Why does the side of the bar facing the boat ramp always have more customers? Because it\u2019s free entertainment! If you want to put on a great performance rather than an embarrassing one, here are some basic boat trailering tips to put into practice.<\/p>\n
Speaking of which, the first thing you need to do is practice! No one is born knowing how to launch or retrieve a boat from a trailer, and it\u2019s easy to overlook these skills with the anticipation of getting out on the water. Our tip: Find an empty parking lot, set up some cones and rehearse your moves.<\/p>\n
You\u2019ll notice that your turn radius is wider when towing a boat and trailer, so give obstacles ample space. Also, backing up can be tricky because the trailer will pivot in the opposite direction of your tow vehicle. Practice driving, turning and backing up while towing your boat until you can control your vehicle and trailer confidently.<\/p>\n
Next, rehearse your launch and retrieval routine\u2014those parts of it that can be done on dry land\u2014 and keep a checklist so you are always prepared when you get to the ramp. There are entire websites devoted to proper boat launch and retrieval techniques, and we\u2019ll tackle these topics in detail in future blogs. For now, we want you to be safe and aware of what you need to know.<\/p>\n
If you have guests with you, explain to them ahead of time what they are expected to do (and not do) once at the ramp. Remember, these folks may not know their aft from a hole in the ground, so be mindful and cautious when assigning responsibilities. Remind your guests not to get behind the boat or trailer, and to always stay in sight of the driver of the tow vehicle.<\/p>\n
Make sure you have prepared your boat for launch or retrieval before you back your tow vehicle down the ramp. No one wants to wait while you try to figure out what you\u2019re doing. It\u2019s common courtesy to get on and off the ramp in good time, and planning ahead adds an additional safety factor.<\/p>\n
Lastly, it\u2019s a wise idea to always be nice to your fellow boat ramp users. They\u2019re a great resource and may be able to help steer you away from a mishap, or save you from one if the worst happens. <\/p>\n
United Marine Underwriters is more than just boat insurance.<\/a> Browse our Used Boats For Sale<\/a> at Boat Browser or our new Lakes and Waterways’ Guide<\/a> at Lake Browser. Check out our True Fish Tales<\/a> \u2013 the ones that did not get away – and share your fishing stories.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Why does the side of the bar facing the boat ramp always have more customers? Because it\u2019s free entertainment! If you want to put on a great performance rather than an embarrassing one, here are some basic boat trailering tips to put into practice. Speaking of which, the first thing you need to do is […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[237,238,241],"tags":[10,89,14,319],"class_list":["post-1099","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-boating-safety-2","category-boating-tips","category-life-on-the-water","tag-boat-insurance","tag-boating","tag-boating-safety","tag-trailering"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.unitedmarine.net\/blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1099","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.unitedmarine.net\/blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.unitedmarine.net\/blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.unitedmarine.net\/blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.unitedmarine.net\/blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1099"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/www.unitedmarine.net\/blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1099\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1104,"href":"https:\/\/www.unitedmarine.net\/blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1099\/revisions\/1104"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.unitedmarine.net\/blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1099"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.unitedmarine.net\/blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1099"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.unitedmarine.net\/blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1099"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}