Sounds like a pretty successful first outing! I trailer boats A LOT and have a couple suggestions that might help:

Definitely add PVC guide posts to the trailer. I have these on my powerboat trailer which has low bunks and it makes it soooo much easier to back the empty trailer down the ramp. It will also keep the boat from slipping off the trailer when you go to pull out of the water.

Speaking of backing down the ramp, I actually open the drivers door and look out the side of the SUV sometimes to see my trailer. No shame in doing that.

As far as winches and ratchet straps, if you haven't bought new ones, I would highly suggest that. They're pretty straightforward to use once you have your system down. On a boat as small as yours they should be under $50 for a good set. One thing I've seen on some trailers is adding an I-bolt to the trailer frame on either side of the boat as a hard point to attach the straps. Not sure how you are running the strap, but I always go from one side of the trailer, over the gunnel, across the cockpit and back down to the other side of the trailer.

When unloading the boat, I always back it in far enough so the boat will float off with a gentle tug. With a light boat you shouldn't have to "pop" the brakes.

When loading the boat, I back in until just the front edge of the bunks are out of the water. This will likely be slightly different for your boat, but a good place to start.

Feel free to PM me if you want to talk trailering/launching more. My boat is stored mast-up at my sailing club on the trailer so I launch and retrieve every time I use it.

 

as a retired truck driver I drove double trailers my whole career.

Get out and practice backing, go into a big parking lot and back into parking spaces over and over till you can do it everytime, sure won't take 10 hours to learn this skill and you will be the guy at the launch knowing what he is doing!!!!

as far as launching the boat, yes just let it float off if the ramp permits. My last powerboat I had to tap the brakes because it wasn't deep enough to float the boat off otherwise. but that's not normal.

invest in a winch for the front of the trailer and a set of tie downs for the back.

once you have your system in place you will only be at the launch for minutes looking like a pro!!!

I'm in Michigan and every spring tons of new boat owners have the same type of day you had. At least you didn't drop your 30' off shore go fast 100k boat on concrete Yep I have seen that first hand twice!!!

Bob

 

Launch the lido 14 ( same as a Holder but a little heavier ) buy backing down to the water. no part of the trailer in the water, we are in salt water and the trailer has lasted 50 years by never getting it wet . lift and push the bow of the boat and slide the boat into the water. We retrieve by using the winch on the front of the trailer. no need to float a 250 lbs. boat on or off the trailer.

 

Wow, thanks for all the great advice! Hopefully if the weather and time permits I will be up at the same reservoir next week and will try it all again. The worst part is that the ratchet tie down that broke was brand new from Lowes, only used twice and supposedly heavy duty. I think I will be replacing my winch also, I've never really thought it looked all that dependable to begin with.

I wil try letting the boat float off next time- I think I watched one too many videos of people popping the brakes to get much bigger boats off and somehow thought that I had to do the same thing with my little boat! I will also continue to practice backing up with the trailer, I will give up trying to use only the mirrors for the time being, that will come eventually.

I am going to look into getting the guide posts, being by myself- it will just be easier to have posts and not have to worry about it sliding off the side of the trailer when I am loading if a big gust of wind comes up, which now I realize will happen more often then not on the top of a mountain! Still concerned about getting the boat back on the trailer if I don't have the guide posts before I go again- it really was a nightmare trying to load it yesterday and I never want to repeat it- though I am sure I gave the power authority workers on the other side of the reservoir something to watch for several hours while they were working! :-/ Will she or won't she get the boat up and out of the water, hmmmm. But if I have a better winch it will help a lot, along with adding I-bolts to the trailer for the tie downs, the more secure the better after almost losing the boat all because of one tiny little pin!

Lots to do and think about before my next trip out, again- thank you all very much for the great advice!

 

Wow! I had no idea that trailer sailing was so much work! From your description, your day was more difficult than a week on our 50 footer. lol Sell the trailer sailer and buy a big boat and save yourself all that hassle. Just kidding.
Anyway, congrats on surviving your first of what I hope are many, many not so hectic days out on the water.

 

Haha, believe me the thought of selling that boat occurred to me more then once during that day!

 

Sounds like you have the right ideas for next time! Just curious...what kind of ratchet straps did you buy?

Since your boat is so light, you could stand to not back the trailer in the water as far and winch the boat up onto the bunks as Overbored said. Even with really strong winds, the boat should not flip off the trailer. Make sure the sails are lashed down tight so they don't have any surface area to catch and flip the boat over. If it's blowing much over 10 knots, I put away all my sails before trying to load onto the trailer as they will push around even my 19 foot boat.

 

I tied down the boat with the ratchet straps, tied down the bow also with a ratchet strap,

Here is how I secure my boat on the trailer for towing. On the front, I have replaced the winch hook with a shackle. I also have added a safety chain! The back part is held down by a heavy duty, ratchet tie down strap as shown.

 

Perhaps you realize, but the shorter the distance from your rear wheels to the trailers wheels, the more difficult it is to keep straight when backing it up. You're learning on the right set up, but when you get it down, you'll be a pro with the bigger trailers you see others launching. I learned as kid on my Father's lawn tractor/trailer. That thing had a mind of it's own!

As you seem to have realized, looking over your shoulder is substantially easier and the way to learn. Once the feel is second nature, transition to the mirrors, if you like. Although, there is nothing mandatory about doing so, if you can see the trailer and the ramp otherwise. It's when your boat gets too big to see the ramp that you'll need the mirrors, or a helper.

Two tips you may already realize. 1. Just like docking, slow is pro. Better to inch down the ramp the first time than to need to redo it three times quickly. 2. If your hand is on the bottom of the wheel, you will move it in the direction you want the trailer to turn and not have to do the dyslexic translation of turning the wheel backwards.

Good luck, I can tell you'll get this down just fine.

 

StarwindMango, the mainsail was down and it was down in the boat but still blowing around and after the second time it flipped off the trailer I finally thought to take the sail off completely, another thing learned that I should have done first. I'll check later today on the brand of the tie down straps- I am also going to Lowes next week to see if I can return them-

David Chin, the shackle and chain is a good idea and you have beautiful boat!

Minnewaska, I do vaguely remember someone saying once that the shorter the trailer the harder it is to reverse, that made me feel a little better when I was in the middle of my backing up fiasco! In my head, for some reason- I thought it would be better to learn straight off using the mirrors only for when and if I do get a bigger boat, but after the other day I will now have no problem at all turning my head around to reverse- there is no way I am going up and down that ramp over and over again just to use the mirrors only!!!

I have to say, I thought about not writing about my first day out as it went so badly and I have a slightly bruised and embarrassed ego because of it!! But I am really glad I did as I am getting such tremendous advice and support here, again thank you

 

And some of us thought we had boat launching problems.

 

And some of us thought we had boat launching problems.

I've watched this video several times and am always amazed. I wonder what became of the boat

 

Sorry I called you the guy at the boat ramp!!!

when backing if you can do it back so the trailer stay's in the driver side mirror much easier to see what's going on. Back on an arc if that makes sense.
yep hand on top of the wheel everything is backwards, but usually your movement is limited on the bottom of the steering wheel. Still stand by going out and practicing in a empty parking lot. There will be no pressure to perform and if you plan on a couple hours there will be no hurry. Trust me it's really not that hard to learn, but it does take practice just like riding a bike took more than one try...

Bob

 

StarwindMango, the tie down straps are Smart Straps from Lowes rated for 15000 lbs

snokid It is no problem haha! Guy, gal, at that point on the ramp it wouldn't have mattered what I was called, as long as I could get that boat out of the water!!
I am going to keep practicing- I have a very long, driveway with a straight slope and a couple of curves so I had been practicing backing up and down that & thought I was doing alright because I could back down it, err no, apparently not :-/
So I think you are right that I need to get out to a parking lot or even down to the launches on a quiet day (I live near the Hudson River, but not going out there with my little boat anytime soon, so that is why I am sticking to the reservoir) you have given me great advice and it will be used! Thank you

 

StarwindMango, the tie down straps are Smart Straps from Lowes rated for 15000 lbs

That should be plenty of strap for your boat. I prefer the hooked ends rather than the C-shaped ends if you decide to buy anything else. The key with ratchet straps is making sure you get the long end of the strap through the ratchet correctly...I've seen them slide out before and that can wind up with a boat on the road.

As someone else said- this is a light boat, you could also just use some rope and tie it down from the stern cleats (if it has any) or just run a double line across the cockpit back down to the trailer. Post some pics of your trailering setup once you get it rigged

 

The tiedowns were on securely, it was the pin that came out of the ratchet itself that caused the ratchet to come apart and the tiedowns flap around on the side of the boat- I only got the straps last month so it is not like they were old or anything- that is why they are going back to Lowes on Monday and of course the reciept is thrown out! :-/

I like how you "double wrap" your boat with the tiedowns, I will try and something similar to your setup StarwindMango- I also have a smaller tiedown at the front of the bow, as I do not have a safety chain attached to the boat, which I need to figure out how to attach one- there is no hook on the front of the bow only the three holes on the top to hook the forestay to, 1 large that I put the winch hook through and 2 smaller holes.

 

When it comes to getting the boat onto the trailer, I found the easiest way is to start with the trailer just into the water, and the haul the boat onto the trailer with the winch. This way you avoid the problem where the boat is getting blown all over the place in the water.

 

Thanks MarkSF, that seems like that is the way I will likely do it- definitely want to replace my winch first though!

 

A couple of ideas, I think they've maybe been covered, but here they are any way. I have two boats I keep on trailers and launch each time I sail. A Prindle 16 and a Bay Hen 21.

The Prindle we usually launch on beaches, I don't think we have ever used a boat launch, so there is always a certain amount of offroading involved, trees and rocks to miss, that sort of thing. I find I can usually man handle the Prindle pretty well at 350 lbs, so I think the Hobie Holder should be the same.

The Bay Hen I launch at my local boat ramp, usually single handed, some times there is a dock , sometimes not. There is always a cross wind, often pretty strong. I do have side bunks on that trailer to help guide the boat on, which I think could help your case . I put the trailer in until the trailer wheels are covered but no further. I winch the boat up the trailer with the forward portion of the bunks being dry, this prevents the boat from blowing off (friction). I don't put the ratchet strap on until after I have towed the boat up the ramp.

I cobbled together some trailer launching clips this morning to show you what a determined trailer sailor can accomplish. Kind of a video response I guess.

The first one shows us hunting for a useable boat launch in high water conditions and how the challenges were over come. It was about 3 celcius with mixed snow and rain- fun. Notice I leave the tailgate on my SUV open when backing the trailer down to the water. I cant see the trailer with the tailgate closed. We simply dragged the boat off the trailer when we were close to the waters edge, didn't want to high side my car on the ledge. Notice, we couldn't step the mast on the dirt because trees were in the way, so we stepped it with the boat floating.

The second clip is backing a trailer down the beach in the dark. I wasn't directing left and right, he used the reflection of the trailer lights off the trees to steer it.

Third short clip is retrieving the boat from wet lands. We only backed the truck back as long as it was on solid ground, then we dragged the boat up and put it on the trailer manually.

 

Wow! Awesome videos, I thought my ramp on the reservoir was in the back of beyond- you really are launching in the back of beyond! Great advice too, thank you- I will keep that in mind on where to position the trailer. Oh and haha, a grocery getting SUV, I like that :-D Thanks again for the videos, very helpful to see!

 

Ok, here is an update from day 2 at a boat launch!

I was going to go up to the reservoir today, but the weather is not as nice predicted and there is not a wisp of wind- so since I planned to go out anyway, I decided to go down to the boat launch on the Hudson River and do a little practice launching & loading. First time I got the trailer in the water and then tried pulling/pushing the boat off myself while holding a bow line, it came off easily enough, but the boat swung around after it was off the trailer and it was a time trying to guide it with the line around to the dock, (which is to the left of the ramp in the photos)it was floating this way and that and not going well- I tied it off to the dock and then parked up.

Then I reverse back down the ramp to load, went and got the boat off of the dock and tried to guide it back over using the bow line again, ugh it was a pain! It was floating this way and that and bumping off the side of the ramp and I finally got in somewhat on the trailer and jumped down and hooked it up to the winch and pulled it up and out. (I got a new winch yesterday, wow! What a difference, sooooo much easier)!!

So second time with a practice launch, this time I thought I would try tying the long bow line onto the cleat on the side of the ramp, I think you can see it in the second pic- then I backed in a little more until it floated off instead of trying to push it off myself and drove back up out of the water. Much easier! Pulled up out of the ramp and parked the truck, then back to pull it around to the dock and tied up with a bow AND a stern line this time.

When I went to load up again, I walked the boat around the corner to the ramp using both the bow/stern lines to control it, again, Much, much easier- I tied it off to the cleat on the side of ramp, got the truck- didn't back in as far, I went until the water was juuuuust over the fenders- got out and jumped up to the ropes and guided it over to the trailer again using both ropes and then back down to the trailer to hook up the winch and maneuver it on evenly. It took about 7 minutes from the time I got in to reverse to water to the time I drove to the top of the ramp! It bet it would've been faster if it was high tide and the water wasn't so low, low tide meant lots of jumping down and climbing up on the dock and the sides of the ramp ;-D

I pulled up and secured the boat with the tie downs and I was done- couldn't believe how much easier it was the second time in today- I also kept the tailgate down for backing down for both the launching and loading, that made it easier to reverse also.

There is also a photo here of how I tiedown my boat on the trailer, does that look ok the way I am doing it?

I think I will be alright the next time I go out, again I can't say thank you enough for all the great advice here and now I feel much more confident about launching/loading- there is still a lot to learn as each boat launch is different- but as long as I stop and take a look and plan the way I am going to do it, I think I will be alright, I will still be a little bumpy as I am still new at all this but it will get better- the worst part is how the boat turns this way and that when trying to pull it away or towards the trailer with the bow line, that is pretty frustrating.

Oh and just want to say, it took one time only to reverse down the ramp each time! No starting, stopping, going forward or back, I reversed straight down each time with not one problem, I am pretty pleased with that too!

 

I trailer launched my boat on May 1st this year. It was windy and snowing that day in Minneapolis.

The two guys that launched after me didn't have a line on their boat and when it slid off the trailer it floated into the lake and just started blowing away.

On a normal day either one of them would have waded in and grabbed it, but since it was so cold and snowing they both hesitated until it was too late, the boat was out of reach.

Since it was the first day the lake was open the tenders weren't easily accessible either. By the time they got one unlocked and in the water their boat was halfway across the lake. They had the joy of rowing through snow and wind to catch it, then had to tow it back against the wind.

Anyway, I just thought I'd let you know that all sorts of crazy stuff happens on boat ramps.

 

.....It was windy ......

The two guys that launched after me didn't have a line on their boat ........

There is a certain amount of common sense necessary in most of life's endeavors. Those guys may not be cut out for being outdoors.

 

Congrats!!!!

Glad you are getting the hang of it!!!

Looks tied down good.

Hopefully you will have some wind next time so you can sail also.

Bob

 

Minnesail, that is crazy! All for the lack of a rope :-/

Thank you snokid, I am not going to lie- I parked up at the boat launch and read through this thread one more time before I headed to the ramp so all the advice was fresh in my mind, it helped a lot. Checking out the weather for next week and hoping for a little wind and maybe even sun, so I can get out again!

 

Our club is right next to the town boat ramp. The weekend launching activities provide endless entertainment for those sitting on our south porch. One I will never forget was about 20 years ago. Fellow had just launched his powerboat and he jumped out to tie it up to the dock. Must have forget to put the parking brake on because as he was on the dock, his car and trailer started slowly rolling down the ramp. Didn't stop until the car was almost completely submerged.

 

Minters- well done on the successful practice launching! Your tiedown setup looks plenty stout to me. Just make sure that mast is secure to the boat and I think you'd be fine to trailer it anywhere.

 

I also have a Hobie Holder 14 and have had some experiences at a big lake boat ramp. Mine did not involve my Hobie nor my 1996 Jeep Grand Cherokee I use for tow vehicle, but the guys with new and expensive power boats and their $60K tow vehicles. They seem to have a lot of problems with reverse on a boat ramp apron wide enough for 6 lanes to the point that even being on the ramp was a hazard, so I think you are probably not so bad. Growing up on a farm made it possible for me to go backwards as easily as I can go forwards, but I did learn a good tip from this thread. The pointer about keeping your hands at the bottom of the wheel is a good one and should work until you get the hang of backing while looking in your mirrors. Get the boat in the water and enjoy sailing....