Peter backs boat down the ramp like a pro

[PUMP KNOWS]

 

[LittleWorm]

Still better then I can do. Good at many things but backing a trailer up using my mirrors is not one of them. I look like a monkey &^%$(*& a football trying to use my mirrors to back a trailer up.

[OhioFisherman]

LOL!

[Smokercrafty]

Lmao thanks for the laugh. I move trailers up to 53' daily. Shouldn't be an issue for me, but who knows.

Off to launch now actually. Hereeee fishy fishy fishy!

[Raycaster]

My first 2 years with trailer,,, yup, gotta own it, not proud...

 

 

[Old Ironmaker]

On ‎2018‎-‎05‎-‎20 at 10:54 AM, Smokercrafty said:

Lmao thanks for the laugh. I move trailers up to 53' daily. Shouldn't be an issue for me, but who knows.

Off to launch now actually. Hereeee fishy fishy fishy!

My hats off to you Smoker, I have always been in awe watching you guys navigate 53 footers on city streets designed for Horse and Buggy in the 1800's.

[Tjames09]

this is so painfully accurate. especially the people watching lol. 

[AKRISONER]

one trick to anyone struggling with this...go friggin slow....no one will complain if you are backing up slowly...people will complain if you are backing up and then needing to pull forward again.

Im pretty decent at backing trailers up, but even i catch myself making the odd mistake, but if you are going slow its so friggin easy to correct because you havent moved far enough to cause any big issue anyways.

[Smokercrafty]

1 hour ago, Old Ironmaker said:

My hats off to you Smoker, I have always been in awe watching you guys navigate 53 footers on city streets designed for Horse and Buggy in the 1800's.

Thanks Iron..... I think one tip that a buddy taught me long long ago was this.....

(For the novice folks)...place your hand at the bottom of the steering wheel while backing up, This way, in your mind, whichever way you want the trailer to go, you steer accordingly. No need to cloud your mind with remembering left is right, and the opposite. 

This may relieve some stress of backing up. 

[Lape0019]

reminds me of a few people I know and saw something similar this weekend. I finally had to get out of the boat, back the trailer in and load the boat myself otherwise I'd probably still be there.

Every time this certain individual tries to back any trailer up, he says "I can't see where its going!!!" I remind him that as long as you can see the side of the trailer, you don't need to know where the actual back of the trailer is. You are heading to the ramp so there really shouldn't be anything behind you... Drives me nuts.

Now, I am not saying I am perfect but man some people really have no business at a launch.

[Old Ironmaker]

23 hours ago, Raycaster said:

My first 2 years with trailer,,, yup, gotta own it, not proud...

 

 

I have a nice brush burn on the plastic of my front bumper where I kissed the ramp wall. It happens. Backing in a boat as a newbie is like having a crowd watch you as you loose your virginity, no pressure whatsoever to perform well eh?

I am both ambidextrous as well as dyslexic, left is right is left. Turn left,,, sorry the other left!!!  My brain is always arguing with itself. The best advice I have ever got from a veteran of trailering is,

1) use your mirrors only, never turn around.

2) Always 2  hands on the wheel at 3 and 9. The movement UP of the right hand and left hand gives you direction. If you have to use the right hand to turn the steering wheel UP to 12 o'clock you are going right, same applies for the left. Left UP and your trailer goes left.

3) If you can't see the trailer you are going straight. If you can see the trailer in the left mirror it is going left, same for the right side mirror, if you can see the trailer in your right mirror you are going right.

Edited May 22, 2018 by Old Ironmaker

[OhioFisherman]

6 hours ago, Old Ironmaker said:

My hats off to you Smoker, I have always been in awe watching you guys navigate 53 footers on city streets designed for Horse and Buggy in the 1800's.

I started driving a truck in the early 70's, they kept getting longer and longer. It was one of the reasons a lot of businesses moved from an inner city location to an industrial park in the the burbs, there was no way to get a big trailer into some of those places and it was cost prohibitive to acquire more land to expand.

The old inner city locations also had a lot more bridges and overpasses with less than 13' 6" clearance needed for modern trailers, but over the years they have slowly been working on that issue.