KEY POINTS:
At many popular holiday spots launching and retrieving from the beach is the only way to get out boating.
While scary for some, beach launching is actually quite easy. The key to saving all that embarrassment is just simple preparation.
Plan to be quick and efficient. Back the car, unhook, push the boat off and drive straight out. Every second the vehicle's rear wheels are in the water, the greater their chances of sinking into the wet sand.
A 5m to 6.5m trailer boat doesn't require much depth to float so there is no need to "bury" a multi-roller trailer. If there is about 400mm of water behind the boat it should float just fine. Quickly unhook the winch rope and push the boat off.
There are then two options: the first is to have someone in the boat who can drive it off the trailer and then wait offshore while the vehicle is parked. The other is to have someone with a rope take hold of the boat while this is happening. Be sure the rope is at least twice the length of the trailer.
For those who do not want to get their vehicle wet, the best method is to carry out the same preparation for launching as mentioned above but add a good, long, stout rope. Drop the trailer off the towbar and attach the rope from the around the tow hook (not the towball) to the front of the trailer. (A pneumatic jockey wheel will make manoeuvring the trailer much easier. Plastic wheels usually act like a plough rather than assisting the easy movement of the trailer.)
Simply push the trailer and boat into the water, unhook the boat when there is enough depth and then, after making sure everyone is out of the way, drive the car up the beach and the trailer will follow.
While launching is relatively easy, it is when retrieving that most problems happen and cars get stuck. However, the same rules apply. Be quick and efficient and make sure everyone involved with the retrieval knows exactly what they have to do.
If using a 4WD and the tide is right and the beach is steep enough, it should be possible to back the trailer into the water and winch the boat straight back on.
This is not always practical with a car so, again, there are two options: first, if it is possible to retrieve without unhooking the trailer then bring the boat as far up onto the beach as possible so you don't have to put the car into the water.
The second option is to simply take the trailer off, push it into the water and winch the boat on. Unless the trailer is padded, there is no need to go deep enough for the boat to float on. Instead, use the winch wire to pull the trailer under the boat as it is winched on. Be sure to have the rope still attached and a driver in the car ready for a rapid retrieval. Don't hesitate: get the boat out as soon as it is hard up against the snubbing block.
One final tip: have the car on roughly a 45 degree angle to the trailer. This will help dislodge the trailer wheels from the sand as, driving forward, one side then the other is pulled out.
For more information about the launching and retrieving from a beach see the December/January issue of Propeller magazine, on sale now. Propellermagazine.co.nz.
