We have a 4-5 ft. tide drop in our area so the ramps tend to be pretty steep and with a longer boat we HAVE to power up the last 3-4 ft depending on the trailer design and the bow eye locations. If you back the trailer to deep into the water the bow will actually go UNDER the roller. Smaller boats you can simply pull up to the roller stop and hook up the latch and pull out of the water...

Also, since the ramps are so steep my exhaust goes under water pretty far. We learned the hard way about 4 years ago with this boat that you DO NOT shut the engines off because the motors can/will hydrolock...

So, I pull the trailer in the water 2/3 of the way so the two forward bunks are about half way out of the water. Come in slowly until you're lined up and once you're on you blip the throttle a couple of times until the boat is far enough onto the trailer. You can't winch it on because it's too heavy and your strap/cable will break. So once your bow strap is secured and safety chain hooked up the boat is pulled out of the water. As the boat is being pulled up the ramp the engines are idling until the exhaust is no longer submerged, then shut down the engines and pull the rest of the way out...

I can't launch mine alone....which is also one of the reasons we don't trailer...too much of a PITA....

Powerloading is obviously easier. But it ruins launches.

Knot 4 Me

what you are describing is not what I consider power loading, you are just putting your boat on the trailer. Its when the guys put their trailer only half in the water and try to drive up the PHing ramp by prop power.

Will:ernaehrung004:

The most important thing that will determine how well any boat loads on the trailer is how level the ramp is. If the ramp is level I can float on and it will settle on the bunks perfect. Not so level means leaving more bunk out of the water to help guide the boat. If I can't get it in place with a nudge of the throttles, I'll dunk it enough to get the boat light on the trailer and postion it as needed. May not look as manly manly as throttling it up the trailer, but a bruised ego is cheaper then replacement parts. Ever think about how much sand and grit is get'n sucked up into the water pickups in a throttle on wash out??

Power on and winch the last 2 feet or so. Usually put trailer in far enough that we can float it on but sometimes that can't happen.

I back in the same depth everytime and walk it up. Cats are so simple I think even Randy and Bill could handle it.

I only power on at extremely steep ramps. Normally I float/winch on. Easier on the equipment. And I can launch and retrieve by my self if its not windy.

Ditto! Saturday I launched,parked the truck and had the engine started before the guy that was in front of me even had his boat lined up with the ramp. Sometimes I would rather do it myself.

I actually do a combination of both. Drive boat onto trailer till it gets a little sticky and give it enough throttle to get to about 1000rpms. Its usually with a foot or two away by then. Then just leave drives in forward at idle rpm and winch it up the rest of the way. The wife usally winches it while I'm in the boat. No way she could do it without me applying power.

Like was said earlier, you pretty much have to power the boat onto the trailer at steep ramps and thats all we have.

The way my boat sits in combination with the steepness of ramps, I have to power off the trailer as well. It does not hurt any of our ramps anyway. They are concrete and then drop off into muddy silt.

Right On !
Float your boat on to the trailer. Back the trailer into the water farther if need be. Don't wash out and ruin our ramps!