Here some launches that would cause some pucker.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ou22S3VluoI

When the wife & I started out, we went out to an empty parking lot and practiced backing up the boat on the trailer how it would react ect... Practice not just once, because most likely you'll forget under stress if you've only done it once or twice. When we put in and pull out, we are on speaker phone so if there needs to be any incremental changes I can tell her. All the advice given by everyone else is dead on, you might even want to have check list on your phone. I've never forgot my plug, but I have forgotten my transom straps. Wondering why I wasn't backing out!

Why don't you and your wife go to a ramp on a weekday in the middle of the day and just practice. When I first met my girlfriend (now my wife) I hooked everything up and took the truck, boat, and girl to a park with a huge parking lot and showed her how to back up a boat. Now she's the girl backing across 3 lanes to get to the open spot to avoid the idiots taking there time

I never thought of a parking lot... Fantastic idea. I also like the cell phone on speaker phone while backing in. Parking lot first though.

[QUOTE=Shag555;3691283]Thanks for all the advise guys! I let her back the boat in while I'm at the helm, I'm afraid she'd float both boat and Tahoe!

don't worry. the tahoe won't float.

Good advice. Go the ramp on a weekday, when the ramp is essentially deserted, and there is no one there watching you, or putting pressure on you to clear the ramp. Then take your time, think things through, and get the know the procedure in detail. Even put the boat in, tie it to the dock, then put it right back on the trailer, and repeat that several times. I think after three or four times of that in one day, you would feel pretty confident.

If you need practice backing, go to just about any commercial office park area on the weekend, and it will be deserted. Then practice backing down a dead end street, and then into a driveway ramp. Repeat that a number of times. If the boat gets going too far in the wrong direction, you can just pull forward until it straightens out, and try again.

Michael

I don't have any anxiety or any issues, its a piece of cake i love it when people look at me and go damn how did you do that and make it look so easy, people really make it a serious production sometimes, best advise is have everything checked before hand, and if your really nervous throw your fenders and lines on the floor or in the back of pickup to make sure you know where they are, I often leave a separate set of lines in the back of pickup

I have forgotten to put the drain plug in on one launch. What I do now is have a plug with a hole on the end so that it attaches to my ignition key ring. Another good thing to have, is a spare plug on the boat, just so when you do forget, you just grab the plug, jump in and place the spare in the hole (engine off of course), tighten with a pre-fitted wrench. Yes I had to do this once also. Practice is good , check lists are great.

LOL that actually a good idea

It just takes practice, before you know it it won't bother you anymore. I usually park at the ramp take my tie downs off put ropes and bumpers on then back up to the ramp. Just take your time.