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CONGESTED RAMPS

There are thousands of trailer boats in New Zealand, so congestion at ramps on busy weekends is inevitable. Trailer parking can be difficult and tempers sometimes fray. Sometimes it gets ugly with physical confrontations.

Some of the delays are due to people who are just plain ill-mannered but many are caused by inexperienced boaties either unaware of boat ramp etiquette or lacking the skills to launch and retrieve their craft efficiently.

PRE-LAUNCH PREPARATION

Do most of your pre-launch preparation before leaving home, checking your boat over thoroughly.

want to discover steering issues after launching the boat. tyres on the tow vehicle. The recommended pressure is printed on the sidewall and is typically around 50psi cold.

the coupling and that the trailer is coupled securely. Carry a spare shackle for the

Practice reversing a trailer away from the boat ramp. The more you practice, the more confident you will feel. • Where possible, line up boat and trailer in a straight line – it’s much easier to back down the ramp that way. Take it easy. Back down slowly and make small adjustments to the wheel to alter course, not large ones. If the trailer gets too far out of line, stop, go forward until the trailer straightens up and try again. Learn to use your side mirrors to monitor the trailer’s progress rather swiveling your head. Raising the tailgate of an SUV or station wagon can make it easier to see an empty trailer. Reversing cameras can be helpful when backing a trailer, depending on how much of the boat you can see, but side mirrors are better.

multi-roller trailers easily so don’t undo the safety chain too early or the boat could land on the ramp instead of in the water.

Once the boat is launched, take it clear of the ramp so it is available for other users. Secure it to the pier or better still, motor clear of the ramp until the vehicle driver is ready to be picked up.

RETRIEVING YOUR BOAT

This requires as much preparation as launching it.

With multi-lane boat ramps, one side of the ramp or several fingers may be used to retrieve boats while the other side is used for launching. There are no rules around this, just common sense, but obviously if someone is launching a boat, you can’t get yours on your trailer until they are clear of the ramp.

If the boat ramp has a finger(s), it’s usual to come alongside and secure the boat as close to the base of the ramp as possible while someone gets the trailer. The next boat should tie up behind the first boat, because this decides the order of retrieval. Don’t jump the queue.

If there are multiple boats waiting they may need to stand off the ramp until there is space to tie up on a finger. Be patient and