4 hours ago, Koz said:

So if you're struggling when using your mirrors or backup camera, my advice is to go Old School and look over your shoulder.

This is me. I can only back up a trailer while craned around looking backwards. At this point its as second nature to me as driving normally. There have been a handful of times where I couldnt do this ( really steep ramp where I lose sight) and had to use mirrors and its like I've never touched a trailer in my life. 

I was  a teen when some older dude showed me how to hold the steering wheel at the 6oclock position.  
 

I got this. 

Backing down the boat ramp is easy for me, I was backing hay wagons up into the barn when I was 14 years old.

This is my biggest fear of getting a boat.

 

I'm 99.9% sure I'm going to struggle with it.

 

Whenever I do get a boat, I'm going to practice at a ramp when I think it will be SLOW.

1 hour ago, HawkeyeSmallie said:

This is my biggest fear of getting a boat.

 

I'm 99.9% sure I'm going to struggle with it.

 

Whenever I do get a boat, I'm going to practice at a ramp when I think it will be SLOW.

You can always practice on cold and windy days when no one will want to be on the lake

You just have to swallow your pride and do it several times. It may go poorly, it may go well. But each time you do it, you will get better at it and learn your boat and trailer. 

2 hours ago, HawkeyeSmallie said:

This is my biggest fear of getting a boat.

 

I'm 99.9% sure I'm going to struggle with it.

 

Whenever I do get a boat, I'm going to practice at a ramp when I think it will be SLOW.

@HawkeyeSmallie when you get a boat take it to a big parking lot early in the morning and put out a couple of traffic cones between 8-10’ apart. Practice backing in between them and you’ll get the drift of backing a trailer. Then when your comfortable go to a ramp that’s not crowed and practice. You’ll be fine. 👍

1 hour ago, Wildbillb said:

You can always practice on cold and windy days when no one will want to be on the lake

 

Honestly I wouldn't even go to the access to practice.  I'd do it in my own driveway or go to an empty parking lot first.

Boat ramps are usually easy compared to home driveways into the garage!

Tom

PS, take off your hat so you see the mirrors.

1 hour ago, WRB said:

Boat ramps are usually easy compared to home driveways into the garage!

Exactly. If you can master the driveway, the ramp will be a piece of cake.

I no longer own a boat that I trailer, but when I did, I was pretty good at it. 

4 hours ago, WRB said:

Boat ramps are usually easy compared to home driveways into the garage!

Tom

PS, take off your hat so you see the mirrors.

I agree with this.  My driveway is about 100’ of single lane.  it opens into a 3 garage bay wide chunk in front of the house and three garage doors.  but the driveway is an acute angle to the garage doors so if you are straight down the driveway you are cutting back on yourself and have to jackknife the trailer more than 90 degrees.  Once you can figure that out, a straight boat ramp is cake!

21 hours ago, HawkeyeSmallie said:

This is my biggest fear of getting a boat.

 

I'm 99.9% sure I'm going to struggle with it.

 

Whenever I do get a boat, I'm going to practice at a ramp when I think it will be SLOW.

“Hold the steering wheel at 6-o’clock position - move your hand in the direction you want the trailer to go - small inputs, and correct halfway into the trailers turn”

 

I haven’t backed a trailer in decades until a month ago.  I had to back a new acquaintance’s shiny bass boat trailer down a crowded ramp.  He was out in the water ready to drive on.   My palms got sweaty, but I already told him, “oh I got this”.   I repeated what I was told, and just punted.  To the untrained eye, I looked like a pro.  
 

I would practice in a parking lot first.  I learned on a tiny utility trailer. Highly reactive, compared to long double axel boat trailer.  ‘You got this”

19 hours ago, WRB said:

Boat ramps are usually easy compared to home driveways into the garage!

I back 90 degrees up an inclined driveway into a single car garage. I have about 8 inches either side of the boat if I am perfectly centered. I do not even move my wife’s car out of the drive way anymore. 
 

one other key. The second you feel something isn’t going right just pull forward and get straight again. Once you start the zig zag it’s very hard to get out of. Pulling 3 feet forward saves you a lot of headaches. 

1 minute ago, Susky River Rat said:

The second you feel something isn’t going right just pull forward and get straight again. Once you start the zig zag it’s very hard to get out of. Pulling 3 feet forward saves you a lot of headaches.

 

My old man is very stubborn and never does this.  So he's always creating more work for himself with sharper turns.

 

He could avoid 90% of the problems if he initially lines up straight too.  He always starts crooked.

My biggest advice is take your time and use your mirrors. E brake and wheel chock for steep ramps. 

 

I find getting the boat back on the trailer in wind and current to be much more challenging than backing down the ramp. 

Take your time and don't try to razzle dazzle on lookers with your backing skills.

I've been backing trailers for over 50 years, anything from Hay wagons to 53ft cargo trailers.

Thought I was good until I recently back the boat into the framing around the garage door 😳

Had some repair problems on our tow vehicle and used 3 different vehicles until repairs were done. Same boat/trailer, but different tow vehicles will throw you off some. Had to relearn each time.

On 4/26/2025 at 4:32 PM, slowworm said:

Got the boat out for the first time this year.  My trailer backing skills get kind of rusty over the winter.  A documentary crew was there to film the event though ....

 

 

Ok, it wasn't quite that bad, but still....

That last part got me 🤣

31 minutes ago, rboat said:

Had some repair problems on our tow vehicle and used 3 different vehicles until repairs were done. Same boat/trailer, but different tow vehicles will throw you off some. Had to relearn each time.

 

That's where I'm at. I've taken my friends boat out with my truck and it's usually pretty easy but my buddy's vehicle is a front wheel drive suv. It will move the tail end of the boat with just the slightest turn of the wheel. 

I have heard that the beginning of an end to a marriage starts at a boat ramp. 

On 4/30/2025 at 5:59 PM, LonnieP said:

Backing down the boat ramp is easy for me, I was backing hay wagons up into the barn when I was 14 years old.

Dang - you must’ve not had any younger cousins/brothers/siters. I started pulling the hay trailer for my granddaddy when I was 6-7. When my younger brother got to be that age, I was throwing bales on the trailer!  I am pretty adept at pulling trailers as well. I wouldn’t say I’m a master or anything, but I regularly pull my 34’ travel trailer. I prefer pull thru sites because I don’t like backing. However, I can shoehorn it in somewhere if need be…

23 hours ago, Leeboy said:

I have heard that the beginning of an end to a marriage starts at a boat ramp. 

nope.  bleeding brakes with the wife at the brake-pedal.    

1 hour ago, Smirak said:

Dang - you must’ve not had any younger cousins/brothers/siters. I started pulling the hay trailer for my granddaddy when I was 6-7. When my younger brother got to be that age, I was throwing bales on the trailer!  I am pretty adept at pulling trailers as well. I wouldn’t say I’m a master or anything, but I regularly pull my 34’ travel trailer. I prefer pull thru sites because I don’t like backing. However, I can shoehorn it in somewhere if need be…

hahah..my sister rented the largest U-haul truck, and a trailer to pull the SUV.  i loaded it for her, and was going home when my mom said, "i think you should drive it to Oregon for her".  what?  (that meant i was going to be there to unload).  anyways i did.  i drove home, showered, put together some travel luggage and i drove that rig from Tx to OR.   the house they rented  had a long curvy driveway.   i backed that thing up that driveway and put it all right at the doorstep. my BIL had trouble driving it out, straight.  ahhah...  i was too young to realize my limitations.  "i got this"