Camera

[Ghostshad]

Has any of you added a camera to see behind your truck or Suv as you back your boat into the water ? I have a plate in my back & turning around is a big problem for me .If you have do you like it.Does it work for you ?

[Ski213]

I have an aftermarket camera back there. Not specifically for backing the boat in. My buddy bought several cameras on sale a few years ago and gave me one as my truck is old enough not to have one factory. It’s handy for lining up the ball to trailer tongue when hooking up. I use my side mirrors when backing a trailer though. The camera mounts to my rear bumper. I would think that at least in that location, it would be hard to see enough of the trailer to be useful for launching/loading. Maybe it could be mounted somewhere else and work for that purpose though. I think somewhere higher and closer to the cab might give you a better picture of the trailer. 

[KYRANGERMAN]

I have a back up camera on my Touareg.  I don't use it for backing the boat down the ramp.  Thirty plus years of using the mirrors is a habit that's hard to break.  I do use it to back up to the trailer to hook up.  Then it comes in really handy.

[detroit1]

Mine (colorado) is under the tailgate latch. (std.) I am like KY above, and use it to see my bunks when putting it back on the trailer. 

[Bankc]

My father had one installed on his old truck.  There were several problems with it.  First, the camera wasn't mounted high enough to be of much use, other than hooking the trailer up to the hitch.  So it was no good for backing a trailer up.  It worked for backing up without a trailer though.  Second, the screen was really small and hard to see.  The resolution of the screen also makes a huge difference.  That's why even if the screen is the size of an iPad, you won't be able to see it as well as you can what's in your mirror.  You could get a bigger, higher resolution screen to make it easier to see out of, but where would you put it?  You only use it about 1% of the time and the rest of the time, it's in the way.  Unlike cars that come with them built in, there's usually not a good place to install one aftermarket.

 

I'd recommend getting some of those side mirrors that extend really far out and have those convex mirrors that lets you see everything below like you see on commercial vehicles.  It's not easy to use them at first, but once you get used to them, they actually work pretty well.  A lot better than what you may initially think.  I mean, it's what semi truck drivers use to back those huge trailers up to crowded docks!

[moguy1973]

I can't back my boat in using the backup camera.  Can't see around the boat when it's on the trailer enough to know what way it's turning.  Only use the mirrors..  

[Ghostshad]

Thanks everybody. Once i get straight on the ramp i'm good. But i suck on my angles. Probably need to spend this winter practicing.But it would help me a lot hooking up..Not having a Good back really Sucks.

[NHBull]

Practice in a lined parking lot.  You will be surprised what an hour can do.

.......and go painfully slow.

one hand at 6 o’clock and steer in the direction you want the trailer to go.

.......and go painfully slow

[slonezp]

16 hours ago, Ghostshad said:

Thanks everybody. Once i get straight on the ramp i'm good. But i suck on my angles. Probably need to spend this winter practicing.But it would help me a lot hooking up..Not having a Good back really Sucks.

You should practice backing with your mirrors. It's rare that you should need to look over your shoulder.

[J Francho]

The only thing I use the camera for is getting the trailer and ball to line up. Otherwise, you can’t see enough around the boat to use it. The mirrors are really the best thing to use, even better than looking over your shoulder, but it takes practice. 

[CountryboyinDC]

They make pretty neat cameras now that they use to create a composite image of your car and where it is in relation to everything else.  My neighbor has it on his BMW.  I looked to see if there was an aftermarket product for this, because as much trouble as my wife has not running into things going forward, she has more going backward.  They haven't come up with one that I can find.

I don't have a solution for you not being able to turn around due to your back and I'm a fair to middling backer of trailers.  I was raised on a farm, my father was an over-the-road trucker; I even won the FFA tractor driving VA state championship in 1994 (I know that because my mom made me take my old trophies from her basement over last Thanksgiving).  But there are times when the trailer angle is beyond the view of your mirrors (not the convex ones), and the best way to get the status is to turn and look out the window.  Some of the folks that are saying use your mirror may not even realize how often they do that.  So I think a camera mounted high your cab or somewhere like that might be useful in your case.

[J Francho]

11 hours ago, CountryboyinDC said:

But there are times when the trailer angle is beyond the view of your mirrors (not the convex ones)

I don't think I've ever run into this.  Can you explain?  If the trailer is not one mirror, it's most certainly in the other.  The only time I can think of where you can't see it, is if it was an extremely small trailer, like a popup camper, and a very wide and tall vehicle, like a truck with a cap or a van.

 

Anyway, I have a sketchy back, and don't turn around.  With a pickup, it isn't a problem.  I am using the stock mirrors.

[MN Fisher]

43 minutes ago, J Francho said:

If the trailer is not one mirror, it's most certainly in the other.  The only time I can think of where you can't see it, is if it was an extremely small trailer, like a popup camper, and a very wide and tall vehicle, like a truck with a cap or a van.

^ Canoe behind a full-size pickup with topper. I even have to lift the rear-window and drop the tailgate to see it fully when turned. Which is also a pain since I'm missing my right eye, so I have to turn even more in my seat to see it when backing up.

[J Francho]

Yeah, I've trailered kayaks, same issue - small trailer and obscured view.  I put a couple sticks with flags on the corners of the trailer.  Problem solved there.  I don't think this a small craft problem the OP is having, though.  

[CountryboyinDC]

6 hours ago, J Francho said:

I don't think I've ever run into this.  Can you explain? 

Some would describe it as jackknifed, although I think that term technically means that the trailer ends up in that position as a result of a sudden stop.  Another way of putting it would be to describe it as being at a high angle; considering the trailer as being at 0 degrees when it's perfectly straight behind the tow vehicle and 90 degrees when it's perpendicular to the tow vehicle.  In this case, in your regular mirrors (not the convex ones), you may see the trailer, but you won't be able to tell precisely where it is or where it's going.  The convex mirrors are small and make it difficult to discern even major details.  They are mainly there to keep you from hitting a vehicle or large object that ends up in your blind spot.  In this case, we often look out our side windows, or depending on the tow vehicle, the rear window.  I hope that makes sense.

[J Francho]

It doesn’t. I cannot think of any position other than not attached to my truck that I could not see the trailer in one of my mirrors. Can you take a picture of it?

[Jig Man]

I have a new truck with cameras all over it.  There is not a camera view that helps with backing the boat.  The side mirrors are the only things that help with this job.

 

However, it is absolutely great for hooking the trailer to the ball.