Man I Suck At Backing Up With My Boat

try to only use your side mirrors.

 

Really? For me it's the other way around. I guess to each their own. I turn around in my seat and only glance at my mirrors for reference.

So OP how has the boat backing been going? Any practice?

 

Well you can do that in a pickup... but when driving a rig theres no way to do that... and to pass your CDL you have to only use your mirrors. I find it better to learn to do it this way and stick with it.

Trust me, if you start practicing ONLY using your mirrors you won't regret it. I actually get confused when I try to turn around now. You'll be more consistent and will be better prepared if ever stuck with backing a vehicle larger than a pickup

 

Backing up the trailer is easy. Loading the boat is another story.



This idiot just took off. No re-floating the boat, no straps. Nada. Zippo. You should have seen what that bimini top did when he took off.

Luckily he learned a lesson from this guy:

 

i worked on a farm, learned how to back a trailer there lol


i can back using my mirrors but its much easier with your door open or hangin halfway out the window haha

 

I don't plan on becoming a truck driver but that's a very good point.

The boats loading sideways happened at my local ramp because there's a nice hole that I assume developed from power loading. When I saw someone with their boat sideways at least they were smart enough to put it back in the water and try again. That guy that you have a picture of is just an idiot and deserves a ticket. I'm glad the cop got to him before he hurt anybody.

 

Practice. I had to learn backing a big trailer up an incline curved driveway between the house and fence with about 2' margin for error... I had to learn pretty quick.

Make sure to learn using just your mirros, looking over your shoulder won't do you any good if you're hauling a bigass camper trailer or a load you cant see over/through.

Slow is key: dude's always seem to want to back the trailer real fast and end up making several corrections= one time slow is actually faster.

Don't think too much about which way to turn the wheel, that's when people seem to jacknife and such, if you don't think about it you can't get confused. come's with practice.

Smaller the trailer the harder. The hardest thing I ever had to back up was a porta-potty. The trailer was like 7' long and 4' wide; every twitch in the steering wheel resulted in immediate jacknife. The next crew that used it just unhooked it and carried it into place... after 20 min of trying to back it in.

Use a spotter whenever possible, make sure to have them only point in the direction the trailer needs to go and stop/go signals. I've had people give the 'wax on wax off' signals, telling me which way to turn the wheel and all it does is make me laugh... not very helpful IMO. Make sure to only have ONE spotter.

Practice.

 

LOL, we've loaded the boat crooked a couple of times. I have bunkers on my trailer. Sometimes, it's a pain in the ass to line up the bottom ribs with the bunkers.


Weather hasnt been nice in a few weeks, since my last outing, so not much practice time.
It's usually very close though. Off by 1-2". Sometimes, we'll just lift the boat in the rear and slide it into place. It's only a 14' aluminum boat with a 15HP motor. So it's relatively light.

 

i love backing my trailer up. once you get good at it, its actually a lot of fun.

 

my work truck is a power company boom truck and i pull and back a 55' trailer with usually a 65 foot pole on it. and i can back it anywhere i want to.. but we have a 6 foot trailer at home that i use for my quad and i jack knife it almost everytime i back it up. so dont feel bad.

 

Welcome to TW and congrats on the Taco!

 

HAHA! Thats gonna be me next tax season...My Fiance and I are gonna buy a boat...so if you live near me stay outta the cause I might run your ass over

 

My father taught me to drive with a trailer on the back. (35 years ago)
I remember asking him about the trailer, he said " don't worry it will follow you."
by age 16 I was backing up trailers right into the garage.

I haven't done it for a while now. I assume I am very rusty.
I always found it funny how much advice there is on this subject. Especially at a boat ramp!

 

When I got my first boat in 1987 I went to a large parking lot with no one around. I practiced there backing it up and learning how to hold the bottom of the steering wheel.
Once you get the hang of it try backing into parking spaces that are 50 feet away and pretend they are the boat ramps.

Like others have said practice makes it easier, but no one around is a big plus.

Mike

 

I had issues when I first started backing mine up.
I got a tip at a ramp one day.
when you start backing up, place one had at the bottom of the steering wheel, which ever direction your hand moves is the direction the trailer is going to go.

Also, I practiced in a parking lot.
before you know it you'll be watching noobs and giggling

 

Practice makes perfect brother !

 

x2... thats the only way I can back any trailer up... I do glance at my side mirrors just to makes sure i'm not going to run over something...

 

From my experience in the USCG I have seen some people do some serious damage with a boat and a trailer. One kid from Texas smashed into a shore tie (High Voltage boxes used for power and communications by Cutters) and had it not been for a very quick reaction from an EM1, someone could have been killed.

Backing up is just a practice thing, my best advise is always bring someone with you, or have someone there help you. I don't know what your ramp is like but when I was in Miami it was a horror show, kids running all over, people leaving gear on the ramp deck, all sorts of crazy shit. Protect yourself and your gear and get a spotter.

 

After teaching myself how to back trailers up, the best word of advice I can give is USE YOUR MIRRORS! the golden rule is that if your backing it up straight, and the trailer starts to turn on you, then whatever mirror it shows on turn towards that mirror.
Example: Backing up and you see the trailer turning in your passenger mirror, then turn towards that mirror. This will make it alot easier.

OH and dont turn around anddd use your mirrors (when your new), you will get veryyyy confused.

 

I forgot to mention this. I took out the boat a few weeks ago. Backing up the boat into the water, took a little more effort. I guess I was just rusty.

Backing up the trailer afterwards went quick. At this launch, it's at a slight angle. Jack-knifed the trailer on purpose to align it up and it was perfect on 1st try.

PS, someone backed into my trailer while I was out in the water. Left a note, but wont respond to my phonecalls. Bitch. Good thing it's only about $100 for parts.



That's not me or my place. Old owner.

Here's the damage.


Bought a new crossmember, bunk, bunk support and bolts/nuts.

Still need to take the boat back to the water and work on the trailer.
Not sure if I'll have to cut my light wires or what yet.