Man I Suck At Backing Up With My Boat

good thing all the ramps are pretty damn wide for my noob ass.

 

get some cones or jam some broom sticks in the ground and practice around your yard or driveway... helps a lot.

 

just takes a little practice...i've been doing it for years, so it's like backing up a truck with no trailer now, but the way i learned was to put your hand on hte bottom of the steering wheel, and whatever direction you push the wheel from there, the boat will go the same way. it is also easier to back up longer trailers becasue they respond slower to steering inputs.

 

haha try watching a women do it.......

 

The thing that helps me the most is to leave the tailgate down, you can see what your doing a lot better.

 

haha. i learned to back up with a trailer on my mower. My dad backs our boat in, but it is definitely harder to do than most people think. Practice always helps. just dont get frustrated

 

Hey I can back up a trailer pretty darn good...............

To the OP, practice in a empty parking lot you'll get the hang of it in no time

 

hahaha.



Just practice practice practice. If it gets off to the side too much just go forward some more instead of trying to compensate because likely you'll go too far the other way and then you just be what I call snaking it.

 

grab the steering wheel at the bottom. your hand movement will match the direction you want the trailer to go.

practice.

 

when you pull forward try to line it up with the ramp straight...then go straight back and don't turn the wheel or very little if needed....hopefully it will stay straight...lol

 

^^^^ then once it gets going in the direction you want you just have to counter steer and follow it.

 

SLOW is the word of the day and put your hand on the bottom of the wheel instead of the top the trailer will go in the direction your hand goes SLOWLY

 

I'm glad to see somebody actually admit that because I don't get enough practice either. I can start backing my 17.6' boat into my driveway and end up three doors down in the neighbors front yard. I always feel like such a skirt. I'll get the hang of it!

 

Sitting around at the boat launch on a weekend just as the summer is gearing up is good for some prime entertainment. Lots of noobs out there with their new boats out there; none know what they're doing.

Takes practice. I have a Honda Aquatrax F-12X PWC. The trailer is lighter and shorter than a boat. Imagine backing that very low, empty trailer into the water to retrieve the ski. When I've used my dad's Grand Cherokee, I had to back up with the hatch open to see the trailer.

 

I know what you mean! My first was a sea doo trailer, it was hard cause you couldn't see the dang trailer...you get the hang of it though.

 

As long as you're out of every bodies way that's cool. It frustrates me when people have there cars parked where the people launching need to turn around. It's just a bunch of unnecessary traffic and not the safest thing.

You could put those pvc pipes on the trailer what ever those are called. I think they are meant to guide the boat onto the trailer but it could also be used for backing up.

 

its funny at work we have a bay where truck drivers have to back into to dump, its pretty tight but nothing extraordinary. dont know how many times we have had to replace the track to the roll up door.
like everyone else said already practice practice practice. and dont be scared.

 

Oh man, I definately snake it quite a few times, lol.


I can get it done, just wont look pretty or get it right the 1st time....


But it's much easier backing up with boat, than just the trailer by itself. Hard to see it. And by the time I see it in my mirrors, it's too much to correct, if the driveway is tight. Gotta pull forward....

 

practice practice practice....

The advice given here with putting your hand on the bottom of the wheel and looking over your shoulder can help a lot when you're new.

It gets really fun when it's a small empty trailer and you can't see it till it's half cocked sideways

 

Hand on the bottom of the wheel is a great tip and also try not to do anything too drastic when maneuvering. Small little adjustments are the way to go. Anything more than that and it's tough to get the trailer back on track without having the truck and trailer go all over the place. With practice you'll find it's a snap, even if you have to make turns to access the ramp.