessness.
1. Put Your Boat Plugs In
Putting your boat plugs before you hit the waters is a necessary precautionary measure. Once you forget to do it, water could easily fill your boat and sink it. It may be alright for some who knows how to swim but it’s something lethal for others who don’t.
2. Keep Your Trailer Winch Attached
When you put down your boat on the water surface, make sure your trailer winch remains hooked to it. If it’s not holding your boat in place, you run the risk of having your boat suddenly separate from the trailer and float just about anywhere.
Only detach your trailer winch when you’re on an even surface and a portion of your boat already touches the water. If you’re having second thoughts of whether your trailer winch will hold or not, you may use your boat’s bow rope and connect it to your vehicle’s cleat via the draw hitch knot.
3. Slowly Reverse Your Boat Down the Ramp
Put your hand at the bottom of your steering wheel. This lets you easily move your steering wheel either to the left or right, as you look sideways. Getting your boat properly centered before it goes down the ramp is vital to stay away from obstacles. Take note, once you reach the boat ramp, put your vehicle in “neutral mode” to let it be carefully dragged by your boat’s weight on the trailer.
If you don’t set your vehicle to neutral mode, its weight will automatically add to that of your boat, which creates a pushing force that’ll send you sliding down the ramp. See how it’s done on Flukemaster’s Channel.
4. Wait for Your Boat to Lift Off the Trailer
As your boat slowly moves away from dry land, a portion of it will tilt or slightly rise from the trailer by approximately two inches. This signals that your boat has somehow reached the water’s surface; hence, it’s time to stop your vehicle by applying the brakes.
5. Detach Your Trailer Winch
Carefully remove the trailer winch (and draw hitch knot if there’s any) from your boat. Push your boat gently until your boat’s entire body floats on water. Then, you hop onto your boat and drive it away from the trailer.
When moving your boat away from the trailer, follow the reversing principle where you maintain your boat’s steady backward motion by alternating the reverse and neutral gear, as you let the water current guide you.
Conclusion
Launching your boat by yourself can be scary if you’re new to it. However, the moment you familiarize yourself with the basics, everything comes easy. It will also help you avoid possible safety hazards and boat damages. Share us your own methods of launching a boat by commenting below.
