First time nerves any advice?

[mike uk]

I did my first recovery onto the trailer last weekend and Im pleased to say it went well.

The tyres (tires) of the tow car were just into the water leaving the front bunk still just at the waters surface. I bought some of the lubricating spray for the bunks as suggested in this thread.

I removed the rubber top to one of the goal posts and stuck a longer more visible pole inside the post. On reflection this was a bad idea because the hull could easily have made contact with the unprotected edge of the top of the post. Fortunately, it didnt.

I was unsure how the boat would handle at low speed once I had raised the rudders and centreboard. I should have done some practicing away from obstacles and other boats. I used a bow line to the quayside where my son was able to adjust the approach as I motored onto the trailer.

The approach was simple enough and the boat centred itself onto the trailer as it slid up onto the front bunk. A few short sharp bursts of the motor shoved her fully into the vee. I didnt need to use the winch to pull her on I think it could have been too much force on the winch. Also I didnt need to use the MacGregor bump. With the ballast valve open the water had already started to empty as the angle of the boat tilted so we just drew the rig forward a foot at a time it was empty after a couple of minutes.

I hope this information is of help to any other novices like most of sailing I guess it is simple enough if you use your common sense and plan what you are doing.

[Bill Millar]

Glad to hear it all went well, Mike.

I find that many of the slipways into UK tidal waters are not steep enough and frequently I have to disconnect the trailer and use a strong rope to avoid my Shogun getting wet. One very important point if you have to do this:

Do not rely on the trailer brakes to hold on a backward slope, because they don't - get two good wheelchocks and use them.

Also, and this applies whether or not you disconnect the trailer, when pulling out - do not rely on just the trailer winch rope to hold the boat on the trailer. Add an additional tie rope from the bow cleats or some other strong point to the trailer. One of the Macs we were sailing with this year experienced a winch rope failure, fortunately not a disaster but a warning. You may also have heard of a fatal accident in Cornwall this year when a motor boat slid off its trailer on to a schoolkid behind.

[Chip Hindes]

I have never launched or pulled my boat on a ramp which was so shallow I couldn't leave the rudders fully down until the boat was on the trailer. Also, our trailers don't have handbrakes. I must assume the trailer you guys have is a fair amount different than the one we in the States have.

IMO, it is dangerious to have the hitch not firmly attached to the tow vehicle when loading the boat.

You guys who feel the need to do so may be interested in this mod. Wild Hair.

[Bill Millar]

That mod is certainly very interesting, Chip. Unfortunately, the positions of the handbrake lever and jockey wheels on my trailer would make this almost impossible. Could you explain, please, why it is dangerous not to have a rigid connection between vehicle and trailer when loading?

I use a one and a quarter inch dia multiplait rope and have launched or recovered on at least 20 occasions on 5 different slipways without any problem whatsoever, provided we follow the basic safety rules about wheel chocks, etc. My wife (bless her) stands on the front of the trailer as I drive the boat on, then she hooks on the line from the winch and we are secure. She drives the Shogun slowly up the ramp towing the trailer at the end of the rope as the water drains out. The boat settles down on the trailer. We then put wheelchocks in, disconnect the rope and connect the Shogun at the towbar and all's well. It's quite a speedy operation now that we have practised so often; however we have been too busy at the time to take photographs - perhaps next year!

[Chip Hindes]

Most of my launches and recoveries are singlehanded, so having somebody stand on the tongue of the trailer is not an option. Are you saying you actually chock the wheels of the trailer when it's in the water?

Even I had somebody to do so, I wouldn't dream of asking someone to stand on the tongue of the trailer while I attempt to put the boat on it. There's simply too many things that could go wrong. I suppose if it were somebody I secretly wanted to get rid of, the idea of catapaulting them into the drink has some appeal.

[Dimitri-2000X-Tampa]

Most of the time I'm recovering the boat, I drive the boat onto the trailer and my wife is at the winch to grab the bow. I drive it on ultra slow, straight into the snub almost all the time, and I don't fear for her safety. In order to single hand the launch/revovery, it has to be at a ramp with a dock so I can use ropes to float it off/on the trailer.

My uncle used to launch and retrieve his motor boat with a long rope between trailer and a tow vehicle that was probably 10 meters up off of a rocky beach. Although it was a fairly small boat, the rocks on the beach were citrus sized (grapefruit, oranges, lemons) and it was pretty rough going. There were never any accidents .. I did used to stay clear of the rope in case it broke though. After seeing it done on a rocky beach, using the same technique at a paved ramp would probably be no big deal with a good rope.

[Casey]

Ropes are great. There are many types that have different amount of stretch, even wire or cable. I always try to go through a mental checklist of "what ifs" when I use one. It has saved an injury more than once. What if:
1. The rope fails at either end or the middle and comes flying back to the other end.
2. The rope doesn't fail, but the object where it attaches pulls off and comes flying back to the other direction.
3. If it is a rope with a hook, the hook fails and part of it come flying back.
4. Does it need a deadweight in the center?
5. Does it have burrs or frayed fibers?
6. Is everyone adequately protected?
7. What happens to the objects attached to a rope when it fails, when gravity exerts its influence?

[Bill Millar]

Thanks, Casey, for some useful reminders about safety with ropes. We do actually use the rope doubled and always stand clear, but your comments are noted.

Chip, Like Dimitri, I drive the boat on pretty slowly and my wife claims she has never worried for her safety! We don't chock the wheels in the water - only on the ramp when disconnecting the rope and then coupling the car to the trailer. The procedure would be just the same with the rigid bar extension on the trailer.

I do agree with you that a rigid connection would be much better for a single-handed operation, but I haven't yet had to do that.