I got a different truck and it is about 3 feet longer than my old one. I am backing a 16'ft boat with a single axel trailer. With the new truck, the trailer is much more reactive. I did not think it would make that much difference. I feel like a new boat owner all over again. I have been practicing in parking lots and going to ramps that are not crowded. I do not want to be that guy. I use hands at the bottom of the steering wheel and turn the wheel the way I want the trailer to go. I am sure I will improve at some point, but crowded ramps and parking areas make me anxious. 😟 Can anyone relate?

I’m sure that we have all been there at some point.  Just keep at it.  It will come around.

Yes,  I can relate.  Once you get the new turn radius down it will click and you will be back to normal.  

Yup.  I used to be a "professional backseater" a.k.a. poor college kid that thumbed rides to go fishing.  I backed down ramps all kinds of vehicle/boat configurations.  They geometry varies greatly, and makes it difficult to do it real quick on-the-fly while launching for a tournament with everyone else.

 

It didn't take long to learn that using the side mirrors is the surefire way to go, every time.  Here's a video that explains it in detail with examples:

 

 

@Glenn always low key bragging about having a big ol boat.😁 Some of us little boat Captains can't see our boats in the side mirrors until you're way out of line.

@rboat it'll be a natural movement soon, just take your time. It's easier to stop & pull back up than fix bent metal.

Actually, I used to back down my dad's 1970 14' Terry boat with my '74 Camaro using mirrors, LOL!  Yep, I know how strange that looked.  But if you know that model Chevy, you know that rear window is useless; and you'd know that's one narrow boat. LOL

 

(You'd also know where to put the gas nozzle on that car)

I’m not an expert by any means.  I learned how to back up a trailer 25 years ago and would share some of the driving when my dad and I would go fishing (normally drive home because he was tired).  I learned the basics then and was ‘good enough’.  That was on an extended cab Chevy with an 8’ bed and a big cap on the back, so that was a mirrors mostly operation.  Of course I then didn’t do it for 25 years until I got the boat this spring.  After a couple trips it was like I never stopped.  The muscle memory took over, I learned the new length combo, and that was that.  Backing it into the garage took a while, but I can just about back it the whole way in now if I really wanted to (it is a more than 90 degree bend backwards onto the travel path with a narrow driveway).

 

That said, while I can use my side mirrors for some things at some times, I still find it easier to put my right hand on the passenger seat and just turn around.  It just feels natural.  The only time I use my mirrors is when there is a ramp or other drop off that I lose sight of the boat out the back.  

 

@Glenn- is the answer behind the license plate?  

Yessir!  I never thought that was unusual until WELL after I sold it.  People were like, "It was WHERE??" LOL

 

I thought it was a great idea because it didn't matter what side of the pump I pulled up to.

I have a few trailers @rboat and it took me awhile to learn them. Still takes a minute to click with the one I’m using.

My fishing boat and the utility trailer are what I call my quick trailers. They seem like the have a mind of their own, and are right beside you in a flash. I have a 18ft flat bed, I use to haul the tractor, it’s the easiest trailer I’ve ever backed. I think I could go from Florida to Maine backwards on the interstate, and keep up with traffic. 
It will click.

11 hours ago, Glenn said:

Here's a video that explains it in detail with examples:

Glenn, I never seen this video but when I started using side mirrors when I learned how to back a trailer, it was a game changer. Great point you made.

Just slow down and take your time, when your hand is on the bottom of the wheel it should never pass the 3-9 o’clock position.

I tow with a slightly jacked up GMC 1500 with a full cap with tinted windows.

So side mirrors are my only option during all single axle trailer maneuvers.

No problem because that's how I learned to do it.

As a solo basshead, I am not a speed demon during any operation.

And that's by design. 

Speed kills.

I am slow and methodical.

If and when there are other boaters at the ramp that would prefer that I am faster,

my response is that perhaps they should have considered arriving at the ramp earlier,

prior to my arrival.  The truth is I rarely have anyone say anything, but the looks speak loud enough.

Too Bad. If they relax a bit they will get to watch a professional at work.

Might even learn something.

https://youtu.be/1Y6eZUyhUUo?si=V8eRSpWV4a7f6IWW&t=210

A-Jay

btw- since recording this one, I have added trailer steps.

Makes this deal safer & even smoother. 

 

The op may not be able to see the trailer wheel on the driver side using his mirrors. If this is the situation open up the rear of the vehicle so you have a visual of the trailer solves the problem.

Tom

PS take off your fishing hat, don’t want anything blocking your rear view.

When I had the truck - I'd mount my Action Camera to the topper-window, then connect it via Wi-Fi to my 8" tablet....gave me a high-up angle back-up camera.

I always use the side mirrors and hold the bottom of the wheel. The only time I use my back up camera is for putting it on the ball. 
 

I always try to see if there is some edge I can follow to go straight. The other thing I will do is instead of fighting it the second I am starting to get out of whack I’ll just pull forward enough to undo it. Back smarter not harder. No need to S your way down a ramp when in 3 seconds you can be straight. 

I don’t think the OP was looking for trailer backing advice.  I think he was looking for those of us who have had similar experiences.

the side mirrors are the way to see the trailer!   if not the side mirrors, what are people doing instead??

 

looking out the back window?

 

I havent backed a trailer in decades and just this year, I was asked to do so.. #1 rule, go slow.    I looked like a boss!!  but big double axles are cake.    garden trailers?  jackknife city!!  hahah

I've been reading this thread waiting on someone to mention the tall white pipes.

 

I drive a Toyota 4runner and cannot use mirrors to see the boat well enough to back it up. 4Runner is too wide and boat and trailer too narrow.

 

Here in Florida at some of the remote lakes I go to there is no turn around at the ramp. It is simply a dead end ramp at the end of a road and ditches on both sides so no where to go. I have to drive straight backwards sometimes for half a block.

 

So there is only one way I can do this. I have to install tall white pipes on each side of my boat trailer so I can see them and only them when backing up, and I have to turn around in my seat and drive it backwards for long distances sometimes. I have to be precise. No room for error like on Lake Crosby in Starke, Florida. Mirrors won't work.

 

https://www.google.com/maps/place/Crosby+Lake/@29.9503417,-82.1541364,167m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m6!3m5!1s0x88e5fe3bcbb23457:0x6fa7d41bdd0cc7d6!8m2!3d29.9457193!4d-82.1577651!16s%2Fg%2F1tdb0hzv?entry=ttu&g_ep=EgoyMDI1MTIwMi4wIKXMDSoASAFQAw%3D%3D

 

If you look down on the ramp from satellite you can see the problem. I have to turn left on 160th st, and then start backing up around a 90 degree turn and straighten it out and then drive straight backwards for about 200+ feet down SW 65th Ave. with no room for error on either side or I am in the ditches.

 

So tall white poles are the only thing I can see while driving backwards to keep it straight- so I can relate to the OP having the difficulty he does.

 

 

 

15 minutes ago, FloridaFishinFool said:

I've been reading this thread waiting on someone to mention the tall white pipes.

That’s fair point. I will say when I was pulling my buddy’s boat earlier this fall and he had them on his, it was much easier backing up with them on with an empty trailer 

I used to backup a 3 rail motorcycle trailer with my truck with an overhead camper.  Dead slow and get ready to stop.  I extended the mirrors so I could see 1" of tire on the trailer.  I put a hitch on the front of my truck to park in my driveway with my 23' boat, narrow street and driveway.

No one has mentioned the loss of depth perception.  As a teen ager I worked in a trucking garage for a large paperboard manufacturer;  serviced, fueled, made minor repairs, and backed full size semi trailers two deep into narrow stalls, broke off a few rear view mirrors during the learning process, but got to be really good at it.  The years have robbed me of depth perception, no cure or aids for it.  Today I have a dual cab truck, 21ft plus boat, and it takes me forever to back down an empty ramp or into my own garage;  there must be others like me.

If I had to look back to back a trailer, it would take a while. I learned to back using mirrors. Worked for a public electrical utility for 41 years and backing a trailer is just something you have to learn. Just seems natural to me now.

 

@rboat - I can relate --- three years ago when I bought the used boat/trailer it was a big learning curve for me --- there were times when I went to the ramp, gave backing up 10 tries, then just abandoned it and went home --- or if I pulled into the ramp area and there were other trucks/boats waiting to load/unload I would just leave and come back at another time --- I practiced in the Walmart parking lot (brought my own orange safety cones), practiced in the yard, practiced at more wide open ramps --- and now three years later I nail it 9 out of 10 times on the first try --- it's about skill acquisition and confidence building --- you've got this !!

On 12/5/2025 at 5:18 PM, Glenn said:

But if you know that model Chevy, you know that rear window is useless

 

The rear window is the easiest way to discern a '74 F body from a '75 F body.

Backing up the trailer  the easy part.  I think driving the boat back on the trailer will make me sweat. :)😅