Launching and loading the boat without waders or wet feet (video)

[TnRiver46]

There’s been some discussion here and there over the years, here’s some extremely amateur footage of my methods. Works year ‘round

 

 

[Deephaven]

Try that in a truck with a topper

 

Getting out is easy, back can be a different story.

[MN Fisher]

16 minutes ago, Deephaven said:

Try that in a truck with a topper

Ya, that's my issue as well...and no pass-through window either.

[TnRiver46]

9 hours ago, Deephaven said:

Try that in a truck with a topper

 

Getting out is easy, back can be a different story.

 

8 hours ago, MN Fisher said:

Ya, that's my issue as well...and no pass-through window either.

That’s the main reason I don’t have a topper, I use my truck mostly for fishing and launching a boat. It’s also a lot easier to back the trailer without a topper (vision). Mulch, firewood, loads of rocks are some other reasons. I do have a camper shell on my work truck to keep tools and critters dry (boss won’t let me use it for boat launching though haha) 

[Jig Man]

Your methods work for sure.  However there is an age limit to that method, and I am regrettably past it.

 

I only launch where a courtesy is provided.  I launch with a rope and load so that I can step out of the boat onto the dock.

[TnRiver46]

29 minutes ago, Jig Man said:

Your methods work for sure.  However there is an age limit to that method, and I am regrettably past it.

 

I only launch where a courtesy is provided.  I launch with a rope and load so that I can step out of the boat onto the dock.

In your situation I would back further in until the boat was wanting to float off and use the rope method. But my E brake needs adjusted badly so I’m scared to get too close to the water haha. I actually found the e brake adjusters but you’d have to have mouse paws to get in there and adjust them 

 

I usually fish from 5 pm until dark and we are always racing daylight, chomping at the bit to go fishing after work so I need to everything to go somewhat quickly 

[Log Catcher]

5 hours ago, Jig Man said:

Your methods work for sure.  However there is an age limit to that method, and I am regrettably past it.

 

I only launch where a courtesy is provided.  I launch with a rope and load so that I can step out of the boat onto the dock.

I am past the age limit too for unloading and loading that way. My truck does not have a topper. When getting ready to load I drop the tailgate to make it a lot easier to see where the trailer is in the water. Once I get the boat on I can step from the boat to the truck tailgate. I step down on the trailer tongue to finish winching it on.

[TOXIC]

5 hours ago, TnRiver46 said:

In your situation I would back further in until the boat was wanting to float off and use the rope method. But my E brake needs adjusted badly so I’m scared to get too close to the water haha. I actually found the e brake adjusters but you’d have to have mouse paws to get in there and adjust them 

 

I usually fish from 5 pm until dark and we are always racing daylight, chomping at the bit to go fishing after work so I need to everything to go somewhat quickly 

I just use a longer rope tied to the front boat cleat and walk it down to a dock post or cleat.  Float the boat off just making sure the rope doesn’t get under the truck or hung up on the trailer.  You never have to get out of your truck on the ramp incline.

[TnRiver46]

9 minutes ago, TOXIC said:

I just use a longer rope tied to the front boat cleat and walk it down to a dock post or cleat.  Float the boat off just making sure the rope doesn’t get under the truck or hung up on the trailer.  You never have to get out of your truck on the ramp incline.

I could definitely upgrade my rope. Mine has been due to snap for about 8 years now 

[Alex from GA]

In the past 4 months I've launched my boat 2-5 times a week and have it down pat.  Put the mushroom anchor on the front of the trailer, with about 25' of line, back up until the boat floats, pull forward until the front of the trailer is out of the water, grab the anchor and pull the boat to the bank or ramp.  To get it out I run the boat on the trailer, get out and winch it the last couple of inches.  The water doesn't go up to the winch so I stay dry.  I can't climb in or out of the truck over the side, too old, and don't have to.  My last boat was different and I had hip boots in the truck that, when the water was too cold, I put on.  BTW I'm 80.

[TnRiver46]

3 minutes ago, Alex from GA said:

In the past 4 months I've launched my boat 2-5 times a week and have it down pat.  Put the mushroom anchor on the front of the trailer, with about 25' of line, back up until the boat floats, pull forward until the front of the trailer is out of the water, grab the anchor and pull the boat to the bank or ramp.  To get it out I run the boat on the trailer, get out and winch it the last couple of inches.  The water doesn't go up to the winch so I stay dry.  I can't climb in or out of the truck over the side, too old, and don't have to.  My last boat was different and I had hip boots in the truck that, when the water was too cold, I put on.  BTW I'm 80.

You’re a spring chicken still yet 

[GreenPig]

44 minutes ago, TOXIC said:

I just use a longer rope tied to the front boat cleat and walk it down to a dock post or cleat.  Float the boat off just making sure the rope doesn’t get under the truck or hung up on the trailer.  You never have to get out of your truck on the ramp incline.

My fishing bud let his rope get caught on his trailer bunk when he pulled out after launching. It snatched the cleat off the dock at roughly 19,000 fps(rough guesstimate). The back glass on his F - 150 didn't fair well with the meeting. If somebody would've been hit in the head it would've killed them. 

[TOXIC]

1 hour ago, GreenPig said:

My fishing bud let his rope get caught on his trailer bunk when he pulled out after launching. It snatched the cleat off the dock at roughly 19,000 fps(rough guesstimate). The back glass on his F - 150 didn't fair well with the meeting. If somebody would've been hit in the head it would've killed them. 

Yeow!  I always keep a close eye on the rope.  It has gotten wrapped a few times.  

[Log Catcher]

5 hours ago, Alex from GA said:

In the past 4 months I've launched my boat 2-5 times a week and have it down pat.  Put the mushroom anchor on the front of the trailer, with about 25' of line, back up until the boat floats, pull forward until the front of the trailer is out of the water, grab the anchor and pull the boat to the bank or ramp.  To get it out I run the boat on the trailer, get out and winch it the last couple of inches.  The water doesn't go up to the winch so I stay dry.  I can't climb in or out of the truck over the side, too old, and don't have to.  My last boat was different and I had hip boots in the truck that, when the water was too cold, I put on.  BTW I'm 80.

I hadn't thought about using an anchor like that. Good idea I may have to try. 

6 hours ago, TOXIC said:

I just use a longer rope tied to the front boat cleat and walk it down to a dock post or cleat.  Float the boat off just making sure the rope doesn’t get under the truck or hung up on the trailer.  You never have to get out of your truck on the ramp incline.

I put a snap hook on my rope and hook it to the eye bolt the winch hooks to. I tie the other end to the trailer. You do have to watch the rope to see if it is getting wrapped around anything.

[Deephaven]

Instead of anchor, just tie your rope to the dock, power unload and go grab it.  The loading on some ramps will make you want waterproof boots but unloading there is no need

[TnRiver46]

54 minutes ago, Deephaven said:

Instead of anchor, just tie your rope to the dock, power unload and go grab it.  The loading on some ramps will make you want waterproof boots but unloading there is no need

I might try that one day at the dock in the videos . As you can see the current is raging by there usually 2-3 mph. I think if I did it on the downstream side of the dock that might work out pretty well. Upstream side would be a crash landing 

[livemusic]

The OP is only relevant for those who are agile. I still do stuff like that but it's def getting much more difficult and I am sure the time will come when it's impossible. My brother, 5 years older, is in the impossible camp, he couldn't do that if his life depended on it.

 

I just bought a 30 ft floating dock line for launching; my 20 ft rope is not long enough. It works but 30 ft will be better. Just tie to the front of the trailer, back the boat in till it floats away, pull up, then go grab the rope and take it to the dock or pull to shore.

 

Loading is the problem. I do it fine, but I now keep rubber knee boots in the boat for when I have to hop off the trailer and the slope of the ramp is such that the truck is in the water. I also can climb into the truck bed and then jump to the ground but my knees are not good and jumping to the ground is not a good thing. Sliding down the side of the truck also works, lol. Anyway, knee boots solve that. Only issue is taking up room in the boat.

 

Yesterday, I loaded the boat unpowered just for funzies. Pulled the boat onto the trailer with the rope. I used hip waders. Loading like that would be dicey in water with a current. A trailer that self-centers a loading boat better would be most helpful!

 

[Deephaven]

14 hours ago, livemusic said:

Anyway, knee boots solve that. Only issue is taking up room in the boat.

?? You mean take up room in the truck.  You don't need them in the boat until your truck is backed into the water.  Can leave them in the vehicle all day and put them on when you back in.

 

Of course, the real mechanism to do all this the right way is to bring someone fishing.   They can either drive the boat or the truck.  In the case of incompetent ones *cough, wife, cough* you back 90% of the way down, get in the boat and have them dump you the last few inches.  Do the same on the way back.  That person holds the boat at the dock/shore and you back in, then trade places and they just have to pull you out far enough to not get wet.

[TnRiver46]

2 minutes ago, Deephaven said:

?? You mean take up room in the truck.  You don't need them in the boat until your truck is backed into the water.  Can leave them in the vehicle all day and put them on when you back in.

 

Of course, the real mechanism to do all this the right way is to bring someone fishing.   They can either drive the boat or the truck.  In the case of incompetent ones *cough, wife, cough* you back 90% of the way down, get in the boat and have them dump you the last few inches.  Do the same on the way back.  That person holds the boat at the dock/shore and you back in, then trade places and they just have to pull you out far enough to not get wet.

I just tell Rachel to hold the rope! She can drive the boat just fine but when people are standing all around she decides to tell me I’m doing it all wrong and panics