I'm a Carp fisherman and I bought a 16' Jon Boat and trailer for baiting up. I have a Tahoe and will be towing with it, but I've never towed anything before and I need to know some "Towing Basics" so that I don't become a Safety Problem or lose any equipment.

If there is a thread along these lines, please point me to it, or if you can offer any tips, I'd appreciate it.

Thanks,

Chad

-Dont drive too fast
-dont tailgate
-check tires lights, and hitch before leaving
-make wide turns
-To back up look over shoulder put your hand at the bottom of the wheel and turn the wheel the way you want the trailer to go
-check registrateion of trailer
-sounds like a light boat so you should be able to pull in overdrive.

That is all I can think of for now.

matt

just be sure when you are backing up. you have to turn the wheel left to turn the trailer right or vise versa.
And everything matt said.

A 16 foot jon boat shouldn't present any problems for a Tahoe...you probably won't even feel it back there...but it is.

The hand at the bottom of the steering wheel while backing is the best trick in the book. You don't have to think about which way to turn the wheel. With your hand at the bottom of the steering wheel, the trailer will go the direction you move your hand. If you move your hand to the right, the trailer will go right (because you actually just turned the steering wheel to the left).

You should have 2 safety chains. They should be crossed so that if your coupler breaks, the tongue of the trailer will be cradled by the chains.

Load/rig the boat before you get on the ramp. Do all of your loading and rigging in the parking lot before you get in line at the ramp. Once you get a rythm down and understand the flow of the ramp traffic, you can probably do this while in line. Just don't wait until it's your turn to launch and if you do load while in line, don't slow the line down.

Have fun!

Practice backing and turning while in a big empty parking lot.

use your mirrors .the only way to back ..practice practice

I second that. Also, the shorter the trailer, the less you need to turn the steering wheel.

Please do not practice backing up at the ramp. Also, have all of your stuff ready to go when you get on the ramp. Please don't sit on the ramp and begin to organize your stuff on the boat or transfer from the boat to the truck. Not trying to be a prick but it is a pet peeve among the seasoned fishermen. Take it easy. You will get the hang of it in no time at all

The first thing I would work on is judging your distance in your mirrors so you don't take anyones bumper off doing a lane change in traffic! Check tires & bearing buddies before each trip.

Thanks for all the tips, y'all!

I successfully took the boat out to Joe Pool yesterday and we do not have to go back today to dredge it! I made it safely to the lake and back without causing any damage to passers by. Only malfunction was backing back into my driveway... Gonna have to work on that ;-)

Chad

btw...my boat looks like the project in nascarchuck's sig...only no motor and for me "Project" is spelled with a Capital "P" :-0

Well, lets see that beauty then!!!

Here ya go!

Like I said...Project with a Capital "P"!! lol

[img]http://i71.photobucket.com/albums/i146/badchade/DSC02302.jpg?t=1164661574[/img]
[img]http://i71.photobucket.com/albums/i146/badchade/DSC02301.jpg?t=1164661663[/img]

Chad

Now mine is a project!!! Much more than yours!

All I wanted was something like yours, but ended up with what I have.

NICE CHUCK!!

I plan on decking mine out, but not add the cockpit/steering/motor. I'm just going to throw a small trolling motor on it, cut holes to house 5 gallon buckets, and I'll JB Weld some of my European rod holders to the frame so that I can use my big equipment on it if I want to fish out of it. I'll try and keep ya posted when I make progress.

Chad

Sounds good. Good luck and maybe see you out on the water someday!