A friend called me yesterday and asked me if I thought my Land Cruiser could handle launching his new boat tomorrow morning :D

Being the man that I am I assured him that the Cruiser could handle just about anything and we agreed to meet at the Marina tomorrow morning at 7 a.m.

Yesterday when I got off work I decided to go look at the boat on the trailer and check the slope of the launch. I had seen pics of the boat and I knew it was LARGE but I had no Idea until I pulled into the parking lot and was dwarfed by the freaking Titanic :laughing:

Other than a change of underwear what advice can you give me for putting this big bastard in the water?
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#2

that's nuthing....was driving around last summer and a guy with a FJ40 I'd met had a 36'er on a trailer behind it...absatively nuts, but apparrently, it worked! lol

Other than a change of underwear what advice can you give me for putting this big bastard in the water?


Get a snorkel... better make that 2... one for you and one for your 60 :flipoff2:

#2

You forgot something :flipoff2:

edit: nevermind :rolleyes:

gimme a second, ya pole smokers :flipoff2:

Take :flipoff2: your carpet out first, or spring it over and add some 37's real quick...

I suggest low range.

Also, now might be a good idea to start considering using a couple chunks of very thick lumber for rear bump stops.

Hope you have an extension tongue on that trailer. If not the snorkel idea would be a good one :eek:

Launched a 36ft sailboat for a friend a couple of times with an old Dodge 3/4 ton 4x4 years ago. It was on a steep ramp as well. Basically I made sure that I had it lined up straight and started it down the ramp. Once it started, it would drag the truck backward in a sort of marginally controlled slide until the boat floated off the trailer. The trailer had an extension tongue, but the back of the truck was in water nearly to the top of the tailgate before it stopped. Was really spooky the first time I did it :eek:

Bob

Putting it in the water will be easy. Do you also have to get it back out...? :shaking:

Seriously, a friend of mine tows a boat that size (or close to it) with a Honda Odyssey, no problems at all. Drives it like he stole it, all of it, and that van has no problems at all.

You'll be fine. Probably. :laughing:

TJK

You shouldn't have any trouble at all actually. I've put in boats that size with a 2 WD Ford F150.

Low range and throttle control.

Back up real quick like into the water and then slam on the brakes..

Come to think of it, make sure that the boat is not attatched to the trailer before you do that ;)

It's all about the slope of the ramp and the tongue weight of the trailer. If the tongue weight isn't too heavy, you'll be fine pulling it around the boat ramp parking lot (assuming that's all you have to do).

If the slope of the ramp is steep and it's sandy, you may be in trouble. Use low range 4wd and, if needed, strap the front to an anchor vehicle that can give you a tug if necessary.

The trailer has a nice long tongue on it so you probably won't have to go too far into the water. If you do go in to the back doors, just try not to be there too long.

Good Luck :flipoff2: Oh yeah, take pics, could be fun (like the volkswagen with the pile of wood on top:D).

Phil

I asked him if we would have to pay double if I launched the truck too :laughing:

my biggest fear is getting dragged down the ramp backwards with my foot on the brake and a 2F screaming at 4,000 rpm's :laughing:

I'm not sure how far I'll be submerged before she floats free of the trailer, if the ass end of the 60 starts floating... I'm a goner :eek:

my plan to was air down ~ 4-lo reverse ~ PRAY!

I might strap to a second truck on the ramp in case the shit goes bad.

Perhaps the risk will be outweighed by the reward....

:D

TJK

I told the people at work it might be worth seeing :laughing:

I've made believers out of a few people in the past by pulling out stuck/loaded dually trucks with the 60 but the ramp and water totally change the equation :goofball:

Good tires, 4WD. Cake.

TJK

I wouldn't air down as it appears you will have a lot of tongue weight and after the boat is launched you shouldn't have a problem with traction. 4wd low as others have said. Also, take video in case something bad does happen or you want some bragging rights. Whenever I do something sort of risky, I put the strap on prior to doing it. That way I don't have to dig for it in a panic situation.

I would get a third person, and have them stand on the tongue, ready to unhook the boat once in the water. Having to race to the front seat and start up the truck and get it moving back up the ramp *if* for whatever reason it starts sliding down the ramp would be tough.

Its easy. back slowly until the ass end of the boat is just barely floating. start the boat and back off gently.

Just portage the damn thing... wimp. :p

I love the advice that goes...

"DO IT" (but take a video camera so we can laugh at you if you totally fawk it up) :laughing:

I plan on staying in the cab (the Captain must go down with the ship) and laying out the strap connected to an anchor vehicle with enough slack submerge the majority of my truck without losing it completely off the ramp.

portage???

Carry it overland, Canadian canoe style.

TJK

portage???

It's a term used in canoeing when carry your canoe from one lake to the next. :rolleyes:

http://www.canoetrip.com/portage.html

i agree, you should be fine launching it. Pullin it back out might be a little more scary, but still doable no doubt. My father in law pulls a 77 Cobalt ski boat with his ford explorer. Scary as fawk seeing it on the road. But he swore, and I have riden with him now to agree it's slow but pulls fine. 4 wheel drive is needed on the boat ramp for sure but it gets it done on a weekly basis in the summer. :D

It's a term used in canoeing when carry your canoe from one lake to the next. :rolleyes:

http://www.canoetrip.com/portage.html


Tofu eatin tree hugger :flipoff2:

The worst is having a crowd of people hanging out by the ramp... I had to load a bigass pontoon onto a trailer for my grandpa. forward / reverse 50 times (didn't help that the throttle kept sticking) & half an hour later, I got it on the trailer.

nothing like having a few dozen drunks cheering you on :emb2:

I agree w/TK - In is easy - out is going to be a problem...

I live on a lake, and we are really happy that the ramp sucks - otherwise we would have 5 times as many skiboats.... I have winched 2 trucks out. The local sherrif who patrols the lake from Memorial Day to Labor Day on the weekends has sent people walking the 1/2 mile + down to my house to knock on my door....'I hear you have a Toyota that can help me - I doubt it because its a bit ol Dodge but the Sherrif...' :flipoff2:

Jim



Putting it in the water will be easy. Do you also have to get it back out...? :shaking:

Seriously, a friend of mine tows a boat that size (or close to it) with a Honda Odyssey, no problems at all. Drives it like he stole it, all of it, and that van has no problems at all.

You'll be fine. Probably. :laughing:

TJK

we'll be hitting it nice and early so we can dump the boat half way down the ramp and shutt'er down for the day :D


I told my buddy that I was going to be sitting on that boat chugging beer by 10 a.m. even if we flip it in the parking lot :beer:

I've trailered and ramped boats that large with my FJ40 back in the San Diego days. Not a problem. I did have to wash the salt out of the rear of the bed though. And remember I don't use a roll bar. So my examples may not relate to the sane very well. Since boats float it will only drag you into the water far enough to lift up. Probably to the back doors.

I love the advice that goes...

"DO IT" (but take a video camera so we can laugh at you if you totally fawk it up) :laughing:

I plan on staying in the cab (the Captain must go down with the ship) and laying out the strap connected to an anchor vehicle with enough slack submerge the majority of my truck without losing it completely off the ramp.

portage???

Hey! The reason I say this is a friend of mine couldn't get their ski boat started after they launched. They pulled their Dodge diesel down hood first into the water to jump it. The boat started but the truck slipped out of gear when they were releasing the brake. It rolled into the lake. Luckily they were at an angle and the truck hit the dock before rolling out into the deeper water. From then on we've called their truck the USS Corder. Their last name is Corder. I've often wished that we had the whole thing on video. It may have won 10,000.

You'll be fine. Low range and just take it easy. Always make sure your straitght. easier to clean out water than to fix the dent from jack knife.

To get it out. put the trailer in empty, just enough so the boat wont float on the trailer. Drive the boat on and secure it in the bow. . Have the boat driver give the boat some gas to push the truck, and shut it off just before it get out of the water. Once the boat is out of the water you will be moveing and the boat can be shut off.

Beeb boating for years, some people on the ramps just crack me up.
Anyone want to buy a 17 foot Sea Ray?

Nothing more entertaining than watching folks trying to get their boats on the trailers on a crowded boat ramp with a 30mph crosswind :)

You'll be "just fine" really...

a ramp "too steep" is usually more problem than "not steep enough"...but i've blown many speed sensors on those ramps "not steep enough."

I doubt anyone will argue with my statement that a 95 chevy 3/4ton is a piece of junk (tranny/tcase speed sensors twice, ABS sensors three times). But I'd like to be the first to say that even our 2003 1-ton Dodge 4x4 has it's bad moments (tranny sensor once...the truck was 4 weeks old). Frankly I trust my stockish '75 Cruiser more than either of these pickups!

Tim

oh yeah--the 60 weighs about the same as the 3/4 chevy and we launch stuff that size all the time. carpet might get wet if you're stock height, but you'll get it out!

I love the advice that goes...

"DO IT" (but take a video camera so we can laugh at you if you totally fawk it up) :laughing:


I agree just "DO IT", you'll be fine... think positive.
(but, bring scuba gear and shark suit) :D

http://www.oakridger.com/images/080101/sunkcar2.jpg
http://www.harborcountry.com/activities/nbparks/images/nbparks-13.jpg
http://www.flmnh.ufl.edu/fish/Gallery/Descript/Whiteshark/car.underwater_anterior.JPG

:flipoff2: :flipoff2:

Hey! The reason I say this is a friend of mine couldn't get their ski boat started after they launched. They pulled their Dodge diesel down hood first into the water to jump it. The boat started but the truck slipped out of gear when they were releasing the brake. It rolled into the lake. Luckily they were at an angle and the truck hit the dock before rolling out into the deeper water. From then on we've called their truck the USS Corder. Their last name is Corder. I've often wished that we had the whole thing on video. It may have won 10,000.


I'm NOT bagging on you, just thought it was funny!


I called my buddy last night and told him we could get it done but you wouldn't be able to get a straight pin in my arse with a jackhammer!

The name of that boat isn't the SS Minnow is it?

I'm just curious why this guy doesn't have his own truck/vehicle to launch the boat? I'm sure if he could afford a big a$$ boat, he should be able to buy a nice tow rig. Is this an example of "cart before the horse" theory?

low range, hubs locked. what are you worried about. puss! :flipoff2:

He owns a old Ram Charger but it probably weighs HALF what the Cruiser does. He bought the boat and had it delivered from Florida, we had some work to do before we could launch it so he had it delivered to the Marina last week. For this summer it will stay in a wet slip on the water (Lewis Smith Lake).

It's a 76 (?) Trojan with a single engine SBC350, the cabin has a head, a.c. m-wave. He said it was 26' but I'm betting over 30' total length. He got it RIGHT for around $7k. The boat's name WAS "DIRTY DOG" lol, I'm trying to get him to leave it that way.

Cart before the horse??? Wuld that be like buying 42" Swampers BEFORE you do a SOA :laughing:

I'm just curious why this guy doesn't have his own truck/vehicle to launch the boat? I'm sure if he could afford a big a$$ boat, he should be able to buy a nice tow rig. Is this an example of "cart before the horse" theory?

Boat like that generally stays in the water and the trailer is used just to get it to a boat shop that is not ON the water. Prices are usually 25% cheaper if you can trailer it in.

No need to have a big ass truck just to pull it out of the water once a year.

low range, hubs locked. what are you worried about. puss! :flipoff2:

FACT: Land Cruiser don't float (see pics 4 posts up) :laughing:

:d

Stabin' cabin :laughing:

Stabin' cabin :laughing:


Yase!

had trouble finding anybody willing to wash and wax this beast (imagine that).

I would drink a lot of beer first.

We got her done!

I had to use the FJ60 as an anchor vehicle since I couldn't mount the 2-5/16" ball (the shank is way too big for a stock 60 mount). I strapped to his Ramcharger and eased him down the ramp.

It took bbout two hours to launch the boat and get under way, spent the whole day cruising around and enjoying the lake. :cool2: