How to Launch a Boat

Co-authored by Travis Lund

Last Updated: July 27, 2025 Approved

Here's the correct way to launch any boat that you can pull behind your vehicle on a trailer. This technique may have to be adapted to the style of ramp and dock you are using. For the sake of this article, we're going to imagine that there's at least one dock and a boat ramp.

Part 1

Part 1 of 3:

Preparing the boat

1
Prepare the boat. Prepare as much as possible while the boat is on the trailer, and on dry land. Prepare the engine, fuel, safety gear, mooring lines, fenders, etc. You should be ready to drive the boat off the trailer right after it's backed down the ramp. Other people want to launch as well, and tempers will flare if you use dock time to do things you could have done in the parking lot. It is a good idea to have your own written checklist.
- If you're launching a small boat into the water, make sure to put the drain plug in so you don't capsize the boat. ^{[1]
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  Expert Source
  
  Travis Lund
  Sailing Instructor & Executive Director, Treasure Island Sailing Center
  
  Expert Interview}
If bringing along guests, brief them on where to go and what tasks to do. Be sure to let the guests in the boat first, along with the boat operator. That way nobody has to jump in after. If bringing along children, forbid young children and pets from playing or loitering on a boat launch ramp as this is a roadway that transitions into a waterway. Keep children and pets supervised by an adult in a different area than at the boat launch ramp. NEVER let children or pets play or be unattended at a boat launch ramp.

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Part 2

Part 2 of 3:

At the launch site

Unplug the trailer towing light assembly from the vehicle's electrical system. ^{[2]
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This is very important!
Undo and stow the hold down straps, but leave the winch hook in the bow eye.
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5
Back the trailer down the ramp. This is easiest done with two people: one driving and one as a spotter. With a truck or SUV it can be easier to see when backing up if you put the tailgate down or open the rear hatch/door/window. Drive slowly, making tiny fine-tune steering corrections as you go. How far to back the boat trailer into the water depends on many factors - type of trailer, depth of the water, type of boat, etc. A good rule of thumb is to back in until the water is just above the hubs on the trailer. Be careful about backing in too far otherwise the tow vehicle might become stuck. ^{[4]
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- When backing down the ramp, have the vehicle in neutral. This makes it easier to control the vehicle quickly. If something fails, quickly put it in gear and go forward.
6
Ensure that your tow vehicle has the parking brake set before exiting the vehicle.
- When getting out of the vehicle on the ramp, apply the handbrake first, check that it is holding fast, and then put it in park. When the vehicle is sitting in park, the whole weight is sitting on a little piece of metal in the trans (parking pawl). Should this break and the park brake doesn't hold, you launch the whole rig.
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Part 3

Part 3 of 3:

Launching the boat

Ensure that no person is near the engine when starting and that no person or boat is in your path before you put the boat in reverse.
Pay attention to currents, wind and waves that can easily pull your boat off course and into a collision course with another boat or dock.
Make sure the engine is in the water, and turn it over. Once it's running, undo the winch hook from the bow eye, and back the boat out of the trailer. For smaller boats, you can just push the boat out while holding a mooring line.
6
Secure the boat to the dock. Tie the mooring lines to cleats on the dock. Use fenders to prevent the hull from being scratched.
- If you forget to tie a dock line to the boat, you won't be able to sure your boat after you've launched it. ^{[5]
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  Expert Source
  
  Travis Lund
  Sailing Instructor & Executive Director, Treasure Island Sailing Center
  
  Expert Interview}
Boat ramps can be slippery with moss and algae and it is important to not let the vehicle's tires spin. If your tow vehicle is equipped with four-wheel drive, this can be useful if your back tires start spinning. Once the boat is afloat and secured to the dock, drive the vehicle back up the ramp and park it at the landing, in the designated parking area.
When pulling away from the dock, it is important to understand that unlike a car, the stern of the boat is pushed to one side or the other, whereas a car's pivot point is in the front. Do not turn the boats steering wheel in the opposite direction of the dock, with the boat a mere few inches from the dock, and just hit the throttle - or your engine's outdrive will push your boat right into the dock, scratching or gouging the gelcoat in the side of the hull. Make sure that you have pushed away several feet from the boat dock before driving away, so that your stern has ample room to turn the boat without scraping the boat alongside of the dock.

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Question

What is the purpose of a boat drain plug?

Travis Lund
Boating Expert
Travis Lund is the General Manager at the Vallejo Marina, a large marina located between the San Francisco Bay and the Delta in California. Sailing since he was six-years-old, Travis has over 15 years working in sailing operations and instruction and has pioneered a coaching platform that combined traditional coaching with multi-camera video support. He studied English at Michigan State University, where he was on the sailing team.

Travis Lund

Boating Expert

Expert Answer

Always insert the boat drain plug because it'll prevent your small boat from capsizing.

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What are some mistakes I should avoid if I'm launching a boat?

Travis Lund
Boating Expert
Travis Lund is the General Manager at the Vallejo Marina, a large marina located between the San Francisco Bay and the Delta in California. Sailing since he was six-years-old, Travis has over 15 years working in sailing operations and instruction and has pioneered a coaching platform that combined traditional coaching with multi-camera video support. He studied English at Michigan State University, where he was on the sailing team.

Travis Lund

Boating Expert

Expert Answer

One of the biggest mistakes that I see is that people often forget to put the drain plug in when they're launching a small boat into the water. Also, people forget to tie a dock line to the boat, so they aren't able to secure it.

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Question

How deep does the water need to be when launching in a flooded meadow area?

Community Answer

It depends on the size of the boat. Smaller flat boats only need a few feet.

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Tips

Prepare as much as possible ahead of time, at home. At the launch, prepare as much as possible in the parking area. When you go to actually launch your boat, you should be launching it, not loading, fiddling with the engine, etc. There is often a line at launches, so be considerate, and launch quickly and efficiently. It is important to have a plan and a set routine with a checklist that encompasses the order of task as well as things that are too extensive to just remember (sunscreen, beach towels, wallet, boat keys, sunglasses, camera, life jackets, water skis...may just a few things amongst many that will be on your master checklist. With your checklist in hand and with a set routine, then most people can safely and easily launch a boat within 5 to 10 minutes.

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Bring jumper cables, a small tool kit, and/or a battery jump pack. Batteries tend to go dead when you least expect it. This always holds up the launch. It is a good idea to ensure the boat starts before hitching to tow vehicle.

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Make sure your bilge pump is on before entering the water.

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Warnings

Keep your boat keys on a floatie so that if they are accidentally dropped into the water, they will be attached to a small float on your keyring.

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Have a lock on your trailer's coupler to avoid theft.

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Check trailer tires to make sure nothing has caught them when you launched the boat. You never know what kind of sharp object can be down there

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If launching into salt water, be sure to unplug the towing light assembly from the vehicle's electrical system, or the conductivity of the salt water can blow a fuse in your vehicle.

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[1]

Expert Source

Travis Lund
Sailing Instructor & Executive Director, Treasure Island Sailing Center

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

How to Launch a Boat

Steps

Preparing the boat

At the launch site

Launching the boat

Expert Q&A

Tips

Warnings

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