Launching 26' issues/concerns

Benny17441 · Mar 14, 2016

A few things about a ramp. Find out what the paved length is and if there is a drop off at the end of it. Also find out what the inclination or the slope is. In tidal waters the length of the ramp which vary according to the tides. Some sailboat trailers come with an extension (usually fixed keel boats) where the trailer can be pushed farther into the water without getting the tow vehicle underside wet. In a steep ramp the back of the boat will hit the water sooner and allow the boat to float off. In cases where the ramp is not steep enough and the trailer needs to go farther in the water the trailer can be unhooked from the tow vehicle and a line or cable be secured to it allowing the trailer to be hand pushed into the water until the boat floats off then by tying the line or cable to the hitch of the vehicle the trailer can be pulled out. (make sure there is not a drop off). We have never had much problems as we will scout the ramps for length and slope before we launch, always conscious of the tide. We have a number of ramps we regularly use and also have a list of those we stay away from. Just remember that a sailboat is floated on and off the trailer, not winched on nor allowed to slide by hitting the brakes. The winch is just used to help guide the boat into the center of the curved bunks and to secure the bow for trailering. If they launch 23' sailboats out of there I don't think you may have a problem but if the ramp is not acceptable find another one.

John Stevens · Mar 16, 2016

I have an extension on my 26 trailer but seldom use it. If you've been launching boats for a long time you know that most ramps mark the end of the ramp. Just be sure not to let the trailer wheels go over the edge. Your boat draws 2.5 feet, asking for local knowledge at a ramp is useful. Also, the 26 is considered a keel/centerboard, not a swing keel.

The beauty of launching over retrieving at a new ramp is that if it doesn't come off you're not stuck, just pull back out.

vhoisington · Mar 16, 2016

Talk to the marina and get some details. As others have said, the 26 usually isn't too much problem. On our lake we launch 28 and 29 foot keel boats with up to 5' draft. The ramp is long and relatively steep but even then we use 40' 25k tow straps to launch these big boats. Smaller boats get by with a shorter tow strap or a tongue extension.

If you can get away on a weekday, the ramp often is not too busy and you can take your time. As is mentioned, take your time, plan ahead and if things don't feel right step back and take a breather to reasses the situation.

Have fun, one last thing, don't forget to look up as well, trees and power lines can cause as much trouble as trailers and ramps.

Good luck and let us know how the inaugural launch goes.

agprice22 · Mar 20, 2016

vhoisington said:
Talk to the marina and get some details. As others have said, the 26 usually isn't too much problem. On our lake we launch 28 and 29 foot keel boats with up to 5' draft. The ramp is long and relatively steep but even then we use 40' 25k tow straps to launch these big boats. Smaller boats get by with a shorter tow strap or a tongue extension.

If you can get away on a weekday, the ramp often is not too busy and you can take your time. As is mentioned, take your time, plan ahead and if things don't feel right step back and take a breather to reasses the situation.

Have fun, one last thing, don't forget to look up as well, trees and power lines can cause as much trouble as trailers and ramps.

Good luck and let us know how the inaugural launch goes.

Can you give more description on using the tow straps? How do you support the trailer tongue as the trailer is let down the ramp or pulled back up?
I have a 272 I would like to launch / retrieve. I have some good ramps, but my trailer is too short, so I was thinking of an extension. I figure I would need to support the tongue with a beefier wheel than the jack. The strap option intrigues me.
Thanks,
Andrew

vhoisington · Mar 22, 2016

Andrew,

To your questions. The trailers for these big boats have a dedicated "launch" wheel. Usually a wheel that is dropped for launching and kept up out of the way when trailering, it also is our spare trailer tire. Do NOT use the tongue jack, if it catches on something it will collapse.
To launch, we back the trailer down to the water edge. Chock the tires and unhitch. Then using the pin in the trailer hitch we put that through one loop on the tow strap. the other end is either looped around the trailer post or many of us have welded a dedicated launch hitch such that we can drop a trailer hitch pin into to catch the other loop of the tow strap.
Launching is then a matter of taking tension on the trailer to allow removal of the wheel chocks and then a slow back into the water. With a little practice you can "aim" the trailer to one side or the other but it allow a significantly longer drop into the water.

We've been doing it this way for something like 30 years at the lake and generally never had any issues. But it does take a little getting used to.

PM me if you want more details.

Victor

vhoisington · Mar 22, 2016

The question was asked about how to launch using straps. For your 26 with a swing keel you may be able to launch without all the straps and extra effort. A lot depends upon how steep the ramp is and how far you are willing to back the truck into the lake. As mentioned I think you only need about 2'6" of depth so you may not require all of the stuff us big boat owners have to do.

I didn't mention the 45' gin pole used to raise/lower our masts which also sits near our launch spot. That is another whole process especially when you have double spreader.

Go slow, take your time and don't forget to look up as much as looking down. Overhead branches and power lines cause more grief than shallow water.

let us know how the launch goes (pictures always help)

Victor

centerline · Mar 22, 2016

a swing keel boat launches like a power boat... just back up til the boat floats a little in the stern, then push it off the trailer.....

if you are concerned that the water isnt deep enough to float your boat, we cant help you there, as you will have to back the trailer in and find out.... if there is enough water, great, but if not, move on to the next ramp that will be deep enough.
but after 45yrs of launching from boat ramps, I cannot imagine any ramp where they could launch ski boats from, that would not be deep enough to launch a swing keel sailboat from.... stop worrying and go do it

kito · Mar 22, 2016

I am assuming this ramp has a walkway? If it were me I would take a long stick and poke along the ramp until I found the end and place something on the walkway to indicate the end. You can then kind of figure out if you have a enough depth too. The last thing you want to do is fall off the ramp. I had a heck of a time getting my empty trailer back up after it fell off even in 4 wheel drive. Plus it can damage your trailer. I have also used a method of backing up and hitting the brakes to help it slide off too. Problem with that is you have to remember that you need to get it back on if your trailer sailing. You need to get the bunks wet first and make sure you have a good quality winch and strap to crank it back on.

Joe A · Mar 22, 2016

Is it a water ballast boat? With an empty ballast tank it will float like a cork. Retrieving (with the tank full) is another story. I have no trouble launching or retrieving my Mac 26S anywhere I've been. The only sort of trouble I have is where I go at the jersey shore. The ramps there are pretty flat to begin with and loaded with washed up sand so I need every bit of high tide. It limits my in and out time windows quite a bit. As long as the tide is up, no problem at all.

agprice22 · Mar 22, 2016

Windtherapy said:
Holy cow. Seriously? It's that much to launch a 26'. I'm so used to launching my previous 18 foot fishing boat. I knew this would be harder by far but though I could used my F150 to do this with ur connected to the hitch. I guess not. I maybe can see why others at the marina have it travel dropped at a marina 15 miles away and then motor or sail it to our marina.

Here's a question, can a traveler get enough room for the straps when it's on a trailer?

Oh and yes I would like details please. Thank God I only have to launch and load one time a year.

No! The 26 is significantly easier to launch. I launch my friend's 26 right off the truck and trailer... no straps or elsewise. I do have to get my rear tires in the water, but that is all.

I was asking about the tow straps because I have a 272 and no trailer extension.
Thanks!

agprice22 · Mar 22, 2016

Thanks for the info. I might try to set up a dedicated wheel and try this!

Thanks!

JohnVTX · Mar 22, 2016

agprice22 said:
Thanks for the info. I might try to set up a dedicated wheel and try this!

Thanks!

You won't need it. It will be a waste of money and time. Back it in and unload

agprice22 · Mar 22, 2016

JohnVTX said:
You won't need it. It will be a waste of money and time. Back it in and unload

Oops... I think I am guilty of hijacking here...

My quote was related to launching a 272, not a 26. They are different beasts to launch! Interestingly, the 272 is not much heavier, but it draws a bit more, so launching is a challenge. I normally get my 272 lifted in and the mast lifted by crane, while I launch my friend's 26 and step his mast manually with a gin-pole.
Thus, launching my 272 manually would require either a trailer extension or the tow straps...

Sorry...

Above is a picture of my girl!

Andrew

Sunbird22358 · Mar 24, 2016

centerline said:
a swing keel boat launches like a power boat... just back up til the boat floats a little in the stern, then push it off the trailer.....

if you are concerned that the water isnt deep enough to float your boat, we cant help you there, as you will have to back the trailer in and find out.... it there enough water is, great, but if not, move on to the next ramp that will be deep enough.
but after 45yrs of launching from boat ramps, I cannot imagine any ramp where they could launch ski boats from, that would not be deep enough to launch a swing keel sailboat from.... stop worrying and go do it

The O'DAY 26 is NOT a swing-keel boat, that was a misprint in a previous post. The O 26, like most of the O'DAYs in the 20-26 foot range, has a Keel/Centerboard design, there is a shallow keel (2'6" draft on the 26) with a centerboard housed inside. The bottom of the keel sits above the axles of the trailer, so depending on trailer design.... she sits a lot higher than a typical power boat.
Yes, a "swing-keel" boat should be as easy to launch as any power boat (so say the sales brochures!, but that really only applies to the swing-keelers where the keel retracts flush to the bottom of the hull), and based on my experience with centerboard boats (and one "swing-keel" boat), they are that easy. However, a Keel/Centerboard boat requires a bit more depth due to the greater draft and height of the boat sitting on the trailer. O'day made great claims about how their K/CB designs were better than the swing-keel boats, they were correct in many ways....... but they somehow forgot to mention the need for a deeper ramp to launch a K/CB boat. <GRIN!>

centerline · Mar 24, 2016

Sunbird22358 said:
The O'DAY 26 is NOT a swing-keel boat, that was a misprint in a previous post. The O 26, like most of the O'DAYs in the 20-26 foot range, has a Keel/Centerboard design, there is a shallow keel (2'6" draft on the 26) with a centerboard housed inside. The bottom of the keel sits above the axles of the trailer, so depending on trailer design.... she sits a lot higher than a typical power boat.
Yes, a "swing-keel" boat should be as easy to launch as any power boat (so say the sales brochures!, but that really only applies to the swing-keelers where the keel retracts flush to the bottom of the hull), and based on my experience with centerboard boats (and one "swing-keel" boat), they are that easy. However, a Keel/Centerboard boat requires a bit more depth due to the greater draft and height of the boat sitting on the trailer. O'day made great claims about how their K/CB designs were better than the swing-keel boats, they were correct in many ways....... but they somehow forgot to mention the need for a deeper ramp to launch a K/CB boat. <GRIN!>

thanks for making this point clear. its a big one..
one can only give advice based on the information given

, which was said to be a swing keel boat.... I have always assumed the boat owner knows what they have and are talking about, rather than thinking they have no idea and doing the research FOR them before giving out my free advice

but I will agree a deeper draft boat needs a deeper/steeper launch ramp.
but its still possible to back the boat down any given ramp and see if the stern floats a bit before fully committing to a set up and launch..

agprice22 · Mar 24, 2016

Right on the keel / centerboard, but it is still not difficult to launch. I launch my friend's every season with my Ford Pinto.

Hahah! Just kidding. I have a Ram 1500.

Thanks,
Andrew

Launching 26' issues/concerns

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