Do you have a usual person who does the tow car and another usual suspect that holds or gets the boat to the float to let all the others get aboard?

I back up the truck, I get boat off trailer, I drive boat to dock to pick up the admiral who only pulls the truck forward.
Retrieving: I dock the boat. I walk to get truck and back it down, I walk back to dock to get boat and put it on the trailer, the admiral pulls forward to the wipe down area.

Me, myself and I.

Ditto.

yup, I do it all as well.

I do it all as well. I thought I was in the minority. Sometimes we have someone with us that is comfortable backing up the trailer. In five years of owning aboat that has been maybe 3 times.

Me too. But I only launch/retrieve about 5 times a summer.

I let my daughter drive the boat up on the trailer. Yesterday as i was walking back to get the trailer, a maybe 20 yr gut was trying to pull his boat onto the trailer with his I assume dad having backe trailer into water. I could see they were having trouble. I backed down, they were still there trying. My daughter pulled straight on the trailer and I hooked it up and pulled out noticing the embarassment on both thier faces. Later in they pulled up next to us and i could hear the dad giving lessons on loading a boat.

Ditto. Although, when my Admiral is around she is my official "comeonback". Whenever possible, day or night, I prefer to have a ground guide when backing up with a trailer.

I drive the truck, my 15 yo son deals with the boat. When he gets his license we'll work on doing it the other way so that it won't matter and he can take the whole rig to the lake with his budds.

NADA; our towing days are over...

for now.


Can't say that a little jet boat or jet ski isn't in the future though.

I back the TV down whether launching or retrieving, deal with the boat, and the admiral or one of the crew drive the TV to park or wipe down area...

TV?

Tow Vehicle.

Same here. Anyone else is just along for the ride.

Admiral is the TV backer...usually for us it's the 32' motorhome.....she launches me, unhooks the trailer, then parks the RV in the spot and sets it up. I'll dock the boat and help her finish up.

And I thought that you'd just go out for a 3 hour cruise while she parks the RV and gets everything set up... Back just in time for dinner?

The Admiral has a heck of a time backing. I usually back in to the edge of the water and let her back it in the rest of the way while I get the boat off the trailer.

To load up I have to back the trailer back in and the admiral usually does a good job of getting back on the trailer.

No way would I drive the TV, drive the boat off, tie it off, then drive TV to parking lot, then run back to the boat to head out on the lake, when I have a perfectly able wife to help.

I drive the TV and my wife drives the boat on and off the trailer. We generally can launch and retrieve in a matter of minutes.

I can't believe so many of you do not have help from your wife at all. I would not let that happen. When we decided to buy a boat, I told my wife that she needs to know everything that I do. So, she can drive the boat, back the tow vehicle and even trailer it all the way home.

+1 WD

Only if I've put the cooler in the boat already....

Admiral backs the boat in and pulls it out, but doesn't want to do anything else (out of fear). In time she'll do more.

My wife backs the trailer in, I put the boat on, daughter is "Winch Wench" or the son takes a turn at it.

After prep (blower, dock lines, light disconnect, transom straps, winch, etc...),
I back the boat down the ramp.

Just before I get to the decline, I stop for the Admiral to grab the dock line.
The admiral walks it down while I am backing up.

When the boat floats off the trailer I park the rig.
She pulls the boat to the dock.
A ~minute later I start the boat, the family hops in & we are off.

This thread reminded me of a few old posts....

had to link the first URL for some reason

www.boatingabc.com/forums/ubbthreads.php...html#Post250462

When my admiral expressed interest in helping with the launching and loading I was very happy. She is very skilled now and has no trouble backing me in and retrieving the trailer to load. Now my son is learning and soing a bang up job. I let him back the boat off the trailer this weekend and then load it on when we came back. He did a great job and got the boat on in one try. Pretty soon they won't need me at all.

Wett & Mad dogs;

Either one of you wants to let my wife drive your boat off the trailer, you will instantly know why the rest of us do it ourselves.

No amount of time savings is worth the aggravation, damage and marriage-wrecking inflicted by such a painful event.

Agree......