Loading on Trailer

P

pslansing@mac.com

New member
Greetings,
I'm pondering acquiring a C-Dory 22 or 23 for day fishing and the odd weekend overnight. I'm used to lightweight aluminum boats that can be loaded with the trailer a little dry (about a quarter of the bunks showing). You just drive the bow between the bunks, raise the motor appropriately, then drive on up to within a foot or so of the winch. Easy peasy. Is this an approved loading method with C-Dorys? I've never owned a glass boat so please advise. (And don't spare my feelings.) Cheers, Phil
 
Power on, power off the trailer is the only way I can single-handily load and unload at the ramp near my Down East cottage in Maine since there is no dock or float adjacent to the ramp. the spare tire on the trailer tongue acts as a step on & off the bow. Water just over the trailer fenders works for me.
 
I know you can do it that way, because I have had to in the past, but I prefer to just let it float off and on even with a roller trailer like mine. It's just easier on the gelcoat finish, and well-positioned side bunks help in making it only take a moment or 2 more. I understand it's probably not always possible at every launch.
 
Set out the dock lines for the side of the boat next to the dock. Back the trailer down until the boat is floating (with a C-Dory it doesn't take that much). Use the dock lines or side handles on the boat to walk it clear of the trailer. Tie it off and then go park the tow and trailer.

Do it in reverse when retrieving the boat.

If there isn't a dock, then you are going to get wet.

Powering on and off the trailer just messes up the ramp for everybody and is often prohibited.
 
You can, but just as easy to back in to load, the same distance, as what it took for the boat to float off while launching. I've done it both ways, but many ramps don't allow power loading.
 
I've become a fan of "driving it on."

The float-on/off method often results in the trailer being too deep so that the rollers never catch and force the boat straight. Given the effect of even the slightest wind on these boats (especially when empty), it makes sense to drive the boat onto the rollers.

Some are concerned by "power loading" but quite frankly the amount of power required is minimal. I use the "never go faster than you're willing to hit something" speed and it's plenty to get the boat onto the rollers and close enough to the winch that I can hook up the bow eye and winch it up into position.

I don't drive it all the way up, though. Maybe I like the winching workout?

But I'd be surprised if a grain of sand is distributed. Seaweed sure ain't.
 
I will add ...

We went from a 14' Starcraft aluminum fishing boat on bunks to a C-Dory 22.

Our trailer has rollers (which I have grown fond of) and side bunk boards as guides.

But it's taken me several dozen load/unload sequences to finally feel confident that I'll get it on reasonably straight and that it won't float away.

In fact last week I launched it solo and I apologized to the couple next in line for taking so long and they waved me off saying, "Well, it is quite an art -- but you have it down!"

If they only knew...
 
ssbol has it right. Your bunks will stay in place longer when you are not slamming the boat into them, and your boat will enjoy fewer scars and scrapes.
You will also avoid the risk of your prop hitting the end of the cement ramp (ouch!).
 
I'm mostly solo and have only done a power-on a few times. The biggest problem with that is once on the trailer I have to crawl off of the boat/trailer, usually over the bow rail, into >12" of water. Much easier to properly locate the trailer and float the boat on. For my setup, when the wheel fenders sink under, I have just the depth I need. I might go a few inches deeper if the ramp is steep.

Best thing I did was make some "launching pants" (pictures in my photo album). Take off my shoes, slip on the pants and a pair of oversized crocs. Being able to wade in over my knees with no tight-rope walking on the trailer tongue makes the process easy. Then I toss the pant and crocs in the cockpit or back of the truck and rinse them when rinsing the trailer. Sure, they look funny, but the only comments received have been "where did you get those?"

http://www.c-brats.com/modules.php?set_ ... _album.php
 
Marco Flamingo":1ytloula said:
I'm mostly solo and have only done a power-on a few times. The biggest problem with that is once on the trailer I have to crawl off of the boat/trailer, usually over the bow rail, into >12" of water. Much easier to properly locate the trailer and float the boat on. For my setup, when the wheel fenders sink under, I have just the depth I need. I might go a few inches deeper if the ramp is steep.

Best thing I did was make some "launching pants" (pictures in my photo album).
Click to expand...

Wouldn't a cheap pair of hip waders have been less work?
 
I walk my boat onto the trailer as far as it will go. Then I can go through the truck to get to the trailer tongue. I have treads on my trailer so I can walk out on the tongue to hook up the strap and wind the boat in. Then I go back through the truck to pull the boat and trailer out. I can do this without getting my feet wet.
 
I'll add my two cents worth...

1. I suspect you will have to experiment with your particular trailer to find rhe right depth for off-loading and retrieving the boat.

2. My boat easily floats off and on the trailer. My "secret" for retrieiving the boat is an extra long (30') front line/rope. This allows me to walk all the way to my pickup, climb into the bed, and from there pull the boat up to the winch. From this position, I feel (at age 80) very safer and it is easier to guide the boat straight onto the trailer.
 
pslansing@mac.com":749606ua said:
Greetings,
I'm pondering acquiring a C-Dory 22 or 23 for day fishing and the odd weekend overnight. I'm used to lightweight aluminum boats that can be loaded with the trailer a little dry (about a quarter of the bunks showing). You just drive the bow between the bunks, raise the motor appropriately, then drive on up to within a foot or so of the winch. Easy peasy. Is this an approved loading method with C-Dorys? I've never owned a glass boat so please advise. (And don't spare my feelings.) Cheers, Phil
Click to expand...

I load my 25 just as you describe all the time :thup :thup :thup
 
daninPA":3k1p3rz9 said:
Wouldn't a cheap pair of hip waders have been less work?
Click to expand...

Nope. The material is simply ironed together.

I have a pair of neoprene chest waders and a pair of stocking foot GoreTex guide pants (both of which I leave at home.) They are much bulkier and harder/slower to get on/off. The pants that I made roll into a tiny package on board when cruising and the Crocs can serve dual duty aboard and ashore.

I do use my C-Dory differently from most. I often get on and off several times a day in remote areas to hike and explore. The pants take up almost no room in my daypack. I don't think my chest waders would fit.
 
Phil, yes it’s easy to just power on & off with either bunks or rollers, especially with side quides, but much less chance of damage if using a dock along side the ramp by attaching lines as others have described & that is my preferred method if a side dock is available. I’ve loaded & unloaded in a fairly fast river current off the gravel sides on rivers like the Yukon. There using power was not a good option, as a long line off a rear cleat holding against the current in conjunction with a shorter line off the bow allowed maneuvering the boat into the trailer with side guides. I’ve done this several times with just me handling the lines.

During warm weather launching like at Lake Powell, I normally just use crocs & what ever pants or shorts as all dries quickly, however in cold water & weather, I prefer waders & my favorite now are these Lacrosse irrigation boots, I also use for going to shore & other use with the Kaboats in Alaska.

https://www.cabelas.com/shop/en/lacross ... lsrc=3p.ds

Here Bill Roche & I are wearing these boots in Dry Pass, on the outside of Chichagof Island wilderness. On me, they fit well & fold to store easy on the boat & just the right height for boat launching.

D53C8EF0_AEA1_4404_B82B_42D5352AF9C3.sized.jpg

In the 20 seasons of using our boat with over 25,000 miles on the water & 90,000 miles of towing it, we’ve launched & retrieved in many different places & ways with two different trailers. One a single axle with rollers & the other dual axle with bunks.

Jay
 
Marco Flamingo":3u9d3eho said:
Nope. The material is simply ironed together.

I do use my C-Dory differently from most. I often get on and off several times a day in remote areas to hike and explore. The pants take up almost no room in my daypack. I don't think my chest waders would fit.
Click to expand...

Ah, ok -- that makes sense! Our marina is on Aberdeen Proving Grounds, MD on the Upper Chesapeake and is typical Army spartan. The tides range about 3' and the fixed dock is separated from the ramp by a wheel-swallowing trench off the edge of the ramp -- which precludes getting the port side close enough for easy access to the boat.

So stepping in the water is inevitable. When the water is cold a cheap pair of waders work and then get tossed in the bed of the truck. When it's warm I wear an old pair of sneakers.
 
If you look, the water line on the boat is about at the same height as the top of the fenders on the trailer, so I back in until the fenders go under water for launching and retrieving, then step from the dock unto the tailgate of my truck and pull on the bow line until the boat floats up to about a half foot or less from winch point. Then I step out onto the end of the trailer hitch and hook the boat up and give it a couple of turns on the winch to tighten it up and I'm done. to make the stepping go easier you could bolt a flat piece of metal on the trailer tong, but usually I sit in the truck and my fishing buddy does everything for me. I have a canopy with a boat rack on top of it to grab onto when stepping unto the tail gate and my trailer is the bunk type.
 
So much of all of this depends on the angle and condition of the ramp. There are ramps which are very shallow and to get the fenders of the trailer under water, you would have the tow vehicle's front wheels in the water. Then there are ramps with a drop off at the end--or at a very steep angle. It boils down to what works best for you at that specific ramp.

The roller trailer has an advantage where the ramp is very shallow. Having side bunks, as well as the guides, also helps keeping the boat aligned. Some owners have fitted side rollers along with the side bunks.
 
AS Bob says, it depends. Every ramp is different. What does not change is the amount --read depth -- of water to float the boat. It is mentioned in several posts, to use the trailer fenders as a marker. That will vary from trailer to trailer but not a variable on you boat and trailer combo. After 15 plus years with my current boat and 10 years with the same trailer/boat combo, I have only had to power on twice, where the ramp was soooo shallow. I prefer the gentler approach. If the boat will float off, it should float on at the same depth. Here's a tip. Sometimes it helps to have a bit of weight (a person) in the stern. Hard to do when single handing -- which I do 98% of the time.

Harvey
SleepyC :moon

IMGP1107.thumb.jpg
 
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