LouC wrote:
Make sure the traiker brakes work and the bearings are in good shape. It will be tough to stop that boat even from low speeds with only the truck brakes working. I learned this long ago when towing our H200 with our '98 Jeep Grand Cherokee. Did that once or twice then installed surge brakes and check them every season.
Trailer brakes work well. The trailer is only a year old. Also, the whole thing was serviced at the beginning of the season. I did disable the trailer brakes for backing (only have four pin connector at the moment) and even driving slow around the launch i could tell it was much harder to stop.
Some guy pulled up in a truck after I put my boat in and said "You made that look easy!" I told him it was my second time and he was amazed at my launching procedure, so I guess all those years of boating as a child paid off because I remembered pretty much the entire process.
4LO is also definitely the way to go when pulling the boat out, especially with a manual. Basically I creep up the ramp, then at the top I switch back to 2HI and continue on to the staging area. After the truck is backed down the ramp I also chock the front tires as a precaution, especially since the rears are partially in the water at my hometown launch.
Thanks again for the tips.