St Kilda Boat Sales -
19 May 2008
Reversing A Trailer
If you are new to boating and towing as such, TrailerBoat presents a beginner's guide to reversing with Paul Tuzson.
BACKWARD THINKING
Launching and recovering your boat may not be the only stressful events you have the first time you head for the water. If you aren't experienced at backing a trailer you could be in trouble even before you hit the ramp. Still, remembering a few simple things can help enormously.
The first is to go somewhere quiet and practice. At first, simply practice going backwards. Later, you can set up a couple of cones or other markers and practice backing your trailer in between them.
The mindset needed for successful backing is opposite to normal driving practice, and this can be disconcerting.
There's a lot of advice around on the matter, but the most important point to remember is that the back of the boat will move in whatever direction the bottom of the steering wheel is moved. Some people suggest steering with just one hand placed at the bottom of the wheel to keep this fact in mind.
Some might find this is a bit unnatural. It also gives away the fact that you're a novice when you should be trying to impress everyone with your confidence and competence. And trust us, launching or retrieving your boat at a busy ramp is most definitely a spectator sport. So, put your hand wherever you find it comfortable and simply visualise or remember which way the bottom of the steering wheel is moving.
We tested this idea with a novice backer and found that it really isn't very difficult for a competent driver after a little practice.
Next, remember that once you start turning your boat in a particular direction it will keep turning in that direction even after you straighten your wheels. In fact if you start a turn, then re-straighten your wheels, and then keep reversing without doing anything else, the trailer will eventually jack-knife. This is probably the most embarrassing state you can achieve on a boat ramp.
So, to stop your trailer turning in one direction, or to reduce the sharpness of a turn, you must turn it in the opposite direction. Don't try to do too much at once. Over-compensating is probably one of the most common mistakes made by inexperienced backers, so keep your adjustments as small as you can. Also, consider that the more correctly aligned you are with your target in the first place, the smaller your adjustments will have to be. Therefore, make sure you're lined up with the ramp as well as you can be when you pull forward just prior to reversing.
BIGGER IS EASIER
It's fairly common knowledge that a large trailer is easier to back than a small one. This is because the distance between the trailer wheels and the tow-ball defines the radius of rotation of the trailer. A shorter radius defines a smaller circle. So, a given tow-ball displacement will move around a greater percentage of a smaller circle. This means that a shorter trailer will rotate a greater number of degrees for a given displacement of the tow-ball.
Also, it's simply easier to keep a larger trailer in view because similar principles apply to mirror displacement in relation to the back of a trailer. All this works against the novice boating enthusiast because it's likely that a first boat will be a small boat.
In order to see where your boat is headed, you'll have to turn your head around and look backwards. Sometimes, this is fine and necessary, but the problem is that you can only see one side of the trailer.
Using your side mirrors can be much more useful when you get used to it. Doing so allows you to shift your view to each side of your trailer very rapidly, and to do so without the physical discomfort of twisting your whole body around.
Also, try not to be alone. Take a second person who can act as a guide/spotter at the rear of the trailer to help you avoid backing into things, including people. Remember, the bottom of the steering wheel has to move in whatever direction your spotter points.
Some advice suggests that your guide should be at the front of your vehicle. This means that if they say (verbally and without hand signals) what direction they want the back of the trailer to move in relation to their point of view, the driver simply turns his wheels in that direction. For example, the guide says "left" and the driver turns the steering wheel to his left. As a result, the back of the trailer moves to the guide's left, which is actually the driver's right. This can work but it relies on hearing.
However, a more important limitation is that your guide is at the front of the vehicle rather than at the rear, which means that they can't see what's going on behind the boat. This could lead to problems on a busy ramp. It shouldn't, but it could. That's why we say it's better to have the spotter at the rear directing with hand signals.
If you know that your boat fits into a certain space, or between particular obstacles, you'll only need to look at one side of it as you back. Clearly, looking at the driver's side and lining that up is easiest. In this case, your spotter/guide can watch the other side of the trailer to make sure nothing gets in the way. Safety is the issue here and that includes the safety of your guide/spotter. Make sure they never get between the trailer and anything else solid, like a wall or garage door. Also, make sure he or she is never in between the car and the trailer. If you can't see your guide, stop and wait until you can.
As we said, with a little practice all of these things will become second nature and you'll be able to confidently mix it with the best of them at the ramp.
Article published in Trailerboat and boatpoint.com.au: Thursday, 15 May 2008. Article reprinted with permission.