Advice about how to back up a trailer is right there with "docking advice" and "how much power do I need" as the most common reader questions of all time. -Kevin Falvey
Boating's experts agree that practice is the biggest key. Find an empty parking lot or visit a launch ramp on a chilly, midweek day. Then, back up to "targets" such as cones, sawhorses, beach chairs, cardboard boxes, or whatever you've got that you won't mind hitting.
Naturally, we want to give you more than just general advice, even if it is very good. So, I asked our most experienced trailer boaters Randy Vance, John Tiger and Jim Hendricks -to each offer their top tip for backing a trailer. Their approaches are similar. But, because the sciences of logic and linguistics tell us that tautology-repeating an idea in a different way-can make for effective communication, we present these three voices. Don't take this tautological trio for granted!
RANDY VANCE
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AFFORDABLE SATCOM
Communications devices using satellite technology are more abundant today than any time in the past. What's more, many are portable, ultra-compact, affordable relatively and designed for boating, dispelling any perceptions that you need a big, expensive dome antenna aloft to access satellite communications.
IN THE BEGINNING
REPOWERING FOUNTAIN HULL NO.1
NAVICO GROUP FATHOM 2.0
Engine charging at 48 volts could be a game-changer.
PROPS FOR INNOVATION
Sharrow MX3 propellers live up to most of the company's performance-improvement claims.
MERCURY RACING 500R
Supercharged power for a variety of boats.
FLIPPING THE SWITCH
Much reporting focuses on reasons why one might choose electric marine power. The issues of range, speed, noise levels, winterizing and ethanol challenges, lake restrictions, environmental concerns and more all must be resolved on an individual basis. Little gets said about how a boater choosing to repower with electric actually gets that accomplished. Is it DIY? And if not, how does it get done?
TOW-VEHICLE TECH
If it's been a while since you bought new tow vehicle, you might be surprised by the many built-in advancements in trailering technology. New tow tech ranges from integrated weight scales and adaptive suspensions to systems that automatically back up your truck to hitch up your trailer. Here are a few examples to look for. -Jim Hendricks
MONUMENTAL TIPS FOR BACKING A TRAILER
Three Boating greats offer advice for a perennial reader query.
STICKING POINTS - Anchoring alternatives, and why you will always need a traditional anchor.
My brother-in-law likes to fish offshore reefs, and the process once entailed navigating to a mark, dropping a float, and idling upwind or up-current to drop the anchor in hopes the set would drop us back to the float.
FOR WANT OF A CLAMP
When 100 miles from shore, home and help, this boater’s preparedness prevented potential catastrophe.
