Ever launch from a lake shore?

[Todd]

I am going to the lake for the first boat trial Wednesday. I would like to launch the boat from the campsite where I will have my camper. This is a logistics problem in that I want to camp on the beach but also need the Truck nearby.

Have any of you launched the or from the beach of a lake?

A few base assumptions:
I have a truck that is 4x4.
The beach itself is navigable even when towing a cargo laden trailer although sandy-soft in spots.
The has a 1' draft but it looks like more? How far are the bunks into the water before the boat starts floating?
I have successfully launched a 19' ski boat from this beach in the past.
No mud but not hard pack soil either.

Any info on your experiences will be greatly appreciated by the newly promoted Admiral because it may redirect what I do thus saving her having to give me feedback.

Todd

[Baha]

Sounds interesting--

Do you have a winch on the front of the truck? You might need it!

I would bring a shovel and some lumber along in case you start spinning out in the sand.

One more thought....I would imagine it being much more difficult to recover off of a beach. You are going to have to empty your ballast before recovering, I think...

[Spector]

It really depends on the conditions of the shore and the angle of the lake bed. I've done it at low water right beside the launch ramp because of the big hole at the end of the ramp from everyone 'power loading' onto their trailers. Only you can evaluate that. You don't want to be this guy.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_aoSRH9Ddhs

[Todd]

I definitely don't want to be that guy. Of course if the water in this lake starts moving around like that we probably have bigger problems

[Starscream]

Yes, launched that way several times.

In general, it's not getting in that's a problem, it's getting out. Getting in typically requires the back wheels of the tow vehicle to be just touching the water. Assuming the lake gets deeper at a reasonable rate as the trailer goes out, that will usually be far enough. If it's shallow for a ways out, I would recommend finding another spot. Look for rocks and obstacles before you go. I would wade out and inspect the launch zone in detail.

Pulling out is a whole 'nuther challenge. If you have a 4-low setting on your truck, engage it before backing up...you'll need it. With street tires a sandy beach pulling out may even be impossible; it's best to have knobbies on. When it comes to beaches, steep is BAD for hauling out.

I pulled my mac out of a lake on a sandy beach with my Dodge Durango V-8 AWD locked in 4x4 mode (no 4-low setting). It was HARD, and I ended up having to take probably 20 runs at it, backing up each time that we came to a stop. This is with knobby LT tires. Most times when the Mac started putting weight on the trailer, the rear wheels of the truck would start digging down into the sand and forward momentum would just slow and stop. The top of my truck was COVERED with sand when I finally got it out. When the tires start digging down, they catch rocks and stones which rocket up into the wheel well with really loud bangs. Be ready for a few dents there.

After I got out, I watched the next guy try to pull out his 17' open aluminum fishing boat with a GMC Terrain AWD with road tires. The boat probably weighed a third of the mac, or less, and he couldn't do it and had to request a tow from a good samaritan with an F-150.

If it's your first try, I would have a contingency plan ready to go. Winch? Secondary extraction site? A tractor? A jedi?

[Sumner]

Did it once at Lake Powell when the lake level was too low to use the ramp. No problem but the bottom wasn't muddy...

http://purplesagetradingpost.com/sumner ... r-Mia.html

Sumner

============================
1300 miles to the Bahamas and back -- 2015

The MacGregor 26-S

The Endeavour 37

Trips to Utah, Idaho, Canada, Florida

Mac-Venture Links

[Catigale]

In short the problem is The last three feet of shoreline is water laden, so you get stuck pulling out. In rocky areas this doesn't hold, but most lakes you will end up in mush.

[LoHo]

Some experience from launching power boats in low-water impound lakes:
-back in at an angle, and withdraw at an angle. That way one tire has firmer dirt and you aren't fighting gravity head on.
-if it is sloppy, make a skid: about an inch thick, one-foot wide, two-foot long piece of plywood with a hitch ball for the boat and a length of chain to attach to the truck. 2x2 runners will help the board skid. Back up to the edge of the mush, chock the trailer tires, attach the skid to the trailer, push the trailer out to launch, then pull the trailer out with the chain and skid. It is a little extreme, but if you don't have a ramp...

I am sure some shade-tree sailor has a posted a video of such a launch.

[dlandersson]

Everybody doesn't do it that way?

It really depends on the conditions of the shore and the angle of the lake bed. I've done it at low water right beside the launch ramp because of the big hole at the end of the ramp from everyone 'power loading' onto their trailers. Only you can evaluate that. You don't want to be this guy.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_aoSRH9Ddhs

[Be Free]

I suspect that Vinnaflix is a bot (apologies in advance if you are not ).

I've launched many times from shore. It really depends on the slope and composition of the bottom. Where I was launching was a fairly gradual slope and a sand bottom. Retrieval was harder and I was very glad to have 4WD and a little more ground clearance for the front of the trailer frame.

[OverEasy]

Hi Be Free!

The Video had me in hysterics laughing!
First the SUV and trailer, then the Chevy Pickup, then the GMC, then the tractor (probably available for a launch fee) then yet another tractor! Never mind the people and ATVs and jet ski…

So finally everyone gets out but did you notice the boat is still floating around somewhere???

The sad part is for $20 or $40 the tractors would have been happy to launch and retrieve for them!
The trucks were soaked and that SUV must have stunk like a forgotten wet towel and now be little more than a rusted out hulk.
Sad but self inflicted none the less.

Used to see similar circuses back in East Texas in the ‘70s with shallow sloped fill lakes.
The bottoms were red clay with a thin layer sand on top.
If anyone got dug in past the sand it was all over as that red clay was slicker than a county fair greased piglet.

I helped pre-emptively make a “portable road” out of 2 x 4s spaced a foot apart and laced with old hemp rope.
It was about 8 foot wide and 6 to 8 feet long.
Rolled up it sat in the back of the pick-up.

We unrolled it and backed the truck down a length while rolling it up between the rear and front wheels.
Turned it around then repeated the process until the water was deep enough to launch.
Getting out was much the same but in reverse.
Fortunately the truck was only a two wheel rear drive so the front wheels never dug in like a 4x4 might have done.
Mind you, it was heavy (especially wet) and awkward but we were all so much younger and stronger back then!

No drama, a little bit of teamwork, a bit of time and some low tech preparation.
No stuck trucks. No flooded trucks. No cancelled outings. No disappointed girlfriends.
The looks on the yahoo rednecks faces who were dug in as we calmly and methodically launched and retrieved was priceless!!
Just wish we had cell phones with video back then!!

Now a days if there isn’t a good boat ramp we just plan on being somewhere else as launching and retrieving our Mac26X with our Dodge Caravan van is VERY much a planned process. Older and Wiser now ( for the most part )
Drifting out into the Bay is something we definitely want to miss! Always!

Wonder how the original poster ‘Todd’ made out…???
Hope he’s not still stuck on a lakeshore somewhere or other…….

Best Regards
Over Easy