Essential Tips for Safe and Easy Boat Towing
Learn the boat towing basics to enjoy the freedom of taking your boat to any waterway. With the right truck or SUV and safety precautions, towing your boat can be simple and stress-free.
Basic Boat Towing Timeline
There are certain steps you'll go through every single time you tow a boat. You'll start by hooking the boat trailer to your tow vehicle, then go through a pre-trailering checklist to ensure the boat, trailer, and tow vehicle are ready to hit the road. When you arrive at your destination, it's time to unload the boat from the trailer and launch it. You'll do the reverse when leaving. Make sure to consult your checklist again before hitting the road on the way home.
How To Prepare Your Tow Vehicle
Before finalizing your towing setup, make sure your tow vehicle can handle the combined weight of your boat and trailer. The vehicle's owner's manual will list the Gross Combined Weight Rating (GCWR), which is the maximum allowable weight for the vehicle, loaded trailer, passengers, and cargo. Additionally, verify that your trailer hitch is rated to support the weight of your specific boat and trailer combination.
Make sure you have the correct ball on your hitch to fit your trailer’s coupler. Reeder-Trausch Marine offers a selection of hitch balls, so you can find the right one if you need it. Also, having a spare tire for your trailer is always a good idea in case of a flat during your trip.
Once you have these items confirmed, you'll need to equip your vehicle with the correct hitch if necessary and install any wiring you need on your vehicle and trailer to ensure that you have brake lights and other crucial control systems.
Build a Pre-Trip Trailering Checklist
It's a good idea to construct a pre-trip trailering checklist that you can consult and follow before you head out on the road. Before boating season begins, make sure your vehicle is ready with well-maintained brakes and properly inflated tires.
Before every trip, check the air pressure in your trailer tires and vehicle tires. Low air pressure is a common reason for trailer tires going flat. This is most likely to occur early in the boating season after the trailer has been parked for months. Check your trailer lights before taking off and again before you return home. Ensure that your boat is secured with tie-downs at the bow eye and at the transom. Get your trailer brakes inspected before the boating season starts, and keep the wheel bearings lubricated.
Finally, make sure you have all the gear you need for a day on the water and that it's properly tied down so that it won't blow out of the boat at highway speeds.
Getting Your Boat On and Off the Trailer
Most waterways have a dedicated launch ramp for boaters. In some cases, you may encounter a line of boaters waiting to launch. As you're waiting, take a good look at the ramp area and prepare a plan for backing down and launching. Once you've launched the boat, you or someone with you can park the vehicle and trailer in a designated spot.
For the return trip, you'll need to reverse the steps to launch the boat. Again, you may have to wait your turn. You may need to drop the driver off at the dock to get the vehicle and back down the ramp. The remaining crew in the boat can then help get the boat to the ramp and load it back on the trailer. As you might suspect, the technicalities of boating work much better with at least two people.
When you’re ready to enter the exciting world of boating, Reeder-Trausch Marine in Rockville, IN, can help with an expansive inventory of boats for fishing, fun, and everything in between.
Expert Guidance to Maximize Your Boating Experience
At Reeder-Trausch Marine in Rockville, IN, we go above and beyond to ensure that you have the knowledge and confidence you need to enjoy your boating experience to the fullest. One of the services we offer at our Rockville location is personalized on-water training with Captain Kyle.
Captain Kyle takes every customer out on the water to demonstrate everything they need to know about boating. This includes learning the features of your specific boat, how to dock it, how to launch it, and how to safely tow it back home. Whether you’re a first-time boat owner or an experienced boater looking to familiarize yourself with a new vessel, Reeder-Trausch Marine ensures you feel comfortable and prepared for all aspects of boating.
When you’re ready to embark on your boating adventure, Reeder-Trausch Marine is here to help with a wide selection of boats tailored for fishing, leisure, and everything in between.
