Barry Stokes, former host of Let’s Fish TV has been fishing professionally for 40 years, and he’s got a great tip that will help you get your boat in the water faster and easier, and with less anxiety.
Stokes demonstrates how to smoothly back down the ramp by putting your tow vehicle in neutral instead of reverse once you start down the incline. That way, gravity will pull the vehicle, boat and trailer steadily down the ramp without the added thrust of the vehicle’s engine pushing you faster than you want to go. This also keeps your steering corrections from being amplified by too much speed, reducing the chance you’ll need to pull forward and reset.
Best of all, this technique works for all types of trailered boats. And the bigger the boat and/or steeper the ramp, the more beneficial the “neutral trick” becomes.