Terrible at backing boat down ramp, thinking front hitch

I dont even think about what the truck is doing I typically use the mirrors. I did gain a lot of experience Towing aircraft in the Air Force but I'll tell you when I first started my boss had me tow over the shoulder and later regulations only allowed us to move an aircraft backwards with the tow vehicle facing the aircraft.

 

If you are lousy at backing up a front hitch is a bad idea. As others have said PRACTICE!. The mentioned suggestion re hand at the bottom of the steering wheel is excellent. Remember go slow slow slow. Make tiny incremental steering corrections. Go to some empty parking lot and spend time practicing. Oh yeh use the mirrors and not looking over your shoulders. Everyone started like you not being able to back a boat up for crap. Now for most of us it’s just second nature.

 

Go to uhaul and rent the car trailer, go to a big empty parking lot and practice backing it into spaces. It really isn't too bad and you'll learn fast.

 

that and follow a painted line, come in and park like you are trying to put a boat in the water. If you are really worried get some cones and then hit an empty parking lot and set up your own obstacles..

 

I would say practice backing up.
a set of post guides like these https://www.etrailer.com/Boat-Trailer-Parts/CE-Smith/CE27626.html help to see where your trailer is when backing down the ramp when the boat is off. Gives you a good idea of where the trailer is so you can correct earlier when you start going off course.

 

This and I agree that if you can't put the trailer where you want it when its attached to the back of your truck a front hitch is not going to help with anything other than giving you a better view of the chaos.

 

That’s very true, good points.
Idiotic idea all around These further points might not apply for your 17’ boat, but my sailboat the truck has to be pretty far in the water to float it off the trailer, so going in head first leaves you Far less room to menuver if something goes wrong, and your truck is going to do much better pulling the boat out in drive than reverse.

What happens if you have to turn around in a parking lot? Or back into a gas pump? Gonna play switcharoo?

You should not drive with a trailer on the road or be at the boat ramp until you figure out how to properly back up said trailer. People do, and I love grabbing the popcorn lol.Practice

 

I use a front hitch to park boats in my shed. At how busy the landing get you would piss off alot if people. Learn to use the mirror and practice. Or come to spicer i charge 75 to put a boat in the lake. 75 to take it out. 85 a month to store it. Fish houses is 100 to put it on or off i dont store fish houses.

 

That video made my morning!

 

When all else fails just push that sumbitch

 

Terrible idea, just learn to back it up well, it's a skill you'll need anyway if you're using your trailer much at all.

It will take too long to perform the swap from front to rear hitch and you won't want to drag a significant amount of weight up a hill in reverse when the suspension actually need that load over the rear axle for traction.

 

if you have a private boat ramp do it, but stopping and turning your vehicle around and doing all that unnecessary movements while others are waiting to launch is unacceptable. You should be able to back the boat and trailer and unload or load the boat on the trailer in a reasonable amount of time and get out of the way.

 

And if there's a line at the boat ramp - it'll turn into a lynch mob.

 

I'm confused, why do you guys keep quoting me? I did nothing but try and discourage him from this swapping idea. Learn to back it up properly is the only option I provided. Learning at the ramp is a bad idea, but a lot of boat ramps aren't super busy during the week in areas with many lakes. Find a time that it's not super busy, or go to a parking lot.

 

Simply reinforcing you're message/point.

 

Sell the boat, you’ll thank me later.

 

Practice!!! Everyone watching was not born knowing how to back a trailer. Just laugh with them.!

 

Whatever way the trailer goes turn your wheel in that direction, biggest thing not to do is oversteer.

 

When reversing, place your steering hand at the bottom of the steering wheel, centered.

When you want the trailer to start going towards the driver side, rotate the steering wheel, so you hand rotates towards the direction you want the trailer to go. Same goes for the passenger side. Instead of it all being backwards, it makes it the same direction, allowing you to react quicker.