Making a Great Day of Fun in the Sun

Don’t be the guy who shows up to the ramp, backs his boat down to the water, starts unloading the truck, floats the boat, loads his family, parks the truck, takes his time getting back to the boat, jumps in, goes to start the boat and finds out the battery is dead. Worse yet, he forgot the drain plug. In the mean time other eager boaters are watching this calamity and losing time on the water. We all have seen this happen and maybe some of us have been “that” guy to some degree. It is discouraging and embarrassing and does not set the mood right for a great day.

Follow these simple steps and you will have a great day of fun in the sun:

Before you even leave the house, while loading the towels and ice chest. CHECK your battery.  Simply crank the engine over and make sure it will start your engine. DO NOT RUN your engine out of the water, so if you want to take it one step further, hook up some water and run your boat a few minutes the night before or in the morning. This does a few things, make sure you have your keys. I’ve known people that got to the lake and could not find their boat keys. You know your battery is good and ready to go. With the key on, you can double check your fuel level, since on the trailer that will be the most accurate reading of the day. Lastly, you will know that the boat is ready.

When you arrive to the lake take a minute before you get to the ramp. This is a great time to load the rest of your things in the boat and get them put away. Having your things put away before you get to the dock will help getting in and out of the boat safer and easier. Do a walk around, loosen the bow winch, remove the tie downs and MAKE SURE THE DRAIN PLUG IS IN and run the blower. Maybe even double check the engine will crank over and fire.

Now you are ready for the launch ramp. This is where you can shine like a pro. Simply back the boat in deep enough to start the engine while it is still on the trailer. This will allow the engine to warm up a tad before pushing off, it will also allow you to look at the engine and inside the compartment to smell any fumes and visually inspect everything including potential water coming into the boat. It is much better to identify any potential problems now, while it is still on the trailer. If it is a busy day or there is not a dock available, shove the boat off with a qualified driver at the helm to simply “mill” around while you park the truck and trailer. This will allow other boaters to access the ramp of which they will be appreciative. Also, this will reduce the potential of dock rash on your boat, as it is not resting up a busy dock. Once you have parked the trailer, the boat driver can now pick you up easily at the edge of the dock or the nearby beach.

These simple steps will reduce stress at the ramp, ensure a safe launch, eliminate any preventable drama and start your day off right.