Power Loading

[katoguy]

I tried to have someone give me the definition of "power loading" earlier. I keep refering to "driving on" and not "power loading".

Power loading with roller trailers makes me worry about scour holes, too. I have seen people leave the engine in gear while they run up to the front to hook up. This isn't good for the access or their motor.

[slotlimit]

To tell you guys the truth I enjoyed fixing the ramps. I knew the day before what I would be doing the next day and put on the swim trunks. I got paid to swim, drive to the next access and do it all over again. It was a fun couple of days. Some people would get freaked out by the rocks I was putting in but by the time I explained what I was doing they were fine.

[papabear]

after reading this I see that some fisherman respect others and use common sense when loading their boats and crank on or drive on. Others insist that they need to powerload despite the effects on the ramps. We have all seen the effects. But lazyness and trying to look cool I guess override common courtesy sometimes. 100' roostertails might impress the girls but to some it looks like you arent doing it right.

[Shack]

"Power Loading", sounds like something Tim Allen would perfect. I never have power loaded before. I have a "power winch" on my trailer and run cable out to corner bumper and use remote string to pull switch and pull me in. I do know if you loose something in water around launch and it is a busy day with "power loaders" coming in. It sure makes it hard to find item (Cell Phone) in water. The water stays murky for long periods of time. This can not be good for ramp. Also large hole at end of ramp makes it more difficult to load shallow bottom boat.

[youngie22]

should be fun out there w/ the low water, the super power up will probably throw some sand and gravel in those rooster tails.

[EBass]

I powerload my 14' jon boat with 25H. I have bunks on my trailer and it's a beeotch to wind up. Well I need a new whinch deal to, and new bunks, and side rails, and...

Any who I power up most of the way and whinch the rest in is the norm for me. I'm not at the launch long at all and get miffed for the people that push their boat off and hold on to it with a rope and put it back on the same way. They hog the landing for a while - you've seen it too, admit it.

[archer59]

Quote:

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I powerload my 14' jon boat with 25H. I have bunks on my trailer and it's a beeotch to wind up. Well I need a new whinch deal to, and new bunks, and side rails, and...

Any who I power up most of the way and whinch the rest in is the norm for me. I'm not at the launch long at all and get miffed for the people that push their boat off and hold on to it with a rope and put it back on the same way. They hog the landing for a while - you've seen it too, admit it.

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So you'll get miffed at me cause I push off my boat instead of backing up and hitting the brakes??? ( I'm usually by myself )Sounds like a chill pill needed here.

What do you do at Home Depot?

[lots of luck]

I prefer the term drive on, I drive my boat onto the trailer and blip the throttle a little at the end. I am also running a fish and ski boat (17.5', fiberglass, 4.3L v6) with bunks. Not a formula for a lot of cranking, nor was the trailer designed too.

I have it down pretty good, it results in extremely fast loads. The carpeted wheel wells act as guides and the bunks center it up almost everytime. I walk to front and crank just about 2 or 3 times and she is ready to be pulled out.

I am also fishing lakes that have large and extravagant ramps also, Waconia and Minnetonka. Full concrete and go very deep. So I know I am not blowing out a hole behind me. I use the momentum of the boat and add just a blurp of throttle at the end.

I have seen the other side though. When someone will just barely put the trailer wheels of a drive on trailer in the water or get the bunks wet and pull way out, just to get back in the boat to giver heck to power it up the trailer. Why not just back in a little further?

The worse excuse for a ramp I have seen is on Tonka in Mound. I believe the victim of power loading some big boats, nevermind that the ramp is a turd to begin with.

[VMS]

I guess, what I do is power-loading. I glide in to let the boat make contact with the rollers on the trailer, then power up to within 2 feet or so of the winch stand. I leave the motor in gear but reduce it to idle, then head up and connect the winch (from inside the boat)...go back, shut off the motor and tilt, then hop out and crank up the last couple of feet. Overall, the motor is only at a higher throttle setting for a very short time, then in idle while I finish the job.

Good or bad?

Steve

[lots of luck]

VMS that sounds like the protocol for most of the boat loading I see happening. Very fast technique, which is nice with the high volume of users on the metro lakes. I have seen the alternative also. Pull out about 15 of winch strap, which takes time and often results a wich handle slapping some portion of the lower extremeties, begin winching 15 feet of strap while boat drifts on top of fender, struggle to realign and finish winching the remainder of strap. Works, I guess, is there a better way, I think so.

Reminds me of a daylast summer when I had my boat beached waiting for my wife to park the truck. Lady backed the truck and trailer beautifully down the ramp, hubby pulls boat onto trailer, but does not drive it all the way up. Wife attaches strap to boat but has no chance at winching the boat. The boat was a Lund Tyee with the husband, who was not a little guy still in it. I proceeded to walk over and do all the cranking, they were very greatful, seeing that the ramp was extremely busy. I think this would have been an occasion where if he would have powered it up a little further, things would have went a little more smoothly.

Boat launching and loading can be a very akward experience for newcomers and those that frequent the lake very little. Give them a break, but more importantly give them a hand, or at least offer a hand.

[MIKE IN lINO III]

I am in the process of selling a 22' Searay and went to the launch at Centerville Lake to see if it was deep enough to accomodate this boat. I know now what you guys are talking about. The cement ended about 15' into the lake then there was about a 10' deep hole and beyound that, towards the lake it was about 3', Obviously from Power Loading.

I have a 16' Lund with a roller trailer, I can launch and load within 2 minutes, by myself, longer if the wife is there. If someone can't wait 2 minutes while I crank up my boat then that is their problem.

For those of you with bunk trailers, would it be helpful to back the trailer deep enough to get all the carpet wet then pull up a little, maybe it would help get the boat further up the trailer decrease then need to gun the motor. Just a thought.

Good Luck,

Mike

[the squirrel]

Quote:

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I powerload my 14' jon boat with 25H. I have bunks on my trailer and it's a beeotch to wind up. Well I need a new whinch deal to, and new bunks, and side rails, and...

Any who I power up most of the way and whinch the rest in is the norm for me. I'm not at the launch long at all and get miffed for the people that push their boat off and hold on to it with a rope and put it back on the same way. They hog the landing for a while - you've seen it too, admit it.

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In the beginning of the season in the mornings when there is a thin sheet of ice still on the lake, I like to take my 4 wheeler and break through the ice to make sure I have a fast launch.

[BigWadeS]

Well I am usually by myself or with the family and either way I push it off the trailer and then tie it up while I park and to load, I pull it on with the rope and winch it up...if I take too long doing this.....I'm not sorry because I would take much longer trying to power load when I can't see the front of the trailer....

[Nate McVey]

I also "crank" it up. I usually drop the fiance off, let her back down (which sometimes takes awhile), unless it is busy and then I will beach and get the truck. I then wade in, straighten the boat out and crank it up. On my worst day it probably takes me 5 min. If you can't wait that long I apologize, but this is the way I am most comfortable doing it.

[Bassboy1645]

As yall know IM a fan of power loading. But just for the record I use just enough power to get to the winch with a run at the trailer. I come into the landing about 10-35 yards out and I get just enough of a run to glide onto the rollers. I hit the throttle just a bit to secure the boat on the trailer and it leaves me 0-1 foot of cranking. perfect. I dont send rooster tails, my water pump dosent eat gravel, and Iv'e never seen a ramp with holes on it. Good ramps use bigger rock as supporting material to prevent this.

[katoguy]

I hope you tie up out of the way. Some lakes have courtesy docks or other out of the way areas.

[MikeYager - Suzuki]

I cant imagine not powerloading. Haven't seen too many fisherman that dont.

[Scott K]

Only the smaller boats are the ones who dont, atleast for what I have seen.

[cold one sd]

I back my bunk trailer in far enough to wet all or most of the bucks. I also spray my bunks with silicone while they are dry and it makes them slick. My brother squirts liquid dish soap on his bunks and says that works well also.

[Nate McVey]

If that was for me, of course I beach out of the way or leave my partner on the rampless side of the dock while I get the truck. I can powerload, I choose not to.

[Wish-I-Were-Fishn]

I learned about this issue while power loading a new rig at Prior a few weeks ago. They had a team there making dock repairs and they told me it was bad for the landing. To bad because it worked great! It happened to be my first time doing it. I've since learned that if I back the trailer as far as posible to get the bunks wet than pull it forward to the loading position the boat cranks up much easier.

[mnvikingsfreak]

very true trailers have a winch with 15 feet of cable for a reason please people use them! dont powerload! I have launched 20+ foot fiberglass boats in the wind that where tanks and I hand cranked it the whole way up like you are supposed to do people that powerload please have some consideration for the people that dont and having the trailer totally crooked,breaking an axel on a trailer or breaking their ankle falling into the backwash divots you guys make I know you have a fancy $25,000.00 lund boat and you have to make a grand entrance at the boat landing but again think of others that dont powerload there is a reason most lakes have a "no powerloading" sign

[eye1000us]

"Power" loading is a fact of life with many of todays boats,just not going to crank in some of the bigger glass boats.The level of power needed to load varies from ramp to ramp though.The right depth and angle and not much power is needed. I just read a blurb from the MnDnr that acknowledges that power loading isn't going away.They are upgrading numerous ramps around the state using wider concrete planks and extending them farther out into the lake to accomodate power loading

[BobT]

I'm not a supporter of powerloading but I fail to see where the purpose of doing so is to show off or "make a grand entrance" as you say. I don't think there is anything wrong with driving the boat onto a trailer but I also believe that's different than powerloading. Powerloading, by my definition, is when the outboard is used to force the boat onto the trailer and this is when the landing gets dug out by the prop wash and in my opinion the practice is inconsiderate of the lake ecosystem as well as other people that use the landing and I think the practice should be outlawed. Setting the trailer a little deep and just driving the boat on to save a little winching is not a bad thing. Actually, there are times when this is almost necessary to avoid having to walk out in waist high water on those windy days especially in the early part of the year when the water might be less than 50 degrees, burrrr.

Bob

[Tom Linderholm]

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very true trailers have a winch with 15 feet of cable for a reason please people use them! dont powerload! I have launched 20+ foot fiberglass boats in the wind that where tanks and I hand cranked it the whole way up like you are supposed to do people that powerload please have some consideration for the people that dont and having the trailer totally crooked,breaking an axel on a trailer or breaking their ankle falling into the backwash divots you guys make I know you have a fancy $25,000.00 lund boat and you have to make a grand entrance at the boat landing but again think of others that dont powerload there is a reason most lakes have a "no powerloading" sign

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Simply said, every boat is different! It's not always as easy as it is said.

22'6" Crestliner Sabre, on bunks.

[river-rat4]

Quote:

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Powerloading, by my definition, is when the outboard is used to force the boat onto the trailer and this is when the landing gets dug out by the prop wash and in my opinion the practice is inconsiderate of the lake ecosystem as well as other people that use the landing and I think the practice should be outlawed. Setting the trailer a little deep and just driving the boat on to save a little winching is not a bad thing.

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Driving a boat on a trailer is okay using common sense (now days this is questionable, also).

That said, the Government does NOT need to outlaw it! We need less involvement from our politicians.

Regulating boat launching proceedures? Crazy!

[mnvikingsfreak]

I saw a guy on lake marion on sat night trying to load his boat by powerloading and he had the thottle going for about 2 mins just trying to get the front of the boat close to the hook the problem was it took 2 mins of rocks,dirt and everything flying behind him just to move the boat about 6-8 inches.....why??

[PierBridge]

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Simply said, every boat is different! It's not always as easy as it is said.

22'6" Crestliner Sabre, on bunks.

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It's very difficult to nearly impossible on some ramps to winch up a big boat with bunks

You have to power load.

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there is a reason most lakes have a "no powerloading"sign

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HUH?

[harvey lee]

With my new boat, I can power load the boat with no problem at all and it loads to the center perfect 99% of the time using very little throttle. I have not used the winch for the boat yet in 20 trips.

If the trailer is at the right depth, I would say I can load it with 1,500 rpms max.

I would say that I would call my loading, driving on the trailer as I do not give it alot of throttle to load up and yes I have a roller trailer. if one gets the trailer at the right depth, no problem.

[ScoutII]

Maybe we need to put a ban on bunk trailers!!! People have the $25,000- $30,000 for the boat, but I guess the roller trailer is just a little tooo expensive? Next I can here some say that a roller trailer is not available for my boat.

Powerloading COSTS all of us more for maintenance of our landings. Use your brain. Get the right trailer not just the cheapest trailer.

I would like to see the DNR ban powerloading and ENFORCE it. At least then the people wrecking the landing would be paying to repair the landing.