How to Put a Boat in the Water

The first thing on your mind when you buy a boat is not how to get it in the water, but how you will unload the boat can be an important issue. You need to consider the vehicle you're driving, the connection cables between the vehicle and trailer, and how to keep the boat from floating off once it's in the water. While unloading a boat is not hard, it requires a lot of thought and planning to ensure the proper execution.

Things You'll Need

  • Partner
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Instructions

    • 1

      Drive a vehicle that is long, tall and strong enough to carry the boat. It needs to be long and tall enough because you'll back partially into the water. It needs to be strong enough to pull the trailer out from under the boat. If you're not sure your vehicle will work, check with a local boat salesperson. Although no standard chart exists that will tell you if your vehicle has the right qualities, a good salesperson should have enough experience to tell.

    • 2

      Bring a partner. You can tie the boat to a dock as you back it into the water if you must do it by yourself, but a partner will make the process much easier. This person can either sit in the boat and back it off the ramp, then pick you up at the dock; or he can stand on the dock with a rope to keep the boat from floating off.

    • 3

      Unplug the lights and any other connection between the boat and vehicle. This keeps the fuse from blowing. Although you may not be able to keep the connection cables from getting wet, do you best to secure them to the vehicle or trailer so they stay as much out of the water as possible.

    • 4

      Check the drain plug. If you lower the boat into the water without the drain plug it will sink. This should be near the back of the boat. You pull it after you take the boat out of the water to let water inside the boat drain away.

    • 5

      Back down the ramp slowly; partially enter the water, but not a enough for the boat to slide off. Detach the boat from the trailer and crank up the rope or cable that held the boat to the trailer. Continue backing into the water until the boat begins to slide off the trailer. The person in the boat can slowly lower the engine, start it up and back up into the water. Pull the trailer out of the water and park. If no one is in the boat, accelerate your vehicle just fast enough so that the boat slides off the trailer.