How to launch and retrieve a boat onto a trailer single handed | Levington marina slipway Suffolk

This is the way that I launch and retrieve my Alaska 500 small fishing boat using a roller trailer.
Tips:
- Do not wear a seatbelt, you do not want to be trapped in a vehicle.
- Leave the window open to escape through.
- Put the front wheels on full lock so car turns and jackknifes the trailer instead of rolling into the water.
- If something is vital to holding the boat on the trailer then double it up with something ie winch cable AND safety strap, or car with handbrake on AND in gear or park
- Have a routine for your boat and how you launch. Maybe write a list to help.
- Finally, DO NOT LET ANYONE RUSH YOU. It’s your boat, if you rush and break something or injure yourself it’s YOU not them who will have to fix or mend it/yourself.
Remember the more times you do it the easier it will become, it’s not a race, don’t be complacent! Most of all… enjoy!
There are many ways to do this, however this is the way I have found to be the most efficient, safe and quick.

[@Hutch118000]

Great wee video, the prep is what makes it easy. No hassles Well done.👏

[@Suffolksportsfishing]

Thanks mate 👍🏻

[@fredflintstone3027]

All joking aside one of the most helpful guys around the Suffolk coast. Should be more like him. Glad we met.

[@Suffolksportsfishing]

Appreciate it, thanks mate. Always happy to help, even when you bring your boat in sideways 😂😂

[@homemadecookingonabudget9048]

wow you made that look easy Ed 👍👍👍

[@Suffolksportsfishing]

Thank you - it’s all about having a routine and sticking to it. Don’t forget the bung!! 👍🏻

[@markfechner5397]

I like the idea about turning the front wheels. you're the first one that I've seen do this. also using your winch strap that way. i will be doing both next weekend.

[@Suffolksportsfishing]

Hopefully it was helpful mate and makes your launches easier for you 👍🏻 the wheels should lock up and save your car getting too wet if it all goes wrong!

[@ReelTherapyFishing]

Some really good advice there. Great video 👍

[@Suffolksportsfishing]

Thanks guys, glad it’s helped people and given some confidence in a method of launching 👍

[@malcolmfirth2250]

Great launch thank you for the pointers and routine very helpful

[@Suffolksportsfishing]

My pleasure. I’m glad it was helpful. Ed

[@FORTNIGHTFISHING]

Just subbed mate looking forward to watching your videos 👍🏻👍🏻🤟🏻🤟🏻

[@Suffolksportsfishing]

Appreciate it mate, just subbed to yours - looking forward to having a look around at your videos 👍

[@alangranton9601]

Great video

[@Suffolksportsfishing]

Thank you

[@petergore1972]

Peter Gore Seer, A Good 7ft Beam.

[@davidgarrett7463]

Great video Ed, you make that look so easy, as you say Practice makes perfect, and always have a plan. My Orkney is almost ready to launch so could ask you for that offer of help you kindly offered if that's ok. Cheers Dave

[@Suffolksportsfishing]

Hi Dave, glad you enjoyed. It wasn’t my finest retrieve, I think my trailer could’ve been an inch or so further back but all good. Glad your boat is nearly ready. You’ll have to let me know when she’s good to go and I can meet you down there and we can get her launched and work out if your trailer is best set up for there etc. Just let me know, Ed

[@davidgarrett7463]

Will do Ed, and Thanks

[@fredflintstone3027]

Superb as always. Whats that lump in your trousers? Oh yer the drain plug. Readers Part 2 of this vid will be. Seahog super V how not to lol

[@Suffolksportsfishing]

Would love to say the lump is my wallet… sadly the drain plug it is!!! Thanks mate

[@GCJNash]

That was great, we have been struggling to find a better way to slip in and out. We launch at Dover from the slipway, there is no pontoon. So we have to have one stay on the boat using the engine to slip off the trailer into the sea then the car driver has to use waders to get out to the boat after, that is the easy part. However returning is a pain trying to line up the boat so that the keel lines up with the keel rollers. Now having seen how you do not use the keel rollers I might try to raise the bilge rollers to make life simple if the hull on my Explorer Elite can take the load. We have six rollers set on three sets of roller arms. Do you think this is a safe way to go?

[@Suffolksportsfishing]

Hi glad it helped out. That’s just the way I did it, sure there are other ways. Your Elite should be fine on 6 rollers - they are tough and the rollers should self-centre the boat on the trailer. If you are beach launching and it’s a calm day, you could push the boat off the trailer in the shallows with a longish line attached to the bow. Then pull it up the beach so it holds itself. Lose the car up the beach, get on the boat in the shallows and then motor in reverse off the beach with the engine trimmed up? Just another idea 👍🏻

[@GCJNash]

Thanks for the reply@@Suffolksportsfishing

[@KingstonAG]

Good video. I have no access via the front of my Shakespeare Cruisette. 16'. Same trailer as you. The only way I can launch and retrieve by myself is if there is a pontoon next to the slipway and i can pull it around with ropes. Otherwise I'm in the boat when it gets launched and a friend moves the car and trailer out of the way.

[@Suffolksportsfishing]

Hi Antony, the way you have mentioned is how most people I see do it. If you wanted to do it single handed then I have thought of a way, however it might mean getting wet feet or making something up to walk round the boat on. You could then have a release line running round the boat, attached to the rear cleats to let it off. The retrieve would be more simple, but unless you can walk round the cuddy, would still mean getting wet feet/waders. Ed

[@eddbwana]

Hi Ed I had the same problem with the rollers floating and falling back away from the centre of the trailer so I cut some small strips of lead and wrapped them around the roller arm just behind the roller wheel, if it floats up a bit especially when a wave hits them they always falls back to the centre again.

[@Suffolksportsfishing]

Good idea, thats what I’ll be doing as I keep catching the bungee cords on the keel band! Cheers mate!

[@peteramberley9952]

Nice routine and you have it down too a fine art. "But" I don't know why you don't have a bit of weight /just touching the keel rollers.? Do you not tow it far / is the boat and trailer in a compound?. The reason I ask is that some shetlands hulls don't have strings there made up of balsa wood panels in the Hull and bouncing arround on the rollers overtime could damage the Hull ie supporting the weight of the boat where its not really designed to take that stress.

[@Suffolksportsfishing]

Hi Peter, this Alaska has stringers - I know they are in good shape as I redid the floor last year and gave it a good checking over. I do tow it to the marina every time but it’s strapped to the trailer and it all moves as one. The pressure is on the same area as when the boat is floating in the water so is well supported, the keel rollers in my set up are only for trailer protection when launching etc. I might at some point weld some more rollers onto the trailer and therefore up the support

[@peteramberley9952]

@@Suffolksportsfishing on my shetlands / microplus they never had chimes just flat surfaces on the Hull I assumed the alaska was the same. Did you do a vid on replacing the floor?

[@Suffolksportsfishing]

Yes there are three short videos I have done on doing the floor, have a look a bit further back on the channel and you will find them 👍🏻

[@benbrown211fishing2]

Hi great video Where about is that slip way please

[@Suffolksportsfishing]

Hi, this is levington slipway near Ipswich, Suffolk. Ed

[@knighthawk3559]

Did you use the low range gears in your truck?

[@Suffolksportsfishing]

Yes. On that slip I normally use low range. I have tried it in high range and it pulls it out fine, although low range gives more control 👍🏻

[@cdo29mike]

The bunks, rollers should sit level with the water or slightly under the water line.

[@Suffolksportsfishing]

Absolutely so the trailer actually works and lines the boat up. Lots of different ways to deal with different slips though the principle stays the same 👍🏻