Had to give mine a little throttle to load on the trailer just right last year at the State Park ramp @ LOTO. It was a combination of me not wanting to hold up the ramp as it was busy and a very steep angle. But usually I just crank it up the last foot or so with the winch. No reason to get rammy

That's not powerloading. That's idling onto the trailer, and winching it the rest of the way home.

I don't remember doing this when we retrieved your boat when I was in town. It all depends on the ramp, and you are the one there; not me. But my regular routine with any of the 37's is drive onto and land the boat on the trailer (just like you would gently beach a boat) and winch it the rest of the way up. The only time I did not do this was loading Clark's boat once in Marathon (Key) in the middle of the night, pitch black, on a crappy ramp, at low tide, with a current, with one drive and no power steering. :D I powerloaded that S.O.B. at 4500 RPM to get over the trailer as we had only inches of water over the bunks, and we wanted to get to Key West before the bars closed. We made it. :drink:

I don't remember doing this when we retrieved your boat when I was in town. It all depends on the ramp, and you are the one there; not me. But my regular routine with any of the 37's is drive onto and land the boat on the trailer (just like you would gently beach a boat) and winch it the rest of the way up. The only time I did not do this was loading Clark's boat once in Marathon (Key) in the middle of the night, pitch black, on a crappy ramp, at low tide, with a current, with one drive and no power steering. :D I powerloaded that S.O.B. at 4500 RPM to get over the trailer as we had only inches of water over the bunks, and we wanted to get to Key West before the bars closed. We made it. :drink:[/QUOTE]

Yeah...that's what we did when you were there. I've tried cranking it all the way up, but it won't go. Might have something to do with the fact that I had to have the winch-stand lowered as I only had like 2 inches between the winch and the bow of the boat when it was new. That changed the angle of attack.

I am still learning, however. Did the damage at PB2 at Loto....trailer was too far in, so when I drove on and hit the bow stop, the carpeted area was in contact with the red paint. When I pulled out, it rubbed hard and smeared the paint...actually totally rubbed it off in a 1/2" x 2" section on each side of the bow.

While I agree that heavy propwash causes serious damage, those of us that idle onto our trailers may be "loading under power" but that's not causing the errosion issues. Do you shut your boat off 300' from the dock and swim it in so your wash doesn't disturb the bottom durring docking? Do you dock your boat with no reverse, or countering props? These actions would create the same if not more errision at the ramp than idling onto the bunks. I'm not disagreeing with anyone, just clarifying for those that may be confused.

Idling on the trailer is NOT power loading in my opinion, and anyone that thinks this causes anymore damage than just simply operating a boat in shallow water near a ramp is clueless.

That is the only thing I do not like about Ron's trailers. I hate that carpeted block up there.
If it were me...

I'd call Loadmaster Trailers of Ohio have have them send you this bow catcher:
http://www.loadmastertrailerco.com/options2/
[ATTACH=CONFIG]504936[/ATTACH]

You can call Myco and they will also send you the same, but it's fixed--not adjustable. IMHO, the Loadmaster version is better than Myco even as the Myco has the rubber/silicone blocks sitting in a small cradle with steel sides. The outer sides can damage the hull if you come in really crossed up. It happened to another Myco owner I know.

I have never powerloaded at the dock. I don't see how that saves any more time that loading your boat on the trailer by the strap. I can and have loaded mine on within a few minutes. As a matter of fact I can load it faster by cranking the strap faster than most of the D-Bags at our local ramps driving the boat up on the trailer...... And I never get wet either... Usually have my shoes on. Simply back trailer in ramp close enough to the dock, take a large step from dock to trailer, walk trailer, hook strap and crank.

I also do the exact same, except I end up winching mine twice. First time with forward bunks quite a bit out the water to center (catch) boat, attach strap, winch a bit. Then move trailer a little bit more in the water, winch rest of the way up. This works best since the wind blows most of the time, and the idiots that don't know what no wake means. I never get my feet wet, as I precariously walk the tongue from the bed of the truck. lol I also launch and retrieve by myself faster than 95% of jet skiers and families.

Loadmaster will sell just the rubber blocks if you want to modify your existing bow stop to the rubber block stoppers.

The ramp at Portage does suck. Its a bad angle. If I pul up to my bow stop or winch up to it, when I pull up the ramp my bow is 2" away. Doane"s is a good angle but we get holes in the ditch there. That's why I have a slip now and only load 2-3 times a year.

Our main ramp at the marina is 5 lanes wide so there is no walking your boat onto the trailer unless you get one end or the other. If you are in the middle 3 lanes you have to run the boat up onto the trailer. I would say at this ramp, regardless of what lane you get, 95% of the boaters powerload. .

I don't think I've cranked a boat on a trailer in 15 years. I've had plenty of CC's (still have one) and we always powerload (or high idle load is a better description, maybe up to 1,500 rpms worse case), the ramp in the Atlantic Highlands has to be 5-7 boats wide so to use the middle it's easier. We trailer and fish in NC, OC Md and a few other spots with one or two boats ramps and to be there pulling the boat with a rope then crank it in or better yet - you tie your boat up go get the trailer and then pull it in and crank it up is rude. I think us fisherman pride ourselves on having a quick system, drop off one guy to get the trailer, back it in, drive it up & on, reach over the bow, latch it and tighten up then pull it up and out of the way - I want to get out, wash it up and go home.

I can't figure out how you guys are loading/unloading a boat by yourself in such short times. Does the truck park itself?

As stated idling your boat on the trailer isn't powerloading, I do that all the time. Pulling your trailer halfway in and throttling to 4000 rpms to get your boat on cause your fat and lazy and wearing your work boots is powerloading. I see it all the time with bass boats around here. Many of our cement pads are short and it washes the sand away at the end of the pad big time. It also puts a nice pile of sand a few feet back.

As a "rope boater" as I believe it was called earlier, I do agree with this statement. But on narrow ramps with docks, I like to pull it up on the trailer with my dock lines, then put the winch on it and crank it up. No way to screw it up that way..... At least I haven't found a way...

Lets see the second most expensive part on your boat is the drive, so lets tear it to **** because your are too lazy to rope the boat on (engines off, drives up) or idle the boat (so you don't mess up the ramp, or drive over the bow stop). Either good way aint rocket science.

I think it comes down to the ramp. Obviously 4K rpm loading is ridiculous, but there are times where you have to powerload. One of the ramps up in Alexandria Bay just dumps into the St. Lawrence. There is ALWAYS crosswinds and boat wakes and no docks to tie too. You have one shot and that's it. You come in at more than idle or you'll drift past the trailer and be on rocks in a boat length. Often times smaller lake ramps have small pads and prop thrust does blow out the bottom. Big lakes with 5-10 lane ramps are all about power on or off.

Like everything else... It's common sense.

This is what it's like when the four lane wide launch is busy ( every weekend ) . There is not much courtesy or boating etiquette unless the water cops stop by and that only happens if someone reports an assault or something (don't ask me how i know this). It's like everyone has boat ramp rage.What were we discussing O yea the power load, that's what she said last night! oops wrong site When it's busy and you hear a winch turn more than five revolutions the whole ramp stops, all you here is the winch clicking and before the ramp rage escalates the winch clicking sounds like a big wire tie being pulled tight fast. The launch mob does NOT condone the winch method. I learned it the hard way. So if your not skidding the tires of the toe vehicle up the ramp with the boat you get laughed at for having a weak boat. Stay alert, stay alive. Happy boating!.:fish:

This happens to my boat all the time, can`t winch it up as far as I want.. after I do then when I pull out theres a 1' gap between the vee and the boat.
Exactly why I`m making a adjustable "V support" with a built in jack to adjust height> I`ll be able to lower it when launching and retrieving and make it tight against the hull when trailering

Good idea. My bow stop is adjustable fore and aft. I am going to move it forward 6", trailer the boat, pull clear of the ramp, then move it back before I hit the road. Then the cord will reach easier to my power winch

But just touching isn't good enough. You want a "little" bit of weight on the bow stand so it does not bounce on the stand going down the road when the rig hits bumps and trailer flexes. If this is what you want to do...

...you need to drop the tongue-jack/drop-foot/wheel/whatever and raise the boat in the air a few inches. Then put a couple of solid cinder blocks with a 2x6 atop them under the keel, and lower the tongue jack to lower the boat trailer away from the boat. The weight of the keel will be on the cinder blocks. Move your bow stand up under the hull, re-tighten, and then reverse the process just described.

This is also an easy way to polish out the scuffs that your bow stand may make on your hull.

Additionally, this is why the two piece winch and bow stands work better than a single piece. The single piece with the winch and the bow stand mounted together will actually flex backward with the tension of the winch attached to the bow eye. When you loosen up the tension and/or pull up the ramp onto flat ground, the backward flex releases and you get the gap.

WTF is power loading?

Where I have put in it says no power loading, but most I see do it. Me, I just get it close. The side bunks bring the boat right into place. Let about 2' of line out of the electric winch, hook the front and hit the button. Stop when the trailer starts flexing! Helps to have a 5,000 lb winch with only one wrap on the drum to load a 5,800 lb boat! pretty quick actually, but I learning.

Brian

Using your motors and props to push the boat up on the trailer. There is a line between using a little throttle to set the boat onto the bunks and others who have to rev the heck out of their motors throwing a huge prop wash all over the place and washing a hole out at the end of the ramp. A little finesse goes a long way here.

Then what's the point of a drive on trailer? And every trailer and every boat are different to load. I don't have a problem loading or unloading by myself, at the ramp that I'm used to, but I'm certainly not going to tell someone on the internet, halfway across the country, how to load his boat, of a diiferent make at a different ramp.

Every boat is different, every trailer is different, every ramp is different. Gotta do what works for you. I had a perfect system for the Fountain, but it took me a little while to figure it out (even though it DID involve powerloading...it was the only way). Still trying to figure out the AT in terms of how far to drop the trailer in, and I've been messing with the position of my bow stop as well.

In fact, I did just what ICDEDPPL is suggesting this past week. When I pulled out after Boyne, the bow was barely resting in the v-block, but I was all the way up on the bunk (no hull overhanging). I used a winch strap to tighten things down for the ride home, but released the tension (wasn't that much) when I got back. Bow went off the block about 1" so I loosened the set bolts on the bow stop and telescoped it outward to fit in the V. Perhaps this position will be better? If that doesn't work, I'm gonna mess with fore and aft position a bit.

It really does depend on the ramp. This lake varies 50 ft in elevation. Ramps here are long. Powering onto a trailer actually washes silt off the lower part of the ramp.
Short ramps do not take power loading well at all. One boat hauler told of one that had a 6 vertical foot drop at the end, and all that fill had become a 1 foot deep bar farther out across the launching area. Drop your trailer off the end of the ramp, recover it if possible and immediately run aground, great afternoon.
When the signs say no that means no in most languages. Most of the time that is for a reason.

Arrogance and pushing into line has become a national past time. "I will not stand in line", is too common, and some take it as a right.
Your daughter was correct. She knew you were wasting your time and risking jail time in that confrontation. That would have been a great experience for her; meeting all those social services people while you were in the back seat of the cruiser.

Good Luck to the Human Beings!

The ramp at a marina around here is completely f**ked because of powerloading. The concrete is broken off to about a 45 deg angle on one side about 3 ft below the surface of the water. The result is youre backing down the ramp then suddenly the left side of the trailer drops violently, the boat floats but the left side frame rail of your trailer is grounded out on the concrete.Your right side tires are still on concrete but your left side tires are now dangling in mid air (or mid water) so to speak because the concrete has broken off.....nice. Ask me how I know this!. Its too bad because this Marina has a great restaurant and outdoor patio overlooking the Marina and lots of parking....thanks u a -holes!! That ramp is now useless for any boat on a trailer over 14 or 16 ft. And the next nearest ramp for boats our size is 6 miles away. I winch my boat on the last foot or two every time thank you and yes I slip off my sandals and my feet get a bit wet.

I'm similar to Sommer on this. Still adjusting the bow stop to what works best. Usually I get the boat hooked to winch then I will crank to tighten then back trailer in deeper as needed. My ramp is not very steep so tide plays big factor in trailer placement.

I don't care how you load as long as you're fast.

not to change the subject there was a post not to long ago about adding triangle braces for lack of a better term, in front of front tire so when you fall off a damaged ramp you can get back up. one of the best ideas I have seen in a while all trailers should have them, I have seen a lot of trailers come out of the ramps with axles damaged or pulled back.

.http://youtu.be/vWyi62tCQEk..

You can see all the silt he stirred up with the props, can't be good for the ramp.

One of the many services the marina I work at provides is called Dry Storage. Basically, your boat sits on the trailer until you want to go out. You uncover it, call us and we drop you in with a tractor. When you're ready to come out, you call us and we back your trailer into the ramp. You drive your boat on and we take you back to your spot where you cover your boat up. Why do I bring this up? We have 64 dry storage boats and we require you to drive your boat onto the trailer. (Power loading) No cranking allowed. Enough said?

Did you miss the part in my post where there are signs on the dock saying NO POWER LOADING. Driving your boat onto the trailer and what I consider power load I.E. hammer the throttle to climb up a trailer that is not in the water far enough.

Proper Power Loading Tip
 

If you trim up the drive a bit before power loading you will be directing the prop wash up and away from the ramp and wont wash out the bottom. Trimming out also will help lift the bow making it slide more easily onto the bunks.

Exactly and you need no more power than idle, sometimes a touch more - maybe 1000 to 1200rpm. The boat with me in it is brought from its storage area; launched and loaded by tractor, never touches the dock. The car gets to sit locked up in the storage area out of the sun for the day also. :drink:

Didn't miss any part of your post. (I'm actually pretty good at reading stuff.) Just bringing up a related point.