Single-Handing

[Pat Anderson]

OK, Patty is off in Yakima with the girls on a wine tour this weekend. I have a crew for today, but 'sposin' I didn't - how the HECK is this boat "easily launchable by one person"? I can't even dock and tie-up single-handed, but that is another post maybe. I am launching at Eddie Vine at Shilshole - walk me through the steps of single-handing the launch (and retrieval) of this puppy, starting with:

1. Back down launch ramp with boat on trailer.
2. ???

[Alyssa Jean]

I am launching from a private ramp vs a public which allows me more time possibly. But this time of year maybe not. I back the boat into the water, start the engines, shift into forward with enough rpms to hold the boat on the trailer and then go forward and unhitch the bow chain and winch. Go back into the cabin and ease the boat off the trailer and in your case over to the dock. Have your lines ready to jump onto the dock with. Tie up the boat and move your trailer. Coming back is just the reverse. Get the trailer in the water, power onto the trailer, keep enough rpms up to keep it there while you go forward and hook up the winch. I also have a cat walk (making one for you Pat) and a ladder up to the bow from the trailer which makes it a lot easier to ddo this.

In my case I have no dock so I have the dingy tied to the transom and go out and tie up to a bouy , row back to the ramp, move the truck, and row back out to the bouy.

[rogerbum]

Pat,

While I haven't done it with a 25, I have done it MANY times with my 22. Set-up is the key.

1) Prior to backing down the ramp, have both a bow and stern line attached. I used 25' lines and prepare them so a loop is hanging down over both the bow and the stern. It's important to have plent y of extra line.
2) Take the boat hook out of the boat and put it in the tow vehicle.
3) As you back down the ramp, you need to need to keep it fairly close to the dock (1-3') so you can easily reach the stern line with the boat hook. Get the stern well into the water. E.g. get to the normal point to launch ( with a roller trailer, the bow should still be just out of the water. Go back, grab the stern line with the boat hook and pull the stern line to the dock. With 25' you should have a lot left over. Leave the stern line in a pile on the dock.
4) Grab the bow line and release the boat from the winch. If you have 25' bow and stern lines, you should be able to launch the boat while holding the bow line and get to the stern line in plenty of time.
5) As the boat rolls off the trailer, walk with the bow line in hand back to the dock where the stern line is piled and grab it.
6) Once you have both lines in hand, things are under control.
7) Walk the boat to the far end of the dock and tie it off.
Return to the tow vehicle and park it.

You're set.

To retrieve,
1) Tie the boat at the end of the dock. Raise the engines.
2) Go get the trailer. Pull out plent of extra cable and prepare the winch for rewinding. If you have a truck, it's useful to lower the tailgate so you can use it to walk on.
3) Back the trailer into the water at the normal depth for loading. Again stay close to the dock.
4) Untie the boat and with a long bow line walk it forward to the trailer. Usually at Shilshole, I can hop onto my tailgate and pull the boat with the bow line onto the trailer.
5) Connect the latch to the bow eye and winch the boat foward. In a cross wind or cross current, it is useful to talk some nearby person into pushing/pull on the stern to get it into alignment. This can't always be done so sometimes you have to live with a less than perfect retrieve. It doesn't really hurt anything if the boat stern is no perfectly centered on the trailer.

However if the cross wind is too much, it may be necessary to drive the boat onto the trailer under power and to leave it in gear until the winch is tighten up. To do this, carefully drive the boat onto the trailer and get it up to the boaw rolloer. Apply a little power and steering to get the back end aligned. Leave it in gear, walk to the bow and attach the winch line to the bow eye. If you have it in gear with the wheel turned a bit, you can generally keep the stern lined up where you want it. Winch the boat up until it will not wander at the stern and turn the engines off and raise them. Tighten up on the winch line and then return to the tow vehicle to get off the ram. If the boat is close to the dock, this is simply a matter of walking back to the cockpit and hopping off. If not, you can often climb down from the bow to the tailgate of the tow vehicle and get out. On my trailer, I can go from the bow to the spare tire to the tailgate without getting my feet wet.

Hope this helps,
Roger on the SeaDNA

[Sneaks]

Since I single hand launch and recover about 75% of the time I'll give you my procedures and you'll just have to scale up to the 25, Pat. It worked on my 23' as well. BUNK trailer, not roller trailer

Once the boat is prepped for launch, the winch line and the backup (chain) bow keeper are the only things holding the boat on the trailer. Only then do I back into the water far enough to see the boat float free (my tow vehicle never gets wet tires).

I then move forward again, and here's the tricky part because there are a lot of variables involved. I stop where there's enough "stiction" between the boat and the bunks so that if I unhook the winch strap the boat remains where it is yet not so far that I can't fairly easily power off the trailer. In my case the forward part of the trailer fender is a few inches out of the water (I marked mine after a few launches.)

Next step is to get from the ground up onto the boat. In my case I climb from the hitch to the winch and step over the railing onto the bow. (The most unsafe moment for this geezer) Once there, I lower and start the engine. Then it's back to the bow to reach down and unhook the strap/chain.

Returning to the helm, it's a simple matter to power off the trailer, motor over to the dock and tie up. Especially if I didn't forget to rig my lines and fenders first!

On recovery, I deliberately back the trailer in a little LESS than the launch distance just to be "stiction" safe. Motor onto the trailer, power up close to the winch and shut down. Back to the bow, reach over and hook the strap, climb down over the bow, winch in tight, hook up the backup bow chain keeper and pull the boat out. Before recovery, make sure your winch strap is out enough and the winch is set to winch IN. If you can't reach it from the bow you can grab the hook with your boat hook and pull it close enough to reach.

Again, this works only on launch ramps that allow power on/off and the pier is some distance from the ramp. In Oceanside, we have piers right next to the launch ramp and I can back in until the boat floats, grab my pre-rigged lines, unhook the bow hooks, jump on the pier and physically pull the boat off the trailer and over to the pier. Now that's VERY nice....


Don

[Helen O]

I launch by myself about 90% of the time, this method is a piece of cake.

1. In the parking lot, put in the boat plug, put out your bumpers, raise the vhf antenna, remove tie straps from rear of boat, release the lock on the motor, coil up 25 ft. bow rope on the bow, make sure stern rope is attached and laying inside boat, remove safety strap or pin from windlass.

2. Back the boat down the ramp so that the trailer tires are about 1 ft. from the dock and the bow of the boat is at the shoreline when you stop.

3. Put vehicle in Park and set emergency brake. Get out and take the 25 ft. bow rope that is coiled on the bow and tie it to the dock about where the middle of the boat is. Place extended boat hook on the dock where it can easily used later. Now unfasten that safety chain on the bow.

4. Get back in vehicle and back slowly up until boat floats free. Put vehicle in park, set emergency brake, get out, hop up on the dock grasp bow line and pull boat to you. Use the boat hook if necessary (in the wind) pull the stern to you. Tie off the ropes properly.

5. Go park the vehicle.



To retrieve:

1. Put on your hip boots that you carry in your vehicle for retrieving. Back up vehicle on boat ramp so that the trailer tires are close to dock and the trailer fenders are about 2 inches under water. Place vehicle in Park and set emergency brake. Get out and pull about out 6 or 8 ft. of winch strap/rope/cable from the trailer.

2. Untie boat. Position yourself at mid boat on the dock with sternline in one had and bowline in the other. Pulling on the sternline will cause the bow to swing outward while propelling the boat towards the trailer. Pull just enough on the bowline to keep it headed in the right direction. The bunk guides will guide the the boat right up to the bunks and stop it. Throw the sternline into the cockpit of the boat. Keep hold of the bowline and walk down to the trailer. Attach bow eye to winch cable and crank it on. Fasten safety chain. Coil bowline and place it up on the bow. Pull boat up ramp and park it. Now you can properly stow things for your trip home.

Taint' nothing to it, big boats or little.

* Note: If the boat launch is busy, let them know that you are launching by yourself and it would speed things up if you had some help holding lines. If no one volunteers to help then they can't legitimately complain if you take your sweet time in launching. Although, at a busy ramp I've never seen it where they weren't more than willing to help me launch.

[JamesTXSD]

This goes for singlehanded docking, then transitioning to launching/retrieving. Our big boat is a sailing trimaran; it puts you quite a ways from the dock when you are in the cockpit. I set up one line from bow to stern with a bit of slack in it; this way, as I move out of the cockpit, I can pick up the line and drop it over a dock cleat to keep the boat from "getting away" while I tie off bow/stern lines.

I assume most of you C-Dory owners have goalposts on your trailers? On our smaller, trailerable sailboat, these work good for keeping the boat lined up on the trailer while I go forward to hook the bow line from the trailer. Seems that the windage on these boats would make them a handful trying to launch/retrieve without the goalposts.

Best wishes,
James TX/SD

[stevej]

I launch and retreive solo 99% of the time. Same method as Roger and Larry only wear shorts and sandals on the retrieve. Typically only get wet up to the knees. If you can't get close to the dock then side bunkers come in very handy.

stevej

[starcrafttom]

Pat I agree with all of the above methods. I have used the motor on/off and the tie it to the dock before you launch style and both are great. I have another that I have seen on boats big and small. Just take your bow line and after the boat in most of the way in the water tie the end of the line to the dock or your trailer. To the trailer works really good when there is no dock, like at the river today in my friends sled. Then just back in until the boat flows off and do it at a good clip so the boat uncoils the bow rope until its good and tight. Now pull forward until the boat noses on to the beach. or dont pull forward and just untie the rope from the trailer ( a large snap makes this quick and easy) then tie up to the dock. No need to get wet or climb up and down the boat.

[gljjr]

Great thread!

Tom, with my sled I simply back it far enough into the water that it almost floats. Then I climb in, unhook and back it off the trailer. Beach it on the river bank and move the truck. at retrieval I put the trailer in the water, drive the boat onto the trailer and leave the engine in forward with good pressure on the trailer and hook it up. Then kill the engine and off we go!

For on a dock I will simply back the trailer almost all the way in then stop and tie both ends of the boat off with lines long enough to have slack. disconnect the boat from the trailer and give it a good reverse thrust to get the boat to move back and off. Hop out and retie the boat out of the way and then move the truck, trailer. Retrieval is the same as above. Drive onto the trailer and hook up. Then climb out the bow of the boat to the truck and drive off.

It will be interesting to see how well the 27' moves on and off the trailer once I get the motor rebuilt.

Pat, You might just go to Edmonds and use the sling! Then you don't have to worry about it at all

[DaveS]

Pat, I just resurrected a thread from '04 entitled Launching With Roller Trailer. It has pertinent information to your question.

[C-Worthy]

Considering what I pay for a slip, I don't mind calling my Harbormaster on a blustery day when I'm coming in without a mate, and asking for a hand at the dock. They usually just wind up standing there, but it's always good to have an extra set of hands and eyes.

Don't be afraid to ask for a hand if possible. My experience has been that most everyone at a dock loves to help other boaters. It's a karma thing.

My wife does this a lot. Of course, she also bakes the Harbormaster's office loads of cookies, so maybe that's why they come out so fast when I call on the radio... Hmmm...

Believe me, it's not easy for me to ask for a hand. Heck I can't even ask directions in the grocery store, but if it eliminates gelcoat repair to C-Worthy (or worse - the other boats in the harbor), I can justify it.