1. Be Courteous to Others
When launching a boat, if everyone is courteous and thoughtful of their actions, everything would go more efficiently without the one guy holding everyone up by sitting in a launch lane and starting to do the whole launching process.
Start by pulling over to a clear space by yourself and doing your precheck. This is also the time to load extra passengers into the boat, extra fishing gear and safety equipment. This is also where you will prep your boat for launch.
2. Prep your Boat for Launch
One of the biggest things forgotten when prepping the boat is the drain plug! Do not forget your drain plug!
Next thing often forgotten is the back safety straps. If you have ever done it, you know how confusing it is to have the boat in the water, have your engine on and in reverse and no matter how much throttle you give it, the boat doesnt come off the trailer. Next is to get in the launch lane.
3. The Launch Lane
Pull the boat in to the launch lane where the captain will turn the batteries on. Once the driver is at the ramp and the incline starts, the driver can get out quickly and undo the front winch to the boat. The captain can make sure passengers are not in the way of the process and get tie down straps and floats ready for docking.
4. Communicate with your Driver
Using hand signals is a good way to make sure the driver knows what they need to do without worrying about whether they can hear you. Make sure the captain and the driver have a line of sight to each other and start backing down, with the captain telling the driver to continue, or to stop.
Once the boat is in the water, have the driver stop and the captain can trim the motors down and make sure they start. From there the driver can continue coming down to bump the boat off and the driver can back up the rest of the way.
5. Dock your Boat
Once the boat is off the trailer, pull it up to the dock away from the launch so that others can continue launching or loading their boats. If your launch ramp doesnt have a dock large enough, it is ok to idle a distance away from the ramp while waiting for the driver to finish parking the tow vehicle.
Once the driver is back on the dock, the captain can pull back up for the pick up and the launch ramp is clear for others.
