How to Load and Launch with the Boat2Trailer Ramp N Clamp

Here's everything you need to know about loading and launching your boat with the Boat2Trailer clamp. First, let us walk you through loading the boat. Before backing your trailer into the water, verify the handle is in the down or catch position and that the clamp is open. On-screen is an example of a clamp that's open and ready to load and another example of one in the closed position. The clamp must be open with the handle in the catch position before loading. You won't normally find the clamp closed on an empty trailer, but if you ever do, pull the handle up to open it before you load the boat. You may now back down the ramp to begin loading the boat. If you're loading the boat by yourself, we recommend parking the trailer next to a dock to make it easy to enter and exit the boat. The depth for each boat and trailer combination will vary, but shallower depths are usually best. For bunk trailers, we recommend backing the trailer into the water until 1 and a half to 3 feet of the bunks are exposed. On a roller trailer, we recommend backing in just until the back rollers can contact the hull. These are only general guidelines. The bunks or rollers on the trailer will need to contact the hull to center and raise the boat into the clamp, and the correct depth for your setup may vary. If the boat is misaligned, bring the trailer forward. Here you can see the difference a shallower trailer depth made in aligning and raising the bow. When loading at the correct depth, the bow should first contact the pad within roughly 5" of the eye. The Boat2Trailer clamp has an 8-inch receiving channel that guides the eye of the boat right into the clamp before locking in. When first starting to load, take it slow, approach, reposition, and ease the bow in. With the trailer at the correct depth and some experience, you can glide the boat onto the trailer with some speed and let it snap in. The clamp engages with relatively little pressure, so you don't need to ram it to get it to lock. If the eye is having a difficult time locking in or getting up to the clamp, the trailer is most likely too deep or the bunks are very sticky and need lubrication. For lubrication, we recommend our Bunk Wax, which helps a heavier boat slide up the trailer more easily. Once the clamp is locked, pull forward into the dry area next to the water's edge. Then hook up the strap and chain for travel. When you're ready to launch the boat, the instructions for releasing the clamp depends on your handle. Here's how each one works. To launch the boat with the long handle, unhook the strap and chain in the dry area next to the water. The clamp will keep the boat locked to the trailer while you back into the water far enough so the boat begins to float. Enter the boat, then pull the long handle to the up or release position. When the long handle is up, the clamp is unlocked and can release the eye when the weight of the boat pulls the eye away from the clamp. The weight of the boat opens the clamp to release the eye, not the handle on its own. If the boat feels stuck, pulling harder on the handle won't help. The boat needs to be pulling away at the same time the handle is pulled for the eye to exit the clamp. When you let go of the handle, it automatically snaps down to the catch position, ready to load. We recommend only using the rubber grip piece without the extension if you plan to release from outside the boat. The same recommendation applies when using a rope. Only use the extension if you need the extra length to reach it. The process for launching with the short automatic handle is similar. Unhook the strap and chain in the dry area next to the water. The clamp will keep the boat locked to the trailer while you back into the water enough so the boat begins to float. Enter the boat, then pull the short automatic handle to the up or release position. When the short handle is up, the clamp is unlocked and can release the eye when the weight of the boat pulls the eye away from the clamp. Remember, the weight of the boat is what opens the clamp to release the eye, not the handle on its own. If the boat feels stuck, pulling harder on the handle won't help. The boat needs to be pulling away at the same time the handle is pulled for the eye to exit the clamp. The automatic handle then snaps back down to the catch position, ready for the next load. Launching the boat with the short manual handle works a little differently and is only meant for bunk trailers that hold the boat to the trailer on an incline when the winch strap is removed. This manual option is only available with short handle models of the Boat2Trailer clamp and is included in the package when you order. You can easily swap the pre-installed short automatic handle with the short manual handle. To launch the boat with the short manual handle, unhook the strap and chain in the dry area next to the water's edge. Pull up on the handle and it stays up in the release position while the sticky carpeted bunks hold the boat in place. The clamp is now unlocked and able to release the eye once there's pressure pulling away from the clamp. Back the trailer into the water and the boat is free to float off. After the boat floats off, when you go to park the truck, you must push the handle back down to the catch position manually before the next load. That sums up everything you need to load and launch your boat with the Boat2Trailer clamp. For more information, visit Boat2Trailer.com.