Power loading tips

My first tip? Don't do it. If you feel you have to, minimize damage to the ramp. If you have a bunk trailer, learn the speed you need coming into the trailer to get the nose close to the winch and stop. Crank the last foot. If you have a roller trailer you should use the winch. Don't be that guy with his motor at 1/3 throttle churning mud while he goes up to hook his strap. The blowhole power loading creates undermines the end of the ramp and tears off axles if you back past the end. My buddy rocked a prop badly backing away from the blowhole because of the shallow ridge of rocks just beyond the hole. I can't think of a single time that powerloading has been a good look for any boater at the landing. Kudos to all the ramp crews out there. Fixing concrete plank landings before the fishing season is cold work.

Sorry about that but that is the only way I load my boat.

me too

If I’m by myself, that’s the way I load.
My boat is to heavy to crank.
If I’m fishing with some one, they can clip and lock fit me.



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I really don't care how I look at the landing.
I can provide testmonials from witnesses if necessary.


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It just takes a little nudge off idle to get mine loaded and against the stop. I crank the last few inches.

I understand the problem with eroding a huge hole, but it's really not an issue with the ramps around here. They're concrete, extend a long ways, and are really deep on the end.

When I was a kid in Minnesota, had to be careful wading around boat ramps, sometimes you'd take a step and end up over your head from the giant hole that had been washed away from power loading.

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Just finished fixing a ramp that had a crater blown out from power launching, if we catch someone doing it at our ramp, warning first time, no return if we catch them again. It gets old helping pull out a long trailer that backs into the hole and gets stuck. If you back the trailer down as far as you need to in the first place at our ramp, you can load your boat without blowing out a crater. For most trailers here, you back down until the winch is at the water line, and all goes smooth with you cranking the winch standing by the edge of the water on dry ground.. The power launching we see here is where people back down to some imaginary random spot not far enough, then its full throttle with trim going up and down like a fool making a mess for every body.
If the ramp angle is decent, back down far enough and come in at a good approach with your boat and lets leave with every body happy.
Note: Water was pulled down for this and other scheduled repairs around the lake. 30 degree weather working in mud was no fun either!

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Originally Posted by Bigslabslayer

I can't think of a single time that powerloading has been a good look for any boater at the landing.

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Your experience with the negatives are based largely on where you live and how the ramps are made there. Mine are just the opposite. I spent a couple of decades in SW FL boating in salt water. All the good ramps down there are built "properly" - meaning that the concrete extends WAY down. Those ramps are built with the knowledge that they WILL be used for powerloading big offshore boats - many over 30' with double, tripple, and even quadruple outboards. Many of the trailers for those boats don't even have winches.

Good responses! Everything from the "I dont care " crowd to the "we have deep landings for our big boats" saltwater guys. Here in the land of 15,000 lakes, many landings are rather shallow and powerloading really is a problem. We don't have dedicated DNR ramp repair crews so most repairs are left to local sportsmans clubs or lake associations. Repairs can be few and far between. I just ask that we think about preserving the precious resource that are our public landings. I appreciate all your comments.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Bigslabslayer

Good responses! Everything from the "I dont care " crowd to the "we have deep landings for our big boats" saltwater guys. Here in the land of 15,000 lakes, many landings are rather shallow and powerloading really is a problem. We don't have dedicated DNR ramp repair crews so most repairs are left to local sportsmans clubs or lake associations. Repairs can be few and far between. I just ask that we think about preserving the precious resource that are our public landings. I appreciate all your comments.

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Come to think of it, none of the "Power Launchers" were to be found when we repaired the blown out boat ramp in the above photos.
Kinda reminds me of an older couple I know that live off of an old country road that are often seen, in all kinds of weather, out by the side of the road by their front yard picking up trash that others throw out. They didn't put it there, but they pick it up and keep that area clean. The ones that throw it out sure don't help them.
Where we did the ramp repair, the water is still going down for pier repairs and such, and more and more lake bottom is becoming exposed, along with trash galore. All kinds of trash. I saw a man out there yesterday wearing rubber boots picking up trash bags full of glass bottles, old cans, and all kinds of stuff.
As responsible sportsmen, we should all conduct ourselves in reasonable manners that leaves the area no worse off when we leave than it was when we arrived. Even a little better would be good.

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