www.iFourWinns.com

2 weeks ago the winch handle slipped out of my hand while launching the boat and it broke my right hand and shattered my index finger. This has gotten me to strongly consider installing an electric winch on the trailer. I am curious if anyone has done this and if they have any recommendatons on brands, install, use, etc. I appreciate any advice. Thanks!

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Norris Lake, Stardust Marina, Andersonville, TN
2005 Four Winns 230 Horizon 5.7L Volvo Gi/DP
2001 Maxum 1900SR 5.0L V8 (Sold)
2011 Nissan Armada Platnum

I would be interested too.

Mine slipped while loading and luckily I only gashed my arm. Hurt like hell.

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2008 210SS 6.2L DTS Bravo 1 Now featuring MercMonitor w/SmartTow

There's a lever on the winch that sets it into 3 modes. Release, free spin, and retrieve.

Flip it to release, and the winch handle spins freely letting line out, but won't let any in
Flip to retrieve, and the winch handle only spins in the direction of pulling the boat in, it will not spin backwards. If you let go, the boat just stays there.
Flip to free spin, and it free spins which ever way it wants.

When launching a boat you should never have to winch it off. Weird. The winch is just to winch the boat on the trailer. Not secure it to the trailer, or get it off. When my trailer tires hit the water I jump out of the truck and remove the safety chain/winch line.

My 100lb girlfriend used to winch my H180 in. You spin it some til your tired, let go.. the boat hangs out (because it can't reel itself out cause you set the winch), then when you're up for it, keep reeling it in.

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1981 Columbia 8.7
2015 Yamaha FZR - 87mph - sold
2006 Yamaha GP1300R - sold
2003 Chaparral 215 SSI - sold
2009 Stingray 195CS - sold
2000 Four Winns H180 - sold
1976 O'day Daysailer II - sold
Rick's Four Winns H180 Mods/Upgrade Thread

I have never heard of that happening. Must have been a freak thing.

I back it down into the water, get out of the truck, hop in the boat, start it to let it warm up (carb'd motor), lean over the front of the boat and unhook safety chain and winch strap, then my g/f or whoever else I may be with backs a little further in the water, put boat in reverse, and away I go.

I pull on the winch handle just enough to release tension so I can flip the release switch and let the strap out some so I can undo the hook. Our boat doesn't try to slide back or anything on the carpet bunks. Do you have bunks or rollers? I can see that making a difference.

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1998 Four Winns Horizon RS - 5.0GL
2002 Avalanche - Tow vehicle

Depends on your winch....mine doesn't have a free spin option and the handle will spin like a MF'er if it's in the "launch" mode and the boat is sliding back down the bunks...

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2002 Funship 214
VP 5.7 GX Si
2003 Tahoe

The question arises... why do you still have it hooked up when launching? It's not designed to be used as a dock line. Tie one to the front cleat when launching.....

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1981 Columbia 8.7
2015 Yamaha FZR - 87mph - sold
2006 Yamaha GP1300R - sold
2003 Chaparral 215 SSI - sold
2009 Stingray 195CS - sold
2000 Four Winns H180 - sold
1976 O'day Daysailer II - sold
Rick's Four Winns H180 Mods/Upgrade Thread

Tie one what to the front cleat? A dock line or my winch strap? I have my winch strap attached to keep my boat on the trailer until my engine is running and I'm ready to back it off the trailer, at which point I flip the lever on the winch and start easing it out until I can unclip the hook.
To all those who think a boat won't slide off bunks, think again....my buddy just had his slide off causing several thousand dollars in fiberglass and outdrive repair....depends on how steep the ramp is, obviously.

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2002 Funship 214
VP 5.7 GX Si
2003 Tahoe

Wow, poor guy asks about electric winches, and gets a bunch of crap on how to launch a boat. Ramps are different everywhere. I have to back my trailer down until my rear truck tires are touching water. I use my winch to let the boat out about 2-4 feet before I guide it to a cleat and tie off.

Anyways french, I've never used one, but I have seen some of the old timer fishermen use them to get their boats on the trailer, guessing it helps alot when ya get old. My first suggestion would be to just google it, my second suggestion would be wait til LouC comes along, he always has great advice on things like this (and he won't talk at like your an idiot)....

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1996 205 Sundowner DLX
5.0FL Volvo SX Cobra
Tow Veh: 2012 Nissan Frontier Pro-4X

Ok I am scratching my head on this one as well.

I've been launching boats since I was old enough to reach the pedals on my fathers truck. Used both roller and bunk trailers.
I can't understand how there would be that much pressure on the winch that when you release it it spins and breaks bones!
Must be a VERY steep ramp?

I've always backed down until the rear of the boat was in the water, got out and relased the winch strap, and then backed up a few more feet until the boat floats off the trailer.

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2004 248 Vista "Amante"
MC 5.0MPI/B3

this. Remember the guy that used to break winches every few months? Turned out he was trying to put a 26ft boat down an ancient ramp that was too shallow and almost no angle. The boat never floated off/on the trailer. Let's find the root of the issue....

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1981 Columbia 8.7
2015 Yamaha FZR - 87mph - sold
2006 Yamaha GP1300R - sold
2003 Chaparral 215 SSI - sold
2009 Stingray 195CS - sold
2000 Four Winns H180 - sold
1976 O'day Daysailer II - sold
Rick's Four Winns H180 Mods/Upgrade Thread

I figure most of you guys have the FW trailers which are all bunk, I have to have a roller (6 foot water depth changes with tides every 6 hrs), and if the ramp is steep enough and the boat is heavy enough, that winch handle can spin fast enough for you to lose your grip if you are not careful. What I do is back down, till the stern is actually floating, that way the water is supporting the weight of the rear of the boat, so it doesn't want to fly off the trailer like it might otherwise. It can still be hard to get it in far enough that there is no tension on the strap so I can unhook it. We don't have a dock right next to our ramp so this is what I do to be on the safe side:
I take a dock line, put the looped end in one bow cleat, put the line around the front of the winch post, and then tie off the other end to the other bow cleat. This way the line is holding the boat, then I can take the tension off the winch, unhook it and get in the boat, untie the tied off line and back it off the trailer. This way gravity and inertia are not working against trying to get the boat off in a slow safe way.

I thought of this way once when I had to launch the boat by myself, no way I could reel out enough strap, so it would be loose enough to un hook the bow eye, with the boat not coming almost all the way off the trailer. So I thought of a way to hold it on the trailer while the tension was removed enough to un hook the bow eye. It can work for retrieving by yourself too if you are careful. Drive it on take the loose end, try to loop it around the winch, tie it off with the engine still running to hold it there, then shut off the engine and hook up the winch. Works great with a bowrider or center console not with a cuddy....

Now there is nothing wrong with using an electric winch, its more complication to be sure but if had a bigger boat and was a bit older I would for sure consider it.

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88 Four Winns 200 Horizon
4.3 OMC Cobra-4bbl
2002 Walker Bay 10/2012 Suzuki 2.5
2008 Walker Bay 8

1998 Jeep Grand Cherokee 4.0/Selectrac
2007 Jeep Grand Cherokee 5.7 Hemi/Quadradrive II

Yes--I have owned a boat for nearly 10 years so I understand the concept of launching the boat. This was a ramp we had never been to and it was much steeper than anticipated. We were movivg in to a floating house--so the boat was loaded with full tank of gas, a week's worth of beer and other beverages, food for a week, 3 people, etc. Admittedly--I was probably rushing a bit and the handle simply slipped out of my hand.

I have also seen a buddy dump his 27 foot, $70K, wakeboard boat on the ramp because it slid off the trailer.

I appreciate the advice--but, trust me, I realize the error in my ways. Should have gotton back in the truck and backed in more--should ALWAYS take your time. It was a really odd ramp though--I'll stand by that.

That said--just got me wondering about electric winches. We are trailer boaters--so I am launching and trailering every weekend. For $200, seems like this might be something to consider--even just for convenience. I have never seen one and from the responses, they don't seem too common. Was just curious if anyone had any experiences with them. Thanks.

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Norris Lake, Stardust Marina, Andersonville, TN
2005 Four Winns 230 Horizon 5.7L Volvo Gi/DP
2001 Maxum 1900SR 5.0L V8 (Sold)
2011 Nissan Armada Platnum

Ya'll are making me worried now. My new boat/trailer has these new composite trailer bunks and they're slipperyyyy

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1981 Columbia 8.7
2015 Yamaha FZR - 87mph - sold
2006 Yamaha GP1300R - sold
2003 Chaparral 215 SSI - sold
2009 Stingray 195CS - sold
2000 Four Winns H180 - sold
1976 O'day Daysailer II - sold
Rick's Four Winns H180 Mods/Upgrade Thread

Hey French, What ramp were you at? I know my F-I-L has a 26' Wellcraft Execl and we were at Indian river on Norris, and when I got the truck turned around and ready to splash the boat pulled the truck to the water, the truck slid ALL the way down until the boat started float, (and I needed a clear pair of shorts). That ramp is the steepest I hve ever been. The truck was a 1/2 ton Ford 4wd.

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1990 Four Winns Horizon 200
2005 GMC Sierra

Yeah--Indian River is a very tricky one too. We have launched there 2-3 times. This was Powell Valley. Same thing. Lots of gravel--truck slid down the ramp. Not a good feeling. We ended up taking out at the public ramp down the road--which was much better.

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Norris Lake, Stardust Marina, Andersonville, TN
2005 Four Winns 230 Horizon 5.7L Volvo Gi/DP
2001 Maxum 1900SR 5.0L V8 (Sold)
2011 Nissan Armada Platnum