Boating Skills and
Seamanship
Lesson 3
Trailering Your Boat
Approved by DC-E USCG AuxA, Inc
Lesson Objectives
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Essential safety
Selecting a trailer
Safety equipment
Safety limits of your trailer
Trailer and tire care
Legal requirements
Lesson Objectives
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Trailer maintenance
Preparing for travel
Launching and retrieving
Storing boat and trailer
Preventing theft
Filing and canceling a float plan
Legal Considerations
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Width
Brakes
Lights
Licenses
Mirrors
Safety chains
Boat and Trailer Width
• Three State’s Roads – limit 8 feet
• Interstate Roads – limit 8.5 feet
• Greater widths
– Permits
– Special requirements
– Designated access roads
Trailer Brakes
• Requirements
• Varies by state
• American Boat & Yacht Council Recommendation:
Breaks if Greater Than 1500# GTW
• Types
• Electric
• Air
• Surge
• Emergency brake cable or chain shorter
than safety chains
• May need lock out to back up
Safety Chains
• Required
• Cross chains under hitch to form cradle
• Length
• Permit free turning
• Not so long that they drag
• Attach points
• S-hooks (may require added hardware to ensure
stay hooked)
• Shackles
• Snap hooks
Ball, Coupler & Safety
Chains
Trailer Lights
• Check state requirements
• May need
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Stop lights
Parking lights
Turn signals
License plate light
Side lights
Legal Considerations
• Licenses
• Check state requirements
• Mirrors
• If rear view is obscured, your state may
require side mirrors
Practical Considerations
Trailer Selection
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Hull shape, size, & weight
Launch ramp conditions
Trailer types
Trailer care and maintenance
Safety items
Hull Shape
• Types
– Flat-bottomed
– Rounded bottom
– “V” shaped
– Sailboat keel
• Launch conditions
– Beach
– Ramp
– Lift
Trailer Selection
• Trailer weight
• Load weight
• Gross Vehicle Weight Rating
(GVWR) = Trailer Weight + Load
Weight
• Load Weight > 4000 lbs requires
multi-axle
– Gross Axle Weight Rating (GAWR)
x # of axles = GVWR
Trailer Classes
Balancing Boat on
Trailer
• How to determine tongue weight
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Hull - 1,750 lbs
Motor - 381 lbs
Trailer - 350 lbs Gear -100 lbs
Fuel - 40 gal. @ 8 lbs. / gal = 320 lbs.
Total wt. 2,901 lbs.
• Recommended tongue weight 5 – 7%
• @ 5 % = 145 lbs. - @ 7 % = 203 lbs.
Trailer Selection
• Coupler & Ball Sizes
– 1 7/8”
– 2”
– 2 5/16”
• Ball must equal coupler size
• Size determined by GVWR
• Padlock prevents theft and ensures
coupler stays on ball
Trailer Types
• Skid Trailer / Bunk Trailers
– Skids or bunkers
• Float-On Trailers
Trailer Types
• Roller Supporting Trailers
– Tilt Trailer
• Purpose
– Support boat’s keel evenly and over
greatest surface area
Trailer Parts
Trailer Care &
Maintenance
• Fresh vs salt water use
• Wheel Bearings
– Keep bearings dry if possible
– Use bearing buddies or wheel-bearing protectors
– Allow bearings to cool before immersion
– Carry spare bearings, grease, and tools for
replacing the bearings in an emergency
Trailer Care &
Maintenance
• Trailer Lights
– Disconnect plug from towing vehicle before
immersing in water
– Carry spare bulbs
– Sandpaper for terminals
– Highway safety flares
– Trouble lights
– Trouble flag
Trailer Care &
Maintenance
• Trailer Tires
– Fully inflate tires!
• Keep tire pressure at the pressure located on
the tire sidewalls
– Spider-web cracking on side walls = old
age caused by UV rays. Cover if possible
– Balancing?
Trailer Care &
Maintenance
• Changing a Trailer Tire
– Carry a spare & keep properly inflated
– Appropriate size lug wrench
– Scissors Jack
• Car jack most likely will not work
• Low enough to get under a trailer with a flat tire
– Special Axle Jack
– Get off the road onto solid ground
Trailer Care &
Maintenance
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Rust / Paint
Rollers and skids/bunkers
Loose bolts & nuts
Brakes
Tongue
Hitch / Coupler & Ball
Other Practical
Considerations
• Fire Extinguishers
• Winches
– Electric
– Manual
• Tie-downs
– Transom tie-downs
– Gunwale tie-down
– Bow tie-down
The Towing Vehicle
• Front wheel drive is not recommended
– Loss of steering and traction on drive
wheels
• GVWR of Trailer & Boat should not
exceed vehicle weight
The Towing Vehicle
• Cooling
– Heavy-duty higher capacity radiator
• Transmission
– Extra cooling
• Brakes
– Heavy-duty brake linings
• Suspension System
– 100 lb tongue weight = 400 lb trunk weight
• Other Equipment
– Heavy-duty battery
– Higher capacity alternator
The Towing Vehicle
• Bumper Hitch
– Clamp on bumper
• Weight-Carrying Hitch
– Bolt on frame
– 2000 lb towing limit
• Weight-Distributing Hitch
– Distributes weight to all four tires
– May interfere with surge brakes
Balancing the Load
• Total Weight of the Tow (TWT)
– Boat + motor + contents + trailer
• 5 – 7% of TWT should be on tongue
– Greater and front end of car lifts
– Less than and trailer fish tails
• Large trucks passing possibly causing loss of control
• Tongue weight not to exceed 150 lbs for
Class 1 trailer
• Bathroom scale technique
Handling Your Trailer
• Practice in empty parking lot
• Swing wide when rounding corners
• When traveling on highway, frequently
stop and check tires, wheel-bearing
temperature, and safety chains
• Backing
– Post someone to look out for you
– Hand on bottom of steering wheel
Pre-Departure Checks
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Wheel Bearings
Tire Pressure
Tie-downs and boat position on trailer
Trailer & Boat loaded/balanced properly
Motor/stern drive unit in “up” position
Brake and lighting system working
Safety chains
Ball & socket secured
Pre-Departure Checks
Preparing to Launch
• Ramp Etiquette
• Do the following before backing onto the ramp
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Disconnect lights
Check bearing temperature
Remove tie-downs
Undo winch
Sailboats check overhead for power lines
Attach fenders
Attach a shore line to prevent boat from floating away
Size, adjust, and put on life jackets
Check ramp
Launching
• Running the engine to assist in launching your
boat is HIGHLY discouraged & dangerous!
• Boat should float freely
• Never place people between back of boat/trailer
and the water
• Avoid exiting the vehicle when launching if
possible
• Parking brake and “Park” do not hold with the
same stopping power as the pedal brake
• Secure boat to dock
Launching cont.
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Lower drive if applies
Start & warm engine.
Check gages & tell tale
Test forward & reverse shift
Observe current and wind. Plan actions
& place spring lines as needed.
• Board guests
• Depart dock
Retrieving
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Raise outboard or outdrive
Sailboats raise daggerboard or centerboard
Back trailer into water and connect winch cable/strap
Be certain boat is centered on trailer
Drive up ramp slowly to parking/holding area
Pull drain plug
Attach all tie-downs
Secure motor/stern drive unit
Remove items not safe in boat during travel
Connect lights and check functioning
Storing Your Boat and
Trailer
• Jack up the trailer and place axles on blocks
– Level trailer to avoid warping
– Remove wheels & store out of sun to extend tire life
• Raise tongue higher to let water drain from boat
• Cover boat to keep water out
• Flush and drain all water from outboard and
inboard motor open cooling system
• Follow any additional procedure described in
boat and motor owner’s manual
Theft Prevention/Recovery
• Permanently mark Hull Identification Number in another,
hidden location on your boat
• Remove propellers or purchase propeller locks and install
them
• Remove electronics gear or mark all equipment with a
personal identification number known to yourself
• Keep an accurate inventory of equipment kept on your boat
• Photograph equipment to identify make, model and
condition for insurance purposes
Theft Prevention
• At launch site
– Keep valuables out-of-sight
– Leave auto in well lighted area
– Lock hitch to secure trailer to car
• Back home
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Remove a wheel
Chain to a tree
Lock hitch lock
Garage store your boat and trailer
Remove small engines and use transom motor
locks
Aquatic Nuisance Species
(ANS)
• Transported by ballast water or water from hull
• Prevention
– Use environmentally acceptable anti-fouling paint on
hull
– Flush boat’s engine, hull, outdrive, and trailer’s frame
(hot water if available)
– Empty bilge, bait wells, and flush with 5% chlorine
bleach mixture
– Do not take bait from one body of water to another
– Remove any plants, mud or animals from equipment
before leaving all waters
Float Plan
• Single most effective means of assisting law
enforcement and search & rescue teams with
finding people lost
• File with friend, relative, or neighbor or leave on
dash or under wiper on car
• Details
– Where going and route
– Time for return and whom to call if not back on time
– Persons on board, type & description of boat, other
relevant information
• Cancel float plan when you return
Summary
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Legal considerations
Practical considerations
Other considerations
The towing vehicle
Trailer hitches
Ball & Coupler
Balancing the load
Preparing for travel
Launching & retrieving