At a busy ramp, tying off at the dock to park your truck while your family sits there doing nothing slows the whole process down. If your by yourself that's one thing, but I don't buy for a minute that two people can't launch a boat and get out on the lake faster than one.

I can't tell you how many times I've had wait on someone doing all of the launch work w/o any help from the crew. I've been involved with launching/retrieving boats since my grandpa had me hold the rope to the boat when I was 10yrs old. Never have I been able to do all the work faster by myself.

We prep the boat in the parking lot or staging area. Once everything and everyone is situated. I back the boat down the ramp. Wife backs boat off trailer and idles around, and pulls up to the dock once I've gotten to it. Many times we are waiting on those where one person does all the work and are hogging up the docks while two or three able people are holding onto the dock.

We are usually heading out to the lake before those doing it themselves get back to the dock.

Although now that we have the slightly heavier and larger Sundeck, we have changed a bit.
I back down to the water, get out and grab the lines, the admiral backs the truck in and then pulls forward. Retrieve is all me. Back truck in while wife holds lines and then I drive on trailer. We hop in and head over to put canvas on and wipe down

I handle all the backing up, both the trailer and the boat. Wifey pulls the trailer out and parks after launch, I back the boat off and dock it.

On retrieval, I back the trailer down the ramp, she moves the boat off the dock and puts it on the trailer. We have the system down to a science. Takes about 3 minutes to launch and/or retrieve.

I agree 100%. If you have others in your party there is no reason to take up a launch/retrieve lane tying your boat off to the dock. All that does is keep others from using that lane. If they do not know how to drive the boat or the truck...teach them and make the launch ramp experience a little better for all of us.

Cold Blooded two-stroke here. That means that I'm in the boat trying to start it.

If I am with family, my step-dad backs the boat down the ramp. That's when we're at our quickest.

Moreoften, I am not with family. Like many, I back the trailer down to the tip of the water and I have a friend put it in neutral to back the boat and me the rest of the way down. After I get the boat started and off the trailer, they park the TV and trailer and meet me at the dock.

Loading depends on ramp condition. If it's a week night, then I have my friend (Adam) retrieve the TV and trailer. He can back it down but it takes him some time and some corrections. He is getting better. If it's busy, he chickens out. While I go and back the trailer down, I have the rest of the "crew" organize and clean the boat up at the dock. I then proceed to load the boat and Adam will winch it tight. He then pulls out to the "packing" zone.

At the closest local lake, the distance between the dock and ramp is a mere 40ft so it's not much slower if I have to back the trailer in.

At our favorite local lake, it's a several hundred foot walk (read: a couple of minutes) between the dock and ramp. That's when it's a PITA. But it's also the most difficult place to back because one side of the ramp is literally a "cliff" that falls into the lake. The ramp is only 2 lanes wide. Long story cut short, Adam always asks me to back the trailer before I get the chance to ask him. I would teach Joslyn or Adam to load the boat....but we have to perfect the art of bring the boat into the dock first. A boat like ours is much more difficult to handle than the typical BR at slow speeds.

That first launch of the weekend is about 4 minuites. Takes about 10 secconds (max) to get her fired, about a minuite of elevated idle before she'll chug about 600RPM (warm idle from 750 to 850 lope).
Leak checks take about 30 secconds, then wife frees up the winch strap and I back her off and meet her at the dock after the truck is parked (if day-riding) or back at camp.
After a re-fuel off the weater, I back it in, she fires Lowrider up, I get the winch off, and she backs off, total ramp time, arround 1.5 minuites, MAX.

I do it all too.

My son and I have it down like a swiss watch. Pull up to the lake from the road and the boat is off the trailer and in the water in about 10 minutes including setting up the biminis. Retreiving is just as quick. I think it'd take at least that long by myself.

And we do the "touch and go" at the courtesy dock after the truck is parked. No need to get dock lines or fenders out of the locker.

Yep, us too. No need to tie anywhere if one of us is just hopping in and we are leaving. Usually don't even shut the motor down.

I'm responsible to hook up the trailer, drive, and launch. The admiral is good to hold the lines while the boat drifts into the water.

PS. Ive found my 10 year old daughter, is the best 1st mate, for responsiblilities, don't tel the admiral though...

Yea, the kids really dig the boating stuff.

Man, it's so easy to say, hey if they don't know how, teach em...The wife is way too short to drive the truck, much less look out the windows when backing down.

Driving the boat??? hahahaha.. thats a good one.. I'm sure most people would rather wait than have my boat either launched into theirs or have it wind up on the ramp.

She is excellent at pulling the boat off the trailer and I've got her to where she will pull the boat back as far as she can to tie up the boat at the far end of the dock. Out of the way of the people in a hurry.

Pulling it back on the truck is again, pretty smooth. I get the trailer in the water and almost before I have reached the back of the truck, she's got the boat coming at me over the trailer. Hook up the winch and off we go to tie it up and wipe it down.

It works for us and we haven't had a compliant yet. YET...So until we do... someone might have to wait another minute to launch... waaaaaa....

I might add that I will always let the people who look like they really know what they are doing to go before me..I understand people don't like waiting, neither do I. But, it's my boat and I'm gonna make sure it goes as smooth as possible.

We're still learning, so I'm sure we'll get faster as time goes along.. So to all those that have to wait .. I do apologize

I drive the tow vehicle; wife drives the boat on/off the trailer. Then a quick touch and go at the dock picks me up or drops off. After 15 years at the launchramp, I'd say 3 boats using the team approach can launch or retrieve in the time it takes for those that do it all themselves. Which can be a little frustrating when you're the one waiting in line for the ramp.

I grew up around boats, wife did not. So, first thing was to teach her to handle the boat & pull skiers. When we got our own boat I told her she could do the boat or the trailer, her choice. She said she wanted to load the boat on the trailer.

All it takes is a little patience and practice. We went to the ramp on a couple of weekdays when the ramp was empty to practice. It helped build her confidence for loading during the weekend crowds. I have to admit, I smile big as she brings the boat in during a strong crosswind and loads it easily onto the trailer. --Especially when I see the surprise on some of the menfolk at the ramp who barely let thier wife/SO touch the dock line.

Isn't the launch ramp your front porch this week, beej?