Five Steps to Retrieve Your Boat from the Water

Boating is an excellent way to spend a relaxing day on the water. You can use your vessel to go on fishing trips and participate in thrilling watersports activities, as well as partying with friends. However, to ensure a smooth experience, you’ll first need to launch your vessel and later retrieve it from the water safely and efficiently. Do you find it challenging to pull your boat out of the water and load it onto your trailer? Don’t worry—we’ve got you covered!

Here are five steps to help you retrieve your boat. If you have any questions, visit L&M Marine in Stapleton, AL, where we happily welcome our friends from Mobile, AL, and Pensacola, FL.

1. Head Back to the Loading Ramp

Once you’ve called it a day, you’ll want to pull your boat onto the loading ramp. However, before you do that, ensure that you have a friend to spot you (they can be your tow vehicle’s driver), and there are no pedestrians and boats in the area. Ask the person to ready your trailer and tow vehicle so you can quickly make way for others behind you.

2. Wait Until the Trailer Gets into the Water

Let your friend slide the trailer slowly into the water and bring it close enough to your vessel. Make sure the distance is perfect for you to pull your boat on the trailer. It’s a good idea to take your trailer to the same depth as when you launched the boat. Ideally, your trailer should be partially submerged, and the rear tires of your tow vehicle should be wet.

Signal the driver of your tow vehicle to park it and pull the parking brake. They can leave the engine running as the whole process should take you no more than just a few minutes.

3. Angle the Boat for the Trailer

Keep your boat’s engine on low and angle your vessel towards the trailer. If the water is shallow and you’re unable to use your boat's engine, you’ll need to use your oars to paddle onto the trailer. However, if you can switch it on, slowly drive onto your trailer and check to see if you have landed your vessel correctly. Don’t worry if you have to take more than one attempt to get onto the trailer, as instead of doing it quickly, you should try to do it safely.

4. Connect the Winch

Once your boat is on the trailer, get onto the trailer tongue and attach the winch. Ensure that your boat is on the trailer and the vessel’s bow is against the winch post. You may then go ahead to fasten the safety chain.

5. Pull Out of the Water

After you have attached the safety chain, get ready to pull your boat and trailer out of the water. Let your friend drive the tow vehicle slowly while pulling you out. They can stop to let you raise the outboard or sterndrive motor of your vessel if it is low and scraping against the ramp. You may then head to a nearby parking lot and get ready to hit the road.

We hope this guide helps you retrieve your boat like a pro. If you have any questions or want to upgrade your vessel before your next trip, visit L&M Marine, where we have an impressive collection of boats for sale. We’re in Stapleton, AL, where we proudly serve those from Mobile, AL, and Pensacola, FL.