I start at the front and work to the back every time, the same way. You will need to make a list for you specific boat. If I have a buddy that is intent on helping, I still go over everything as if they weren't there.

I do pretty much the same that everyone else does, but I make sure I put the window down so I don't lock my keys in the truck by accident.

I pull up to the very edge of the ramp making sure my lights are on highbeam so as to blind anyone else on the ramp. Then as someone pulls up the ramp i cross over the entire ramp behind them, making sure to almost clip their trailer with mine, then cuss them out if they have the nerve to say anything. Then I position my trailer in between two lanes with my truck nearly sideways to give myself ample room to unload my icechest, lawn chairs, boom box, bags of dry clothes, fishing poles, minnow buckets, etc from the back of the truck and put them into the boat. Then I get the boat ready. I take the transom saver off, plug in the electronics and trolling motor and unhook the tow strap and safety chains. I back down the ramp until the boat is almost completely submerged, then I crank her on up. I want to make sure she is warm so I am going to give her lots of gas for several minutes. Really wind her up good. Once she is warm I put her in reverse and gun her...better take the straps off. Pull the truck out, take the straps off and back her back in. Go fishing. What did I miss?

I don't own a boat myself, but fish with my brother on a regular basis. Since I go just about everytime he goes, we have a joint routine. First and foremost, park far enough away from the boat ramp so that if someone is quicker than us, they don't have to wait. He always jumps in and gets everything in the boat ready. Depth finder, life jackets, plug in the well, and pulls his rods out of storage, while I do the walk around. With two people, the difference is I take the strap and safety chain off, since he will be in the boat at launch time. Alls well with this, as long as the bunks aren't frozen. Then I walk to the back of the boat, release the back straps, and retract them, put the plug in, and take off the transom saver. I did learn a valuable lesson once. As soon as the transom saver is in your hand, don't put it down unless you're putting it in the truck. I left it on the back deck once at Red's out at Medina, and it fell in the water without our knowledge. My brother had one of those Mercury transom savers, the ones that don't mount to the trailer, but to the motor bracket itself. Nice to have, but cost about $50, and I lost it. Thought it was lost for sure. Went fishing two weeks later, and Chris from Red's comes up and asks if we had lost anything. I said yes, a transom saver, and he handed it over. Said we were the only ones he has ever seen with one, so he knew who it belonged to. Turned out to be about ten feet from the waters edge at the ramp. Anyway, back to launching. He has the little floating key chain on his boat key. We wrote with a permanent marker on the float a checklist that he reads off while I check to make sure everything is done. If everything checks out okay, I jump in the truck and back him down. Pretty simple with a set routine, and only takes about five minutes, ten at the most, and that's if we're fartin around.

Allen_TX_Basser...FUNNY...sad, but I have seen this happen. Those that launch like this...please check your ID card == You are "Lake Lice" and not a fisherman

I do all the outside stuff and whoever goes with me does the "in the boat" prep and then backs me into the water. That way we will at least float